alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power First Impressions, Review and Full Specs

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power arrived in the autumn of 2016 as a budget phone with one clear idea: a huge battery in a big, friendly body. Announced in September 2016 and released in October 2016, it paired a 5.5 inch IPS LCD screen with a 5000mAh battery, a combination that was rare at its price at the time. This alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power First Impressions, Review and Full Specs looks at the phone as it was at launch, using its verified specifications, and explains who it suited and where its limits were.

This alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power review with full specifications 2016 starts from a simple question: what do you get when a maker spends the budget on battery and screen size instead of speed? The answer is a phone built for long days away from a charger, for video, and for sharing power with other devices. It is not a flagship, and it was never meant to be one. It is a practical handset from its own year, and the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power 2016 launch sat firmly in the budget class. This alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power overview treats it that way, judging it against the budget phones of its own year rather than against the phones of today.

The name needs care. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power vs alcatel Pixi 4 comparison differences explained in this article start with size and battery: the regular Pixi 4 (5) has a 5 inch screen and a far smaller battery, while the Plus Power steps up to a 5.5 inch display and a 5000mAh cell. That step changes the whole character of the phone, from a small everyday handset to a large two-day device. Readers who want a sense of how alcatel priced its budget range in the same period can also read The Complete alcatel A3 Review: Specs, Performance and Verdict, which covers a smaller alcatel phone from the same era.

First Impressions and Design

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power design and build quality first impressions are dominated by its size. At 202g and 9.9mm thick, it is a large, solid phone, and it feels that way the moment you pick it up. The plastic body keeps the weight manageable for a phone with a battery this large, and the curved back helps it sit in the hand better than the flat numbers suggest. This is not a phone that tries to look slim. It looks honest about what it is: a big battery with a screen attached. These alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power first impressions hold up after longer use, because the size that surprises you on day one is the same size that carries you through day two without a charger.

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power weight of 202g is heavy by the standards of small phones, but it is the price of the battery, and most owners accepted the trade. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power thickness of 9.9mm is easy to feel in the hand, yet the rounded edges stop it from feeling like a brick. There is no metal frame and no glass back here, just plain plastic that can take a knock and keep working, which suits a phone meant for long days out.

A Big Phone Built Around Its Battery

Everything about the shape follows the battery. The 5000mAh cell is sealed inside, so there is no removable back and no swapping in a spare. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power non removable battery replacement and repair options were therefore limited to a service visit rather than a quick change at home, which was normal for sealed phones of the period. The benefit is a stiffer body with fewer creaks, and a phone that feels like one solid piece.

Colours and Finish

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power colours Black White Blue Orange Green choices gave buyers more personality than most budget phones of 2016. Black and White were the safe picks, while Blue, Orange and Green made the phone easy to spot in a bag. The finish is plain matte plastic, which grips better than gloss and hides small marks well.

Size and Weight in Daily Use

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power weight 202g and thickness 9.9mm in hand mean one-handed use is a stretch for most people, and the phone is best used with two hands for typing. It fits a jacket pocket or a bag easily enough, but it is not a phone that disappears into a jeans pocket. For buyers who used it mainly at home, on a desk, or on long trips, the size was a fair trade for the battery inside.

What the Design Tells You About the Price

There is no fingerprint sensor here, and the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power fingerprint sensor absence and security options were limited to a PIN, a pattern, or a password, which was common at this price in 2016. The bezels are wide, the screen sits in a plain frame, and nothing about the outside promises speed. What the design does promise is endurance, and that promise is the reason the phone is still remembered. For the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power phone as a whole, the design is the clearest statement of its priorities.

Display

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power display quality with 5.5 inch IPS screen is good for the class it sits in. The panel is an IPS LCD with a 720 x 1280 HD resolution, and the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power 5.5 inch panel gives about 267 pixels per inch. Text is readable, colours are natural rather than vivid, and viewing angles are wide enough that two people can watch a video together without the picture washing out. The 5.5 inch IPS screen is the phone’s second-best feature after the battery, and it is the part of the phone you look at most, so its size matters more than its resolution on paper.

A 5.5-Inch HD IPS Panel

IPS technology is the right choice here. It keeps colours steady when the phone is tilted, and it makes the big screen usable for reading and maps as well as video. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power screen resolution 720p video playback quality is solid for video and for shows watched on the phone itself: the picture is sharp enough at normal viewing distance, even if it cannot match a 1080p panel held close to the face. Brightness is adequate outdoors in shade, though direct sunlight is a challenge, as it was for most budget phones of the year. Buyers who liked big screens but wanted a different alcatel shape could compare it with the alcatel A3 XL Specs and Review: A Detailed Look at Display, another large-screen alcatel from the same period.

Video and Reading on a 720p Screen

A 5.5 inch screen changes how a phone is used. Web pages show more text, messages are easier to type, and video fills more of your view. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power display is large enough that the phone works well as a small media player on a train or in a hotel room, and the battery means a film does not end the day early. Reading is comfortable too: the larger text and the steady IPS colours make long articles and e-books easy on the eyes, and maps show a wider area at once, which helps when walking in a new place. The screen is the second half of the phone’s main idea, and it pairs naturally with the cell behind it.

Performance and Software

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power performance with MediaTek MT6580 chipset is modest, and it is best judged by 2016 budget standards. The MT6580 is a quad-core chip with four Cortex-A7 cores running at 1.3 GHz, paired with Mali-400MP2 graphics. Some older notes wrongly name the MT6735 for this phone, but the verified chipset is the MT6580, and that matters because it also explains why this is a 3G-only phone with no LTE. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power MediaTek chip is an entry-level part, built for low cost and low power use rather than for speed.

MediaTek MT6580 and 1GB of RAM

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power RAM management with 1GB memory limit is the main thing that shapes daily speed. With 1GB of RAM, the phone handles calls, messages, browsing with a few tabs, and light apps well, but it slows down when many apps are kept open at once. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power quad core processor performance test results from the period place it in the entry-level group: fine for everyday tasks, not built for heavy games or for editing large files. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power gaming performance on Mali 400MP2 graphics is limited to casual games at modest settings; demanding 3D titles of the era ran, but with low detail and uneven frame rates. A reader comparing budget chips of the era can also look at the alcatel Fierce 4: A Full Review With Detailed Specifications for another take on affordable performance from the same year.

For everyday use, the limits are easy to live with if you keep expectations in line. Messaging, email, maps, music, and a browser with one or two tabs open all run well. The phone starts to struggle only when you ask it to do several heavy things at once, or when an app has grown far beyond what 1GB of RAM can hold. Closing apps you are not using and keeping the home screen simple are the two habits that keep this phone feeling quick, and they cost nothing.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow on a Budget Phone

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power Android 6 Marshmallow software features include the basics of Android 6.0: Google Now on Tap, granular app permissions, and Doze, which helps the big battery last longer by quieting apps when the phone is idle. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power Marshmallow software is close to plain Android with light alcatel touches, which keeps it simple to learn. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power Android experience is therefore plain and practical, with no heavy skin to slow the modest hardware down. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power software updates after Android Marshmallow release were limited, and buyers should treat Android 6.0 as the phone’s software, not as a stepping stone to a newer version.

Cameras

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power camera quality with 13MP rear camera is the phone’s second surprise after the battery. A 13MP rear camera with an LED flash was a strong paper specification for a budget phone in 2016, and in good daylight it takes pleasant, detailed photos for sharing and for social media. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power LED flash on front and rear cameras explained simply: both cameras have their own flash, so the front camera can light a selfie in a dark room, which was unusual at this price. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power camera setup is simple, with no extra lenses and no complex modes, and that simplicity suits the buyers this phone was made for.

The 13MP Rear Camera

In daylight, the rear camera produces bright photos with fair colour, and autofocus is quick enough for still subjects and for children who sit still for a second. In low light, noise appears and detail softens, which is normal for a small sensor with no stabilisation. The flash helps at close range indoors. Video records in 720p, which matches the screen and is fine for clips shared with family. The 13MP rear camera takes pleasant photos in daylight, and that is where most owners used it most. For a comparison with another alcatel camera of the same period, see alcatel Shine Lite vs the Rest: Review and Specifications Compared.

The 5MP Front Camera With Its Own Flash

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power front camera quality with 5MP selfie camera is built around that front flash. A 5MP front camera is modest by later standards, but with its own LED flash it takes usable selfies and video calls in dim rooms, where many rivals of the time produced dark, grainy images. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power selfie results are best in daylight, and the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power flash on the front is the feature that sets it apart for night-time video calls. For a budget phone in 2016, a front flash was a genuine selling point, and it is one of the details that shows alcatel thought about how real buyers used their phones after dark.

Battery Life and Reverse Charging

The 5000mAh battery is the reason this phone exists. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power battery life with 5000mAh battery is the headline feature, and it delivers. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power 5000mAh cell is a Li-Ion unit roughly twice the size of the battery in many phones of the same year, and in normal use it stretches to two days between charges for light users, and comfortably through a long day for heavy users. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power battery charging time and daily usage pattern is simple: charge it overnight, use it all day, and still have power left in the evening.

How Long the 5000mAh Battery Lasts

With the screen at moderate brightness, the phone handles hours of video, long calls, and a full day of messaging without needing a top-up. Doze in Android 6.0 helps standby time, so the phone loses little power overnight. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power charging habit that suits it best is a slow overnight charge, which also keeps the sealed battery in better condition over the years. On a long trip, the size of the cell changes the whole routine: there is no need to hunt for a socket at lunch, and no need to carry a separate power bank for the phone itself.

Using the Phone as a Power Bank

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power reverse charging as a power bank is the feature that made the phone stand out. With reverse charging, the phone can share its power with another phone or a small device, turning the handset into a portable charger for a friend’s phone or for a headset. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power micro USB 2.0 port and charging details matter here: the single micro USB 2.0 port handles charging in and power out, so a suitable cable is needed to share power. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power charging role as a power bank is what gives the 5000mAh cell a purpose beyond long life, and it is the reason the phone earned its Plus Power name.

Full Specifications

The table below lists the verified specifications of the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power, as announced in September 2016 and released in October 2016. These alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power specs show a phone built around its battery and its screen, with modest memory and a 3G-only radio keeping the price down.

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power storage expansion with microSD card slot takes cards up to 32GB, which matters because the built-in 8GB fills quickly once apps and photos are added. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power storage of 8GB is the tightest limit on the phone, so a memory card is close to essential for anyone who takes many photos. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power price and availability in October 2016 put it in reach of first-time buyers and of anyone who wanted a second phone with a huge battery. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power price at launch sat in the budget class, and its value came from the battery and the screen rather than from speed. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power connectivity options with 3G support only mean there is no LTE on the global variant, so mobile data tops out at 3G speeds. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power GPS WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity details are straightforward: GPS for maps, Wi-Fi for home and office, and Bluetooth for headsets and for sharing files.

Pros and Cons

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power pros start with the battery, and the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power cons start with the 1GB of RAM and the 8GB of storage. That short summary is fair, but the full picture is worth setting out, because the phone’s strengths and weaknesses come from the same choices.

What Works Well

• A huge 5000mAh battery that lasts up to two days in normal use.
• Reverse charging, so the phone works as a power bank for other devices.
• A large 5.5 inch IPS screen that is good for video and reading.
• A 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera, both with their own LED flash.
• Five colour choices, including bright Blue, Orange and Green.

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power call quality and loudspeaker performance in daily use are clear enough for everyday calls, and the loudspeaker is loud enough for hands-free calls at home. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power speaker quality and headphone jack audio are basic but usable: the speaker is clear for calls and for short videos, and the 3.5mm jack covers headphones and car audio.

What Holds It Back

• Only 1GB of RAM, which limits multitasking and heavier apps.
• Only 8GB of built-in storage, so a microSD card is close to essential.
• 3G only, with no LTE on the global variant.
• No fingerprint sensor, so security relies on a PIN, pattern or password.
• Heavy and thick at 202g and 9.9mm, and awkward to use one-handed.

The limits above are the price of the budget, and they were visible at launch. A buyer who wanted speed or the fastest mobile data had better choices even in 2016, but a buyer who wanted a phone that would simply keep going had few rivals at this price.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power released?

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power release date is October 2016. It was announced in September 2016 and went on sale the following month, as a budget phone for the end of 2016.

Does the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power support 4G LTE?

No. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power 3G radio is the only mobile data option on the global variant, so there is no LTE. The MediaTek MT6580 chipset in this phone is a 3G part, which is why the phone is limited to 3G data speeds.

Can the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power charge other phones?

Yes. Reverse charging lets the phone share power from its 5000mAh battery with another phone or a small device, using a suitable cable through the micro USB 2.0 port. That is the feature behind the Plus Power name, and it is the most unusual thing about this phone.

How much storage does the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power have?

It has 8GB of built-in storage and a microSD card slot that takes cards up to 32GB. Because 8GB fills quickly, a memory card is the practical way to keep photos, music and extra apps on the phone.

Is the alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power good for first-time buyers?

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power for first time smartphone buyers in 2016 was a sensible pick: a big screen, a huge battery, simple software, and a low price. Its limits were the 1GB of RAM, the 8GB of storage, and the 3G-only radio, so buyers who wanted to play demanding games or use fast mobile data needed to look elsewhere.

Verdict

This alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power First Impressions, Review and Full Specs ends where it began: with the battery. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power verdict is simple. The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power features that matter most are the 5000mAh battery, the reverse charging, the large 5.5 inch screen, and the front and rear flashes. Its reverse charging still sets it apart from most budget phones of its year, and its battery life is the reason it is remembered at all.

The alcatel Pixi 4 Plus Power second phone and backup phone use in 2026 is limited by its old software and 3G radio, but the big battery still makes it a usable spare for calls and media at home. As a piece of 2016 history, it is a clear example of a phone that chose one strength and built everything around it, and for the buyers who needed that strength, it was the right phone. Readers weighing other alcatel options from the same years can also read the alcatel X1 Specifications, Review and Verdict: Is It Worth It? before deciding.