Alcatel Pop 4 review – the $119 smartphone that offers real bang for your buck

Just how good could a $119 smartphone be? The answer is surprisingly good when you’re talking about the new Alcatel Pop 4 – a device that offers plenty of features and incredible value.

The Pop 4 – available from Optus now – has a 5-inch high definition screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720 along with a 1.1Ghz quad core processor and the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system.

Design-wise, the Pop 4 is thin (7.99mm) and light (134G) with a gently curved textured rear panel that rests nicely in your hand.

Don’t forget, this is a $119 smartphone and it has a style you’d expect to find on a phone that costs more than five times as much.

The Pop 4 is a perfect demonstration of Alcatel’s ability to create an impressive and affordable device.

Anyone looking to buy their first smartphone, regardless of whether you’re a teenager or a pensioner and anyone in between, the Pop 4 is an ideal candidate.

Yes, you can spend 10 times as much and get a larger, sharper screen and a better camera and fingerprint reader.

But what about if you don’t have a lazy $1000 to drop on a new device. Or $500. Or even $200.

Well, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the Alcatel Pop 4.

The operating system is clean and uncluttered so navigating the apps and the home screens is a breeze.

Alcatel has pretty much left Android 6.0 alone and hasn’t added any bloatware so you can get to the apps you want and easily access your own content.

The onboard 8-megapixel camera produces impressive images and the 5-megapixel front camera has got you covered if you want to capture some selfies. There’s even a flash for the front camera as well – a feature missing on phones that cost far more than the Pop 4.

Users can also customise the device with different themes, wallpapers and their favourite images.

Also onboard the Pop 4 is the Colour Catcher app which allows you to snap any colour, texture or surface and then transform that photograph into a wallpaper or theme.

The device runs on the fast Optus 4G network and is powered by the 2500mAh battery that will easily get you through the day and well into the night.

You can get the battery up to 50 per cent charge after just 30 minutes of charging time but a complete charge takes about four hours.

The rear panel of the Pop 4 is removable and gives users access to the battery, microSIM card slot and the microSD card slot as well.

There’s already 8GB of internal memory and that microSD card slot makes it possible to extend that even further.

Now there are some features you’re not going to find on the Pop 4 like a fingerprint reader, better speakers and a higher resolution camera but it’s still punching far above it’s $119 price tag.

VERDICT

The Alcatel Pop 4’s design, features and performance are better than anything you’d expect from a smartphone that costs just $119.

It can certainly hold its own against far more expensive devices making it one of the best value smartphones money can buy.

Alcatel Pop 4

Price: $119 from Optus