alcatel Idol 4s Windows

  • Released 2016, Q3
    152g, 7mm thickness
    Microsoft Windows 10
    64GB storage, microSD slot
  • N/A 245,826 hits
  • 71 Become a fan
  • 5.5"
    1080x1920 pixels
  • 21MP
    2160p
  • 4GB RAM
    Snapdragon 820
  • 3000mAh
    Li-Ion

alcatel Idol 4s Windows - Specs

Network Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands LTE band 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 12(700)
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps
Launch Announced 2016, Q3
Status Available. Released 2016, Q3
Body Dimensions 153.9 x 75.4 x 7 mm (6.06 x 2.97 x 0.28 in)
Weight 152 g (5.36 oz)
SIM Nano-SIM
Display Type AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 5.5 inches, 83.4 cm2 (~71.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~401 ppi density)
Protection Asahi Dragontrail Glass
Platform OS Microsoft Windows 10
Chipset Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 (14 nm)
CPU Quad-core (2x2.15 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo)
GPU Adreno 530
Memory Card slot microSD, up to 1 TB (dedicated slot)
Internal 64GB 4GB RAM
Main Camera Single 21 MP, PDAF
Features Dual-LED dual-tone flash, panorama, HDR
Video 2160p@30fps
Selfie camera Single 8 MP
Features LED flash
Video 1080p@30fps
Sound Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack Yes
 Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
Comms WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP, LE
GPS Yes, with A-GPS
Radio No
USB Type-C 1.0 reversible connector
Features Sensors Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
 Virtual Reality Goggles included
Battery   Non-removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery
Charging Battery charging 10W
Stand-by Up to 420 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 13 h 20 min (3G)
Misc Colors Halo Gold
Price About 200 EUR

alcatel Idol 4s Windows - User Reviews

  • I have officially retired this phone as of now. Nothing against it just found something better. RIP good sir! Thank you for your services.

  • I have been using this phone as my daily driver. While I do not recommend anyone go out and well, get a Windows Phone as it’s about to be ended next year, this phone surprising rocks! Mind you my first comparison was based off working with an iPhone 8, a Samsung Galaxy S7, and a BlackBerry Z30 And Passport. My expectations were high from every angle. Surpassingly I got used to the AI4S! Battery is pretty Rockin. Screen is very bright and vibrant! The feel of the phone feels classy. Email Skype Text Calls And the Browser are my main go to apps. Music player is basic and has no EQ.. music sounds good though. Camera while 21MP pictures are basic camera phone quality. I really dig this phone!

  • I’ll be honest I was impressed with the storage and it’s design, I was disappointed with how laggy the phone was. Not very optimized at all! Unfortunately I got it when all the apps were removed by Windows agh!

  • Very good for $65 as I see the prices on my left side in ....But how to get it !?How lucky a person can be to make whole family the happiest.Justice Rights hopes everyone everywhere worldwide be happiest with the best opportunities including gsmArena.Thanks.

  • It is GSM. I have not tried the AT&T GSM card I have. Be careful of buying from luckywire, I ended up with screen burn in. They did offer a discount when I complained.

  • I have broken my into pieces by smashing it with full force on the road and squashing it with my boot. At first, I was happy, finding out finally a phone I wanted after years of waiting for WP flagship. I loved it. But then Microsoft update came up, and it updated, and then sound went bad. I dug trough Internet and forums and whatnot and found that I am not the only one. I reset my phone several times, did backup, without backup, went to service... and then finally I broke and smashed it into little pieces. It is not phone that is bad. It is Microsoft. There is no other explanation but they had deliberately sent a patch of a sort that killed the phone. Why are they, for the love of God, trying so hard to kill their own product? From lagging in development of handsets, discouraging others to develop theirs, to deliberately avoiding upgrades to apps ... Looks like someone deep in Microsoft is working against WP, or they are all idiots... Latter is more possible, but even idiots would do something right and not deliberately malicious... I need WP for work, things that neither iOs nor Android can do.

  • For anyone interested: the $99 MS Store version with T-Mobile worked just fine in Japan (Tokyo) with NTT DoCoMo including the T-Mobile (2g) free international data option. Not that fast but enough for maps, email and light browsing.

  • Woah currently it shows 169$ on MS Store and that too OOS. I would Love to buy it at 65$ since Amoled+ Snapdragon 820+ 21mp Camera makes a great deal.

  • I waited, bought my Idol 4s w/win10 January 2018 from MS store unlocked for $65. A price that left me with zero 2nd thought, and no buyers remorse whatsoever! Have every app I'll ever need ( and then some) saved as appx files, all easily reinstallable . Also went to the trouble of making a local backup image so even after MS ceases supporting win10 mobile backup (as they did last Oct. with win 7/8/8.1 backup) I'll still be able to have access to my backup image for quick reinstalls from scratch. Even though win mobile is dead, I'm extremely happy with this device particularly at the price. It was a no-brainer, I considered it a must-buy. Clearly regardless of the state of win mobile $65 is almost a freebie!

  • If you buy directly from Windows Then it is unlocked.

  • Hello! Does the T-Mobile version functions with gsm sim card like MTN??? If not how to unlock the T-Mobile version???

  • Please does the T-Mobile version function with a gsm sim card like mtn????

  • Portugal Language and keyboard is available. No Voice assistant in Portuguese though.

  • Portuguese (Portugal)

  • Brazilian or Portugal language?

  • Can anyone tell me if alcatel idol 4s has Portuguese language? Thanks.

  • Good phone I bought it for $100.00. Camera is decent, processor is smooth, (windows 10 is not very optimized compared to Blackberry 10, iOS, or Android), only thing is that this phone does NOT have a music equalizer unlike most of its Windows 10 counterparts like the Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE. That being said, music sounds excellent! Screenshots I have not been able to successfully take one. Also most of the apps on the Windows Store work. Just not the most optimized. Again it’s a decent phone but don’t expect like an Android or iPhone. Build quality looks great!

  • Its depends upon the package you received if your package has UMTS1 then support Indian 3g otherwise no follow this

  • It supports Indian 2G frequencies bu the 3G frequencies aren't compatible with the present network providers. RCOM was the only network which perfectly supported this phone.

  • Will it run on any network in india ... even in 2g or 3g

  • After reading your post I got one for me too, at $40 it was kinda pricey but the quality of leather on this case is excellent. Money well spent I say.

  • I think the guy is asking for a music player with equalizer. I wonder why he needs such a player when there's already a systemwide equalizer in all Windows 10 Mobile phones?

  • The LTE Band of RCOM 4G used to work on it but since RCOM has shut down its operations you can no more use this phone in India, no other India service providers use the LTE Band 4.

  • There have been comments from users that indicate the device does indeed have an FM Radio but it's buried and you have to look for it. Quite frankly I'm not bothered one way or the other, but obviously it's important to some.

  • Can work only as 3g device in India. Anything that can be done by changing settings as on LG g4 can work on Indian networks also

  • No, based on the LTE Bands available in India

  • Can this mobile work on lte bands in India Band 3 5 40?

  • Can someone reply on that

  • Does this mobile works on Indian lte bands Of like 850mhz 1800mhz or 2300mhz as that of relience jio network

  • Microsoft Store online currently has the Alcatel Idol 4S for 99 bucks! I sent both mine back for a refund, as I paid 169 for them. So, I got 2 for 200 bucks. Great Deal, but I wasn't going to shell out $470 for it.........

  • dude, judging by your name you are french? not sure if you useda translator or something.. but what you just said doesnt really make sense. you arent really asking any direct question but it seems like you are. but to me is very confusing and frustrating.. your opinion is not really ANY help what-so-ever for anyone reading. im sure im not the first one to read your comment 5 times going "WHAT?!?!" does he mean exactly" .. hence why im writing this. if your going to have input atleast make it understandable. and if you look up a few posts buddy says the Equalizer is in "Settings>Extras>Equalizer. if what you were asking was if there is a EQ app then why dont you check the app store instead of making a meaningless comment that confuses people. sorry but this stuff frustrates me because of how much time i spent wasting time ciphering through dead end comments like this while trying to find straight answers or atleast a direction meanwhile someone has already answered this. or what i think you meant in your comment/question/jibber.

  • Equalizer is there, it's just that it's buried deep in settings. Just go to Settings>Extras>Equalizer

  • Well that's odd, in my case it is perfectly able to scan the barcode of WhatsApp Web. Try to check you internet connection, sometimes WhatsApp Web behaves funny if the internet connection is unstable.

  • i) WhatsApp Web doesn't work. WhatsApp in this phone is unable to scan the barcode ii) Not possible to flash Android OS using Qualcomm Flash Image Loader iii) This device works on carriers outside USA & LTE works like charm. iv) Need to be careful with popped up camera. Camera glass can be damaged easily.

  • As no Equalizer (though the sound output is good using a good headphone),so any better music app in the store or any other app as side load with equalizer?

  • This phone doesn't have a radio at all. So the trick you mentioned won't work on it.

  • For the FM radio, try plugging in a pair of ear buds as the wire is used as an antenna in most cases. I have no idea if this will work but it's worth a try.

  • Re: The glass finish: I bought a case from a German company call StilGut who hand make all their cases out of top-notch materials. It was actually designed for the BlackBerry DTEK60 but fits the 4s perfectly (the 60's chassis is a 4s with different internals). This solves the slipperiness of the glass finish and adds more contouring around the camera and the fingerprint sensor making it much easier to locate accurately.

  • I like everything about this device, at just $169 I couldn't ask for anything more but the only things I don't like are the slippery body and the lack of any boundary around the fingerprint scanner, it works great but it's seriously hard to locate, and my muscle memory still isn't used to it.

  • Good looking. Very slippery. Very sensitive and smooth touchscreen. Great performance. Excellent Sound quality. The VR doesn't seem to have very good control. The phone doesn't support FM radio (even if you install an app for it). The Camera isn't as good as advertised. It has a 3.5mm audio jack, but doesn't come with headphones. Also, the Lumia apps (Lumia Panorama, Lumia Camera, Equaliser, Gadgets, etc) won't install on this device.

  • It doesn't have a radio but hey who uses radio nowadays. They no more play good music on radio. I just listen to online radio in Microsoft Groove. It gives me nice selection of radio channels as per my genre of interest.

  • What? Just $169, that's just dirt cheap. I wonder why on earth they still ask £420 for it in UK when it's so cheap in USA? Microsoft and Alcatel surely pay no attention to the consumers at UK.

  • I was really confused between this phone and the Elite x3 but at the end went for this one as it costs just $169, the Elite x3 is just too pricey. So now for just $298 I have a good Continuum capable phone, a Logitech K830 keyboard and Microsoft HD-500 display dock. Of course it lacks NFC but it can do all other things that HP Elite x3 can do.

  • Spec say no radio

  • Is there FM Radio on this phone Alcatel idol 4S? I am thinking of buying this.

  • Yes it has fingerprint scanner at the back but there's no outline around the fingerprint sensor so it's hard to locate at first, it almost merges with the glass back, but once your muscle memory gets used to it you feel no problem.

  • Hi, yes this device has a fingerprint reader in the back (the circle underneath the camera lens) and can be configured via the settings app.

  • Max, Can you confirm that this phone has fingerprint reader at back?

  • Someone can confirm that this phone (Idol 4s Windows phone) has fingerprint reader one touch?

  • Well there already is...

  • I hope they release an Android OS for this, windows mobileis dead anyways.

  • It's camera isn't as good as Lumia 950 XL but it's not bad. It works smoother than 950 XL especially after the latest Windows 10 Mobile update, it doesn't overheat, it lacks NFC but I barely use NFC so I don't see it as a big deal. Compared to 950 XL it's kinda slippery due to its glass surface and the fingerprint sensor has no boundary to demarcate it so it takes some time in getting used to it but once you gain the muscle memory you feel no difference. At the end of the day at $199 you can't get a better device than this one.

  • main difference that would make this phone a step down from the microsoft lumia, is that the battery is not removable. i always keep an extra battery for emergencies, so not being able to switch that out for a fresh battery is kind of a deal-breaker for me. but it looks like a sweet phone. i can't seem to find if it has the remote charging thing where you set it on a charging plate.

  • I'm thinking of switching form Lumia to this...it looks perfect...are there any big differences between the two that you've seen? Does it still automatically back up to onedrive?

  • I am also with Freedom Mobile and had no issues connecting to their LTE network right out of the box. The Alcatel Idol 4s Windows NA variant supports AWS and LTE band 4; both used by Freedom. So I'm not sure what the issue is for you only being able to connect to 3G/4G; unless they haven't actually rolled their LTE service out to your area yet.

  • But in India both HP Elite x3 and Alcatel Idol 4S Windows cost the same on eBay.in GEB. And Alcatel Idol 4S Windows supports only one mobile network provider, i.e, RCOM and RCOM has truly horrible service in India. HP Elite x3 supports all Indian LTE bands and works on RCOM as well as Idea, Airtel, Vodafone Supernet 4G.

  • Everytjing else is good - black glass back, with gold trim, the push side button which htc u11 was copied from, except the camera. The camera is not responsive to the touch. Not resppnsive to light either. Takes timeee to focus to light, dark or bright.

  • NFC, or course, is useless if there are no Windows apps in my country capable of using it...

  • Too bad I can't buy it in my country from the Microsoft store. Only Lumia's. It's a nice looking phone.

  • This is just a cheap phone, it can never be even half as good as HP Elite x3. This phone doesn't have NFC, QHD screen or a durable body.

  • Actually, a smart man's x3. Just paid $199 unlocked from Microsoft Store. That leaves $400 to buy a few Canon ink cartridges.

  • Not for $199

  • Absolutely...I've come thru the Lumia 920, 1520, 640 and I can truly says this phone is fantastic. Great physical build quality, screen is awesome (and first phone I've had where fingerprints don't happen -- Asahi DragonTrail glass is a pleasant surprise). Speaking of fingers, the Hello print reader scored 10/10 on my first programmed print, and it was FAST -- secret is to have an Incipio case with raised edge around sensor as a reference point. I've seen some negative reviews but this phone has been flawless to the point that those bad reviews are totally suspect. This phone has the same guts as the x3 but at a fraction of the cost ($199 thru Microsoft Store). Windows Phone may be "dead" but I have every app I need and could ride this thing for years. Apple can continue robbing the faithful ($1199 are they crazy?), and Google will try to keep the hodge-podge of Android variants semi-secure (they haven't so far). This phone is wonderful, and Microsoft should be ashamed they started making uninspired junk and killed Nokia in the process.

  • I just activated the Idol 4s with Windows on Freedom Mobile in Canada, which uses an LTE not compatible with the phone, so I'm on 3G/4G and the speed is still great, about 10-11mbps according to testmy.net

  • Dude, sometimes people are good with spending 1/3 the price for a phone that basically does the same thing.

  • Why no review from GSM people? :3

  • Dude you should've gone for HP Elite x3 instead of this phone. I bought my Elite x3 open box from Ebay GEB for Rs 50,000 and it works perfectly with Airtel 4G, Idea 4G as well as Vodafone Supernet 4G. The problem with Alcatel is that among Indian 4G bands it is compatible only with LTE Band 5 (850 Mhz), which is used only by RCom4G. Alternatively you could've gone for the European variant of this phone called Alcatel Idol 4 Pro, that one has support for all Indian 4G bands.

  • Bought it in India via eBay GEB, the phone is excellent for just Rs 23K. My only compliant is the choice of network. This phone works great with RCom4G, I can call, use 4G data, send SMS etc because the 4G, 3G and 2G bandwidths of RCom are perfectly supported by this phone but SIM cards from other service providers like Airtel, Idea, Vodafone just don't work because their bandwidths aren't supported by this phone.

  • Nope, Lumia 950 is still the best Windows phone.

  • Well at half the price it probably is, but only a fool would buy a phone primarily based on what it looks like. Nobody else cares what your phone looks like anyway.

  • It'll be released in Europe shortly.

  • I bought the unlocked version from eBay and got it imported to Canada, it cost me CDN$447.3 including transport and tax, which still makes it cheaper in price than my wife's CDN$499.99 ZTE Axon 7. So far it's working great with my Bell SIM.

  • Never expected such an excellent device from Alcatel that too at such low price. Seriously Alcatel surely outgunned the Lumia devices with this phone. Hands down the best Windows 10 Mobile device in the market.

  • Only 4G LTE works on Verizon. AT&T gsm sim works fine, anyway you can buy the unlocked version of this phone from Amazon at $273.

  • Did your service work when you put the Verizon SIM in the phone? I find it hard to believe since there are no CDMA bands on this phone. I eagerly await your response. I also can't believe that this phone happened to be unlocked as T-Mobile phones are all locked to their network. If you don't answer soon, I'll just try it. I have service on all 4 major US carriers.

  • Not available in Europe sadly I really like this phone.

  • Is there any version of this phone with band 3 and 8 Lte enabled? I heard rumour of europe version under the name idol 4s pro, is that true?

  • Which costs over twice as much. So, you could buy 2 of them for less than the price of 1 HP X3 Elite, and yes, they DO support Continuum mode.

  • Now I understand why people are buying this phone despite of it running on Windows 10 Mobile. I mean come on, $275 is a dirt cheap price for a device with such flagship level specs. Not to forget with Windows 10 Mobile the user gets periodic updates even on an OEM device. So essentially this is a phone which has timely updates like a Google Pixel or Nexus and is cheaper than a ZTE Axon 7. No wonder people are buying it.

  • Yep, buy that one if you are on T-Mo then flash the T-Mo ffu....

  • Meh.. This phone looks like a poor man's HP Elite x3.

  • The factory unlocked variant is available at Amazon for just $275.

  • Well in real world too there's a heck lot of difference. The Windows version has better processor (Snapdragon 820), larger storage (64 GB), larger RAM (4 GB), better rear camera (21 megapixel) with a larger sensor size. The Windows version is substantially faster than the Android version. The Windows version also has newer and faster USB-Type C connector while the Android version has older and slower micro-USB connector. The Windows version also has a fingerprint scanner. You can use Continuum on the Windows version. The only thing good about the Android version is its higher resolution 1440 x 2560 pixels display otherwise the Windows version is leagues ahead of it in all other segments. And the most important thing is that the factory unlocked variant of Alcatel Idol 4S Windows costs $275 on Amazon, which makes it cheaper to buy than the Android version.

  • I have been doing a comparison of the idol 4s and the Windows idol 4s,I had no clue that their was two idol 4s',can you explain the difference because on paper their is a big difference

  • Well you can buy the unlocked version from Amazon. It is now available at a price of $275. Which is damn cheap price for this device.

  • Have lust for this phone. Will have to save mah pennies.

  • Take a good look at his post. He is asking for a Android ROM to flash on this phone. He is technically asking for an Android equivalent of this phone. Next time take a good time to read the post before commenting mindlessly.

  • He wants a windows phone not android.

  • In my town there's only LTE 7 (2600) and 3 (1800) currently. Is there any way to get this to work?

  • You can try to get your hands on TCL 950, it's basically the same phone as Alcatel Idol 4S Windows but it runs on Android. But it's hard to find and as far as I know it's available only in China.

  • No

  • is there a custom rom for instaling android on this version cause i want the android os but the faster soc the windows 10 version has

  • I bought it for $288 from T-Mobile store and I had to pay $20 extra for the SIM, oddly enough the T-Mobile version is unlocked too. I didn't need the T-Mobile SIM so I kept it in the phone just for activation. Once activated I threw away the SIM and put my AT&T and Verizon SIM into the phone and they work great. The SIM activation was lot of hassle but at $308 it was worth the hassle.

  • its good . i have it.

  • Yes. Being on AT&T though I just bough the unlocked model through Microsoft.

  • Now that's dirt cheap. That makes it even cheaper than OnePlus 3 and Moto G4 Plus. Quite a bang for buck I would say.

  • T-Mobile dropped the price on their US site to 288.

  • $265, have you lost it. This phone costs $470. Which is nevertheless a good price for this phone.

  • My dearest requested friends.Firstly,thanks for your trust.This Windows smartphone with $265 mentioned price with respect to the GSMArena,s disclaimer without NFC,IR,radio,complete Bluetooth,without USB 3.1 and otg,with SD 820,two strong cameras both having flash,3.95 inches of users share and no finger print scanner,and plus what you and I don't see,if Microsoft supports do not discontinued is an upper midrange good smartdevice!!But truly I don't understand why absolute majority of Made in China and Made by China smartdevices from all brands follow this rule:Bluetooth A2DP,AND JUST LE other Bluetooth auxiliaries are absent!!!?Nevertheless with all advantages and disadvantagesmentioned as a merely unbiased comment,it is good for Windows enthusiasts for $265 mentioned here if it is natural for them to afford!!Upon your requests I must announce that nowadays Acer,Alcatel,Motorola,and...belong to the Chinese entities but not the US!!Thanks all mentioned names,readers,experts,GSMArena,s moderators,....Justice Rights writes just justly for your own moral and material rights.Omid12Omidvar,....

  • Good news. The unlocked version of this phone is finally available in Microsoft store.

  • Yes it does.

  • have fingerprint??

  • You dont Need any dock...you just need an Miracast Receiver (many smart TVs are capable for this)

  • It is up for sale on Microsoft's online store Unlocked now.

  • Indeed, Windows looks beautiful on AMOLED displays.

  • Yes it supports Continuum but you need to buy the Continuum dock separately from Microsoft.

  • suports continuum?

  • That is good news, Windows OS on phones is best with AMOLED.

  • it's a windows os ......................

  • when it launch in india

  • It's a dual-SIM phone. You can buy it in USA unlocked without contract for $489.99 from T-Mobile. Its original price is $469.99 but you need to pay $20 extra for the compulsory T-Mobile SIM which you can either use or just throw away. About Ireland, I don't think Alcatel has any plans to release it in European countries.

  • It has an AMOLED display. I verified it on the official Alcatel website and pdadb.

  • On Windows Central they say it's an LCD display but gsmarena says amoled so which one is it?

  • Very nice looking windows phone ..will this be avaible with dual sim? And is it coming to ireland?

  • As per the review by Windows Central the camera is good but not as good as the Carl Zeiss optics equipped camera of 950 XL and 950.

  • Hope it comes to Europe with a decent price tag. It's a beautiful phone really.

  • Looking forward to this coming to the UK someday. Really want to buy one and one for my wife :)

  • I'm hoping this phone will be available unlocked and everywhere.

  • If only I wouldn't have bought a HP Elite x3 I would have surely gone for this phone.

  • Dearest.I haven't test it.But specifications shows high definition for a Windows 10 smartphone with SD 820!Unfortunately,no NFC,or infrared,...has been mentioned yet!,Maybe gsmArena writes a review for it!But cameras must have followed carl zies German made cameras used in Nokia's 808 pureview!!!Nevertheless,the price tag of $228 is very attractive ..Justice Rights,....

  • I got the original Nokia Windows 7 phone from T-mobile some years ago, then upgraded to the 810 when it came out. Shortly after, I moved to Washington and found the Magenta Company's coverage poor there. I needed Wifi calling capability just to get coverage around the suburban Seattle area, and the 810 couldn't cope. I "downgraded" to a Lumia 635 for its wifi capabilities, and service has been decent, but with Windows 10 at home on my laptop and tablet I need a Windows 10 phone, and none of the T's phones have gotten a Windows 10 upgrade yet, so the Idol 4S is my new target phone. Looking forward to it.

  • Just got it today. Feels great and looks expensive in hand. Runs super smooth thus far. The 820 chipset is faster and more efficient than the precious octo core you saw in the Lumia 950 so I'm expecting to stay cooler and run longer on a charge. Will update once I have more time to customize and run through daily tasks with it. Picked mine up at the t mobile store.