T-Cell REVVL 6 Professional overview: $220 cellphone that outperforms in key areas

professionals and cons

Professionals

• Very inexpensive
• Ample RAM and storage
• Pretty matte again and design
• Excellent mobile reception
• Headphone jack
• Aspect fingerprint sensor

Cons

• Giant cellphone will be unwieldy
• No water resistance
• Plastic construct can really feel low-cost

Whereas I personally pay 1000’s for high-end gadgets as a result of smartphones are one among my addictions, there are some excellent, inexpensive, mid-range smartphones accessible right now. 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 general expertise of this $220 Android smartphone. Up to now, spending $200 on a cellphone meant it’d final you a 12 months with unreliable efficiency, however that’s clearly not the case right now.

Design

That is the primary T-Cell REVVL cellphone I’ve examined, and I got here away very impressed. The REVVL 6 Professional is a really massive cellphone with a 6.82-inch show, so whereas it is preferrred for watching video content material, it does not match that nicely in some pants or shorts pockets. Fortuitously, it feels nice within the hand with the matte plastic again, appears cool with the darkish grey shade, and T-Cell’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 be a type 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. 

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.

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’ll just do high-quality 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 digital camera within the Pixel 6 Professional, it isn’t that shabby.”

The digital camera software program inside the REVVL gives the power to modify to macro, 50MP, sluggish movement, hyperlapse, panorama, and professional modes atop the standard modes. Whereas the varied modes perform as described, there are only a few settings and modifications accessible for every, so you’re getting a fundamental digital camera expertise general.

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 often 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 can find just a few T-Cell 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 overview unit, and it stays to be seen how nicely T-Cell will help the REVVL with safety and firmware updates. Because the cellphone is a T-Cell branded mannequin, I hope we see strong help with one social gathering, the service, faraway from the chain of approval.

The few T-Cell utilities put in on the cellphone 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 cellphone, you are not getting as a lot bloatware as anticipated, which is unbelievable. From Google, we discover the entire anticipated apps, together with Google Pockets, Maps, Pictures, 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 panel.

Additionally: The 6 greatest low-cost 5G telephones: High picks beneath $450

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 overview 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 one among 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 ingredient of a strong smartphone expertise and one of many first issues I try on a cellphone. T-Cell impressed me right here with the superb mobile efficiency that rivals Samsung and OnePlus, so individuals on T-Cell shopping for this cellphone must be very proud of its connection reliability and speeds. Whereas individuals would possibly transfer to the Pixel 6a for the higher digital camera expertise and Google’s promise of prolonged software program help, I used to be very upset 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 overview: Finances cellphone completed proper

Backside line

In an effort to launch a cellphone at simply $219.99, there need to be some compromises. The REVVL 6 Professional is a really massive cellphone with a decrease decision show with a 60Hz refresh charge, however the show appears nice, and my getting older eyes may barely understand a lot of a distinction within the decision when in comparison with increased decision telephones. One other compromise was in digital 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 cellphone that will get the necessities down, compromises on components, and excels in mobile connectivity.

Alternate options to think about

There are usually not that many telephones priced at this low value level, however there are just a few priced lower than $500. Here is some to think about when you do not just like the compromises that have been made within the T-Cell REVVL 6 Professional.