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Alcatel One Touch Idol 2S review

7.5/10 AVG.
RATING
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Alcatel One Touch Idol 2S
Alcatel One Touch Idol 2S
Alcatel One Touch Idol 2S
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7.5/10
Informr score
The Alcatel One Touch Idol 2S currently has an Informr score of 7.5 out of 10. This score is based on our evaluation of 1 sources including reviews from users and the web's most trusted critics.

What's good

  • Sharp display with good viewing angles
  • Good performance during basic tasks
  • Sleek design
  • Good camera performance

What's bad

  • Slim bezels make it difficult to use
  • Mediocre battery life
  • Capacitive menu buttons work improperly
  • Cheap body materials

Alcatel, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, has another entry into the mid-range smartphone market with the OneTouch Idol 2S. When they first received the Idol 2S, experts were impressed with its sleek appearance and comfortable matte back. It is also very light at 126 grams and much thinner than its competition – the Motorola Moto G – at 0.3 inches. At only 5.4 inches tall and 2.8 inches wide, the Idol 2S has very narrow bezels, which unfortunately some reviewers found to be more of a hindrance than a feature as they often found their palm touching the screen or menu buttons by accident. Upon further handling, they uncovered build quality issues such as low quality plastic around the device's perimeter, unsecure back cover and easily scratched camera lens.

For a mid-range phone experts describe the 5-inch, 720p IPS display as sharp, bright and color accurate with good viewing angles and bright light legibility. The only issue they had wasn't necessarily with the display itself but with the capacitive menu buttons. When they pressed different buttons, the menu would either bring up the selection in the wrong location or simply eliminate the menu buttons altogether.

The 2S comes equipped with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM. While there's no way it can compete with higher end phones, reviewers were able to load apps quickly and scroll through their home screen with no lag. Even browsing the web was a generally pleasant experience for them though they, unsurprisingly, ran into some issues when multi-tasking and using processor-intensive apps. In order to keep the device slim Alcatel opted for a 2,150mAh battery, which experts found was too small, especially for power use. Even with moderate usage they were barely able to eke out a full day's of use.

Armed with an 8MP rear camera, the Idol 2S actually produced decent daytime and adequate low-light photos for experts. The pictures they took were fairly detailed though with a slightly skewed white balance and a bit over exposed when they used the flash. Still, they add that on the whole the camera was fast and reliable.

While experts did have some issues with the Idol 2S overall they consider it a fairly good piece of hardware. Mobile Syrup adds, "…[it] is an excellent mid-range smartphone that few are going to regret purchasing."

 


Android
Operating system
Operating system
Android
1.2 GHz
Processor
Processor
1.2 GHz
5"
Screen Size
Screen Size
5"
8+ MP
Camera
Camera
8+ MP
2150 mAh
Battery


What the Critics Are Saying...


Mobile Syrup
Mobile Syrup

The Idol 2 S makes all the right decisions in keeping prices down, and the result is an excellent mid-range smartphone that few are going to regret purchasing. While it has a better camera than the Moto G LTE, the prospects of it being updated to new versions of Android as quickly as Motorola's darl...

- Daniel Bader, Mobile Syrup


Prices (Where to Buy)




Common Questions



Alcatel backs up the One Touch Idol 2S with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.


If your One Touch Idol 2S has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Alcatel support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Alcatel's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.



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Quick view

Screen Size
5"

The Alcatel One Touch Idol 2S's screen size is 5 inches with 720 x 1280 pixels resolution.

Processor
1.2 GHz

There is a Quad core 1.2 GHz processor (CPU).

OS

The phone runs on the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system (OS).

Camera
8+ MP

You can take photos with the phone's onboard 8+ MP camera.

There is also a secondary front facing camera with 1+ megapixels resolution.

Storage
8 GB

Internal memory is 8 GB. An external, MicroSD, MicroSDHC (up to 32 GB) expansion slot is available for increased storage capacity.

Battery
2150mAh

The phone is powered by a Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion), 2150 mAh battery. Alcatel's performance ratings are 990 minutes.

One Touch Idol 2S Specs

Overview
Release Date July 31, 2014
Regions Available Canada
Operating System Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

Compare Android Smartphones

Processor Quad core 1.2 GHz
Internal Storage 8 GB
RAM 1 GB
Hearing Aid Compatible Yes
TTY/TDD Yes
Noise Cancellation Yes
SAR Head: 0.452 W/kg
Body: 0.683 W/kg
Manufacturer Warranty 1 Year
Accessories Included USB Power Adapter, Manual, Standard Battery, Headset, Data Cable
Cellular
Networks
GPRS, EDGE, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE
Mobile / Cellular Data
4G/LTE
Push-to-talk (PTT) No
Wi-Fi Calling Unknown
Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Unknown
SIM card size
Micro-SIM
Dual SIM No
Connectivity
USB Micro-USB 2.0
USB OTG Support No
GPS Type A-GPS
Infrared No
Bluetooth 4.0
Bluetooth Profiles A2DP
Bluetooth Audio Codecs SBC
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Mobile Hotspot Yes
Memory Expansion Slot Yes
Expansion Slot Info MicroSD, MicroSDHC (up to 32 GB)
NFC Yes
Data Tethering Compatibility Yes
Camera
Main Camera
Resolution / Aperture
8+ Megapixels
Zoom
Yes
Flash
Yes (LED)
Additional Rear Camera Info
Auto focus, Face detection, Geotagging, Night mode, Panorama, Self-timer, Smile detection, HDR, Burst mode
Video Recording Formats
3GP / 3GPP, H.264 / AVC, MPEG-4, XviD
Video Recording Parameters
Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), 30 fps
Front Camera
Resolution / Aperture
1+ Megapixels
Additional Front Camera Info
No
Video Recording Parameters
Display / Screen
Type Color
Technology LCD (IPS)
Colors 16.7 million
Resolution 720 x 1280 pixels
Pixel Density 294 pixels
Size 5 inches
Secondary Display No
Sensors Ambient Light, Proximity, Motion / Accelerometer, Digital Compass
Multi-Touch Yes
Fingerprint-Resistant Coating No
Additional Display Features Capacitive touch screen, Oleophobic coating
Power & Battery
Battery Type Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion)
Battery Capacity 2150 mAh
Removable Battery Yes
Wireless Charging No
Fast Charging No
Video Playback Time Unknown
Internet Use (Wi-Fi) Unknown
Internet Use (Cellular) Unknown
Talk Time Up to 990 minutes
Standby Time Up to 21.7 days
Mixed Usage
Physical Characteristics
Design Type Bar
Material Plastic
Colors Chocolate, Full White, Slate
Dimensions [H x W x D] 13.7 x 7 x 0.7 cm (5.4 x 2.8 x 0.3 in)
Weight 126 grams
Water Resistant / Waterproof Unknown
Rugged design No
IP Rating No
Headset Jack 3.5mm
External Speakers Yes
Input / Navigation
Sleep / Wake Key Yes
Home Key Yes
Input / Keyboard Type Touchscreen
Navigation Type Touchscreen
External Volume Control Yes
Fingerprint Sensor No
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Additional Information Other Names (AKA):
Related Links Quick Start Guide (PDF)
Manual (PDF)
Alcatel One Touch Idol 2S Reviews
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