The Verge considered the Idol 4S to be an attempt by Alcatel to progress towards a higher-end market, replacing the plastic used on previous Idol models with higher-quality materials and a "well-constructed" chassis. The quad HD display was praised for being better than that of the
Nexus 6P, although not as "blindingly bright" in direct sunlight as
Samsung displays. The speaker system was also considered "powerful", stating that it "[put the]
Galaxy S7 Edge to shame and did justice to the
new Justice single." The Boom Key's features were panned as being "not particularly useful" and "certainly not important enough" to require a dedicated key. The performance of the Idol 4S was considered good, explaining that "it may not be as impressive on the spec sheet, but in the real world, I've been struggling to find a difference in performance between the 4S and phones with the more powerful [Qualcomm Snapdragon 820]." The camera was panned for not featuring optical image stabilization, and having a lower quality in comparison to its competitors. In conclusion,
The Verge felt that the Idol 4S "didn't disappoint", but did not have enough distinctive functionality to make it stand out against major competitors at its price point.
VentureBeat considered the VR headset box to be a "clever value-add" that could be "a good way to move virtual reality downmarket from its lofty
Oculus heights".
The Verge considered the headset to be comfortable, but limited in comparison to the
Samsung Gear VR because of its low level of functionality, lack of lens adjustment, and lack of content partnerships (as with Oculus and the Gear VR) beyond
Google Cardboard-compatible content. == Windows 10 version ==