Gadgetory

if you're buying a new smartphone chances are you're looking for some specific features a great display fast performance reliable camera and easy to use software are all likely on your shortlist if you want all of those you usually have to spend many hundreds of dollars to get them but what if you didn't have to that's the promise of alpha tells OneTouch Idol 3 it's a $250 unlocked phone with a bright high res display slim design LTE and Android 5.0 lollipop and you know what the idol 3 mostly delivers on that promise the end of 3 screen is the star of the show it's easily the best display on any phone under 500 bucks that I've seen it's a 5.5 inch 1080p laminated IPS panel that just pops great viewing angles bright colors outdoor visibility if there's something you want out of the phone screen the idol 3s display has it but the screen isn't the only thing to like about the idol 3 it also has really loud front-facing stereo speakers slim attractive design and all-day battery and support for LTE on both AT&T and t-mobile it also has a 13 megapixel camera that would embarrass a number of much more expensive phones the idol 3 is plastic but it's not glossy and it doesn't feel as cheap as a price tag might lead you to think the design is pretty generic but it's not offensive and certainly not as bad as other inexpensive phones for software the idol 3 runs Android 5.0 lollipop with very little customization it's pretty much just limited to a few custom app icons and a tweaked lockscreen there are a handful of preloaded apps but nothing near the levels of bloatware the average carrier puts on their phones it really feels like I'm using stock Android when I use the idol 3 which is a good thing so what don't you get with the idol 3 compared to a much more expensive phone well conveniences like wireless charging and quick charging aren't here and while the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor is fast enough for most things an HTC m9 or samsung galaxy s6 will leave the Idol 3 in the dust when it comes to raw performance I didn't have an issue with the idol threes performance most of the time but the occasional stutter or lag when opening apps reminded me that I wasn't using a top-tier flagship but overall those problems are pretty minor the idol 3 is the most impressive inexpensive phone I've ever used it hits all of the right marks great display solid battery life and a good software experience if you thought you had to spend nearly $1,000 to get that in smartphone the idol 3 might make you want to think again