Alcatel Idol 4, 4S kick off MWC 2016 with sleek bodies, promising specs

For all MWC 2016 previews, news and analysis, have a look at our MWC 2016 Cheat Sheet and our dedicated MWC 2016 portal.

Update: The Alcatel Idol 4 should retail for about US$250, while its larger brother US$400.

We’re counting the hours to MWC 2016‘s big zero-day on Sunday, but Alcatel is getting a jump on everyone, in more ways than one too.

The company today, after it mentioned that it’s dropping the “OneTouch” demarcation, announced its new Alcatel Idol 4 and 4S smartphones, which set the flagship benchmark for the company.

Officially announced at #MWC2016, the #IDOL4 takes everything up a notch! #Alcatel https://t.co/fakBqsYeVB pic.twitter.com/Ahbq0i3O6l

— ALCATEL ONETOUCH USA (@ALCATEL1TOUCH) February 20, 2016

According to Android Police, their boxes also double up as VR headsets. Alcatel’s take on Google Cardboard isn’t cardboard at all though — it’s entirely plastic.

“The side that rests on your face is lined with a thin foam padding around the perimeter to make it more comfortable to wear, and the rear has two clips that lock the Alcatel phone snugly in place,” the publication’s Martim Lobao explains.

Alcatel Idol 4 key specs

Dimensions: 147.2mm x 72.5mm x 7.1mm
Weight: 130g
SIM Type: dual nano SIM
Display: 5.2-inch, 1920×1080, 424ppi
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 octa-core | quad-core 1.7GHz ARM Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A53 | Adreno 405 GPU | 3GB RAM
Storage: 16GB, microSD card expansion up to 200GB
Imaging: Rear: 13MP, f/2.0 aperture, phase-detection autofocus, dual LED flash | Front: 8MP
Video: 1080p at 30fps
Battery: 2610mAh fixed
OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow

Lobao also notes that the Alcatel Idol 4 and 4S both feature a VR app store, which should be active once the phones are launched officially.

And what of the phones specifications?

The Alcatel Idol 4 features a 5.2-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 617 SoC, 3GB of RAM and an expandable 16GB of internal storage.

The 4S meanwhile boasts a 5.5-inch quad HD display, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 SoC. There’s 32GB of internal storage in this case, while the phone itself is a fair big larger and heavier than its sibling.

Alcatel Idol 4S key specs

Dimensions: 153.9mm x 75.4mm x 7mm
Weight: 149g
SIM Type: dual nano SIM
Display: 5.5-inch, 2560×1440, 534ppi
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core | quad-core 1.8GHz ARM Cortex-A72 & quad-core 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A53 | Adreno 510 GPU | 3GB RAM
Storage: 32GB, microSD card expansion up to 200GB
Imaging: Rear: 16MP, f/2.0 aperture, phase-detection autofocus, dual LED flash | Front: 8MP
Video: 4K at 30fps
Battery: 3000mAh fixed
OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow

There’s currently no word on local availability or pricing, but both devices should be available internationally from Q2 2016.