Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5) and Idol 3 (4.7) review: Two phones, one soul

13MP Sony IMX214 camera

Alcatel Idol 3 packs a 13MP camera with Sony IMX214 sensor. The unit is found in quite a few smartphones out there and has proven to be quite a solid performer.

The camera interface holds no surprises. Capturing photos takes place via a button on the right side of the UI. Another one for video recording sits right above it.

The camera UI

There are several shooting modes at your disposal. They include auto, HDR, panorama, time-lapse, scanner, and face beauty mode.

A manual mode is also available - it allows you to tweak white balance, shutter speed, ISO, and focus.

Manual mode

Both Alcatel Idol 3 models seem to use one and the same cameras. Image quality is generally very good. Processing seems mature enough and we're pleased with how the fine detail comes out when viewing the images at pixel level - especially the foliage.

Unfortunately, image sharpness is not equal across the frame, suggesting the camera lens is not as good as the sensor used.

Other than that, colors are great and noise is kept (mostly) in check, so overall, great snappers from these two.

Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5) camera samples

This sort of a nice image quality is a surprise in the price range of the cheaper 4.7-inch Alcatel Idol 3.

Alcatel Idol 3 (4.7) camera samples

Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5) low light camera sample

Unfortunately, the built-in HDR mode produces images that are slightly overboard when it comes to colors and contrast.

Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5) HDR mode: Off • On

Alcatel Idol 3 (4.7) HDR sample

Judging by the photos taken, both models use seemingly identical cameras, however that's not the case when it comes to video recording.

For some reason the 1080p videos produced by the bigger Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5) are substandard. They even look as if upscaled from lower resolution. In contrast, the ones coming out from the Alcatel Idol 3 (4.7) are much better when it comes to colors and detail. So we are willing to give it the benefit of a doubt - it might be a unit specific issue or a software glitch.

With both phones, there's room for improvement in video recording. Even though both smartphones produces videos with one and the same bitrate, the ones by the Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5) come out in 28fps, while the ones by the Alcatel Idol 3 (4.7) clock in less than 27fps.

You can see a 1080p video sample shot by the Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5) on YouTube.

Alternatively, you can also download directly an Alcatel Idol 3 (5.5) 1080p video sample (37MB) from our server.

You can see a 1080p video sample shot by the Alcatel Idol 3 (4.7) on YouTube.

Alternatively, you can also download directly an Alcatel Idol 3 (4.7) 1080p video sample (25MB) from our server.