The quality of a smartphone is primarily determined by its parameters. According to them, you can talk about how long the device will last you and whether it is worth purchasing such a smartphone at all. But what about the idol 2 mini specs?
Visual component
In Alcatel one touch idol 2 mini, the characteristics are limited to visual data. Based on them, the developers collected all the other components of the device. Its weight is only 110 grams when considering the thickness of less than 8 mm. Impressive, isn't it?
Here is a standard candy bar with three touch-sensitive keys from below. Its unique feature is the metallic silver frame, which gives the phone a touch of elegance. The body is made quite solidly. Finding fault with any backlashes or other problems is simply unrealistic. The device gives the impression of a premium, although, in fact, it is a budget employee.
On the right there is a power button, and above the volume rocker. It is also used to block the device's sensor. On the left is a SIM card slot covered with a flap. Below is the USB connector and microphone. The charger and headset jacks are very cleverly separated. Many users noted this as one of the brightest advantages of this device.
The back plastic cover houses the main camera, diode flash and an additional microphone for high-quality sound in video recordings. The front of the device, in addition to touch keys and an oleophobic screen, has a speaker grill and a front camera.
Camera
Speaking of cameras, the idol 2 mini has more than acceptable characteristics. The main camera takes pictures at 5 megapixels, and video at 1280x720. All this is complemented by a fairly high-quality autofocus and elegantly integrated flash. At the same time, the pictures are obtained in quality noticeably higher than that of smartphones of other brands, whose cameras, according to statements, reach eight and even 13 megapixels.
The front camera in such a smartphone is a disadvantage for a modern person, since it is not intended for selfies, but only for communication and has a very modest resolution by modern standards - only 0.3 megapixels. If you are not a fan of photographing yourself, then this unit is the very thing.
Battery
The battery in the smartphone is lithium-ion and non-removable. Its volume is 1700 mAh. The manufacturer promises that the battery is capable of autonomously spending at least 400 hours on standby and 5 hours in active use. An excellent result for a budget smartphone. Taking into account one SIM card and the minimum set of applications, the battery consumption is really low. And not too productive "hardware" contributes to even greater savings.
Memory and performance
We can safely say that the idol 2 mini's memory characteristics are not encouraging, but not upsetting either. These are standard 1 gigabytes of RAM and 4 gigabytes of non-volatile or random access memory. Based on the latest technical innovations, these are not the best indicators. Although, if you remember that the device was released in 2014, there is nothing surprising.
As for the "iron" component, one should not expect any special miracles either. The device has a processor capable of overclocking each of its four cores to a frequency of 1.2 GHz. These indicators are enough to work with simple programs like instant messengers, but no more. Do not forget that the device is primarily positioned as a fashion and at the same time budget. And in the case of an attractive appearance at a low price, you can rarely find more or less productive hardware.
To improve performance, you can root the device and remove some built-in applications. This will allow, in addition to reducing the load on the processor, to unload a certain amount of non-volatile memory, which is not too much here.
conclusions
The Alcatel one touch idol 2 mini smartphone is a 4.5-inch rugged IPS touchscreen phone. This smartphone with a low price, 4-core processor and Android 4.4 has made thousands of people fall in love with it. It will be a suitable option for those who value lightweight and Among the minuses, one can note a slot for just one SIM card, which may not be enough in today's conditions of tough competition between operators, and not the most productive hardware that lowers the comfort of use. It will ideally fit into the role of an additional gadget for use in rare cases, as the main smartphone, it will not be able to provide the full range of possibilities provided by the modern electronic world.
Photos in the interior
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
Contents of delivery:
- Phone
- Charger with USB cable
- Headset
- Instructions
Positioning
The Idol line has become a kind of breakthrough for Alcatel - interesting design, good functionality, reasonable price. The appearance of the Mini version with a low price made these devices even more popular, they entered the mass segment. In fact, we can say that Alcatel has created an excellent offer in terms of price / quality ratio, materials and appearance - these models are strikingly different from what we see from most Chinese manufacturers. And the cost is at the same level.
In 2014, there were no major changes in design, the entire line received an update of the filling, but at the same time it retained the design, which still looks the same fresh. In my opinion, Alcatel devices can be recommended as youthful, bright solutions - they will be chosen by those who prioritize not only functionality, but also how the device looks. This is a rare case where the form complements the content very well. I like the latest line of devices from Alcatel, they are quite pleasant in everyday life, but they lack the stars from the sky. A kind of pragmatic choice - a phone that can be used for several years, and then change it to another. Actually, that says it all.
Design, dimensions, controls
The Idol Mini 2 line includes several models, for reasons of simplicity, you can combine them in one review, since, by and large, they are the same in the eyes of the consumer. Let's list all the modifications:
- Idol Mini 2 6016X - one SIM card, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of internal, microSD, UMTS 900/2100
- Idol Mini 2 6016D - two SIM cards, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal memory, UMTS 900/2100
- Idol Mini 2 6016A - one SIM card, 512 MB RAM, 4GB internal, microSD, UMTS 900/2100
- Idol Mini 2 6016E - two SIM cards, 512 MB of RAM, 8 GB of internal, UMTS 850/1900/2100
- Idol Mini 2 S 6036A - one SIM card, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of built-in, LTE Bands 1,2,4,7,17, no NFC
- Idol Mini 2 S 6036X - one SIM card, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of built-in, LTE Bands 1,3,7,8,20,28, no NFC
- Idol Mini 2 S 6036Y - one SIM card, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of built-in, LTE Bands 1,3,7,8,20, there is NFC
The review is based on the 6036Y version, which is the best configuration for this device. All versions use a Qualcomm chipset. In Russia, the 6036Y version is sold by the Beeline operator and is partially branded by it (screensavers in the menu, and the like).
Outwardly, we have a typical Alcatel - this means a nice plastic case, a monoblock design. The manufacturer offers the model in different colors, but as a rule, you can find a dark silver device in retail.
The phone measures 129.5x63.5x8.5 mm and weighs 116 grams. Compact, fits well in hand. The front panel is one-color (depending on the color of the case, for example, in the white version it is also white). It is difficult to distinguish this device from other models on the front side, it starts to play if you turn it over - a body with a slight bend, nice plastic that is resistant to abrasion. On the back you can see a large speaker, at the top - an LED flash, as well as an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus.
On the left side there is a slot for a SIM card, as well as for microSD memory cards, on the right side there is a volume rocker and an on / off button. The 3.5 mm jack was taken out to the upper end, but the microUSB - to the bottom. On the ends you can also see the microphone holes, there are two of them.
Above the screen there is a light indicator, a front camera, as well as an LED, it can be configured to work in case of missed calls or events. In general, the build quality is not questionable, but under strong compression, the back panel crackles. Someone may not like it - this does not affect the reliability of the device in any way, but the design is such that it creaks. Carelessness in the design of the apparatus, which gives such an effect. In real life, you will not pay attention to this and are unlikely to squeeze the phone like that.
Display
The device has an IPS-matrix with a diagonal of 4.5 inches and a resolution of 540x960 pixels (245 dots per inch). Multi-touch supports up to 5 touches, brightness control in automatic mode works well. The brightness margin is excellent, and the model turned out to be pleasant in terms of how the screen works - good colors, excellent viewing angles, no complaints. It is possible that the default fonts will seem a little fishy, \u200b\u200bbut you can always change them to large ones. The screen fades in the sun, but remains readable.
Battery
The handset has a 2000 mAh battery (1700 mAh in versions without LTE). According to the manufacturer, it can provide up to 400 hours of standby time and up to 13 hours of talk time in 3G. In practice, the device with quiet use - 20 minutes of calls a day, a couple of dozen SMS, an hour of listening to music and a little mobile Internet - lasts about 2 full days. At the same time, we can say that with very active use, he will be able to live until the evening of the first day, but this is an uncommon use of such a device for the target audience. Such smartphones are bought mostly for calls, SMS, mail and the like. That is, this is not a typewriter for constant presence in the network, there is not enough screen diagonal for comfort. The full charging time of the battery is approximately 2 hours.
Memory, memory card, performance
The phone has 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal memory, of which 5.3 GB is available to the user for programs and their data. Memory cards are supported up to 32 GB.
The chipset in this model is Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8226, 4 cores with a frequency of up to 1.1 GHz. Graphics coprocessor - Adreno 305. In my opinion, the performance is quite excellent, no complaints, for fans of virtual parrots I will give the data from the benchmarks.
Communication capabilities
The phone works in 2G (GSM / GPRS / EDGE, 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and 3G (850/900/2100 MHz) cellular networks, as well as LTE (for Idol 2 Mini S). Available Bluetooth version 4.0 for file and voice transmission. There is a wireless connection Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b / g / n. The devices, of course, can be used as an access point (Wi-Fi Hotspot) or modem. USB 2.0 (High-Speed) is used for file transfer and data synchronization. There is a not very popular Wi-Fi Display function, when you can transmit a signal from your phone to another device via Wi-Fi. Traditionally, there is a Wi-Fi Direct function. There is also an option for a remote Wi-Fi display.
The device under review also has NFC, it can be used to read tags, there is a trial version of the Triger Pro program, which allows you to configure various events using NFC. The tags themselves are not included, but they can be purchased from any manufacturer, for example, Samsung.
Camera
A usual 8-megapixel camera with autofocus, there are not enough stars from the sky, gives an acceptable quality of pictures in bright light, in the dark the result is noticeably worse. The photo part is not the strong point of Alcatel phones, however, look at the examples below. Video recording is supported in 1080p resolution, up to 30 frames per second.
Software Features - Android 4.3
In the Idol 2 Mini, as well as in its predecessor, Alcatel uses its own software shell, which may be perceived by many ambiguously, since people often prefer "naked" Android and are quite satisfied with its capabilities.
Many functions have been greatly redesigned, Alcatel has added a number of programs that can be downloaded for free anyway, but the fact that they are pre-installed makes the device more interesting for inexperienced users.
Without unlocking the device, you can view the weather forecast for the current day. Scroll the screen to the right, there will be a calendar and a to-do list for the current day (you won't be able to enter tasks or view another day). You can also see the status bar, it is also available when the screen is locked, if there is no security key or digital code.
The fundamental difference between Alcatel's approach and other shells is that they decided to abandon a separate menu for all applications. The main screen contains a weather widget, several icons. This is the starting point. Scroll the screens to the left, and there will be widgets that you install. We go to the right, and these will be program icons, also some programs have already been removed to folders, this was done by the manufacturer. You get used to such an organization instantly, it is somewhat logical and definitely has the right to life.
The settings menu now has its own settings, for example, the super-saving mode for the battery. The menu itself is also redesigned in white, which is pretty nice. In our video, I am talking about most of the applications in the device, and what has changed compared to the previous models, I don’t want to repeat myself.
Further, one could dwell on each program, describe it, but I do not see much sense in this. This is a smartphone, and this software is usually known, or I touched on it in the video. Therefore, see the screenshots below.
Another part that I want to describe separately is the multimedia capabilities. The device has support for unconverted video, the chipset plays 1080p perfectly, unlike its predecessor. In terms of music formats, there is support for FLAC, in addition to the usual mp3 and a number of others.
Impression
The sound quality is excellent, your interlocutor hears you well in all conditions. The call is loud, clearly distinguishable. The vibration alert is rather weak, closer to average, you can skip it.
The cost of the LTE version of this device in Beeline is 7,990 rubles, the difference is in NFC support, as well as 8 GB of internal memory and support for memory cards. In the version without LTE, the price is lower - 6,990 rubles. In my opinion, the target audience will be interested in a device without LTE, after all, this technology assumes active use of the network, and with a small, by today's standards, screen, it is not so convenient. I will say otherwise, you will be able to surf the net, there are no problems with this - but it is unlikely that it will be long hours, rather look at the necessary pages from time to time, chat on social networks, use Whatsapp. The device is very comfortable for this, but you shouldn't think that it will allow you to surf the net all the time - the screen size plays a role, and this limitation cannot be bypassed.
The device turned out to be very pleasant, just like the first Idol Mini, it is a good phone for calls, balanced, there is nothing superfluous in it. I would like a better camera, but this is a weak point in almost all models in this price segment. Alternatively, you can consider last year's Idol Mini, which looks very interesting considering the new price - it can be found for 5,000 rubles. In large retail chains, its cost is 5,990 rubles, which makes it not so interesting against the background of the second version.
The Idol 2 Mini S is one of the few mid-budget models that supports 4G networks. Actually, the device itself in terms of characteristics is not far from its brother in the line, Idol 2 Mini. The phone case is made entirely of plastic. There are metal inserts on the sides. Control is carried out using 3 touch keys. The shell for Android does not differ much from other Alcatel devices: many useful applications are preinstalled.
The Mini S has a 4.5 "screen diagonal, which is 0.5" less than the Idol 2. However, this does not greatly affect the usability. The display operates on an IPS-matrix and supports a resolution of 960 by 540 pixels. No serious screen defects were noticed. The main 8 MP video camera does not stand out much against the background of the famous flagships from Samsung, Apple or Nokia. However, it is quite suitable for everyday use, producing photos with a maximum resolution of 3264 by 1836. The sharpness of the pictures is not the most ideal. But buying Alcatel just for the sake of a video camera doesn't make much sense. The quad-core processor allows you to run demanding 3D games, including the popular Asphalt 8.
A 2000 mAh battery is enough for 1-2 days of operation at an average load (without running games). If desired, you can enable saving mode in the phone settings. It takes about 2 hours to fully charge the battery.
The Idol 2 Mini S model is suitable for those who are not used to paying big bucks for flagship smartphones, but are not ready to give up Android. But here it is important to understand whether you need 4G / LTE without fail. If you don't need it, then you should pay attention to the same Idol 2 Mini or older models, since the phone is clearly stuck in the past in other parameters.
