Mega Wins Slots Free review

The Play Store is currently saturated with a plethora of games that vary from every imaginable genre. You have racing games, puzzle games, adventure games, you think it, it’s probably on the Play Store. While this makes finding something to keep you entertained a walk in the park (I know, I know, I could have chosen a better phrase… ) it also makes it difficult to find a game that really stands out. Well, thankfully for you great, fantastic readers (Its okay if your blushing, you great people you) I have taken the quest of throwing myself into the Play Store and sifting through the grains to find the diamond hidden within. Today we are taking a look at Mega Wins Slot Free to see if this casino slots game is worth downloading.

Graphics

Nowadays, no game would be worth it weight in Android bobbleheads if it didn’t have good graphics. I mean, no one wants to stare at an ugly interface filled outdated visuals when they can easily just go and download another game. Well, Mega Wins Slots does not suffer from that malady as it can stand toe to toe with the best of them when it comes to graphical performance. One of the first things that I noticed when I downloaded the game was the super vibrant neon welcome screen that displays when the game connects to its servers. After the game finishes loading you are taken to the main page of Mega Wins Slots where you are able to choose what slot adventure you would like to partake in. From Smoking Guns in the wild west to Eye of Ra, you get a nice selection of slots games to play in and begin your adventure. All of them keep the similar layout of having the slots in the middle, stats on top, and the actual gameplay buttons on the button. Depending on which one you choose, however, will determine the icons that will display and the overall theme. Overall, the game is very visually pleasing as the game characters are all well drawn and have small animations that will play when they are grouped together with other similar toons.

Gameplay

Moving on the actual gameplay, it’s a slot game, so there is not much you are required to to in terms of actual gameplay. You press the spin button and watch the slots turn. A neat feature of Mega Wins Slots though is the ability to choose how many lines you wish the game to recognize when you spin. So, instead of spinning and only having three rows and needing to match three similar songs together, Mega Win Slots lets you choose a plethora of lines. You can have them all match in a vertical line, semi-vertical, horrible, you name it its got it. The only catch is that you need to pay more coins to be able to spin if you have more lines being used.

Speaking of coins, the game runs on virtual gold coins that are given to at the beginning of the game. You are only given a limited amount though, as the whole purpose of the game is to try to win more. If you are ever in need of more coins though you can purchase them of their in app store, but you don’t necessarily have to do so. They give our a plethora of bonus coins every day as part of their daily bonus and the more you play, the more you level up, and you get coins when you do. Also, you can always try to just win more.

Final Thoughts

Mega Wins Slots is a very fun game that I thoroughly enjoyed getting to test out. I recommend it to those that like to live life on the edge and like to take risks, but maybe don’t want to go to Vegas and use real currency. Mega Win Slots will give you the same rush (hopefully) without the risk of having to tell your wife you lost your house and dog because you lost all of your cash playing blackjack.

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AEC BQ 615 Bluetooth speaker review

I

just spent a week with the AEC BQ 615 and, while there’s room for improvement, they’ve created a device that provides a solid value for the price point.  It’s a lightweight, portable, wireless tube speaker – the specs have it at 20” across and about 20 ounces in weight.

One of its coolest features is the color-changing display that actually moves to the beat. The brightness dimmer was a clutch option towards the end of the battery life when I was trying to get a few more minutes of playback out of it. For best results you’ll want to have your input volume turned up high. I got the best, most in-sync, mini light-shows with dance music but it certainly looked neat no matter what came on the playlist.

For personal use, this beats your laptop or cellphone speaker by miles. The BQ 615 made a nice companion while synced to my laptop via Bluetooth. Setup was a breeze and wireless is definitely the way to go with this little guy.

An aux cable is included but I found the aux sound to be completely lacking, from power to sound quality. In fact, I was ready to give this a bad review until I switched to Bluetooth. Either the aux cord or the actual input jack (or both) was extremely sensitive and would crackle any time I slightly moved it.

On about two hours of charging (included cable; USB output from my laptop, micro USB input) I got about 10 hours of playback. While I was pleasantly surprised, a remaining power indicator would have been nice. The only notice of impending battery death was an annoying voice-over that would nag me towards the end of its charge.

Bluetooth range was impressive when fully charged. Standard expectations for these type of units are around 30 feet. With this speaker, I got nearly 50 feet before the skips and distortion started occurring.

Unfortunately, when the speaker was low on battery life, the playback would skip around no matter how close I kept my phone to the unit. There was also a weird glitch where the music would play at faster-than-normal speed when the battery was low.

With that said, when charged up and sitting around with a few people on a balcony, this unit is a great value. Keep it powered and it will serve you well. At the Amazon prices I found ($30 range), the BQ 615 is a steal.

– Chris S.

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Grain Audio Packable Wireless Speaker System review

I

recently had the pleasure of spending the holiday weekend with the Packable Wireless Speaker System, or PWS, from Grain Audio and am thoroughly impressed. If you’ve read my reviews in the past, you’ll know that I hold the Jabra Solemate (and its big brother, Max) to be the touchstone by which I measure all other Bluetooth speaker solutions. While I certainly won’t be dumping the Jabra (more on that, below), it’s safe to say that a worthy competitor has surfaced.

While everyone has their own concerns, what I’m typically looking for in a portable speaker is quality of sound, volume, price, battery life and durability (in that order). The folks at Grain Audio have spared no expense at putting together this bad boy. By imbuing the PWS with MaxxAudio, an audiophile-targeted sweetening tool-set from the renowned folks at Waves, the quality of sound that you can expect is unparalleled. I owned and operated a recording studio for many years and Waves was the most trusted name in the industry when it came to plug-ins. They’ve brought that same integrity to the PWS and the impact is great. Rich, full, warm, round… whatever word you prefer to describe luxurious audio, PWS is that. To my ears, the entire spectrum is well-represented from bombastic bottom to sizzling high-end.

Let’s talk volume. For a unit that’s not much bigger than the boxes of candy you’d buy at a movie theater, the PWS delivers. I live in a fairly small apartment in Manhattan but I never even got to crank this thing to its max. The decibel level was perfect for my home, using just about 75% of its capacity, and I was blown away with the vibration isolation. Even with the bass rocking this little guy stayed perfectly still and didn’t rattle or transfer energy to any of its neighboring components. Pretty impressive. If you’re in a large home your mileage may vary but this is an ideal centerpiece to a living room or companion to a home theater.

At $249.99, this isn’t the cheapest speaker on the block. Unlike a bloated Beats By Dre line, however, you’re actually getting what you pay for with Grain Audio: Attention to detail, an artisan approach and audiophile-quality sound.

The rechargeable Lithium-ion battery is basically standard fare for this type of device and doesn’t merit much discussion. The spec-sheet shows an 8-hour playback duration but I’m not going to sit around listening to The Dark Side of the Moon on repeat just to determine the validity of the claim. I’ll take Grain Audio’s word for it.

Superior sound aside, the PWS is a beautiful unit. As if the name didn’t give it away, all of Grain Audio’s creations have a natural wood design. The Packable Wiresless Speaker System is no different, boasting a hand-oiled, FSC certified, Walnut finish. It’s really quite striking and would be a lovely addition to almost any decor.

That brings me to my only concern with this unit: durability. With its gorgeous wood craftsmanship, I would be hesitant to take this to the beach or the park for fear of scuffing or scratching such a pristine body. One of my favorite things about the Jabra Solemate is the rubberized water-resistant finish which lets me bring it into the bathroom during showers without batting an eye. I don’t know that I’d try that with this unit.

If you’re looking for premium acoustics and a classic design, the Grain Audio Packable Wireless Speaker System is a sumptuous little staple for any home or office… just make sure to bring the included carrying pouch if you’re headed for the beach.

Shop for the Grain Audio Packable Wireless Speaker System on Amazon

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Livescribe 3 review

Livescribe 3 Smartpen 

As a writer, I find myself writing something here, jotting some notes over there, just basically writing on anything that is on hand. Then I have to remember where I jotted my notes down and decide on whether or not I want to make a digital copy of them for my digital archives. I am sure that I am not the only one that goes through those mental excursions (what, I am? Hm…) Well, I had accepted my fate of just having to write everything down and then typing it up when I had time until I got an email from the uber friendly people over at Livescribe. They informed me that their Livescribe 3 software was coming to Android and that it would be released soon. That was all I needed to hear to know that I had to try it out for myself. So, without further adieu, here is my review for the Livescribe 3 digital pen.

The Livescribe 3 from initial impressions does not really have much to differentiate it from its not tech-infused siblings. It’s not until further inspections that you are able to see the small changes. Starting from the top, you are greeted with a rubber nub that serves as the contact point for the stylus aspect of the Livescribe 3. It’s a bit bulky, so you won’t be creating the next Mona Lisa anytime soon, but it still functions well if you are just tired of using your hands and want to use something else to input information on your device. The rubber tip also serves as a cap, as the USB port and reset button are located under it. Moving on down, in the middle of the pen, is the rotating button that turns the Livescribe 3 on and off. Move it to the right, it turns on, left, off. It also serves as the switch mechanism that makes the actual ballpoint pen nib retract.

Well, now that we have the design out of the way, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. To be able to use the Livescribe pen with your Android-powered device, you are going to need to download two apps from the play store. One of them contains the software to connect the pen to the device while the other contains the actual features. Such as the digital notepad. After you have those downloaded, you are ready to get started with using the Livescribe 3 pen.

This is where my only gripe with the Livescribe 3 comes in. Getting it to connect with my Droid Turbo was a hassle. I turned it on by rotating the middle switch and then I opened the Livescribe + app on my smartphone. I followed the onscreen prompts asking if I wanted to pair the Livescribe with my smartphone but whenever I would click on yes, it would just sit there. That went on for about five minutes before it finally connected. After it did, it needed a firmware update that took about 10 to 15 minutes. After the firmware finally updated, the Livescribe disconnected from my device and it took another 5 minutes to reconnect. This was more of a hassle than I was expecting, but I am sure Livescribe will have some future updates that should make this problem disappear. In the meantime though, you should take note that there will be some connectivity issues.

After the Livescribe finally connected with my Turbo, I was good to go. I opened up the app on my smartphone and I was ready to get going. I started writing down some random thoughts on the official Livescribe notepad, which you will need to make the Livescribe work. Text registered almost immediately on the app, and I was surprised just how well it worked. I did not random doodles as well, to see if it would pick them up and it did. After you start writing things down, you can create digital notebook on the app to organize all of your writing.

Minus the issues with software and connectivity, the Livescribe 3 is a neat tool that would be a welcome addition to any writer’s desk. Due to the fact that the main issues with the Livescribe 3 are software propose, so easily fixed with some future updates, you should definitely consider getting one for the sheer pleasure of writing something down and seeing it digitized on your smartphone.

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Huawei Snapto Review

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The worldwide budget smartphone market is extremely competitive, with a slew of solid mid-range and entry-level smartphones from various OEMs making their way to consumers. Not a lot of these devices see an official release in the US unfortunately, often due to their lack of full support for US network carriers, along with the availability of high-end smartphones at subsidized rates, albeit with contractual commitments.

Only recently have a few devices in the sub-$200 category, off-contract, been making their way to US, but there is still a significant gap in this segment, a void that Huawei is trying to fill with their latest budget-friendly offering. One of the big selling points of this device is its support for 4G LTE on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks, but what else does it bring to the table? We find out, in this in-depth Huawei Snapto review!

Design

When it comes to the design, Huawei takes a fairly simplistic approach with the Snapto. The device is made entirely of plastic, with the back featuring a textured leather finish, allowing for a feel in the hand beyond what you’d expect from a smartphone at this price point. The tapered edges of the removable back cover transition into a smooth matte plastic along the sides, and a glossy plastic wraps around the edges of the display. Opening the back cover gives you access to the microSD card slot and SIM card slot, but the battery is not replaceable.

Going around the device, the power button and volume rocker are both on the right side, and while responsive, they don’t come with a very satisfying tactile feel to them. The headphone jack and microUSB port are placed at the top and bottom respectively. The back houses the 5 MP camera at the top left corner, just above the LED flash, as well as the single speaker unit found towards the right at the bottom, with the Huawei branding featured at the center.

The company logo returns up front below the display as well, and the bezels around the display aren’t particularly thin, especially surprising given the use of on-screen navigation keys. The Snapto is also on the thicker side of things, with a thickness of 8.4 mm, and is also heavier than its all-plastic build would suggest, weighing in at 150 grams.

Overall, the design of the Snapto is quite underwhelming, and it feels like Huawei has instead chosen to focus on the internals of the device. That is of course not a bad thing, but if you’re looking for something more aesthetically pleasing, there are significantly better options out there in this segment.

Display

The Huawei Snapto comes with a 5-inch TFT display with a 720 resolution, with a resulting pixel density of 294 ppi. The display proves to be somewhat of a let down, with a lack of contrast, and poor viewing angles. Once you hit 45 degrees, there is a significant drop in brightness and quality, and sunlight readability is also not very good. The display is also kind of a fingerprint magnet, and despite my best efforts to keep it free from smudges, it still managed to collect fingerprints.

Performance and Hardware

Under the hood, the Huawei Snapto packs a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, clocked at 1.2 GHz, backed by the Adreno 305 GPU and 1 GB of RAM. This was the processing package that powered a lot of the mid-range devices in 2014 and was quite impressive, which is unfortunately not the case this time around. The Snapto feels quite sluggish when it comes to everyday performance, and while usable, is slow to the point where the slowness is not only noticeable, but also, at times, frustrating.

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For example, the pre-installed Google Keyboard rarely kept up with what was being typed when sending text messages, and going back to the homescreen from an app sometimes resulted in a 2 or 3 second delay before all the application icons re-appeared. Multi-tasking wasn’t particularly smooth either, with their being a noticeable slowdown when opening more than a couple of apps. The Adreno 305 GPU handled gaming decently well, however, graphic intensive games like Asphalt 8 had lower frame rates, and the occasional stutter.

The Snapto comes with a standard suite of sensors and connectivity options, including 4G LTE support, that allows for high-speed internet access on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks, and their respective MVNOs. 8 GB of on-board storage is available, further expandable via microSD card by up to 32 GB. The single speaker unit at the back actually sounds surprisingly good, and gets fairly loud without the distortion that is sometimes seen with other similar budget-friendly devices. As is the case with any device with a speaker in this position, the sound gets muffled when the phone is placed on a flat surface.

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The Snapto packs a non-removable 2,200 mAh battery that provides surprisingly impressive battery life. The device comfortably lasted a full day of use, and then some, with just under 5 and a half hours of screen-on time, which is just fantastic. There is also a power saving mode baked in, with options including normal, smart, and endurance, to get even more juice out of the device. Battery life is certainly one of the highlights of the Huawei Snapto.

Camera

The Huawei Snapto comes with a 5 MP rear camera with a LED flash, along with a 2 MP front-facing camera. The camera application is fairly easy to use, with a few different shooting modes to choose from, along with the ability to manually adjust certain settings such as white balance and ISO.

Unfortunately, the camera proves to be an extremely poor performer, with the pictures taken consistently out of focus and lacking in sharpness. The camera does come with a useful feature that allows you to take a shot by pressing the volume down key twice, but that is the only good thing about the camera experience this device provides.

Software

The Huawei Snapto runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat with Huawei’s Emotion UI 2.3 on top. It’s not too far a departure from the traditional Android experience, but Huawei did make a few notable changes. For starters, an app drawer isn’t available, which can take some getting used to, and will require users to depend on folders to keep things organized. The available icon pack takes on a square motif with rounded corners, and the notification shade also comes with an expandable quick settings menu, which is certainly useful.

The Google keyboard is available as the default, but we’ve already mentioned the issues with it in terms of performance. The Recent Apps screen retains stock elements, although Huawei has added individual close buttons, and a one touch clean button. The lock screen gives users the ability to directly open the dialer, the messaging app, or the camera, and once in the homescreen, a simple swipe up will give you access to essential tools like the calendar, calculator, flashlight, and clock. I did really enjoy the ability to change each volume profile by pressing the setting button after pressing a volume button, a feature I wish every Android device had.

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There are a few pre-installed apps that come with the device, but it isn’t too bad, and at least there isn’t any carrier bloatware you have to worry about. There is also a simple mode, if you prefer to have a cleaner looking launcher. You also have the ability to disable apps from running when the screen is off, which is a contributor to the impressive battery life of the device. Finally, there is a notification manager that allows you to set from a single location which apps can send you notifications.

On the downside, I wasn’t very happy with the default notification sound, or should I say music. Whenever I received a notification from apps like Snapchat or Gmail, the phone would play a song which is kind of excessive, especially if you receive notifications frequently. Luckily, this is something that can be changed in the Settings.

Specifications

Gallery

Pricing and Final Thoughts

The Huawei Snapto is available for $179.99 with color options including black and white. The main competition for the device are the identically priced and specced Moto G (2014), as well as the slightly more expensive, but arguably more powerful, Asus Zenfone 2.

So, there you have it for a closer look at the Huawei Snapto! While the Snapto does have some strong selling points like LTE support, a good sounding speaker, and incredible battery life, I don’t think that this is a good choice for the average user. Buying a budget phone officially with LTE support in the US is great, but you really have to ask yourself whether you’re willing to give up a lot of what makes a smartphone good, with the display, performance, and camera, all points of contention. As mentioned, the competition in this space is heating up, and there are certainly more compelling options at this price point out there.

Oppo R1x Review

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Flagship smartphones continue to impress with their incredible specifications, performance, and features across various aspects of the smartphone experience, but there is always going to be a need for devices that aren’t as demanding on the wallet. The increased focus on the mid-range segment has been a boon for consumers, with a budget-friendly price tag no longer indicative of a significant compromise in quality. As the competition in this space heats up, we’ve seen some great devices from numerous OEMs, including Oppo. What does the company’s latest mid-range offering bring to the table? We find out, in this in-depth review of the Oppo R1x!

What does the company’s latest mid-range offering bring to the table? We find out, in this in-depth review of the Oppo R1x!

Design

Oppo’s penchant for great design and build quality, even when it comes to their more budget-friendly offerings, really shines through with the R1x. Maintaining the design language of its predecessor, the R1x features a thin aluminum chassis, and CNC-machines with the now very popular diamond cutting techniques help deliver the mirror smooth chamfers which surround the various buttons and ports.

Speaking of buttons and ports, the volume rocker and SIM card slot are found to the right, with the power button on the opposite side, along with the headphone jack and micro USB port placed at the top and bottom respectively. The micro USB is flanked by what might look like a dual speaker setup, but instead houses a single speaker unit on one side, and a microphone on the other, with the grill design present for the sake of symmetry. Below the display is where you will find the capacitive home, back, and recent apps keys.

The R1x also retains the glass sandwich design of its predecessor, akin to the Sony Xperia Z line of smartphones, this time with a sapphire glass backing that should do a great job at keeping things scratch free, along with a reflection pattern that shines no matter what angle the phone is held. Even with a thickness of just 6.8 mm, Oppo has managed to avoid a camera bump that can be found with even some flagships out there, allowing for a sleek and uniform look throughout.

Display

The Oppo R1x features a 5-inch IPS LCD display with a 720p resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 294 ppi. We’ve certainly seen devices in this segment with higher resolutions, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a valuable visual experience to be had in this case. Helped along by the bright and colorful user interface, everything is still clear and detailed enough, with IPS technology bringing with it the great viewing angles and good brightness it is known for.

Performance and Hardware

Under the hood, the Oppo R1x packs a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, clocked at 1.7 GHz, backed by the Adreno 405 GPU and 2 GB of RAM. This is the processing package powering quite a few mid-range offerings out there, and continues to prove its capabilities. Moving around the various elements of the user interface, as well as the animations, are all smooth and snappy, with there being no hint of any lag or hiccup. Going in and out of applications and multi-tasking are a breeze, and gaming is also handled very well, save for the most graphic-intensive of situations. The experience may not be as fast as what is possible with the current crop of flagships, but there isn’t much to complain about when it comes to the performance of the R1x.

The R1x comes with 16 GB of onboard storage, with expandable storage up to 128 GB available via microSD. While the device does features dual-SIM support, it has to be mentioned that the R1x comes with a tray setup with two slots, leaving it up to the user to choose between dual-SIM capabilities or microSD expansion with a single SIM in place. The standard suite of sensors and connectivity options are available, along with support for 4G LTE, even though it might be compatible with LTE networks in the US. Call quality is decent, and the single speaker unit at the bottom certainly gets loud enough, even if the sound quality isn’t particularly rich.

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On the battery front, the Oppo R1x packs a non-removable 2,420 mAh unit, which comfortably allows for a full day of use with moderate to heavy usage. During a day with usage that involved using Google Maps periodically, texting, sending emails, web browsing, and watching videos on Youtube, the device managed just under 3 hours of screen-on time, with the battery just about making it through the full day. Serviceable is the operative word here, and while it may not be the best performer, the battery life isn’t close to the worst either. The R1x does not come with Oppo’s incredibly fast VOOC fast-charging capabilities though, which is quite a disappointment, being one of the best features of any Oppo device, but unfortunately, it looks like Oppo is saving this feature for its more higher-end offerings.

Camera

On a mid-tier smartphone like this, you might feel you’d be completely cheated out of any reasonable camera experience, and while you’re definitely missing out on 4K video capabilities with only 1080p max, you’re still getting a solid 13 MP shooter with at least passable outdoor capabilities. It produces subdued colors, but the images aren’t lacking in detail. Understandably, indoor photography suffers more, even with its f/2.0 aperture. The camera works hard to bring brightness to the image with an ISO increase, but then makes for a grainy unattractive image.

All of the automatic settings are controlled by what Oppo calls Pure Image 2.0+, that changes the settings to create the optimal image. Manual controls are available too, so those with the technical know how are given the opportunity to tweak the settings for a better image, with access to white balance, ISO, exposure, and manual focus. The camera app is packed with features though, with even more choices available for the user to install later such as GIF creator, RAW image capture, and After Focus, to name a few. For what amounts to being an average camera, you do get almost every software feature you could possibly think of.

The device also packs a 5 MP front-facing unit, which certainly packs enough pixels, but also allows for only average shots when outdoors, with a noticeable drop in quality when indoors, with images coming out noisier than expected, with a post-processing on the software side that ends up crushing detail in the image to compensate. Of course, the seemingly standard Beauty Mode is also available, to add a little extra to your selfies.

Software

When it comes to the software, the Oppo R1x runs Color OS 2.0.1 based on Android 4.4.4 Kitkat. As mentioned, the software experience is very smooth, with snappy animations without any hint of lag. As is the case with the software seen with a lot of devices from Chinese OEMs, there is no app drawer available, which could take some getting used to, and leaves you dependent on folders to stay organized, and of course, you do always have the option to utilize a third-party launcher from the Google Play Store to return to a more traditional experience.

But Color OS itself has its own toolbelt of features that does make it a compelling UI option, including a robust theme store to customize the look to better suit your tastes. Other features include the Exclusive Space and Live Weather widgets, with the latter allowing for weather themed animations for your wallpaper, and the former introducing Oppo’s take on widgets for your camera and music player. It may not be a standout feature, but are certainly a fun, fresh take on the widget side of things.

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The Color OS on the Oppo R1x works pretty well, but the device does come with the ability to get back to a more stock iteration quite easily. In the Settings menu, that is well laid out into three categories, General, Sound, and Display, you have the option to switch to the Google Now launcher, and set Google Hangouts to be the default messaging up, resulting in a more standard Android experience. That said, Color OS isn’t an uncomfortable experience by any means, and the ability to play around with the look and feel via themes is something that users may prefer.

Specifications

Gallery

Pricing and Final Thoughts

The Oppo R1x is priced at the equivalent of approximately $450 in various markets around the world, with availability in the US, and compatibility with US LTE networks, not confirmed for now.

So there you have it – a closer look at the Oppo R1x! The device arrives at a time when the competition in the mid-range space is as intense as ever, and while it does to prove to be quite capable, with a beautiful, albeit low-resolution display, and more than decent performance, what the R1x lacks is a standout feature to differentiate itself from the competition. With that said, what it does offer is a device that simply looks, feels, and is built like a flagship, but at a much lower price point.

Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 Review: one of the best budget phones of the year

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The competition in the mid-range Android space continues to heat up, with a slew of OEMs, some better known than others, having some fantastic devices on offer, with most coming with distinctive features to help differentiate themselves from the competition. One common thread among all of these solutions is their surprisingly affordable price tags, that unlike only a few years ago, is no more indicative of any shortcomings on the quality side of things. One such device, which is probably one of the best budget-friendly phones we’ve ever seen, is from Alcatel OneTouch, introduced back in February during MWC 2015. What does this smartphone have to offer? We find out, in this in-depth Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 review!

Design

At the start it has to be mentioned that there are two variations of the Idol 3 available, one with a 4.7-inch display and the other featuring a 5.5-inch screen. The latter is also the more powerful of the two, with hardware and features that are generally better across the board, and what is focused on in this review.

At first glance, it’s hard not to think about the Idol 3 as a large Nexus 4 because of its pebble design, complete with a subtle silver trim and the lack of buttons. One difference that arises is the presence of a dual front-facing speakers with the Idol 3 that are powered by JBL audio enhancements, found at edges above and below the display. The bezels on the sides of the display are also quite thin, so handling isn’t much of a problem despite its larger form factor.

Another noticeable aspect of the design is the fact that this device is very symmetrical, and you will often find yourself picking it up upside down accidentally. Luckily, that doesn’t prove to be an issue, and rather, one of the features of this phone is the ability to use it in either orientation, with the screen flipping over for easy usage. Even better is the fact that calls can also be answered either way, with a microphone and speaker combo found on both ends.

The volume rocker and power button are found on the right and left respectively, and are positioned a little too high to be within a comfortable reach, resulting in some hand gymnastics being required every time to get to them. Below the power button is a dual tray that houses both microSD and SIM cards. The headphone jack is up top, and the microUSB port is on the right side at the bottom.

Heading over to the back is where you will see the hard plastic cover with a brushed metal finish reminiscent of the LG G3, allowing for a more premium look and feel than its price point would suggest. The branding on the back is simplistic as well, and towards the top left corner is the camera unit.

As mentioned, the handling experience is just as expected, and not any easier or harder than it should be, helped by the fact that this is a relatively light device. The smaller iteration may be the ideal choice for some, but this variant makes for one of the easiest and more affordable entry points into the large display space. Ultimately, the simplicity of the Idol 3 does fit its price point, but all the subtle touches add a lot more value to an already accessible and attractive body.

Display

The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 features a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with a 1080p resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 401 ppi. While we are certainly spoiled by the Quad HD Super AMOLED’s and Quantum Display’s of the world, the display of the Idol 3 is more than a capable performer, especially when considering the fact that not too many mid-range smartphones come with this resolution.

Brightness and viewing angles are good as one would expect from an IPS panel, and while contrast can use a boost and colors are just a little bland, there are worse performers out there. Text looks just fine and watching videos and playing games make for an enjoyable experience, helped by the size of the display and the front-facing speakers. Overall, the display is certainly more than good enough for the regular user, with only the spec hungry being left feeling somewhat disappointed.

Also worth mentioning is that the Idol 3 does come with a double tap to wake feature, which unfortunately doesn’t prove to be as reliable as we would have liked.

Performance

Under the hood, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 packs an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, clocked at 1.5 GHz, and backed by the Adreno 405 GPU and 2 GB of RAM. While this processing package is decidedly mid-range, the experience it provides doesn’t fall much behind the snappy and smooth performances we’ve seen with the high-end releases this year.

The near-stock version of Android doesn’t get bogged down with a lot of additions from Alcatel OneTouch, with those that are included running as smoothly as everything else. Loading applications does take a little bit of time, and moving among applications via the Recent Apps screen isn’t the fastest experience, but is still very reliable. The same holds true with the gaming experience as well, with the device handling quite a lot, save for some of the more graphic-intensive games out there.

Understandably, the Idol 3 is not going to match up to the standards set by the current crop of flagship Android smartphones, but things remain as smooth and reliable as hoped for, which is certainly great given how inexpensive this device is.

Hardware

Budget-friendly devices don’t usually shine in the hardware department, but the Idol 3 is an overachiever in this department. A full suite of connectivity options are available, including dual SIM support, and connecting to the T-Mobile 4G LTE network was quick and easy. Call quality was great, with the sound loud and clear, and as mentioned, you have the ability to answer a call and talk no matter which orientation you’re holding the phone in. One important disclaimer that appears in the Idol 3 though is that the orientation of the screen dictates which speaker and microphone combo is used, so as long as you’re not looking at the screen upside down when answering a call, it’ll work fine.

Listening to music, watching videos, and playing games are a very enjoyable experience courtesy of the dual front-facing speakers, that bring with it loud, clear, and full bodied JBL enhanced audio. These speakers are quite close to rivaling the HTC BoomSound speakers, which is really an impressive feat.

Internal storage is dictated by the whether you pick the single SIM or dual SIM version of the phone, with the former coming with 16 GB of built-in storage and the latter doubling that. Both versions do have microSD card support though, with the storage expandable up to 128 GB.

Finally, when it comes to the battery, the Idol 3 packs a 2,910 mAh unit, that in my experience comfortably allowed for a full day of use with around 3 hours of screen-on time, before the power saving mode was activated with the battery life down to 15%. This device certainly provides enough juice to last an entire day, which is the least we can ask for from a device that is intended to be used as a daily driver.

Camera

A Sony-made sensor powers this 13 MP camera, and is actually a pretty solid performer, with a nice 8 MP front facing unit to back it up. The front-facing camera brings some larger pictures to the selfie game, though it isn’t perfect by any means. Pictures have a noticeable grain to them and the angle isn’t as wide as some of the competition in the same market segment. It does work well enough for the occasional selfie, and 1080p video recording is available as well.

The camera application is pretty simple, with just button elements placed on the sides of the viewfinder. Hitting the menu button brings up a number of modes, including even timelapse, which takes a bunch of photos for every second of what ends up being a video. HDR does a decent job of lightening up the subject if it is blown out, but otherwise its effect isn’t too strong.

Pictures from the Idol 3 are actually quite good, with details captured quite well, and a slight amount of post processing working to smooth out the grain. While pictures manage to keep from being too bland, the colors can use a bit of punch most of the time, and very lit scenes might miss the mark in terms of contrast. Lower light shots get the typical amount of grain and loss of detail, but not to an extreme degree, and usable photos are definitely possible in darker situations. Overall, this isn’t a camera that underperforms, especially if you consider devices of the same price or even somewhat more expensive, and that is quite impressive.

Software

On the software front, the Idol 3 is running a mostly stock version of Android 5.0 Lollipop, with a few additions by Alcatel which manage to not be too overbearing. For example, icons are a bit more bubbly, almost to the extent that you would think there’s no app drawer, even if that’s not the case. Folders in the homescreen fold open, which is a nice animation, as is the twisting animation the phone makes when flipped over. There is also a Mix application that can take local audio files to use as two DJ tracks, so you can have quite a bit of fun with it and make some mashups. It is supposed to tap into streaming services, but for whatever reason, that was not available in my testing.

Otherwise, the software experience has a lot of the Material Design elements of Lollipop, as can be seen in the notification drop down with quick settings, the Overview screen, and even in the animations when getting to and from applications.

Specifications

Gallery

Pricing and Final Thoughts

There really isn’t much keeping this phone from being a reliable performer, which is why the price of $250 is nothing short of incredible. Even comparing so-called budget releases from plenty of the top tier manufacturers, this can be considered one hell of a steal.

So, there you have it – a closer look at the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3! We might be looking at one of the best affordable devices this year. With plenty of mid-range to lower-end devices coming out all the time, it’s great to see Alcaltel remaining unique from the rest, without the need for any crazy features or gimmicks. A larger screen with dual front facing speakers, JBL enhancements, a solid camera, and a spartan operating system in an attractive body make this one of the easiest entry points to Android available yet, as well as one of the easiest on the wallet.