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Home / News / Don’t bin the box – Alcatel’s phone packaging turns into Google Cardboard

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.

Profile image of Tom Morgan-Freelander Tom Morgan-Freelander Deputy Editor

About

A tech addict from about the age of three (seriously, he's got the VHS tapes to prove it), Tom's been writing about gadgets, games and everything in between for the past decade, with a slight diversion into the world of automotive in between. As Deputy Editor, Tom keeps the website ticking along, jam-packed with the hottest gadget news and reviews.  When he's not on the road attending launch events, you can usually find him scouring the web for the latest news, to feed Stuff readers' insatiable appetite for tech.

Areas of expertise

Smartphones/tablets/computing, cameras, home cinema, automotive, virtual reality, gaming