Don’t bin the box – Alcatel’s phone packaging turns into Google Cardboard
Idol 4S looks set to ship with secret virtual reality pack-in
The more we hear about Alcatel’s Idol 4S, the better it sounds – and now it looks like it’ll be ready for VR too, thanks to some clever packaging.
According to @EVleaks himself, Evan Blass, over at Venturebeat, the Idol 4S will ship in a hard plastic case that unpacks into a Google Cardboard-compatible VR viewer.
It would certainly be a step up from Google’s cardboard original, but still a hell of a lot cheaper than a Samsung Gear VR and a Galaxy S6 to go with it.
The VR-friendly box might make an appearance for the cheaper Idol 4 phone too; it has the same “Your World Augmented” tagline as the 4S on Alcatel’s website.
The phone itself will be one to watch at MWC, with some seriously top spec features.
Expect a 5.5in Quad HD AMOLED screen, and an octa-core Snapdragon processor with 3GB of RAM to keep Android 6 Marshmallow ticking over smoothly.
Throw in a 16MP camera, microSD card storage and a 3000mAh battery that should easily last all day, and you’ve got a tasty looking phone.
With prices expected to be around $400, it could even go head-to-head with bigger name rivals.
It looks good on paper, but for a company usually associated with budget and mid-range phones, we’ll have to wait for MWC to see if Alcatel can deliver high-end as well.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
