General questions about the idol 3 (4.7")

[Araxxis]

Hi im on the fence about this phone and was hoping an owner of this device can answer some of them

1. How does it feel in hand, is it slippery? I cant really tell by videos of the phone if the sides are slick or not, is it able to be propped up against something to watch a video in landscape mode? Second part of that question, when laid down on its left side does the power button accidentally get pressed when trying to watch a video?
2. How is build quality? If you hold it in your hand and grip tightly does it squeak or generally feel cheap in any way?
3. How loud are the speakers? I generally dont care about "quality" in a smartphone i just want to make sure they are loud, i listen to podcasts in the shower and need to hear it over the running water.
4. Does the UI ever feel laggy or bogged down?
5. How is the battery life in regards to movies/streams? I watch a lot of twitch tv on my phone at night and ive noticed cheaper phones with lower res screens do a LOT better than flagships in terms of how long the battery lasts.
6. Is the double tap to wake/sleep reliable? Ive gotten pretty used to this with LG phones, its one of the reasons i want it over the moto x (other phone im looking at).
7. Notification light. Does this change color when fully charged? (my g2 would be red when charging, green when fully charged).

Thats all i can think of atm, i need to buy a phone in the next couple of days and so far ive narrowed it down to the 4.7" idol 3 and the original moto x from 2013.

Any replies much appreciated, ill be buying online either way so i cant test in store before i buy hence all the questions lol.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

I can only answer some of your questions since I have the 5.5" i3.

1. The sides with faux chrome are a bit slippery. Definitely need a skin or case.

2. Build quality is pretty good and it doesn't feel cheap.

3. Front facing speakers are much louder than bottom speaker on G2. Sound quality is quite good.

4. N/A
5. N/A

6. Double tap to wake and sleep works great on 5.5" i3.

7. Notification LED is just white. You can use light manager to make it work with different apps.

Sent from my 6045I using Tapatalk

 

[skipatrol]

Re: General questions about the idol 3 (4.7&quot

Agree with SactoKingsfan as I have the 5.5 version also. Question ... If you watch a lot of TV why not look at the 5.5 for bigger screen, higher resolution, more powerful processor? At $249 it may be worth it for you. 5.5 also offers great battery life (even when gaming and watching video)

Sent from my 6045I using Tapatalk

 

[Araxxis]

Re: General questions about the idol 3 (4.7&quot

Ok cool, to add on to these if you will.

Would the phone stand on its side without a case? Like propping it up to watch movies. On same note, does doing this make the power button button activate or is the phone light enough where it does not happen?

So if its just a white LED, how do you know when the phone is fully charged?

Glad to hear double tap to wake works good!

Last one for me would be cases, i can hardly find any for the 4.7" model! This seems to be about the only choice:
Amazon.com: Evocel® Alcatel OneTouch IDOL 3 (4.7") Case - [UltraSlim] TPU Bumper Skin Case For Alcatel OneTouch IDOL 3 (4.7") - Evocel® Retail Packaging, Black: Cell Phones & Accessories

Im not sure i like the bumpers at the top and bottom, does anyone else know of a more sleek case?

Thanks for replies, still undecided between this phone the moto x 2013 or a used htc one m8.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

Re: General questions about the idol 3 (4.7&quot

Would the phone stand on its side without a case? Like propping it up to watch movies. On same note, does doing this make the power button button activate or is the phone light enough where it does not happen?

You can prop it up against something without a case. However, it doesn't seem very stable and is easier to prop up with a case. Even the 5.5" i3 is very light and power button doesn't get pressed when on side, so I would expect the same with 4.7" i3.

So if its just a white LED, how do you know when the phone is fully charged?

You get a regular notification that says phone is full charged. I use light manager to make LED flash when fully charged.

Last one for me would be cases, i can hardly find any for the 4.7" model!

I can recommend this case. I've been using the bigger version of this case on my 5.5" i3. The back has soft matte texture and sides are transparent.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016C...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU4758401

Sent from my 6045I using Tapatalk

 

[sebstin]

I have been using phone for 3 weeks..

1) Not slippery. But def needs a case..
2) Very good the price
3). Sound is excellent.. with JBL speakers, its awesome.
4) Considering nexus 5 or 5X, might feel little slow due to 1.5GB RAM but good for casual users (i am not a heavy gamer)
5) Refer my other thread. I have see very good battery life initial 2 weeks (with casual use, I used to charge after 40+hrs only).. But last week onwards,, I feel some pbm. Not sure if its temporary. I have 2-3 days to return now. so waiting for fellow members confirmation
6) No idea
7) Yes it has got one LED..

Considering 110grams weight and 4.7" form factor, its very pocket friendly (in terms of carrying in pocket and wallet)... Highly recommend except for #5 above..

 

[Araxxis]

Thanks for replies guys, i pulled the trigger and ordered the 4.7" model this morning along with the case i linked above. If i dont like it i will order the case linked by sactokingsfan i didnt see it when browsing amazon earlier. Really looking forward to speakers i can actually hear lol, g2 is awesome phone but must have the weakest speaker on any phone ive ever owned which is really its only downside.

Ive never purchased a truly unlocked phone always ATT or tmobile branded, excited to see how updates and stuff work as the update process with ATT branded phones on crickets network are really wonky and sometimes you need to use ATT sim card to get the update (that is, if this phone eventually gets marshmallow lol).

 

[skipatrol]

Good call.. Enjoy the idol 3!

Sent from my 6045I using Tapatalk

 

[Araxxis]

Does anyone know of a good screen protector for the idol 3 4.7? The only ones i really see are mr shield brand and all the reviews say they have a poor fit. Ive never used a screen protector on a phone but i am considering it this time because the phone does not have gorilla glass.

Any suggestions appreciated!

 

[SactoKingsFan]

Re: General questions about the idol 3 (4.7&quot

Amazon sells the same screen protector sold on the Alcatel site.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011D...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU4766057

Sent from my 6045I using Tapatalk

 

[Araxxis]

Re: General questions about the idol 3 (4.7&quot

Is that tempered? Im a newb to this screen protector stuff but was told tempered is the way to go. Thanks for link tho, at least that one i know will fit good.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

Re: General questions about the idol 3 (4.7&quot

Is that tempered? Im a newb to this screen protector stuff but was told tempered is the way to go. Thanks for link tho, at least that one i know will fit good.

No, it's just a regular plastic film screen protector. IMO, tempered glass is the way to go if you can find a good one (9H, rounded edges, fits well, anti glare).

 

[Araxxis]

Re: General questions about the idol 3 (4.7&quot

Ok i will wait it out a bit and be careful with my phone until i can find a well reviewed tempered glass protector : )

 

[Araxxis]

Re: General questions about the idol 3 (4.7&quot

So ive had my phone for about 3 hours now, and i pretty much love it. My cousin lives across the hall and we tested his HTC m8 speakers vs mine.....mine get far louder lol. I love how thin and light it is, but a case is a must for sure. I dont like the case i got so i am sending it back and getting the cbus wireless case suggested above.

Only two things so far that ive noticed that may be cons:

1. Low earpiece volume. Calls arent even as loud as my G2, which is known for low earpiece and speaker volume. Maybe a software update could fix this?
2. Battery life. Too early to really tell yet, but it had 50% charge out of the box and 3 hours later of medium duty use (installing apps etc) its down to 10%. Time will tell on this one.

My last question to you folks would be, how do i get updates on this phone? I am on cricket with everything working fine (MMS, 4g lte etc) but i went to check for software update and it said i was up to date, maybe there really isnt any newer software for the phone? I just figured id have at least a couple patches to install when i got it home.

8/10 phone so far, if they patch the earpiece volume i would legit give it a 10 especially if battery life turns out to be acceptable. It feels at least as smooth as my G2 which destroys it hardware wise.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

Re: General questions about the idol 3 (4.7&quot

Battery life. Too early to really tell yet, but it had 50% charge out of the box and 3 hours later of medium duty use (installing apps etc) its down to 10%. Time will tell on this one.

Battery life is supposed to be pretty good as long as you don't have any wakelock issues. Should make it through a full day with moderate use.

My last question to you folks would be, how do i get updates on this phone? I am on cricket with everything working fine (MMS, 4g lte etc) but i went to check for software update and it said i was up to date, maybe there really isnt any newer software for the phone? I just figured id have at least a couple patches to install when i got it home.

The OTA updates come from Alcatel. You should get a notification when OTA update is available.