Alcatel has announced the new Idol 4 series of smartphones at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Building on the success of its Idol 3, the Idol 4 and Idol 4S smartphones are claimed to “take everything up a notch” with a new Boom Key and an augmented multimedia experience.
“The Idol 4 series marks another milestone in Alcatel innovation,” said Dan Dery, Chief Marketing Officer at Alcatel. “The Boom Key boom-ifies everything, from the sound to photos to gaming. Something we’re really excited about, and something I’m eager to show my friends is that we’ve augmented Idol 4’s multimedia experience. A screen that offers a stunning display from any angle, an all-in-one powerhouse audio ecosystem and a professional-caliber camera.”
Alcatel provided the following information:
Boom me up! The Boom Key Delivers Augmented Experience
Boom my camera: Instantly takes photos on standby mode pressing and holding the button puts the camera into burst mode to take photos in quick succession.
Boom my gallery: Artistically shuffles the photos in the gallery for instant sharing as a photo collage or a short slideshow.
Boom my videos: Generates immediate, surprising effects in existing videos, such as replaying the previous one second of the video three times, or changing the playback speed. When a user is recording a video, pressing the Boom Key will immediately broadcast the video live.
Boom my music: Conceived by Alcatel and creatively engineered by Waves, the audio experience is automatically optimized across all media with simply one touch. The bass, loudness and clarity of the sound is enhanced, enriching the whole user experience.
Boom my game: Asphalt fans will love how the Boom Key amps up their race by releasing the Nitro and boosting the car speed. It also boosts the audio experience by increasing the volume and adding spatial sound reproduction.
Boom my view: Creates a more intense 3D effect (parallax UI effect) for the launcher and a stunning, live weather display as part of the home-screen.
Augmented Multimedia: Amped-Up Display, Camera and Sound
The Idol 4, featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, and the Idol 4S, featuring the Snapdragon 652 processor, deliver advanced features and capabilities that allow consumers to experience console-quality 3D gaming, enhanced photography and videography, as well as home theater-quality audio. These Qualcomm Technologies processors also features an X8 LTE modem and 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity which supports very fast download speeds. Additionally users will be able to enjoy all-day battery life. Both smartphones sport displays that provide superb readability even in bright sunlight and clear viewing from any angle using Qualcomm Technologies’ Assertive Display technology. The larger, 5.5-inch Idol 4S offers a 2K AMOLED display, which is super-responsive and low in power consumption.
“Both Snapdragon 617 and 652 processors take processing and power efficiency to new heights and offer advanced features that will enable the great user experiences for Alcatel consumers,” said Alex Katouzian, senior vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies. “We are pleased to have worked with Alcatel on the development of their new Idol 4 and Idol 4S series, which will deliver exceptional features.”
Idol 4 series comes with professional-quality cameras offering ultrafast auto-focus (0.1-0.3 seconds), as well as 360-degree photos and selfies. The smartphones also produce crystal-clear shots even in the dark.
For a superior and powerful audio experience, Alcatel teamed up with two well-known audio brands, JBL and Waves.
Other Idol 4 series audio features include two powerful 3.6 watt speakers, Hi-Fi surround-sound for the headset, and optimization of audio presets both automatically and manually, giving users a powerhouse sound. The J22 JBL headphones employ high-performance drivers and a high quality microphone is included to enable the end-user to enjoy on-the-go phone conversations.
The pre-loaded Onetouch Music app offers users an all-in-one music ecosystem, which lets them discover new music, mix online or local tracks, remix, as well as play and browse featured playlists.
Augumented Reversibility: Up, Down and All Around
IDOL 4 and IDOL 4S are reversible in three ways. The interface rights itself no matter if the users picks it up right side up or upside down. In addition, it is reversible left to right: stereo sound is always on the correct side, even when the phone is flipped. And the strategically placed speaker grille ensures that sound is unobstructed, whether the phone is facing up or turned over.
Augumented Reality: Part of the Idol 4 Experience
Last but not least: The Idol 4S’s innovative packaging design transforms into a pair of virtual reality goggles which, when combined with the smartphone, becomes the portal for users to enter the world of immersive 360-degree viewing and gaming. Virtual reality content such as videos and games can be downloaded onto the device from the Onetouch VR Store, a built-in app to easily access saved virtual reality content or streamed in realtime via LittlStar.
Finely Crafted Design
Idol 4 and Idol 4S will be offered with four different metal frames: Gold, Dark Gray, Rose Gold and Metal Silver. The front glass touch panel and glass back cover give the phones a premium look and feel. The Idol 4 series’ slimness (6.9 mm), metal frame and in-mold spin-effect texture add to its finely crafted, luxurious design.
