Phone + Watch Review & Giveaway: #LiveUnlocked

Giveaway now closed, see THE WINNER below...

I was one of the CRAZY people who stood in line for hours when the iPhone first came out. Remember that? Well, these days smart phones are everywhere, but not all of them are worth the investment.

To be honest, I usually don't write about technology but when Alcatel asked me to try out their new Idol 3 phone + wrist watch combo.... I was curious how it would compare to my iPhone. On that note, one LUCKY reader will also get to try & KEEP this phone + watch combo. - Cool right??
Details at the bottom.

I've had an iPhone since they first came out and yes, I love them. The Idol 3 by Alcatel is fairly new and it has lots of features. The phone comes unlocked for just $249 so it's much cheaper than an iPhone and can run on a lot of carriers.

The Alcatel phone is BIG compared to my iPhone 5c, which is the right size for my hands (it's why I never upgraded). The power and volume buttons are in bad positions but the phone feels nice in your hand. It's thin and doesn't weigh too much either.

BEST feature - the phone can be used in either direction. There's a mic & speaker on both ends and the screen flips over correctly no matter how you hold it. The screen is amazingly bright & CRISP and you can still see it in bright daylight!

photo taken with Idol 3

For me, the camera on phones is super important & the Idol has a really good one! There's a 13MP on the back and an 8MP on the front (iPhone 5 has 8MP back & 1.2MP front). The resolution is great! The color is a little bluish (nothing a good Instagram filter wouldn’t fix). The only real complaint about the camera is that it doesn’t shoot very well when it starts to get dark.

The watch is nice - simple & easy to control. There's only 16 basic functions so it's not like the Apple Watch. My husband tried it out for a few days and said it's really convenient for controlling music and getting notifications when he's on the subway or in meetings. The watch works with any Android or iPhone & is also super crisp.

So if you’re looking for a solid Android phone that doesn't cost a ton $$$$ , this is the one. It’s not an iPhone but the Idol 3 definitely has features I wish were on mine. Mat says it performs way better than the ZTE Overture 2 he uses – faster, better resolution, more memory.

Now, the GIVEAWAY:

THE PRIZE:

One (unlocked) Alcatel Idol 3 high resolution + 1 Alcatel One Touch watch combo - total worth $400.

WHY UNLOCKED:

That means you can use the phone with MOST major phone carriers.

HOW TO ENTER:

It's EASY. Leave a comment here with your email & a brief comment telling me why an unlocked phone wold be ideal for you!! #LiveUnlocked

GIVEAWAY ENDS ON:

Monday, July 13 at 1pm EST so be sure to leave your comment before then. Winner will be drawn at random & posted here at the bottom of this post.