<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Mid-range phones are having a moment. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the likes of the </span><a href="http://www.techinsider.io/samsung-galaxy-s7-review-2016-3" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Galaxy S7</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><a href="http://www.techinsider.io/iphone-6s-review-2015-10" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">iPhone 6s</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> aren't coming down from that $600-700 range anytime soon, more and more noise is being made in the tier just below that.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Devices like the </span><a href="http://www.techinsider.io/oneplus-3-review-2016-6" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">OnePlus 3</span></a>, <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/motorola-moto-x-pure-edition-2015-review-2015-9" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moto X Pure Edition</span></a>, <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/iphone-se-review-2016-3" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">iPhone SE</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">have brought flagship-level power to more affordable prices in recent months, while forthcoming phones like the </span><a href="https://www.zteusa.com/axon-7" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">ZTE Axon 7</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> look set to continue to the trend.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, you can include </span><a href="http://www.alcatelonetouch.us/idol-4s-5-inch-vr-smartphone" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alcatel's Idol 4s</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in that conversation. The follow-up to last year's </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-cheap-android-phones-buying-guide-2015-12" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">sneakily excellent Idol 3</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> raises the price from $250 to $400 unlocked, but also comes with a more premium design and its own VR headset.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The device will work on GSM networks like AT&amp;T and T-Mobile, and is available for pre-order for $350 today. After using it for the past week, here's what I've found.</span></p><h2>What's good about the Alcatel Idol 4s</h2><p><strong>This is a genuinely unique phone</strong>. The Idol 4s seems like a fairly typical mid-range Android device at first blush, and if you use it casually, that's pretty much what it is. Dig a bit deeper, though, and you'll see that Alcatel has packed some legitimately inventive ideas in here.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My favorite is the "BoomKey," a little button on the phone's right edge that you can customize to perform various functions. You can have it launch the camera, snap a photo (even from the lock screen), take a screenshot, or launch whatever app you want. This is convenient! I've set it to open Chrome and haven't looked back. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Besides that, Alcatel's put dual speakers on both sides of the phone, which gives your games and videos stronger-than-usual audio. The "reversible display" feature from the Idol 3 is still here, too - flip it on in the settings menu, and the display will automatically reorient itself if you grab the device while it's upside down. </span></p><p>There's a fast fingerprint scanner on the back, and while it's not <em>new</em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, I do appreciate being able to add 200 GB of microSD storage to the standard 32 GB.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And again, it comes with a VR headset. No other phone does that. More on this in a minute.</span></p><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><strong>The display is big, sharp, and colorful</strong></strong>. To be specific, this is a 5.5-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2560x1440. OLED displays are typically great for their infinite contrast ratios, and here you do get dark blacks and bright whites. Brightness in general is very good, colors are vibrant, and it's easy to read in the sun.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The phone nerd in me wants to complain about the slightly blueish tint to the whole thing - and the way that slightly degrades viewing angles - but most people buying this will be more than satisfied.</span></p><p><strong>It's thin and light, and it doesn't feel cheap</strong>. The metal sides, smooth glass, rounded edges, and generally tight construction all help the Idol 4s feel something like a flagship phone. At 6.9mm, it's thinner than the OnePlus 3 (and iPhone 6s), and at 0.32 lbs, it's far from an anchor in your pocket. It won't beat the <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/samsung-galaxy-s7-and-s7-edge-photos-2016-2" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Galaxy S7 Edge</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in any beauty contests, but it looks good.</span></p><p><strong>Battery life is fine</strong>. It's not <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">exceptional</span></em>, but I never had much of a problem getting the Idol 4s' 3,000mAh battery to last through a full day. That'll change if you run it through VR, naturally, but the phone does support Qualcomm's Quick Charge standard, which lets it fully refill in about an hour and a half. (Though it's Quick Charge 2.0, instead of the faster 3.0.)</p><p><strong>There's a headphone jack!</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Just in case <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/how-apple-killing-headphone-jack-affects-headphones-iphone-7-2016-7" target="_blank">you were worried</a>.</span></p><h2>What's solid about the Alcatel Idol 4s</h2><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><strong>Performance isn't a problem, but it's not top-tier</strong></strong>. The OnePlus 3 has set an incredibly high standard for what a $400 phone can do, and with its relatively mid-range Snapdragon 652 processor, the Idol 4s just can't keep up. To be clear, it can totally play graphics-heavy games, and it isn't slow to open apps whatsoever - it's just not the best of the best.</p><p><strong>The software is mostly clean</strong>. As with the Idol 3, Alcatel has changed the icons of some stock apps, but largely left Android 6.0 Marshmallow the same. Using it here isn't that much different than using it on a Nexus device; the wallpaper is just a little bit changed.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That said, there </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">is</span></em> a little more bloat than I'd like. It's not horrid, but if I wanted WhatsApp, Instagram, SwiftKey, or whatever TiZR Lifecasting is, I'd download it for myself. There's also a question of how quickly Alcatel will update the device to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-google-serves-a-nougat-to-fans-of-its-android-software-2016-6" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Android 7.0 Nougat</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">-</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">a company rep told me it </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">will</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> receive the update, but couldn't give a specific timeframe just yet.</span></p><p><strong>The camera is perfectly competent, but that's it</strong>. It's the same song and dance as most midrange Android phones: good in the sunlight, less sharp at night. The 16-megapixel shooter takes decently colorful, shareable photos in the right conditions, but you could do better when things get trickier. I do appreciate the fact that the selfie camera has its own flash, though.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">(Also, this is where I'll note that I technically used a pre-sale version of the Idol 4s. The major points here won't be any different, but there's always a chance that Alcatel rolls out an update that improves camera pain points in the future.)</span></p><h2>What's not so good about the Alcatel Idol 4s</h2><p><strong>Please, no more glass backs</strong>. This might not be a problem for everyone, but as a former <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nexus-4-review-2012-11" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nexus 4 owner</span></a>, I've been conditioned to loathe phones that use glass instead of aluminum (or even really nice plastic). They're fragile, they're more slippery in your hand, and they're addicted to sliding off the arms of your couch.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Idol 4s is no different, and the fact that it's a fairly large phone doesn't make it any easier on those with smaller-hands. Using glass over aluminum keeps Alcatel's costs down, but it means you'll either need to be cautious or pop on a case.</span></p><p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><strong>The VR is very basic</strong></strong>. An Oculus Rift, this is not. Scratch that: A <em><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-gear-vr-review-2016-1" target="_blank">Gear VR</a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, this is not. Alcatel's included headset is comfy and competently put together - even if it's ripping off the Gear VR's design - but it's basically a nicer-feeling version of Google Cardboard. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Good VR requires good software, and there's little in Cardboard's catalogue that has any meat. The same goes for the handful of VR video and photo apps Alcatel pre-loads onto the device. 360° videos are a neat trick, but nothing here does much with&#xa0;the format beyond that. That the phone has occasional issues with smoothly tracking motion doesn't help.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></p><h2>The bottom line</h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can safely add the Alcatel Idol 4s to the growing list of good, not-expensive Android phones. Though I'm not the biggest fan of its materials, it doesn't get much outright wrong, and its existence is a good thing. If you take the plunge, you will more than likely be happy with it.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">is </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">a list of these things, though. Specifically, the OnePlus 3 gets you more power and </span><a href="http://www.techinsider.io/oneplus-3-vs-galaxy-s7-camera-comparison-2016-6" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">a better camera</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for the same price. If I had to pick one, I'd start there. But if those extras appeal to you, or you're just smitten with any sort of VR, the Idol 4s deserves a spot on your shortlist.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-7-boring-different-from-6s-2016-5">Sorry Apple fans - the iPhone 7 is going to be boring</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="p3NGxtMzE6KnPx3Gi2rooC517XpgDrFR" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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