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The Alcatel One Touch Idol X comes running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box. There is currently no option to update to Android 4.3 or KitKat, and Alcatel has not revealed whether these upgrades will be available in the future.
Alcatel has tinkered slightly with the user interface from the original stock Android, but we found it to be an enjoyable tweak. The only slight annoyance is the removal of the app draw, but organized pages of apps can be just as good.
The large widget on the home page by default displays the time, date and weather in your local area, although you do have the option to add or change the widgets by tapping the options button on the home page.
There is also a 'widget wall' with the option to be disabled if the stack of information is too fussy. If the default widgets are not to your liking there are several different sized preinstalled options. Along with the preinstalled widgets, a lot of apps also add their availability as widgets, so you should'nt run out of options.
Also preinstalled on the Idol X is a rather unnecessary photo wall, the sole purpose of which is to constantly scroll through available photos on your phone. To be honest, we found it slightly pointless.
The Idol X loads apps quickly, and swiping between pages on the home screen is nice and smooth, plus you can group apps together into folders to avoid flicking though pages and pages of apps. As with nearly all Android devices, deep customisation is available, with almost everything from wallpapers to page transitions available to tweak in the settings menu.
The Idol X does not support themes, but the default icons are pleasing enough. The phone came with a few preinstalled apps from Google, including Gmail and YouTube to keep you connected and entertained.
Accessing the notifications area is as easy as swiping down from the top status bar, you will then be presented with a familiar screen of toggles for commonly used settings and notifications of recent activities.
We found that interacting with the interface is enjoyable and intuitive. There are times when the phone will freeze temporarily for up to 5 seconds when exiting apps, but that frustration aside we had a generally smooth experience.
Alcatel have played it relatively safe with the interface as there are not any amazing new must have features, but compared to other devices in a similar price range, you will find it hard to be disappointed.
