Whatever the company is doing, it's working. Xiaomi said in January that its pre-tax sales in 2014 topped 74.3 billion yuan ($12.1 billion), up 135 percent from 2013. Xiaomi sold 61 million handsets in 2014, an increase of 227 percent compared to the prior year. Xiaomi is now the third-largest smartphone maker in the world behind Apple and Samsung, despite only selling to a relatively small number of markets, including China, Indonesia and India. The Tata name carries significant weight in India, and having the business leader on Xiaomi's side could help the Chinese company gain more traction in the country.

Here's something nice: the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 is a truly affordable phone that looks good and also makes good on its promises, With a 5.5-inch 1080p HD display and a few extra surprises, the Idol 3 is worth your notice, It has a 13-megapixel camera with autofocus, and an 8-megapixel lens for selfies, A reversible OS is something brand new to phones, The view will flip if you pick up the phone upside down, impact-resistant flexible case for iphone 7 Controls for this Android 5.0 handset live as on-screen buttons on the OS's lower strip..

Visit manufacturer site for details. Redemption at last. Alcatel's OneTouch Idol 3 manages to overcome the company's bad track record for phones with snazzy looks, but shaky performance and specs. Easily Alcatel's best phone, the Idol 3 confidently produces mid-tier levels of photography, screen resolution and internal hardware performance for the price of many lesser handsets. It also keeps current with Android 5.0, pumps out sound through dual JBL speakers, and surprises with two convenient OS settings.

On the other hand, the Idol 3 suffers from a slight navigational delay and some confusing design and layout decisions on its custom Android skin, Its flaws are minor enough and price low enough that I'd recommend the OneTouch Idol 3 to customers looking for a high-performing budget phone, For $250, it beats Motorola's Moto G and Moto G 4G LTE , as impact-resistant flexible case for iphone 7 well as the Moto E 4G LTE on camera quality and specs, but hovers in the same price bracket, While the Moto set is intended to be entry-level, if you have the opportunity to get the Idol 3 instead, you should take it, In the UK, Alcatel expects the Idol 3 to be around £270, putting it more firmly in the midrange, In Australia it's extremely well priced at just AU$379..

Editor's note: This review pertains to the 5.5-inch model. Alcatel's 4.7-inch version has stepped-down specs, from the screen and camera resolution to the processor, storage and battery capacity. About that screen. The 1,080p resolution is absolutely fine for a budget phone of this caliber, though images certainly aren't as detailed as they would be with a 1440p display. It's also nice and bright, even with brightness set midway. Budget phones usually look bold or sassy or blocky, or all of the above. The Idol 3 here has an air of elegance, with rounded corners framing a slim plastic body, a dark grey brushed finish, and silvery accents throughout. An embedded battery helps keep it thin but solid, and a slim bezel makes the screen seem even more expansive than its already-generous phablet proportions.