professionals and cons
- Very inexpensive
- Ample RAM and storage
- Beautiful matte again and design
- Excellent mobile reception
- Headphone jack
- Facet fingerprint sensor
- Giant telephone might be unwieldy
- No water resistance
- Plastic construct can really feel low-cost
Whereas I personally pay 1000’s for high-end units as a result of smartphones are considered one of my addictions, there are some superb, inexpensive, mid-range smartphones obtainable immediately. For the previous three weeks, I have been utilizing the T-Cell REVVL 6 Professional 5G and have been blown away by the standard, efficiency, and total expertise of this $220 Android smartphone. Previously, spending $200 on a telephone meant it’d final you a yr with unreliable efficiency, however that’s clearly not the case immediately.
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 essential, 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 facet 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 |
| Colour | Darkish Shadow |
Design
That is the primary T-Cell REVVL telephone I’ve examined, and I got here away very impressed. The REVVL 6 Professional is a really giant telephone with a 6.82-inch show, so whereas it is splendid for watching video content material, it would not match that properly in some pants or shorts pockets. Thankfully, it feels nice within the hand with the matte plastic again, appears cool with the darkish grey colour, and T-Cell’s signature Magenta is clear on the right-side energy/fingerprint sensor. The sensor has carried out flawlessly, and I’m an enormous fan of mounting this on the facet energy button.
The REVVL 6 Professional can be a kind of uncommon telephones with a regular 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 facet. Whereas the telephone comes with 128GB of onboard storage, the power so as to add extra externally is helpful and nice for transferring knowledge.
Digital camera 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 price twice as a lot because the T-Cell REVVL 6 Professional. The cameras will not beat out the costly iPhones and Samsung Galaxy flagships, however they are going to just do superb for social media and informal picture sharing.
So as to add, my ZDNET colleague Jack Wallen additionally spent a while with the telephone and talked about that, “though the REVVL 6 Professional can’t stand as much as the magnificent digicam within the Pixel 6 Professional, it is not that shabby.”
The digicam software program inside the REVVL offers the power to change to macro, 50MP, gradual movement, hyperlapse, panorama, and professional modes atop the everyday modes. Whereas the varied modes perform as described, there are only a few settings and modifications obtainable for every, so you’re getting a fundamental digicam expertise total.
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-Cell REVVL 6 Professional. I needed to learn the specs doc twice since we normally don’t see wi-fi charging, even in mid-range telephones just like the Pixel 6a or OnePlus 10T. It is not super-fast wi-fi charging, however it’s handy. 15W quick wired charging can be supported, must you go the normal route.
Software program
The T-Cell REVVL 6 Professional launches with Android 12 and a really Pixel-esque person interface. T-Cell and Google collaborated to construct an optimized expertise on T-Cell’s community in order that you will discover a number of T-Cell utilities and key Google apps put in on the telephone out of the field. The July 5, 2022, Android safety replace is current on our assessment unit, and it stays to be seen how properly T-Cell will assist the REVVL with safety and firmware updates. Because the telephone is a T-Cell branded mannequin, I hope we see strong assist with one celebration, the provider, faraway from the chain of approval.
The few T-Cell utilities put in on the telephone are T-Cell Play, T-Cell’s account supervisor app, and Visible Voicemail. There may be additionally a McAfee app that you would be able to uninstall. For a T-Cell-branded telephone, you are not getting as a lot bloatware as anticipated, which is unbelievable. From Google, we discover all the anticipated apps, together with Google Pockets, Maps, Images, and plenty of extra. Google Uncover is current alongside a T-Cell-branded information feed if you swipe left to proper on the house display panel.
Additionally: The 6 greatest low-cost 5G telephones: High picks underneath $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 similar time, the primary take a look at I carried out on it and the REVVL 6 Professional was mobile reception. Impressively, the T-Cell 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 considered one of Qualcomm’s Android modems.
Mobile reception energy has all the time been an space the place Samsung and OnePlus stood out from Apple and Google. Nonetheless, it’s a important aspect of a strong smartphone expertise and one of many first issues I take a look at on a telephone. T-Cell impressed me right here with the wonderful mobile efficiency that rivals Samsung and OnePlus, so individuals on T-Cell shopping for this telephone ought to 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 assist, I used to be very dissatisfied with the mobile efficiency on that telephone and don’t assume Google’s Tensor chip is able to compete with others for connectivity.
Extra: OnePlus Nord N20 5G assessment: Finances telephone executed proper
Backside line
In an effort to launch a telephone at simply $219.99, there should be some compromises. The REVVL 6 Professional is a really giant telephone with a decrease decision show with a 60Hz refresh charge, however the show appears nice, and my getting old eyes may barely understand a lot of a distinction within the decision when in comparison with increased 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-Cell REVVL 6 Professional is an honest sub-$250 telephone that will get the necessities down, compromises on components, and excels in mobile connectivity.
Options to think about
There should not that many telephones priced at this low worth level, however there are a number of priced lower than $500. Here is some to think about if you happen to do not just like the compromises that have been made within the T-Cell REVVL 6 Professional.
