One month on and I still love this phone (A review for potential Idol 3 (5.5") converts.)

brybelle22

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If you are on the fence or considering an Idol 3 (5.5"), thought I'd give you my perspective on the phone after using it as my daily driver for just over a month.

Just a brief rundown of what type of phone user I am:
Since 09/2014 I've owned as a daily driver the following phones: Moto X (2013), Moto X (2014), Droid Turbo, Note 4, HTC One M7, Xperia Z3 Compact, LG G3, (I've also used my wife's Oneplus One, LG G4, and S6 Active)
I use my phone primarily for media consumption (spotify, google tv & movies, netflix), chrome browser, social media, text, talk, alarm, and camera.
Cost is a factor in my decision on phones, but I usually will get a mint condition phone a few weeks after release via craigslist or swappa for a slightly lower price than brand new retail. I also sell old phones to help offset the costs of new phones.
I left Verizon with unlimited data and a family plan to switch to Cricket Wireless when they were offer 20GB for $60. With my family discount on Cricket my monthly bill went from $267 5 lines to $160 for 4 lines and I am now on a GSM carrier so I can use unlocked phones like the Idol 3.

Hardware review:
Without spewing specs, the screen on the I3 is fantastic. It is bright and crisp and most importantly to me, it's visible in the brightest sunlight without even washing out the colors like Samsung does with it's autobrighness. The only negative relating to the screen is that it does not dim enough for low light conditions (ie. theater or bedroom).

The second standout feature is the quality of the front facing speakers. For me these speakers are the best by far of all the phones I've previously owned. Sound is clear at the highest levels with a good range (doesn't hit the lowest of lows).

I have been surprised at how much I don't mind the plastic build of the I3. While the heft that a metal/glass phone offers is a great reminder of how sturdy a phone with premium materials is, the added weight is actually noticeable especially when making the switch to the I3. The plastic material makes this phone very lightweight. So even though I'm carrying a 5.5" screen phone, the weight in pocket seems much lighter. The phone is very easy to hold for long periods due to its lighter weight. The laminated screen which rests on top of the phone's frame is unique enough to make the I3 stand out as its own design. My only question is how well the plastic will hold up in the long run. Currently, I have a slickwrap skin on the back and I will occasionally tuck it into a slim tpu case, but for the most part I prefer the phone naked. Buttons are clicky and provide a satisfying response. I echo the questioning of the power button on the upper left side of the phone, but it didn't take long to adjust. Take note: If you must have a premium build phone, I would suggest you not buy this phone!

One month experience:
With the Oneplus 2 and the Samsung S6 Active, Note 5 and 6 Edge +, just released I find myself amazed that I am perfectly happy sticking to my $250 Alcatel Onetouch Idol 3. (Which by the way, I got for $200 on Amazon Prime Day.) In the month prior to owning the Idol, I was using a combination of the S6 Active, LG G4 and Note 4 all of which were great, but nothing I was simply content with. Until the Idol 3. For my usage needs, the Idol has been great. I didn't mention the camera earlier, because as most reviews say, it's just average. In sufficient light it's great in low light it's bearable. BUT since using the I3, I surprisingly find that the camera wasn't as important as I thought (or was told to think by manufactures and reviewers). Instead, what I find myself most pleased about the I3 is the clean simplicity of near stock android. I love that the phone isn't bogged down with the mismatched themes of LG, Sony and Samsung. Again this is just personal preference, but for me I want my phone to be a practical tool for everyday use. Guess I should throw in a quick comment on battery life. Battery life is super for my use. A few episodes from netflix, maybe a movie, a couple of hours of streaming, social media checks throughout the day and I'm still getting to bed with 20% battery life. No quick charge though so you have to be patient on the charging front. BUT, for me I'm willing to make that trade for the use of my microSD card since I do most of my charging at night.

Lag:
Clearing the recent apps and loading Youtube are the two area where there is a little lag. Once youtube is up and running its fine, but the loading splash screen takes a couple of seconds to clear. Switching between apps doesn't lag, just the clearing of the recent apps; its a strange phenomena but it is what it is.

Wrap-up: If you are on a limited budget, there is no question that this is the phone to get. If budget doesn't matter and you're willing to try something different, I think you might be pleasantly pleased with the I3. While I can't speak to heavy gaming, I can say that Ducktales, Tomb Raider, Goat Simulator, One More Dash, Follow the Line and Commute all work without a stutter on the I3. I have been very satisfied with my first foray into the world of the budget phone, and I just want to share my thoughts in case someone is debating whether or not the Idol 3 is worth a consideration.

Let me know if there's something that I didn't cover that you have a question about and I'll try my best to provide an answer.
 

skipatrol

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Fantastic post. I'll echo everything you've mentioned above. I'm about a month and a half in. I went from an s4 (ugh) to an s5 to an m8 to the idol and the idol is my favorite. (The moment my contract is up in also switching to prepaid)

The speakers are easily on par with HTC. The camera is much improved (better than the m8) with the software updates (taken really decent shots lately.) Gaming (sky force, beach buggy blitz) runs perfectly smooth. Honestly my only gripe with the software is the drop down menu can stutter at times. (In fact the other night it stopped working. Did a reset and it was fine. My idol must not have liked something). I also can't say enough about the reversible screen. It's just a nice feature especially with headphones plugged in.

I'm liking this thing so much that I'm looking to also pick up the 4.7. Definitely looking to support Alcatel as they've delivered with the idol 3.

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SactoKingsFan

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Re: One month on and I still love this phone (A review for potential Idol 3 (5.5") converts.)

I've also had the 5.5 Idol 3 for about a month. Been using I3 as my main daily driver and I like it so much that I'm considering selling my G4. The I3 is a great media device due to the exceptional front facing speakers, bright 5.5" high resolution screen, micro SD slot and good battery life. So far I've only had a few issues with the I3. The screen is way too bright at night or in dark rooms (fixed with screen filter), the sides are a bit slippery (I suggest using a skin or case) and the JBL audio effect doesn't sound great (disable and use equalizer app). These are all minor issues and I'd definitely recommend the I3 to anyone looking for a good unlocked Android phone for less than $300.

Sent from my 6045I using Tapatalk
 

guapinoy

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Ditto with the 4.7 version. I also love this phone. Surprisingly, with this version there is no lag on recent apps clearing. I remember this on the 5.5 that I had.

Both are very underrated. Here's hoping for a speedy upgrade to marshmallow when it drops.

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MarkSeven

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I agree with everything said here but my only gripe is choppy music/media playback. Whether it's music or podcast it's always choppy. It's annoying & I hope they fix it soon because I love this phone. I also get a little lag from time to time but I understand this is not my Nexus 5 and I do have alot of apps.

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brybelle22

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I agree with everything said here but my only gripe is choppy music/media playback. Whether it's music or podcast it's always choppy. It's annoying & I hope they fix it soon because I love this phone. I also get a little lag from time to time but I understand this is not my Nexus 5 and I do have alot of apps.

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I also get the occasional "skip" in Spotify playback. I was just chalking it up to Bluetooth connection issues or Spotify, but I've read enough to make me agree that it's a software issue with Alcatel. However, it obviously wasn't an issue enough that I even thought about it when I was writing my review.
 

TelecasterM

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I'm on the fence. Also looking at the OnePlus One and the Moto X Play (I am on a 13 Moto X). One Plus One has more RAM and a faster cpu, though it's older but really not since now you can buy it without an invite.

Will Alcatel update to 5.1.1? My Moto X is on 5.1 and is not laggy at all.
 

brybelle22

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I'm on the fence. Also looking at the OnePlus One and the Moto X Play (I am on a 13 Moto X). One Plus One has more RAM and a faster cpu, though it's older but really not since now you can buy it without an invite.

Will Alcatel update to 5.1.1? My Moto X is on 5.1 and is not laggy at all.

We have the Oneplus One as our home phone. I liked the phone a lot, but I never got attached to it the couple of times I tried using it as my daily driver. I think I would have liked it more if I was really invested in customizing it, but the battery life was outstanding one the Oneplus One. I switch phones too much and don't have enough time to really make it worth my wild to take advantage of those features. If I were going long term with a phone, I might actually choose the Oneplus One over the Idol 3 and really take advantage of Cyanogen, but I'm at a point now where the best phone for me is one that is simple, quick and light (in bloat and weight). When I was writing that it really sounded like I was an apple fanboy.

As a side note, my 2013 Moto X was the last phone I really loved so you've got yourself a great phone right now. I'll probably be getting a Moto X Pure Edition when it's available since I've finally decided that I love a large screen and am willing to sacrifice pocketability.
 

butler83

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I totally agree, just got my i3 here in UK for £200. And coming from phones this year which have been nexus 5, moto g(2014) m8 and nexus 6 I can honestly say the idol 3 does not feel or perform two or three times less than high end phones. The speakers and screen are excellent on this phone.

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kraski

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Just for background, I've owned a few smartphones:

Windows Mobile -- Cingular 8525, Palm Treo Pro
Blackberry -- 9800, 9810, Passport
Android -- Note 2, Xperia Z Ultra, Idol 3

I'll pretty much echo the original review. I love my Idol 3. Especially for the price. But it does have its quirks.

1) It does lag if there are other apps doing something in the background, such as polling the 'net for data or mail. The lag is generally not very severe and is brief. But it can be worse.

2) The stutter that MarkSeven mentions is pretty much the same as the lag. Most of the time it's rare and brief. But there are times when it becomes continuous and I have to wait till later to stream audio or video.

3) Music -- it's a category of its own. I have files on my sd card (mostly mp3) going back to 2009. Mix argues with playing some. Others it will start playing, then argue in the middle of a tune. It tells me Android can't handle the files. It's a good thing I installed WinAmp Pro -- it just works.

4) The 128 gig sd card. It's verified real, works perfectly in my PC and my Passport, only partly in the Idol 3. I like a two pane file manager, so all my Android devices (and the Android runtime on the Passport) have had Ghost Commander installed. It's always worked to transfer items between internal memory and the sd card. But not on the Idol 3. I get an EACCESS error. However, the built in file manager moves files perfectly. Not having Ghost Commander isn't a deal breaker, but it is weird.

Maybe there's more, but I'm still getting into it. Just those four things keep the Idol 3 from being a flagship killer. But, at less than 1/2 the cost of most flagships, it's close enough and a downright great phone for the money.
 

skipatrol

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I'm starting to notice a few issues...

1) the drop down menu (when the phone is upside down) tends to act funny at times. It's strange, It's almost like it doesn't want to be pulled down. (doesn't work or goes down then right back up). A reboot usually fixes it.

2) When I restart the phone (power button, restart option) it sometimes tends to reboot directly into recovery mode.

Is anyone else noticing this? Starting to wonder if it's specific to my phone.

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skipatrol

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Strange... Doesn't happen a lot. Thinking that it has to be an app causing it to act funny. Any ideas on how I would even figure that out?

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guapinoy

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Strange... Doesn't happen a lot. Thinking that it has to be an app causing it to act funny. Any ideas on how I would even figure that out?

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Have to go back to see when it first started and what was the last new app that you installed. Like the app Acdisplay broke double tap to wake for me. The app is like Motos Active Display. So you have to kind of investigate.

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skipatrol

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Have to go back to see when it first started and what was the last new app that you installed. Like the app Acdisplay broke double tap to wake for me. The app is like Motos Active Display. So you have to kind of investigate.

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I've removed VLC player. Thinking that may have been part of it. The idol 3 definitely doesn't like certain media players. I've also since removed the Evocel case that I had it in. I felt like the power and volume buttons were kind of mushy possible holding them down a bit longer causing the recovery mode issue. Who knows... So far no issues.

Sent from my 6045I using Tapatalk
 
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skipatrol

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I've removed VLC player. Thinking that may have been part of it. The idol 3 definitely doesn't like certain media players. I've also since removed the Evocel case that I had it in. I felt like the power and volume buttons were kind of mushy possible holding them down a bit longer causing the recovery mode issue. Who knows... So far no issues.

Sent from my 6045I using Tapatalk

OK the reboot to recovery issue appears to be fixed with the new case.

The issue with the drop down menu acting weird in reverse mode (only when the phone is upside down) is still happening sporadically. Turns out when the phone is acting like this (again only when it's upside down) everything (not just the drop down) is slow and double tap to wake stops working also. I'm racking my brain trying to figure this out. I cleared the cache, killed all tasks nothing. The only fix is to reboot it (which is the only thing keeping me from sending it back). It did happen (this time) right after a call which may be what triggered it.

If anyone could help me fix I'd be eternally grateful. I really don't feel like ordering a new one.
 

brybelle22

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OK the reboot to recovery issue appears to be fixed with the new case.

The issue with the drop down menu acting weird in reverse mode (only when the phone is upside down) is still happening sporadically. Turns out when the phone is acting like this (again only when it's upside down) everything (not just the drop down) is slow and double tap to wake stops working also. I'm racking my brain trying to figure this out. I cleared the cache, killed all tasks nothing. The only fix is to reboot it (which is the only thing keeping me from sending it back). It did happen (this time) right after a call which may be what triggered it.

If anyone could help me fix I'd be eternally grateful. I really don't feel like ordering a new one.

Wish I could help you, but I haven't had any issues with the reversibility on my handset. Hope you figure it out. Software issues usually drive me to try a new phone if I can't figure out a fix. Too bad because this is a great budget phone.
 

MobileNick

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Thanks for the review! Can you confirm - does it only have a single color notification led? Have you tried using any Moto display type of notification through an app?

Did you have to do anything special to get LTE on Cricket? I'm on AT&T so would like to have LTE work without any issues if possible.

And if you're using a non stock launcher can you double tap the notification bar to turn screen off (like LG G2/3/4)?

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brybelle22

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Thanks for the review! Can you confirm - does it only have a single color notification led? Have you tried using any Moto display type of notification through an app?

Did you have to do anything special to get LTE on Cricket? I'm on AT&T so would like to have LTE work without any issues if possible.

And if you're using a non stock launcher can you double tap the notification bar to turn screen off (like LG G2/3/4)?

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There are different color notification lights but as far as I can tell you can't set the colors for different apps. Haven't used an active display app, but I would assume that any decent app should work fine. (I haven't had any app issues with this phone.)

As far as Cricket goes, all you need to do is insert your cricket Sim and you're good to go.

Finally, just installed Google now launcher and double tap to open from off works fine, but double tap to close didn't work. I tried on the nav bar also and didn't get it to work there either.
 

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