Professionals
- Very reasonably priced
- Ample RAM and storage
- Pretty matte again and design
- Excellent mobile reception
- Headphone jack
- Facet fingerprint sensor
Cons
- Giant telephone will be unwieldy
- No water resistance
- Plastic construct can really feel low-cost
A sub-$250 telephone that will get the necessities down, compromises on components, and excels in mobile connectivity.
Whereas I personally pay hundreds for high-end units as a result of smartphones are certainly one of my addictions, there are some superb, reasonably priced, mid-range smartphones accessible at the moment. 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. Up to now, spending $200 on a telephone meant it’d final you a yr with unreliable efficiency, however that’s clearly not the case at the moment.
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 inside storage with a microSD card |
| Cameras | 50MP most important, 5MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth sensor. 16MP front-facing camera. |
| 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-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 perfect for watching video content material, it does not match that nicely in some pants or shorts pockets. Thankfully, it feels nice within the hand with the matte plastic again, seems to be 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 aspect energy button.
The REVVL 6 Professional can also be a kind of uncommon telephones with a normal 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 telephone comes with 128GB of onboard storage, the power so as to add extra externally is beneficial 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 value 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 may do exactly advantageous 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 camera within the Pixel 6 Professional, it isn’t that shabby.”
The camera software program inside the REVVL offers the power to change to macro, 50MP, gradual movement, hyperlapse, panorama, and professional modes atop the standard modes. Whereas the assorted modes operate as described, there are only a few settings and modifications accessible for every, so you might be getting a fundamental camera expertise total.
4 cameras are discovered on the again with various functionality
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
Wi-fi charging? Test.
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 isn’t super-fast wi-fi charging, however it’s handy. 15W quick wired charging can also 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’ll 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 review unit, and it stays to be seen how nicely T-Cell will help the REVVL with safety and firmware updates. Because the telephone is a T-Cell branded mannequin, I hope we see stable help with one celebration, the service, 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’s additionally a McAfee app that you may uninstall. For a T-Cell-branded telephone, you are not getting as a lot bloatware as anticipated, which is implausible. From Google, we discover all the anticipated apps, together with Google Pockets, Maps, Photographs, and lots of extra. Google Uncover is current alongside a T-Cell-branded information feed once you swipe left to proper on the house display screen panel.
Additionally: The 6 greatest low-cost 5G telephones: High picks beneath $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-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 review that I spotted 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 aspect of a stable smartphone expertise and one of many first issues I try 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 proud of its connection reliability and speeds. Whereas individuals may transfer to the Pixel 6a for the higher camera expertise and Google’s promise of prolonged software program help, I used to be very disillusioned 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 review: Finances telephone performed proper
Backside line
With a purpose 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 price, however the show seems to be nice, and my getting old eyes might barely understand a lot of a distinction within the decision when in comparison with greater decision telephones. One other compromise was in camera high quality and construct supplies. Plastic is nice for taking a bump or two however can really feel low-cost and nearly like a toy.
In any other case, the T-Cell REVVL 6 Professional is a good sub-$250 telephone that will get the necessities down, compromises on components, and excels in mobile connectivity.
Alternate options to think about
There will not be that many telephones priced at this low worth level, however there are a number of priced lower than $500. This is some to think about if you happen to do not just like the compromises that had been made within the T-Cell REVVL 6 Professional.
