When it comes to valuing the mobile market, there is a segment that remains year after year and is not unimportant. It’s the most basic on the market, people who simply want an affordable smartphone capable of making calls, with the Internet and a few social apps.
For them, the Alcatel Pixi 4 can be a good phone, although we put it under analysis before forming a deeper opinion thanks to the unit we have been loaned from PcComponents. This is a device with modest, limited, yet sufficient features?
The smartphone is for sale specialized stores such as PcComponentes at a very interesting price, especially if we are looking for a cheap mobile for sporadic use or – for example – to give it to a teenager.
The Spanish store also offers after-sales technical service and allows us to take out insurance for breakage and accidental damage, so we can breathe a little calmer in case of unforeseen events.
Throughout this review of the Alcatel Pixi 4 (5) we will see what specifications it has, how powerful it is and, ultimately, whether it is worth buying or ordering.
Classic and solid look
The design of this phone rings us. Today practically everyone looks a lot alike, except for those who choose to add a touch of color. This is the case of Alcatel, which sells this smartphone in different colors, although these are only reflected in the back cover.
This one is completely plastic and removable. Both features are falling into disuse as unibody takes hold. However, it’s still interesting to be able to switch drums on the fly, allowing you to take a spare everywhere so you can go.
The finishes of Alcatel Pixi 4 deserve good reviews, although they are a bit classic. It all depends on the tastes of the end user, but both the back cover and the rounded edges make it very comfortable to carry in the pocket and hand. In addition the assembly is solid, with the volume buttons and ignited firmly welded to the body, something that unfortunately is not as common as we would like.
It does not have physical Home, Menu or Backspace buttons. They are tactile and are located under the screen, although they do not backlit, something especially annoying if you operate your smartphone in a dark place. They are also not customizable or interchangeable, which can be done in buttons that are integrated into the screen.
It weighs relatively little and places the 3.5mm headphone jack in the upper left area., while the notification light – quite bright, by the way, although it does not change color – is on the screen, as is normal. Its full dimensions are 151 x 72.5 x 9.5 mm with a weight of 169g.
The overall impression conveying the detailed review of the Pixi 4 (5) design is robust. Whether it’s pretty or ugly depends on everyone, although what’s clear is that it’s a comfortable, versatile and classic device. It also comes with a gift, because the box includes headphones, a custom that is less and less common.
Screen with some visibility issues
In the most basic segment of the market HD 720p screens abound, although in the case at hand it does not even reach that figure. One of the negative points we have found throughout the analysis is the screen, only 844×480 resolution and 5 inches in size.
Even on such a basic mobile, we are talking about a very low resolution. Pixels are visible, although if you’re not a demanding user you won’t mind. Others may argue that the screen doesn’t look good. 196 dots per inch are really few.
The reality is that the colors are good, very vivid and that the brightness is enough, although not extraordinary. The low resolution is a salvageable obstacle considering the type of target audience of this device, which can detect a problem not of little important: the visility from different angles is very limited. If you try to see the screen from one side, you won’t get it. You have to do it by standing right in front of her.
The IPS LCD panel has no protection, neither Corning Gorilla Glass nor other. This can make it easier to scratch or directly fracture the glass if you hit it. Very careful especially if you are careless and put it in the same pocket as the keys.
Pre-installed applications, an unnecessary problem
In the section of the software, it’s all lights and shadows. On the one hand this smartphone equips Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It’s not Nougat, but it’s more than others offer similar price.
Its power limitations are noticeable when updating apps through Google Play or running multiple processes at once. This mobile takes time to respond even in the least demanding situations in theory, so if you force it too much, you will directly appear software errors and extreme slowdowns.
An example is the attempt to open an app when you have others running. For this analysis of the Alcatel Pixi 4 we have timed how long it takes to open WhatsApp using multitasking. About five seconds, a fact that can despair of anyone, no matter how unreliable.
Slowness can become exasperating, but considering it’s an inexpensive phone, you can also make heart guts with it. What can get angry and a lot is the number of pre-installed apps – known as bloatware – that this smartphone includes. Was it really necessary to pre-install the Spiderman or Puzzle Pet game? Not at all.
And it’s not just games like this. Also included is AVG antivirus, Clean Master and older versions of social applications that you’ll need to update as soon as you set up your phone. Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp come as standard, but being old is as if they are not. The only thing you get with it is that the phone runs slow from the beginning.
As if that weren’t enough, some of these apps can’t be uninstalled. This is the case of Facebook, one of the most memory and battery-intensive apps. You can’t switch to its Lite version because the uninstallation of FB is blocked by The Alcatel software, which is really annoying. It eats input more than 100 MB of internal memory, easily 5% of the total skilled.
For the most inexperienced, in addition to slowness, these apps are especially annoying. Many times they don’t know how to uninstall them and leave them there taking up memory. When the message that communicates the lack of storage space arrives, a regular scene occurs on mobiles that have only 8 GB of capacity.
Apart from the performance of your software and bloatware, it must be said that the aesthetics of the customization layer is quite pleasant, with colorful material design icons. Comes with app drawer and Android 6.0 Marshmallow menus.
MicroSD, essential
The processor, RAM and other internal features of the Alcatel Pixi 4 can lead to confusion. Let’s be clear in this analysis: the model we have in hand is the 5th, model 5044D, the one that comes with Mediatek MTK6735M processor at 1 GHz and with 1GB of RAM. If some websites – including some operators – say something different, it is not correct.
The internal storage, as we mentioned earlier in this test, is only 8 GB of storage expandable up to 32 GB with MicroSD card. Today, however limited the use you are going to give a mobile, 8 GB are very few.