Alcatel Idol 5s (USA) Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The Alcatel Idol 5s (USA) is a powerful and stylish smartphone that offers an exceptional user experience. With its sleek design and premium build quality, it is sure to turn heads. The device boasts a vibrant 5.2-inch Full HD display, providing sharp and vivid visuals for your multimedia needs. Equipped with a reliable octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM, it seamlessly handles multitasking and delivers smooth performance.

The standout feature of the Idol 5s is its impressive 12MP rear camera, which captures stunning photos and videos with great detail and clarity. The 8MP front camera ensures you can take perfect selfies and engage in high-quality video calls. Additionally, the device comes with a fingerprint sensor for secure and convenient unlocking.

In terms of pricing, the Alcatel Idol 5s (USA) offers great value for money with its affordable price tag. It is available in multiple variants, allowing users to choose the one that best suits their needs and preferences. Overall, the Idol 5s is a compelling choice for those seeking a reliable and feature-packed smartphone without breaking the bank.

Design and Build Quality

The Alcatel Idol 5s boasts a stunning design that is sure to catch the eye. With its sleek and premium look, it gives off a vibe of sophistication and elegance. The phone is crafted with 2.5D glass and an aluminum frame, which adds to its premium feel. However, the glass construction does make the phone slippery, so caution is needed when handling it. The Idol 5s has a compact form factor, making it easy to hold and use with one hand. The dimensions and weight of the phone are well-balanced, providing a comfortable grip. The back panel is smooth and adds to the overall aesthetics of the device.

In terms of build quality, the Idol 5s feels robust and sturdy. The fit and finish of the phone are well-executed, giving it a polished look. The buttons and controls are conveniently placed and offer a satisfying tactile response. The bezels around the display are minimal, allowing for a larger screen-to-body ratio. The frame of the phone is solid and adds to its durability.

Overall, the Alcatel Idol 5s impresses with its aesthetics and physical appearance. It has a premium look and feel, thanks to the combination of glass and aluminum. The phone is well-built and offers a comfortable grip, making it a pleasure to use.

Display

The Alcatel Idol 5S in the USA features a display that offers a satisfying viewing experience. The phone boasts a 5.2-inch screen size, which is quite comfortable for most users. The display resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels, providing sharp and clear visuals. With an aspect ratio of 16:9, the display offers a traditional widescreen format.

The Idol 5S utilizes LCD technology, which delivers accurate and vibrant colors, although it may not match the color accuracy and vibrancy seen on more expensive OLED displays. In terms of brightness levels, the display performs well indoors, but it may struggle a bit under direct sunlight outdoors.

The touch responsiveness of the Idol 5S display is commendable, allowing for smooth and fluid interactions with the phone. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass, which adds durability and resistance against scratches and accidental drops.

With a pixel density of around 424 pixels per inch, the display offers decent sharpness and detail. While the phone does not support HDR or wide color gamut, the viewing angles are satisfactory, ensuring that content remains visible and clear even when viewed from different angles.

The Idol 5S does not feature a notch design, and the bezels surrounding the display are relatively slim, resulting in a screen-to-body ratio that is quite decent. The phone does not have an always-on display feature, but it does offer a blue light filter to reduce eye strain and adaptive brightness for optimal viewing in different lighting conditions. Overall, the display of the Alcatel Idol 5S in the USA offers a good balance of visuals and functionality.

Performance

The performance of the Alcatel Idol 5s is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, accompanied by 3 GB of RAM and the Adreno 506 GPU. While this combination offers decent overall performance, it does have limitations when it comes to heavy gaming. The chipset is not designed for intensive gaming, which is evident in the laggy performance observed in some graphics benchmark tests. However, for everyday tasks and moderate usage, the Idol 5s provides a smooth user experience with satisfactory multitasking performance and app loading speeds.

In terms of system optimization, the Idol 5s manages to maintain a lag-free performance for most tasks. The thermal management of the device is also well-implemented, preventing overheating during extended usage.

When it comes to gaming capabilities, the Idol 5s is VR-ready despite its reduced display resolution compared to its predecessor. Although the reduced resolution affects the level of detail, it still offers a VR experience and has its own content store. However, the performance tends to stutter when using VR due to the strain it puts on the device.

In benchmark tests, the Idol 5s achieves respectable scores in both CPU and GPU benchmarks. The processor efficiency is notable, as it allows for smooth performance while conserving battery life. The GPU efficiency, however, falls behind higher-end devices, resulting in lower graphics scores.

Overall, the Alcatel Idol 5s delivers a satisfactory performance for its price range. While it may not be the best choice for intensive gaming, it offers a smooth user experience for everyday tasks and moderate usage. The device's system optimization and thermal management contribute to its overall performance, ensuring a lag-free experience.

Software and User Interface

The Alcatel Idol 5S, available in the USA, runs on the Android Nougat 7.1 operating system. This version offers a range of features and improvements, making it user-friendly and intuitive. The phone also comes with a few pre-installed apps, which may include helpful utilities and entertainment options. However, some users may find these apps to be bloatware, as they take up space on the device and cannot be easily removed.

One of the standout features of the Idol 5S is its customization options. Users can personalize their device by changing the wallpaper, adding widgets, and rearranging the home screen. The interface is clean and easy to navigate, allowing users to quickly access their desired apps and settings.

Although the phone lacks NFC, which means it cannot be used for Android Pay, this is a common feature omission among budget phones in the US. However, it's worth noting that NFC is more prevalent in budget phones in the UK and Australia.

Overall, the Alcatel Idol 5S offers a user-friendly software experience with its Android Nougat 7.1 operating system. The customization options and clean interface make it a convenient device for everyday use. However, the presence of pre-installed apps, which some users may consider bloatware, and the absence of NFC for Android Pay may be drawbacks for certain individuals.

Camera

The Alcatel Idol 5S (USA) features a 12-megapixel camera with an aperture of f/2.0 and a focal length of 1/2.8". The camera is equipped with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) for quick and accurate focusing. It also has a dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, and panorama mode for capturing a wide range of scenes. The image quality of the camera is commendable, producing sharp and detailed images with natural colors.

In terms of photography, the Alcatel Idol 5S performs well in various lighting conditions. For daylight photography, it captures vibrant and well-exposed shots with good dynamic range. Indoor photography is also satisfactory, with the camera effectively reducing noise and maintaining sharpness in low-light situations.

The camera offers several features to enhance photography experience, including a portrait mode that creates a depth-of-field effect, HDR for balanced exposure in high-contrast scenes, and panorama mode for capturing wide scenic views. Additionally, the pro mode allows users to manually adjust settings such as ISO, shutter speed, and white balance for more control over their shots.

When it comes to video recording, the Alcatel Idol 5S supports 4K video with good detail and clarity. It also offers video stabilization to reduce camera shake and ensure smooth footage. Slow-motion video and time-lapse modes are available to add creativity to videos. The camera supports various video formats, providing flexibility for sharing and editing.

Overall, the camera of the Alcatel Idol 5S (USA) delivers reliable performance with its megapixel count, aperture, and advanced features, making it suitable for capturing moments in different settings and lighting conditions.

Battery Life

The battery life of the Alcatel Idol 5S in the USA has been a major concern for users. The phone comes with a 2,620mAh battery, which is relatively small compared to other smartphones in its price range. This has resulted in a shorter battery life, with users reporting that the phone struggles to last a full day with moderate usage. The charging technology on the Idol 5S is not particularly advanced, and it does not support fast charging or wireless charging options. The lack of optimization features also contributes to the battery drain. While the phone does have a battery saver mode, it does not provide significant improvements in battery performance. Overall, the battery capacity and management of the Alcatel Idol 5S could be better, and users may need to rely on external power sources or carry a portable charger to ensure they have enough battery backup throughout the day.

Connectivity and Networking

The Alcatel Idol 5s (USA) offers a range of connectivity options to enhance your mobile experience. It supports various network bands, including GSM, HSPA, and LTE, ensuring compatibility with different carriers. You can enjoy fast data speeds with HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps and LTE-A Cat6 300/50 Mbps. The phone also features Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, allowing you to connect to both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks. Bluetooth 4.2 ensures seamless wireless communication with other devices, while GPS provides accurate navigation assistance. The Alcatel Idol 5s (USA) does not support NFC, but it does come with a USB Type-C 2.0 port for convenient charging and data transfer. Additionally, the phone supports dual SIM functionality, allowing you to use two SIM cards simultaneously. Whether you need to connect to the internet, share your connection as a mobile hotspot, or navigate with GPS, the Alcatel Idol 5s (USA) offers various connectivity features to meet your needs.

Additional Features

Comparison with Other Related Phones

The Alcatel Idol 5S is a budget phone that offers premium looks and features at an affordable price. However, when compared to other related gadgets in the market, it falls short in terms of battery life.

In terms of market positioning, the Idol 5S competes with other budget phones such as the Moto G5 Plus. While it shares similar hardware and runs on Android Nougat 7.1, its battery performance is a major drawback.

When it comes to features, the Idol 5S stands out with its sleek and premium design, featuring a glass front and back. The dual speakers on the top and bottom of the phone offer an impressive audio experience, surpassing many other budget and mid-tier phones.

In terms of specifications, the Idol 5S is powered by a 2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, which handles everyday tasks well. It also includes a fingerprint reader on the back that offers some convenient shortcuts. However, it lacks NFC, meaning it cannot be used for Android Pay.

In terms of performance, the Idol 5S performs adequately for messaging, social media, and casual gaming. However, it may struggle with more intensive games compared to higher-end devices like the Galaxy S8, Google Pixel, or iPhone 7.

When comparing the camera capabilities, the Idol 5S's 12-megapixel rear camera takes nice photos for its price range but may not match the quality of more expensive phones.

In terms of pricing, the Idol 5S is priced at $280, which is relatively affordable for a phone with premium looks and features. However, its battery life issue may make it less attractive to some consumers who prioritize longer-lasting devices.

In the competitive landscape, the Idol 5S faces tough competition from other budget phones that offer similar features and performance. Its main advantage lies in its premium design and affordable price, but it lacks the battery performance that some other devices provide.

Overall, the Alcatel Idol 5S offers a value for money proposition with its premium looks and features. However, its battery life and competition from other budget phones may limit its appeal in the market.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Alcatel Idol 5s offers a budget-friendly option for those who are social media conscious. With its dual social account feature and creative camera techniques, this smartphone is designed to cater to the needs of users who frequently capture and share their lives online. The sleek design, including the stylish 2.5D glass display and matte aluminum casing, adds a touch of sophistication. However, the limited color options and small battery may be drawbacks for some users. Overall, the Alcatel Idol 5s provides a decent performance and features for its price point, making it a viable choice for budget-conscious buyers.