Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini Unboxing and Initial Review

Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini Unboxed

Alcatel launched the Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini as a follow-up to their Idol and Idol Ultra super thin smartphones. While the new One Touch Idol Mini retains the slim profile and form factor of the Idol series, the internals got knocked down several steps lower to compensate for the more “affordable” price tag of Php6,990.

Here’s what’s under the hood:

Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini Spec Sheet

1.3GHz MediaTek Dual-core Processor
Mali-400 GPU
512MB RAM
8GB Internal Storage, Non-expandable
4.3-inches IPS LCD Display, 854 x 480 pixels resolution
5.0-megapixels primary camera with Autofocus and LED Flash
VGA secondary camera
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
3G, WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS with aGPS
Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
1,700mAh Battery
SRP: Php6,990

As you can see the device is powered by one of the latest dual-core MediaTek processors and 512MB RAM. This is actually acceptable already considering the you would probably get a score of at least 10,000 on the Antutu Benchmark Test with these specifications. However a possible deal break is the 8GB non-expandable storage. Parang… bitin. x.x;

Anyway, let’s move on to the unboxing!

Packaging and Unboxing

The Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini came in a clean white carton box with the product shot at the top lid and technical specifications at the back. Based on the packaging it looks like the marketing agreement between Alcatel and Marvel for the Iron Man movie franchise is already over since the previous two Idol models had Iron Man 3 branded slip-ons.

Unboxing wasn’t anything special. We peeled off the tape at the bottom and popped open the lid. Inside we found the Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini wrapped in plastic. We unwrapped it and got a feel of the phone for the first time. It definitely had the same profile and build as the Idol and Idol Ultra. We set the phone aside and dug deeper into the box.

In the box we found the micro USB to USB cable, wall charger, quick start guide, and earphones. A nice added freebie was a customized screen protector (always love freebies, yay).

Over-all unboxing was very straightforward.

Initial Impressions: Looks Good But Definitely Specs are Outdated

The Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini wins in the looks department but definitely is left wanting in software and performance. It’s made primarily of hardened plastic with a smooth matte finish. The band along the sides looks like it has a faux brushed metal finish which adds to the premium look and feel of the phone. The back plate is non-removable and the SIM card slots are located at the side.

The One Touch Idol Mini’s form factor makes it a compact and easy-to-manage phone. The screen isn’t probably the best for consuming content like videos (we would have preferred at least 5 inches) but your thumb can easily move around the display effortlessly.

The latest MediaTek dual-core processor and 512MB RAM on board the device is good enough for smooth basic/core functions. It starts to falter once you go into multi-tasking and RAM hungry applications. You can actually do hardcore games thanks to the capabilities of the new processor but the 512MB RAM really is the chink in the armor. In short as long as you’re doing one thing with no background apps running, it will do well.

If you put more emphasis on the looks and don’t do gaming and heavy multi-tasking, then the Alcatel One Touch Mini Idol might be for you. It’s relatively not expensive at Php6,990. However if you want more bang for your buck you might want to check out the offerings of local brands since they usually pack at least qHD displays, HSPA+ connectivity, and quad-core processors paired with 1GB RAM.

The Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini is now available in stores.