Alcatel Idol 5 hands-on

Usually, the bigger and better variant of a phone is announced during or a little bit after the standard one. For the case of the Alcatel Idol 5, however, its announcement comes months after the release of the Idol 5s. It's a strange approach needless to say, but that's exactly the case here. 

Looking at the Idol 5 and 5s side-by-side, there's no surprise that two like very similar to one another. However, there are some minute differences to tell the two apart. On the surface, it shares the same 2.5D curved glass and metal construction, giving it a premium finish that we've come to expect – made better by its hand-friendly overall size. It's packing a 5.2-inch full HD display, which is hearty enough for most things, but don't expect the best qualities from it. 

Beyond the specs, which includes an octa-core MediaTek MT6753 chip, 3GB of RAM, and 16GB of ROM to name a few, the main standout of the phone comes from some of its software features. In particular, there's a handy "app cloner" function that allows you to make duplicate copies of apps like Facebook, Instagram, FB Messenger, and Snapchat – in order to have two accounts running on the phone. It's nice if you want to consolidate your work and personal accounts, rather than trying to use the browser for one account and the usual app for the other.

When it comes to the cameras on the phone, it's a 13-megapixel camera on the front with phase detection auto-focus, f/2.0 lens, and a 1.12µm pixel size, and a 5-megapixel front-facing one with an LED flash. There's not much else that stands out from the Idol 5, which mirrors its sibling in the Idol 5s in many areas. For basic users, it should more than suffice, but don't expect it to be a beast when it comes to heavy gaming. 

The Alcatel Idol 5 is bound for the European markets and will be slapped with a sticker price of 240 Euros when it goes on sale very soon. It'll be available in two colors, metal silver and metal black. Considering the price point of the phone, it's nice to see that Alcatel hasn't skimped out on the design, as it manages to maintain a premium look and feel.