T-Mobile Revvl 5G Review

T-MOBILE REVVL 5G SPECS

T-Mobile has a range of low-cost phones that include models made by its own Revvl brand. Although previous Revvl models haven’t been able to please, the latest Revvl 5G is a surprise winner. For $399.99 it provides rapid performance, a clear display, a long battery and, of course, 5G connectivity. This version of the Google Pixel 4a 5G offers superior camera performance at a cost of $100, while its Moto G Power offers similar performance, but for less than $150. This makes the Revvl 5G a solid choice for those in the middle and it could be the best handset for your needs.

Design, Display, and Durability

The Revvl 5G comes with the classic glass sandwich design. It is enhanced by a pretty pink gradient on the back. The dimensions are 6.5 by 3.0 by 0.4 inches and weighs 7.6 ounces.

Alongside the cool pink hue The back of the phone is smooth, textured glass with an extensive cuts in its upper left corner to accommodate the camera module and T-Mobile branding. The fingerprint sensor is concealed under the cameras and it’s incredibly responsive and easily accessible.

Front of phone houses an impressive 6.53-inch LCD that has 2,340-by-1,080 pixels. This gives you a sharp 3.95 pixel per square inch.

An USB-C charger along with a speaker sit at the lower part of the phone, while the top houses the headphone Jack. The left side houses an hybrid SIM slot, and the power and volume buttons are located on the right. The buttons are simple to reach and the illuminated power button serves as a notification and charging indicator.

Durability is satisfactory given the cost. The phones’ front and back are constructed from reinforced glass and should be able to withstand small dings and drops. The phone also comes with the IP54 classification that means it will withstand splashes as well as rain, but it isn’t likely to withstand a fall on the beach.

Connectivity and Audio

The Revvl 5G has been optimized to work on the T-Mobile network. It is T-Mobile’s network. You can’t transfer it to another provider. It supports LTE bands 2/4/12/25/26/41/66/71 and 5G bands n2/n25/n41/n66/n71.

We tested connectivity along 14 miles of the north-facing side of Chicago and did not lose 5G coverage. The speeds averaged 71.4 up in addition to 41.5Mbps up, but we did manage to get speeds of 200Mbps or more down and 70Mbps up in Wicker Park, as well as Fulton Market; we believe that’s an area where T-Mobile has switched its 5G service to band n41.

The quality of the call is superb. Noise cancellation is very effective however there is some minor noise from construction which slipped through on a single test call. Also, with an volume of 87 decibels it is simple to hear in a noisy street.

The stereo speakers of the Revvl are solid, as long as they’re not stretched beyond their limits. When they’re at their highest volume of 96dB, you’ll hear some slight deformation in the middle. The volume is a bit lower, however the audio quality is impressively clear and resonant.

The phone is also compatible with Dual-band Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth 5.0 as well as NFC.

Hardware and Software

The phone runs it’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 processor and 6GB of RAM. It’s similar to what you’ll get in the $599.99 Samsung Galaxy A71 5G. The phone comes with 128GB of memory and 109GB of it is included in the box. If you’re looking for more capacity, Revvl can support microSD cards with capacities up to 256GB.

Performance is excellent considering the price. We were able to work with multiple applications and Chrome tabs open with no lag and we spent more than 1 hour in Alto’s Odyssey without experiencing delays or dropped frames.

In Geekbench 5, a suite of benchmark tests to gauge the raw computing power of a device The Revvl scored only a single Core (SC) score of 622 while a Multi-core (MC) score of 1,8893. It’s a bit better than Google Pixel 4a’s 588 (SC) and 1,579 (MC) however it’s not quite up in comparison to $399 Apple iPhone SE‘s scores in the range of 1,331 (SC) and 3,299 (MC).

The Revvl 5G sports an mAh battery of 4,500mAh that lasts about 10 hours on our battery test. The device streamed HD video via Wi-Fi at maximum brightness. A more conservative usage will yield superior results. If you’re short of power, the phone is able to support rapid charging. It also supports reverse wireless charging that allows the phone’s own battery to power up compatible devices. However, the phone isn’t able to be charged wirelessly, and you’ll have to plug it into a power outlet to utilize reverse charging.

In terms of software it appears that the Revvl 5G comes with an unofficial version of Android 10, version 10. There are a handful of applications that are preloaded by T-Mobile however, it’s not overpriced in any way.

The phone will receive the Android 11.1 update along with two years of security updates that are quarterly. There’s still no plan for updates to software and it’s almost surely take longer than Pixel’s day-one update.

Cameras

On the rear of the phone you’ll have a 48MP primary sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide and the 5-megapixel macro lens. A front-facing camera with 16MP is visible through a tiny hole at the upper right-hand corner of the display.

In good lighting, the ultra-wide and primary lenses can capture images with excellent depth of field, and small loss of fine details. The macro lens does a good job, but there’s a little blurring and the images from tests look a bit flat.

In low light conditions, the main lens can be used to great effect however there is some unnatural blurring in the background, likely due to a hefty noise cancellation. Ultra-wide lenses can produce decent photos in low light, however we observed edge noise and light flare in a couple the tests we conducted.

Portrait mode works well when it has great lighting. We observed a slight blurring of the face but it was evident only when viewing images at full size. When the lighting is dim but there’s some noticeable issues with depth mapping, as well as some blurring of the foreground that is not natural.

The camera on the front works great when it is in good lighting, capturing sharp detail, with precise quality of color and great depth. In dim lighting, some images we tested appeared muddy and showed significant noise.

Overall all, it’s a good camera overall. Revvl 5G’s cameras are excellent in good lighting, but low lighting performance is not always a success. It’s fine for typical social media photos however, photographers who are serious about their smartphones will discover the Pixel worth the extra cost.

Conclusions 

The T-Mobile Revvl 5G an impressively competent phone for the price. It provides rapid performance, a stunning display, and an impressive battery life. Its Pixel 4a 5G offers better camera quality as well as faster software updates, however it’s $100 more expensive. Also, the Moto G Power has similar performance, however it’s not equipped with 5G. This puts the Revvl in a unique spot. Simply stated, there aren’t numerous other smartphones with 5G for $400 available today. It’s a great option for T-Mobile customers living in 5G coverage areas, and anyone who wants to spend less than $500 for the best 5G handset.