Alcatel announces the Idol 2 mid-range smartphones series

Alcatel is launching quite the number of smartphones this week, starting with the new Idol 2 smartphone. The Alcatel Idol 2 is a 5-inch smartphone, but it is also joined by its 4.5-inch brother, the Idol 2 Mini. Each of the new smartphones will arrive with 3G support, but will be joined by an "S"-branded LTE version.

The Idol 2 Mini is just 8.5mm thick, and will arrive to the market first, most likely in the first week of next month. Both smartphones will feature qHD displays, a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz, Android 4.3 which is upgradeable to 4.4, NFC, an 8-megapixel rear-camera, backed up by a 2-megapixel front shooter.

The 3G-capable Idol 2 Mini will start at 169 euros (or $232) while the 4G version will be priced at 209 euros (or $287). The 3G model will arrive with a plastic build, while the 4G version arrives with a metal back and plastic at the top and bottom. There will be four colors on offer, too.

Moving onto the Idol 2, which should arrive later on in the year (April to May) at the cost of 199 euros ($274) or 249 euros ($342) for the 4G-capable edition. The Idol 2 features some better internals, and is thinner than its smaller brother at 7.3mm thick. We have improved HD audio, a 720p IPS display, Cat 4 LTE, the same quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz, the same 8-megapixel rear snapper backed up by a slightly less capable 1.3-megapixel front-facer.