Execs
- Very inexpensive
- Ample RAM and storage
- Beautiful matte again and design
- Excellent mobile reception
- Headphone jack
- Facet fingerprint sensor
Cons
- Giant cellphone might be unwieldy
- No water resistance
- Plastic construct can really feel low cost
Whereas I personally pay hundreds for high-end units as a result of smartphones are certainly one of my addictions, there are some superb, inexpensive, mid-range smartphones obtainable at present. For the previous three weeks, I have been utilizing the T-Cellular REVVL 6 Professional 5G and have been blown away by the standard, efficiency, and general expertise of this $220 Android smartphone. Previously, spending $200 on a cellphone meant it’d final you a 12 months with unreliable efficiency, however that’s clearly not the case at present.
Specs
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G |
|---|---|
| Show | 6.82-inch, 1640 x 720 pixels decision LCD (395 ppi), 60Hz |
| Working system | Android 12 |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB inner storage with a microSD card |
| Cameras | 50MP foremost, 5MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth sensor. 16MP front-facing digicam. |
| Connectivity | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, NFC |
| Safety | Face unlock and aspect fingerprint sensor |
| Battery | 5,000mAh with wi-fi charging, 15W wired charging |
| Dimensions | 173.92 x 77.8 x 8.99 mm and 213 grams |
| Coloration | Darkish Shadow |
Design
That is the primary T-Cellular REVVL cellphone I’ve examined, and I got here away very impressed. The REVVL 6 Professional is a really giant cellphone with a 6.82-inch show, so whereas it is excellent for watching video content material, it would not match that nicely in some pants or shorts pockets. Happily, it feels nice within the hand with the matte plastic again, appears to be like cool with the darkish grey shade, and T-Cellular’s signature Magenta is obvious on the right-side energy/fingerprint sensor. The sensor has carried out flawlessly, and I’m an enormous fan of mounting this on the aspect energy button.
The REVVL 6 Professional can also be a type of uncommon telephones with an ordinary 3.5mm headset jack on the underside. Alongside that headphone jack are a mono speaker and USB-C port.
That magenta energy button/fingerprint sensor stands out Matthew Miller/ZDNET
A single SIM card tray with a spot for a microSD card is discovered on the higher left aspect. Whereas the cellphone comes with 128GB of onboard storage, the power so as to add extra externally is beneficial and nice for transferring knowledge.
Digicam efficiency
Flipping over to the again, we see a quad-camera setup and a flash tucked away within the higher left nook in a 2×2 association. From testing, the cameras carry out higher than anticipated and rivaled what I’ve seen out of mid-range telephones that value twice as a lot because the T-Cellular REVVL 6 Professional. The cameras will not beat out the costly iPhones and Samsung Galaxy flagships, however they are going to just do fantastic for social media and informal picture sharing.
So as to add, my ZDNET colleague Jack Wallen additionally spent a while with the cellphone and talked about that, “though the REVVL 6 Professional can not stand as much as the magnificent digicam within the Pixel 6 Professional, it isn’t that shabby.”
The digicam software program throughout the REVVL supplies the power to modify to macro, 50MP, sluggish movement, hyperlapse, panorama, and professional modes atop the standard modes. Whereas the assorted modes perform as described, there are only a few settings and modifications obtainable for every, so you’re getting a primary digicam expertise general.
4 cameras are discovered on the again with various functionality Matthew Miller/ZDNET
Wi-fi charging? Examine.
Surprisingly, wi-fi charging is definitely supported on the T-Cellular REVVL 6 Professional. I needed to learn the specs doc twice since we often don’t see wi-fi charging, even in mid-range telephones just like the Pixel 6a or OnePlus 10T. It isn’t super-fast wi-fi charging, however it’s handy. 15W quick wired charging can also be supported, do you have to go the normal route.
Software program
The T-Cellular REVVL 6 Professional launches with Android 12 and a really Pixel-esque consumer interface. T-Cellular and Google collaborated to construct an optimized expertise on T-Cellular’s community in order that one can find a couple of T-Cellular utilities and key Google apps put in on the cellphone out of the field. The July 5, 2022, Android safety replace is current on our assessment unit, and it stays to be seen how nicely T-Cellular will help the REVVL with safety and firmware updates. Because the cellphone is a T-Cellular branded mannequin, I hope we see stable help with one social gathering, the provider, faraway from the chain of approval.
The few T-Cellular utilities put in on the cellphone are T-Cellular Play, T-Cellular’s account supervisor app, and Visible Voicemail. There’s additionally a McAfee app which you can uninstall. For a T-Cellular-branded cellphone, you are not getting as a lot bloatware as anticipated, which is improbable. From Google, we discover the entire anticipated apps, together with Google Pockets, Maps, Photographs, and plenty of extra. Google Uncover is current alongside a T-Cellular-branded information feed whenever you swipe left to proper on the house display panel.
Additionally: The 6 greatest low cost 5G telephones: High picks below $450
Close to-Vanilla Android expertise with the REVVL. Matthew Miller/ZDNET
Mobile efficiency
Since I used to be testing out a Google Pixel 6a on the identical time, the primary check I carried out on it and the REVVL 6 Professional was mobile reception. Impressively, the T-Cellular REVVL beat the Pixel 6a handily in each low-to-high sign space, which was sufficient to persuade me to return my Pixel 6a. I noticed 8 to fifteen dBm higher mobile efficiency out of the REVVL, and it wasn’t till I used to be scripting this assessment that I noticed the REVVL 6 Professional has a MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor and built-in 5G modem after simply assuming it was one other certainly one of Qualcomm’s Android modems.
Mobile reception power has all the time been an space the place Samsung and OnePlus stood out from Apple and Google. Nonetheless, it’s a very important component of a stable smartphone expertise and one of many first issues I take a look at on a cellphone. T-Cellular impressed me right here with the superb mobile efficiency that rivals Samsung and OnePlus, so individuals on T-Cellular shopping for this cellphone must be very pleased with its connection reliability and speeds. Whereas individuals would possibly transfer to the Pixel 6a for the higher digicam expertise and Google’s promise of prolonged software program help, I used to be very disenchanted with the mobile efficiency on that cellphone and don’t assume Google’s Tensor chip is able to compete with others for connectivity.
Extra: OnePlus Nord N20 5G assessment: Funds cellphone performed proper
Backside line
As a way to launch a cellphone at simply $219.99, there need to be some compromises. The REVVL 6 Professional is a really giant cellphone with a decrease decision show with a 60Hz refresh price, however the show appears to be like nice, and my growing older eyes may barely understand a lot of a distinction within the decision when in comparison with larger decision telephones. One other compromise was in digicam high quality and construct supplies. Plastic is nice for taking a bump or two however can really feel low cost and virtually like a toy.
In any other case, the T-Cellular REVVL 6 Professional is an honest sub-$250 cellphone that will get the necessities down, compromises on elements, and excels in mobile connectivity.
Alternate options to think about
There aren’t that many telephones priced at this low value level, however there are a couple of priced lower than $500. Here is some to think about for those who do not just like the compromises that have been made within the T-Cellular REVVL 6 Professional.
