Budget devices have come a long way in the past two years. In previous years, buying a $200 phone meant sacrificing almost every aspect of performance. Will REVVL 6 Pro 5G from T-Mobile fit the same model? We had the opportunity to spend some time with the carrier’s latest $219 budget device.
When looking for a new device, it’s important to keep up with the competition. Google’s latest budget offering – the Pixel 6a – is a great deal, yet will still cost you $449 at full price. Samsung also ends up in the ring with its Galaxy A-series devices, which makes a tough bargain. These can end up being a steal too, at various low costs.
T-Mobile is looking to give us an attractive deal with the REVVL 6 Pro 5G, a budget device that has some tempting specs listed on paper.
Hardware and display
As with any phone, the first thing you notice is the build quality. After all, it can be said that it is one of the most important parts of a really good device.
The REVVL 6 Pro 5G has a surprisingly good build, even though it is made of plastic. The back bears a nice matte gray color and has a frosted look and feel. The edges are plastic as well, although they don’t give that obvious look. It is also worth noting that this device has a significant heft; Not much, but enough to make you feel better about the material.
The bottom of the device houses a USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack — something you don’t see often. A nice touch you might notice at first glance is the colorful power button, designed to match the T-Mobile magenta. It’s not all for looks, though. This power button is one of the features that makes the REVVL 6 Pro stand out among its budget friends – it’s also the fingerprint sensor. As far as accuracy goes, the sensor gets it right about 7 out of 10 times.
Most devices in this price range rely solely on a PIN or passcode for device security. Since the REVVL 6 Pro has a fingerprint sensor, you can easily unlock it with a comfortable flick of your thumb. Surprisingly, the sensor is very fast. Touching it unlocked my device in less than a second, which is perfectly acceptable.
In the front there is a very large screen. The HD+ screen comes in at 6.82 inches, which makes for a huge viewing area. Unfortunately, this is where you start to realize that corners are completely cut to get to the $219 price tag that this device comes with.
The overall resolution of the HD+ display is 1640 x 720. By comparison, the Pixel 6a comes with a resolution of 2400 x 1080, although it covers a smaller area. REVVL 6 Pro by no means has a bad screen, it’s well suited for everyday tasks – which I really struggled with is watching videos across YouTube and other streaming platforms.
Since the resolution isn’t very high, the details are hard to spot, and I found myself far from everything I was watching. Besides, the screen doesn’t get too bright automatically during daily use, and when you set it manually, you might be disappointed with the maximum brightness as well. It can sometimes be difficult to read the screen at maximum brightness when you are outside, or even when it is bright on the inside.
Software and performance
REVVL 6 Pro runs Android 12, which is something you’ll see on any phone sold now — other than Google Pixel phones. Out of the box, REVVL 6 Pro is equipped with the July security patch and comes with plenty of Google apps and software, providing a nice stock experience, for the most part.
Since the device comes from T-Mobile, you can expect bloatware to permeate here and there. The REVVL 6 Pro will greet you with a splash screen from T-Mobile when you first turn it on, and unless you’ve completed setting up your separate T-Mobile device, you’ll see a persistent notification asking you to do so.
Additionally, swiping left from the home screen will take you to Google Discover, which is a stock feature on most Android 12 devices. It comes with a T-Mobile version that shows the same stuff, although it’s less personalized.
Other than that, T-Mobile’s look isn’t that far off from stock Android 12, and most of the experience is unchanged. This experience is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, a 7nm chip that powers a 5G modem for fast connectivity. After all, this is REVVL 6 Pro 5G. This paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB expandable storage makes for a great experience; Daily use can be a little faster, although it is quite usable and gets the job done.
The REVVL 6 Pro 5G runs on a 60Hz display, which is what you might expect for a device at this price point. Unfortunately, it is often less with the gel swipe issue that you may encounter on this device. This is most likely a product of the lighter chipset in use, although it is something you can ignore within a short period of time.
Over a longer period of time, you can likely expect T-Mobile to keep up with software updates as it did with the REVVL 4+ in 2021. T-Mobile does not have a specific update schedule or specific promises for any specific Android, although the popularity of the budget device It will most likely affect how regularly it is updated.
battery
If the REVVL 6 Pro 5G excels in one thing, it’s the battery life. Once fully charged, REVVL 6 Pro will stop working for several days in a row. When in use, I was able to get a full day without any issue with the 5,000mAh battery, scrolling through social media and websites and sending and receiving messages.
Usage may vary, but using this device under normal conditions you should be impressed how long you can go without charging. A lot of this is probably due to the fact that the MediaTek Dimensity 700 is an energy efficient SoC. Since the device runs at a low refresh rate and an efficient chipset, 5000 mAh will keep it alive for a longer period of time.
Adding to the quality here is the fact that REVVL 6 Pro comes with wireless charging. Although it is not fast, it is convenient. It’s also not something you see often on the lower end of budget devices. In general, this is an excellent addition.
camera
Another area that the REVVL 6 Pro amazed me was the camera. In total, the REVVL has four sensors. It has a 50MP main sensor, a 5MP ultrawide camera, a 2MP depth camera, and a 2MP macro sensor. That’s a total of four different cameras in this set. Of course, low MP sensors like macro and depth lenses won’t put anyone off, but the main sensor is surprisingly convenient.
Each image contains a great deal of detail and is often color accurate, with little shading around the corners. The ultra-wide lens does a good job of capturing details too without sacrificing functionality for quality.
Up front, you’ll find a 16MP selfie camera with a teardrop notch, and while there’s no punch-hole, the selfie camera still doesn’t take up much space. The selfie camera takes very good pictures to my surprise as well.
The camera app itself is fine, although it can run a little slow at times. The REVVL 6 Pro won’t be great for fast action shots, as there will be some lag when taking photos. Per my constant daily shots, REVVL does a good job.
last thoughts
All things considered, REVVL 6 Pro 5G performs well. Coming in at $219, you can’t expect much, and I didn’t go for it. Some aspects of the REVVl 6 Pro – like the camera and battery life – really surprised me. The camera is quite adequate for most applications and the battery life did not disappoint at all. There are quite a few cool features like wireless charging and a physical fingerprint sensor.
In terms of performance, there can be a lot of improvement points, although most of the problems come from the mid-range SoC within the device itself. The 6GB RAM definitely helps with matters, and it does a good job of keeping up with basic tasks.
If I had to pick an area that I struggled with the most in the $219 REVVL, I’d have to pick the monitor. The accuracy doesn’t lend itself to a very enjoyable presentation and swiping the jelly was a bit of a pain, although it’s not uncommon for this price point.
Overall, the REVVL 6 Pro definitely has its place. For $219, I’d say it’s a very good phone. If it was $50 more, I would feel it differently. The camera is solid and the battery life is more than a lot for most people, which makes a good combination that makes up for in some other aspects.
If you’re stuck on a $200 budget, this is one of the best devices you can get at this price. If I were able to go further, I’d consider the Pixel 6a, since it has a lot of high-end features for just $449 — just over $200 more than the REVVL 6 Pro 5G.
Buy REVVL 6 Pro 5G from T-Mobile
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