 If you're buying a new smartphone, chances are you're looking for some specific features. A great display, fast performance, reliable camera, and easy to use software are all likely on your shortlist. If you want all of those, you usually have to spend many hundreds of dollars to get them. But what if you didn't have to? That's the promise of Alcatel's One Touch IDLE 3. It's a $250 unlocked phone with a bright, high-res display, slim design, LTE, and Android 5.0 Lollipop. And you know what? The IDLE 3 mostly delivers on that promise. The IDLE 3's screen is the star of the show. It's easily the best display on any phone under $500 that I've seen. It's a 5.5-inch 1080p laminated IPS panel that just pops. Great viewing angles, bright colors, outdoor visibility. If there's something you want out of a phone's screen, the IDLE 3's display has it. But the screen isn't the only thing to like about the IDLE 3. It also has really loud front-facing stereo speakers, slim, attractive design, an all-day battery, and support for LTE on both AT&T and T-Mobile. It also has a 13-megapixel camera that would embarrass a number of much more expensive phones. The IDLE 3 is plastic, but it's not glossy and it doesn't feel as cheap as the price tag might lead you to think. The design is pretty generic, but it's not offensive and certainly not as bad as other inexpensive phones. For software, the IDLE 3 runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with very little customization. It's pretty much just limited to a few custom app icons and a tweaked lock screen. There are a handful of preloaded apps, but nothing near the levels of bloatware the average carrier puts on their phones. It really feels like I'm using stock Android when I use the IDLE 3, which is a good thing. So what don't you get with the IDLE 3 compared to a much more expensive phone? Well, conveniences like wireless charging and quick charging aren't here. And while the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor is fast enough for most things, an HTC M9 or Samsung Galaxy S6 will leave the IDLE 3 in the dust when it comes to raw performance. I didn't have an issue with the IDLE 3's performance most of the time, but the occasional stutter or lag when opening apps reminded me that I wasn't using a top-tier flagship. But overall, those problems are pretty minor. The IDLE 3 is the most impressive, inexpensive phone I've ever used. It hits all of the right marks. Great display, solid battery life, and a good software experience. If you thought you had to spend nearly $1,000 to get that in a smartphone, the IDLE 3 might make you want to think again.
 If you're buying a new smartphone, chances are you're looking for some specific features.
 A great display, fast performance, reliable camera, and easy to use software are all likely
 on your shortlist.
 If you want all of those, you usually have to spend many hundreds of dollars to get them.
 But what if you didn't have to?
 That's the promise of Alcatel's One Touch IDLE 3.
 It's a $250 unlocked phone with a bright, high-res display, slim design, LTE, and Android
 5.0 Lollipop.
 And you know what?
 The IDLE 3 mostly delivers on that promise.
 The IDLE 3's screen is the star of the show.
 It's easily the best display on any phone under $500 that I've seen.
 It's a 5.5-inch 1080p laminated IPS panel that just pops.
 Great viewing angles, bright colors, outdoor visibility.
 If there's something you want out of a phone's screen, the IDLE 3's display has it.
 But the screen isn't the only thing to like about the IDLE 3.
 It also has really loud front-facing stereo speakers, slim, attractive design, an all-day
 battery, and support for LTE on both AT&T and T-Mobile.
 It also has a 13-megapixel camera that would embarrass a number of much more expensive
 phones.
 The IDLE 3 is plastic, but it's not glossy and it doesn't feel as cheap as the price
 tag might lead you to think.
 The design is pretty generic, but it's not offensive and certainly not as bad as other
 inexpensive phones.
 For software, the IDLE 3 runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with very little customization.
 It's pretty much just limited to a few custom app icons and a tweaked lock screen.
 There are a handful of preloaded apps, but nothing near the levels of bloatware the average
 carrier puts on their phones.
 It really feels like I'm using stock Android when I use the IDLE 3, which is a good thing.
 So what don't you get with the IDLE 3 compared to a much more expensive phone?
 Well, conveniences like wireless charging and quick charging aren't here.
 And while the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor is fast enough for most things,
 an HTC M9 or Samsung Galaxy S6 will leave the IDLE 3 in the dust when it comes to raw
 performance.
 I didn't have an issue with the IDLE 3's performance most of the time, but the occasional
 stutter or lag when opening apps reminded me that I wasn't using a top-tier flagship.
 But overall, those problems are pretty minor.
 The IDLE 3 is the most impressive, inexpensive phone I've ever used.
 It hits all of the right marks.
 Great display, solid battery life, and a good software experience.
 If you thought you had to spend nearly $1,000 to get that in a smartphone, the IDLE 3 might
 make you want to think again.