Alcatel Introduces New Idol 4 and Idol 4S Smartphones with a Magic “Boom” Key

Alcatel finally revealed its new Idol smartphones yesterday. The Idol 4 and Idol 4S, are an upgrade of last year’s Idol 3 smartphone. Like last year, Alcatel is sticking with its tried and tested model of fronting what are otherwise mid-range devices rightly priced as its flagship devices.

The two devices are similar in looks and design but vary in specifications with the Idol 4S being the more superior of the two devices. The Idol 4 has a full HD display while the Idol 4S has a Quad HD display. The Idol 4’s camera can only shoot full HD video while the Idol 4S can shoot video up to 2K. The former also arrives with half the onboard storage of the latter though they both have the ability to slot in a memory card for memory expansion.

Like Samsung, Alcatel’s latest devices also lack USB Type-C. They will ship with the usual microUSB port.

There are dual speakers on the front of both devices that should carry on the legacy of the Idol 3’s speakers as the best-sounding on any mid-range smartphone in the market. Alcatel has partnered with JBL and Waves for the audio experience.

The most distinct feature of the two devices is the magic button on the side of the metal frame that separates the glass front and back: the Boom key. The Boom key is the usual device power on/off button on steroids. Thanks to some clever software tweaks, the power button is able to capture successive images when pressed continually (burst mode), add special effects to videos, fire up nitrous when one is playing Asphalt 8: Airborne among several other key functions.

Here are specifications of the Alcatel Idol 4 and Idol 4S:

The Idol 4 and Idol 4S support fast charging. The Idol 4 can be fully charged in just an hour while its larger sibling takes 1.6 hours to be fully charged.

Pricing and availability details of the two devices have not yet been revealed.