Along with Germany and other parts of continental Europe, Microsoft has opened pre-orders for the Alcatel IDOL 4 Pro in the UK, where it"s priced at £419.99 (around $550). The Windows 10 Mobile flagship was announced at Mobile World Congress in February - but despite being presented as a "new" device, it"s actually the same handset that went on sale in the US last year.
The IDOL 4S with Windows 10 launched on T-Mobile US in November, priced at $469, including a virtual reality headset. But after two deep price cuts, which reduced its cost to just $288, T-Mobile dropped the phone from its range in April. Alcatel"s parent company, TCL, continues to sell the unlocked handset for under $275 in the US.
With a new name, masquerading as a new phone, Alcatel has priced the IDOL 4 Pro considerably higher in Europe than in the US, even when you account for differences in how sales are taxed locally. Despite paying far more for the device, European buyers won"t get the VR goggles that are included with the Windows phone in the US.
Even so, the IDOL 4 Pro costs a lot less than Alcatel originally said it would - the company announced a price of €599 in February, but it"s already slashed the handset"s price by 20% before it"s even gone on sale. Those who pre-order the IDOL 4 Pro in the UK and other European markets can expect to receive the device by July 26.
The IDOL 4 Pro"s specs are identical to those of the IDOL 4S with Windows 10, including:
- 5.5-inch AMOLED display with Full HD (1920x1080px) resolution and Asahi Dragontrail Glass
- Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB storage (plus microSD card support up to 128GB)
- 21MP rear camera with Sony IMX230 sensor, HDR support, 4K video recording at 30fps, and dual-LED flash
- 8MP front-facing camera with wide angle lens, 1080p video at 30fps, and LED flash
- 4G LTE connectivity
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 4.1
- USB Type-C connector with Quick Charge support
- Windows 10 Mobile Continuum support
- Fingerprint sensor
- 3000mAh battery
- 6.9mm thick
If you"re thinking of buying the IDOL 4 Pro, make sure you read our review of the IDOL 4S with Windows 10 before you do so.
Source: Microsoft Store