In terms of sheer number of announcements, Alcatel is
probably the manufacturer to beat at Mobile World Congress this year. This
year, the company introduced at least 8 devices including a few note-worthy
picks.
First on the list is the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3. There will
be two models under this name: a 5.5-inch model and a 4.7-inch model. The
bigger variant sports a screen with Full HD resolution, a Snapdragon 615 chip
with a 64-bit octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of on-board
storage. It also has a 13MP+8MP camera combo, dual-front speakers and a 2910mAh
battery.
Meanwhile, the smaller model gets a 720p display, a
Snapdragon 410 chip with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, a 2000mAh battery and
the same 13MP rear camera with an f/2.0 lens. However, the selfie camera has
been downgraded to a 5MP snapper.
The interesting feature of the OT Idols would be its
reversible design. The design should allow users to easily pick up the device
and use it as a phone even if the top side is down. This is essentially solves
the problem when you can’t tell which side should go up when the screen is off.
There’s no specific timeline for its announcement but
pricing information has been provided. The 5.5-inch model will be sold for
around $280, while the 4.7-inch variant will retail for $223 once it hits the
shelves.
Also on Alcatel’s display booth is the OneTouch Hero 2+. It’s
a slightly modified version of the OT
Hero we saw at IFA last year. The tablet has almost identical specs as the
original Hero with the exception of its operating system.
The tablet runs on Cyanogen OS 11 out of the box in contrast
to the almost vanilla interface of the original OT Hero. The slate is expected
to reach US shores in the coming weeks for $299.
