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When talking about Windows 10 Mobile in 2016, most of us are likely to be waiting for the “Surface Phone” to come out from Panos and Co.’s brilliant minds and provide the ultimate Windows mobile experience. It should be reminded that third-party adopters of the OS still exist, however – if anything, they are more active than ever with Windows 10 Mobile – and if new information from Wmpoweruser is to be believed, one of them may make choosing your next Windows-powered phone a bit more complicated.
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The maker in question is Alcatel, and the phone, according to the report, is the Idol Pro 4. Last year, an Alcatel executive promised a series of new phones from the France-based OEM to run Microsoft’s new mobile OS, among which would be a “superphone” with beastly specs and all the bells and whistles that Windows 10 Mobile can provide. Wmpoweruser points to the “superphone” being the Idol Pro 4 – Alcatel’s upcoming Windows-powered flagship.
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Alcatel’s previous attempts at Windows-powered phones have been mostly low-end, like the One Touch Fierce XL.
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While not exceedingly more powerful than its eventual competitors for this year, the Idol Pro 4 will reportedly at least gets equivalently high-end specs, and certainly the most powerful internals out of the whole Windows 10 Mobile device family to date with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. The speedy SOC is balanced by a Full HD display, presumably to keep the cost manageable (personally, I’m not sure about the benefit of more-than-HD resolutions on phones, however, and the screen may mean better battery life).
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Even the first Windows 10 Mobile tablet – the Alcatel One Touch Pixi 3– is still decidedly low-end.
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The Idol Pro 4 will reportedly also support Continuum for phone, making it the second non-Lumia handset to get the feature after the Acer Liquid Jade. Better yet, the phone will also include Reset Protection – a nifty security feature that prevents the phone from being reset if stolen, introduced since Windows Phone 8.1 GDR2 – that is missing on some current Lumia handsets including the Lumia 830. For US-based users, the phone may also finally provide a high-end Windows alternative on T-Mobile, with arrival on the carrier reportedly confirmed.
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While third-party Windows OEM are starting to show up again after a period of inactivity, most of them don’t seem to want the risk of releasing a high-end experience, instead focusing on budget options. Alcatel is no exception: the company’s recent Windows 10 Mobile devices are decidedly low-end – even with an intriguing form factor like an 8-inch tablet – at least up till now.
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With the Surface Phone still only existing in hearsay, the Alcatel Idol Pro 4, along with the Acer Liquid Jade, will be much welcomed as flagships device that may again spark interest in Microsoft’s ailing mobile OS. Details are still scarce on the Idol Pro 4, however – indeed, it’s not even clear if the phone is the “superphone” Alcatel hinted at – and we will update you once more information comes.
\n\nFurther reading: Alcatel, Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Windows 10 Mobile
