Alcatel Idol 4S With VR Headset Bundle Preorders Start July 15

The Alcatel Idol 4S smartphone, first unveiled back during Mobile World Congress, will go up for preorder on July 15. The preorder won't just be for the phone, however: buyers will get the phone bundled with a VR headset for $349.99 USD, making it a relatively cheap way to get a nice phone with a better-than-Cardboard way to view 360 and VR content. Sales will officially start in early August for the higher price of $399.99 USD.

The Alcatel Idol 4S phone features a Snapdragon 652 processor, 5.5-inch QHD 1440 x 2560 AMOLED display, and a 16-megapixel rear camera with an f/2.0 aperture and Sony sensor. Alcatel says the display can be seen in direct sunlight, with the high resolution being necessary for VR content to look decent. The phone also boasts a pair of 3.6-watt JBL speakers with Waves Audio technology.

The camera, meanwhile, can record 4k-resolution videos, and includes modes like HDR, slow-motion captures, panoramas, "micro-video," and manual controls. There's also 0.6-second instant shots and 0.1-second phase detection auto focus.

Other features include 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, as well as a microSD card slot with support for capacities up to 200GB. The phone comes with Android 6.0.1 and will be upgraded to Android N via an update. Finally, the phone has a 3000mAh battery offering up to 13 hours of talk time and 40 hours of music playback. The phone supports quick charging, and can reach 100% in 90 minutes.

This bundle includes the Alcatel VR Goggles, a deluxe head strap, quick charging adapter and charging cable, JBL earbuds, and 2.5D tempered glass screen protector.