Alcatel Onetouch Fierece XL(Windows) Review: Definitely not in Kansas anymore...
Breathe...Just breathe....
For a Lumia ****** such as myself, I never really considered using anything other than Lumia Windows Phones(Or whatever Microsoft will call future ones). I've really never been let down by any lumia i've owned...from my first with the Lumia 810, 920, 928, 1020, 1520, 830 briefly, Icon, and some 640(both Xl and non) over the last 4 years. They are simply what I expect out of a Windows Product.
That being said...my poor 640 XL is barely hanging on. Shattered Glass which works fine for the most part but there is a crack in the front camera (and for a vain guy like myself, it wont do lol) and i wanted something new but unsure if I wanted a 950 or wait for 2016 flagships.
Enter Alcatel Onetouch Fierece Xl. People say it is OEM that will help better WP adoption rate (I call BS on that) and that we should support OEMs by buying their product (Again calling BS). But unfortunately Tmobile's WP selection is...well, pathetic, and this was the best of the not so best.
A. Build Quality
I strongly recommend you buy a case. Not because it feels fragile (it actually feels relatively sturdy. But because even if it does not feel fragile, it feels cheap.Keep in mind Microsoft is selling phones like the Lumia 640, 640 XL, and the 735 here in the US. Even compared to phones like Tmobile's 435, 530 and 635 which arguably even more low end than the Onetouch feels a bit more premium.
This isn't glossy plastic and yet this phone's back picks up fingerprints like no other. I expect that from glossy backs but this phone just screams CHEAP. Compared to other phones in its price range, its unfortunate because the design is actually nice.
I can excuse the cheap feel of the back/overall hardware to a degree....What I can't excuse is this screen. I get it...this is not a flagship Lumia. This isn't a Galaxy with the curved display or a Sony. Or even an iPhone. It's a $140 smartphone.
But for this to be marketed as glass, it feels like cheap plastic I'd find in the old school smartphones of the early 2000s. It attracts finger prints and dust so easily. I find myself having to wipe my screen every few minutes because it just looks horrible with the finger prints. It feels cheap when touching it. $60 Lumia 640(and even the 635) screen may not be the highest res and yet both feel more quality. Mozo needs to reach out to Alcatel and offer some repalcement backs for this phone.
I was a bit let down by the overall build quality but i do like the phone's design and hey it comes in blue so the hardware is not exactly a complete failure. Just mostly.
B. Performance (4 out of 5)
While the hardware disappoints the crap out of me, what really does actually impress me is the overall performance. No this is no Lumia 950...nor is it remotely close to my Lumia Icon/1520 running WIndows 10.
Yes, the processor is a Snapdragon 210 which is on the low end side and yet it doesnt really feel that slow. It's just not as fast. Even with WIndows 10 quirks/bugs (more on this later), the phone doesn't really annoy me using it overall. What I think offsets the lower end processor is probably the 2 GB of Ram in the phone.
So many people bemoan and whine about a Snapdragon 210 and yet they haven't even used Windows devices with these processors. This is not android where you HAVE to have the highest of high specs, top of the line processors and what not or the phone sucks. Sure Microsoft probably should and could be using the same processors found in comparable Android models of the same price. But......that's the perks of having a good OS, that doesn't require such specs to offset the OS weakness(See IOS and Windows Phone).
C. Battery Life( 3 out of 5)
Honestly, it's been a week since I had the phone and I cant really say the battery life is bad or good. It's...capable. It gets me mostly through the day. Compared to say my Lumia 640 XL, with its larger battery, I do find myself actually HAVING to charge it daily. But then again I am a heavy user.
I text a lot, I use the integrated Skype messaging, Groove Music, Phone calls, Skype Calls, Readit, Various apps with push notifications, location always on, and taking selfies (I am vain after all) in whatever place i can find good lighting. It does alright and i dont find the onetouch dyring/near dying until at least 16 hours later. This is with full brightness by the way.
However one thing that annoys the crap out of me is what happens when the battery dies....
Why? Just why?
When my lumias die, usually when you stick it on the charger, it almost always comes back on. When the Onetouch dies, it doesnt come back on instantly. Some will say that is cool because they hate that WP dont stay off while charging. I get that. But the Alcatel WILL come back on....it just takes literally 20-23 minutes before it will come on.
You cant press the power button (It'll display the dead battery icon) and you cant do anything. This means if the phone dies will you are in the middle of the phone call, you cant turn the phone back on until 20 minutes later.
This would be less annoying for me if in that 20 minutes it is off it actually charges a lot. It doesn't. After 20 or so minutes till it finally decides to come on, the phone has only charged 5 percent.
Okay then and I do my best to never this phone die. My roommate was like "Dude, we're going to be home in 5 minutes." when i tried to get his car charger. Uh no, I am not waiting 20 minutes for my phone to come back on. I saw that 4 percent remaining and was like "Dude give me the charger or else."
D. Windows 10 on the Onetouch Fierce XL( 4.5 out of 5)
People will tell you that WIndows 10 is not a usable or stable OS. I call BS on that (I've called BS on a lot). For the first part, the majority of the people who are saying this are people using the insider previews on their products that aren't optimized yet to use it.
I have been using Windows 10 on my Lumia 640 (Tmobile)...it lacked Wifi calling. Why? Because it wasn't optimized with all the firmware crap it needs. Same with my Lumia 640 XL and my Icon and my 1520. Of course even though it wasn't optimized, i still used it because it was mostly usable and since the later builds (around August 2015), it felt mostly production ready. No worse than past Android phones i used. After all, if Google got away with selling Android Phones with anything from 1.5 to 5.0, Windows 10 mobile is nowhere as annoying or bad.
That isn't to say Windows 10 mobile is perfect. It isn't. There are some weird quirks, some bugs, and for someone used to Windows Phone 8.1, lack of features or changed features that definitely frustrate you. It's a work in progress in many areas.
And yet on the Onetouch XL, it feels great. In comparison to my Lumia 640 XL running an insider preview, it feels different. It feels far more stable and it feels great to use. Yes, I do get apps crashing from time to time. Yes, there is that pesky loading screen that pops up. But, it isn't bad at all.
The downside to using the Onetouch Fierce is the literal lack of anything Lumia. No Lumia apps, like Creative Studio and other apps I liked using. Though Microsoft has been rather meh towards Lumia apps. That is understandable. It is not a Lumia phone.
But there is nothing overly special about this phone. No OEM apps. Nothing unique. It literally feels just like a generic phone with nothing compelling. Nothing on the hardware, Nothing on the software. It's just...a Windows Phone. Compared to its closest competitor, Lumia 550 or even the Lumia 650, if i had to choose between the 3, i'd probably go with the Lumia 650 simply because Alcatel just released an Android phone with Windows Phone.
No effort. So why should I care? What about your low end hardware would entice me to buy your high end hardware when I can get a High end lumia that does offer more?
E. Camera Part 1
Again, this is a $140 phone and for the most part, it isn't a bad phone....until you get to this phone's camera. Everything else i can sort of tolerate. Especially since its performance makes up for other shortcomings such as the build quality.
But my goodness. This camera......I've seen better pictures come from a flip phone. When you are used to a Lumia camera, you have a certain expectation.
I didn't expect it to be a Lumia. I at least expect it to be something I want to use on social media. The pictures below are taken with my Fierce XL and were the best ones I could come up with. On their own, it isnt bad....but its when you compare them to another phone you see its shortcomings.
Taken with the Fierce XL (the phone in the pics is my Old Lumia 640 XL in Convict Orange)
G. Camera Part 2(Compared to Lumia 640 XL)
Some will say that this isnt the fairest of comparisons. I should be using a Lumia 550 or 650, to which I argue...I dont have one. Yes, the 640 XL has a higher res camera and Zeiss Optics. But you can also buy a Lumia 640 XL online for arguably just a few dollars more. (Spoiler Alert: Last year's Lumia 640 is not that far off from its XL brother tbh)
You can get an unlocked Lumia 830 for around the same price as the Fierce Xl. This is not meant to be a 100 percent straight comparison, so much as to show in comparison to another phone how poor the camera is on the Fierce Xl.
The pictures on the Left are all taken with the Fierce XL, the Pictures on the right are all taking with the 640 XL. Unlike the pictures above in Part F where I had to spend time trying to get the best shot, these pics here below in Part G are literally point and shoot pics. I didnt go through the trouble of trying to get the best shot. It was whatever I shot.
This was a bright, Sunny day.. The Fierce XL makes it look like it was morning time. It was 3 in the afternoon. Just saying.
Setting: I went home to visit family/Friends in the middle of backwoods, Nowhere.
Overall the Camera is a 1....The pictures were often duller(While the 640 XL tends to be slightly more saturated, it is more natural to the actual scene in real life) and significantly cloudy and not sharp in the least.
H. In Conclusion:
I respect and applaud Alcatel for releasing a Windows 10 handset. I went from wanting my Lumia back to actually growing to like this little guy. I still carry my Lumia around for photos, like for tonight when going out downtown. But i am using the Fierce XL as my daily driver and i am not unhappy. I am just not happy.
I'm content.
It's not a bad windows 10 device....if you dont compare it to past Lumias or even the new 550 and 650 models. It's not a bad phone hardware wise...provided you get a case. It's not a bad camera...for someone who has never used a Lumia camera and knows the power behind it.
It's not a bad phone. But in the same way it isnt bad, it is not a great phone for its price range. The standard has been set by other low ends. This is not a phone that likely will be remembered.
Does it run Windows 10 well with its specs? Yes it does...but then again, so do its competitors from last gen and this gen.
In the windows 10 ecosystem, OEMs need to bring something unique to the table. In order to capture the attention of diehard WIndows fan who are attached to the lumia releasing android rehashed phones is not ideal. This phone has existed months before...it feels like a hand me down.
For a first start, it's weak. It's safe. It's boring. But it is a Windows Phone. And for that, I am glad to contribute one of the likely 10 sales it will get and I look forward to what Alcatel does next. But please bring me a Lumia to T-mobile. Preferably a 950 but i'd settle for a 650.
I'm just saying.
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