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Mimicry the best form of flattery? Check out Alcatel's champagne gold Alpha (hands-on)

You've seen this gold shade before, but not on an Android phone. Now, Alcatel shows off its own 24-karat hue.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
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LAS VEGAS -- Alcatel may sell the gray version of its 4.7-inch OneTouch Idol Alpha smartphone globally, but CES 2014 was the first time this brand-new gold shade strutted its stuff.

Perhaps taking a cue from Apple's subtle champagne iPhone 5S, Alcatel's new Idol Alpha in a similarly pale gold turns out to be a pretty piece of hardware.

This 'Alpha' Android glimmers in gold at CES 2014 (pictures)

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Adding to the eye candy are two transparent strips that line the top and bottom. LED lights shine on the navigation icons for Home, Back, and the Menu. Don't let this fool you; the touchpad is actually located on the black strip just above.

The phone is fairly high-end, with an Android 4.2 OS, a 13-megapixel camera, and a 1.2GHz quad-core processor. There's a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front, and 16GB of storage on-board.

Since this is an aluminum unibody design, there's no removable battery. Alcatel also gave expandable storage a pass.

Catch all the gadget news from CES 2014.