Alcatel unveils IDOL 4 and IDOL 4S

Alcatel on Saturday unveiled its IDOL 4 series of smartphones, which the company says comes with a “boom key” and focus on a more powerful multimedia experience. The new series includes the IDOL 4 and IDOL 4S, with the IDOL 4S billed as the more premium of the two. Both devices will be offered with four metal frames: gold, dark gray, rose gold and silver.

Here are key IDOL 4 facts:

• 5.2-inch Full HD IPS display.
• Android 6.0
• Snapdragon 617 processor
• 13-megapixel rear camera; 8-megapixel front-facing camera
• 16GB of expandable storage
• 2610mAh battery
• 3GB of RAM
• Quick Charge support; dual stereo speakers

And now IDOL 4S facts:

• 5.5-inch Quad HD AMOLED display
• Android 6.0 Snapdragon 652 processor
• 16-megapixel rear camera; 8-megapixel front-facing camera
• 32GB of expandable storage
• 3000mAh battery
• 3GB of RAM
• Quick Charge support; dual stereo speakers

Part of the selling point for Alcatel is a new Boom Key, which the company says can be used depending on what a user is doing. For example, the Boom Key will generate “surprising effects in existing videos;” while playing a game like Asphalt, the Boom Key will “[amp] up” your race by releasing the nitro of your car.

Also, part of the charm is the fact that the IDOL 4 and IDOL 4S is “reversible.” No matter which way you pick the device up, the software will adjust itself for the user, and because there are dual stereo speakers, the sound is “always on the correct side.” And finally, the IDOL 4S’ packaging can be turned into a VR viewer if that’s something you care about.

Oh, I should say that Alcatel is no longer Alcatel OneTouch, so update your Rolodex accordingly. Alcatel said release dates and pricing for its new IDOL series is unknown at this point in time.