We’ve got another Mini on our hands, and this time it’s Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini. Head past the break for our full review of this budget-centric dual-SIM smartphone.
Unlike other Minis we’ve seen in the past, there isn’t much of a let down on the AOTIM in terms of specs and build quality. In fact, except from the screen size, this phone is near-identical to the One Touch Idol which we reviewed back in April.
Alcatel still went for the no-frill design scheme that they implemented with the One Touch Idol. From the uncluttered front panel, down to the non-removable back cover with a faux-brushed-aluminum finish, the AOTIM looks exactly like its big brother.
We have nothing but praises for the AOTIM’s design; it’s thin, lightweight and that back panel gives a bit of distinction from the other handsets on the same league.
If there’s one thing that we didn’t like about it though, it will probably be the pair of SIM card slots on its right flank. I don’t know if it’s just me, but these slots have given me all sorts of trouble; from popping the uber-tiny flaps, to inserting the Micro-SIM cards to its respective slots and the worst removing the cards.
So a friendly advice should you decide to go for the AOTIM: pop your two SIM cards and be done with it. Otherwise, keep a spare SIM card handy; you’re gonna need it to help you inserting/removing your SIM.
Albeit the smaller display, the Idol Mini’s screen is outfitted with almost the same amount of pixels as its bigger sibling; resulting into a relatively good display output sans the noticeable pixelation. Moreover, the IPS panel does a good job of providing decent viewing angle at any angle.
Brightness level is also commendable, as well as the outdoor legibility. It also responds well to touches for most of the time, even on the edges and corners. And those rare times when the touch seems to be not registering, it’s more a performance-related concern rather than the screen acting up.
Speaking of performance, it is not the AOTIM’s strongest suit. This is not to say that the handset is terribly slow, because if it is, then it would somewhat reflect on the benchmark test results.
We can’t exactly put our fingers on what’s hindering it from providing consistent performance output, but our best guess will have to that the firmware (not to mention the custom UI that’s laid on top of it) isn’t fully optimize for its engine; resulting into an inconsistent and sometimes sluggish performance.
For better or worse, the AOTIM runs on a skinned version of Android Jelly bean which has the similar toy-ish appeal of Cherry Mobile’s custom UI. I know most of you would prefer to have a Vanilla Android experience any given day, but Alcatel’s skin doesn’t bode well for you, you can always opt for a downloadable third-party UI.
Most of the core Android apps, like the Messaging and Dialer, still functions the same way as on stock Android. By default though, the system makes use of a TouchPal keyboard instead of the usual Android keyboard. Again, if you don’t like this third-party keyboard, you can always switch back to the default Android keyboard.
Another gripe that we have with this phone has to do with its camera. It’s bad enough that it only takes 5MP snaps, what’s worse, the autofocus mechanism seems to be busted as it failed to give us any sharp images even though the subject was stationary.
To top it all up, the colors are washed out and the details (or lack thereof) is nothing but a mushy mess.
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The autofocus issue we mentioned earlier is particularly noticeable during this sample video that we took with the AOTIM.
Well at least, the battery life isn’t that bad. On a regular use, the phone lasts an entire day before we reached out for its charger. With the data connection/Wi-Fi turned on, we got an average of around 9-11 hours of mileage with its 1,700mAh power source.
The screenshot below shows how many hours the phone lasted when we played a 720p video on a loop while the phone is on Airplane Mode.
Conclusion
In this tightly contested (and congested) dual-SIM market, making a budget-friendly phone standout among its peers is a tall task for any company. While most manufacturers/re-branders chose to blind their prospects with “quad-core processors” or gazillion megapixel cameras, Alcatel opted instead for an eye-pleasing design with the One Touch Idol Mini.
Alcatel proves that affordable smartphones doesn’t have to be an ugly piece of plastic. Sadly though, the AOTIM is a good example of style over substance as it failed to deliver a satisfactory performance, making a tough pick for specs-oriented crowd.
The Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini is now available locally and currently retails for Php6,990.
What we liked about it:
- Stellar design
- Thin Profile
- Decent display quality
- Average battery life
What we didn’t like about it:
- Buggy performance
- Awful camera
- Toy-ish UI complete with CM-looking square icons
- Outdated specs
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