Today Alcatel announced its new flagship IDOL 4 and IDOL 4S models at the MWC venue. In a lot of ways, the devices are a logical upgrade over last year’s IDOL 3 series, although, the OneTouch moniker seems to be absent this time around, but more on that later.

The styling is quite similar and Alcatel has made sure to include its signature reversible design one again. This time, however, it has been taken one step beyond with three way reversibility – the phone can operate in both vertical orientations, horizontally and even when you turn it around the stereo sound orientation remains correct. And while we are on the topic of sound, both IDOL handsets promise a superb experience, thanks to the collaboration with JBL and Waves. This includes two powerful 3.6 watt speakers, Hi-Fi surround-sound for the headset, and optimization of audio presets both automatically and manually.

The new Alcatel premium line comes in two main varieties. The basic IDOL 4, measures 147 x 72.5 x 7.1 mm and is equipped with a 5.2″ FHD (1080 x 1920), IPS LTPS display.

Underneath the hood is one of Qualcomm’s new mid-range chips – the Snapdragon 617, along with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage (10GB user-accessible) with a microSD slot. The camera setup consists of a 13MP main shooter, with touch focus, auto HDR and the promise of ultrafast auto-focus (0.1-0.3 seconds). It is complemented by an 8MP front camera with a flash. Other features include Cat.6 LTE, as well as a dual-mic noise-canceling setup and dual 3.6W speakers.

The more premium Alcatel IDOL 4S ups the stakes even further with a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display inside its 153.9 x 75.4 x 6.99 mm body. The processor is also improved – the Snapdragon 652. Storage is bumped up from the core model to 32GB (25GB accessible) and so is the battery – 3000 mAh, instead of the 2610 mAh, inside the IDOL 4.

Another innovation to the series, which Alcatel made sure to stress upon is a new physical button, dubbed the BoomKey. It is mapped to do a whole bunch of interesting things across the Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, some admittedly more logical than others. “Boom my camera” for instance is a quick way to shoot photos from standby and “Boom my music” promises audio optimization, no matter what is playing (although it raises the question why would you want to have it off). “Boom my videos”, introduces “surprising effects in existing videos”, “Boom my game” releases Nitro in Asphalt games and “Boom my view” intensifies the 3D parallax effect in the launcher.

And while we are on the topic of 3D, a nice little addition to the IDOL 4 mix, comes courtesy of its retail box. It can be easily transformed into a Google Cardboard-style headset for an entry level VR experience.

Last, but not least, as part of this year’s announcement Alcatel OneTouch decided it is time to simplify the moniker and shorten in to Alcatel. The company still remains part of the TCL Communications family, so only the branding is changing, along with a new logo…

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Samsung is going to unveil the Galaxy S7 series in just a day in Barcelona, but the leaks have been giving us tiny bits of information over the past few months. We pretty much know almost everything there is to know about the new flagships, but we finally get conformation of the pricing.

We had reports the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge will go on pre-order on February 22, while the actual launch will happen on March 11 in many markets.

We even heard the phones will retail at €699 for the S7 and €799 for the S7 edge, plus there is a chance the first to pre-order those to receive a free Gear VR headset.

Now we can confirm all of those rumors. Leaked promotional materials plus tips that we personally received from employees at phone retailers across Europe reveal the exact prices of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge – €699 and €799. We also know for sure that all who pre-order the devices not only will get them three days sooner and will get a free GearVR.

Indeed, many official retailers will be throwing a free Gear VR headset for the first batch of pre-orders. The confirmed markets so far are Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The S7 flagships will go on pre-order this Monday – February 22 – and they both will ship on March 8. The actual in-store availability will begin three days later on March 11.

We already had lots of confirmation on the specs of the devices, thanks to various tips and leaked materials. The Galaxy S7 will come with a 5.1″ Super AMOLED Quad HD display and will run on either Snapdragon 820 or the new Exynos chip, both version featuring 4GB of RAM.

The main camera utilizes a new 12.1MP sensor, and the microSD slot is expected to make a return. Also returning will be the IP68 dust and water resistance.

The S7 and S7 edge are going official tomorrow, so we’ll know everything in a few hours. Stay tuned!

A big thank you to Max, Ciprian, and our other anonymous…

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