T-Mobile REVVL 6 Pro 5G Review: A Pretty Good Affordable Phone

Publish date: 2024-08-24

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T-Mobile's newest REVVL 6 Pro smartphone can be yours for the low, low price of $220. This shockingly affordable price tag might make you think this phone is too good to be true, but in reality, it's a pretty great choice.

The REVVL 6 Pro 5G is only $20 more expensive than its predecessor, the REVVL V+ 5G, which is honestly insane considering how many improvements were made. There's an extra 2GB of RAM, a more impressive camera setup, an extra 64GB of internal storage, and wireless charging. All of this, and more, for an extra $20? Yes, please!

While the specs of T-Mobile's REVVL 6 Pro may be weak in comparison to the latest flagship from Apple, Google, or Samsung, keep in mind that those smartphones cost three to five times as much. The spec value you get for the price here outweighs how good the specs are overall.

Specs As Reviewed

Design & Build Quality: All-Over Plastic

When I first unboxed the REVVL 6 Pro, I instantly knew it was a phone from T-Mobile because everything was pink---the manual, the crumpled packaging paper, the peelable screen cover. If only the charging cord could've been pink too! But alas, the theme ended there. The one thing you won't see in your package is a charging brick. This is becoming a regular occurrence for major smartphone providers, and T-Mobile is no different.

Sarah Chaney / Review Geek

My first impression of the REVVL 6 Pro was, "This feels like a $200 phone." My current phone has a glass back, much like many other smartphones on the market, but T-Mobile's latest phone has a plastic back with a matte finish. The sides are plastic as well, but less noticeably so. While plastic smartphone backs can actually be quite durable---even more durable than glass backs, which frequently shatter when dropped without a case---it's not the most attractive design.

That said, if you're like me, there's always a case on your phone. If my phone has any chance of surviving a life with me unscathed, a strong, hard case is necessary. This renders the whole glass versus plastic debate pointless. There are some other small differences like glass is better able to dissipate heat, but for the most part, it's a personal preference.

Sarah Chaney / Review Geek

After giving the REVVL 6 Pro a quick lookover, I was pleasantly surprised to see a headphone jack! Because many people use Bluetooth to connect their smartphone to a speaker, audio jacks on smartphones are increasingly rare. There's a mic, speaker, and USB-C charging port on the bottom of the phone. Then, on the right side of the phone, there are the volume up / down controls and the power button that also doubles as a fingerprint sensor.

Display & Performance: You Get What You Pay For

I currently have a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra as my everyday smartphone. While this isn't even the most current Galaxy S smartphone, it's still a much more powerful phone than T-Mobile's REVVL 6 Pro.

To start, I'll say that I'm spoiled with a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on my S21 Ultra, paired up with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 1440 x 3200 pixels. I realize that this was (and still kind of is) an expensive smartphone, but it's hard not to compare the phone I use every single day versus the one I'm reviewing.

T-Mobile's REVVL 6 Pro has a similarly sized 6.82-inch display, but differs from the S21 Ultra with its lower 60Hz refresh rate and 1640 x 720 resolution. Honestly, I didn't mind the slower refresh rate as much as I minded the lower resolution.

Sarah Chaney / Review Geek

When scrolling through an article on the REVVL 6 Pro, it looked okay with the 60Hz refresh rate. Then, I opened up the same article on my S21 Ultra, experienced the adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, and went back to the REVVL's 60Hz to find it stuttery and slightly jagged. Knowing that 60Hz is still the standard among many devices, I'll just say that 60Hz is perfectly fine until you experience 120Hz---then it's nearly impossible to go back.

The same comments above about the refresh rate while scrolling an article can be applied to playing mobile games. If you're playing simple mobile games, and not something that requires you to move a lot on-screen like Genshin Impact or Call of Duty: Mobile, then 60Hz will look and feel just fine.

To test out the display's brightness and resolution, I watched some Netflix nature documentaries posted to YouTube. Both my Samsung S21 Ultra and T-Mobile's REVVL 6 Pro displayed colors nicely, but oof, that 720p resolution was hard to look at. If you're not too picky about how your Netflix or YouTube videos look, a lower 720p resolution will work. But if you watch a lot of media on your phone and want it to look awesome, you'll likely want to splurge on a nicer display.

Lastly, let's talk multitasking. A smartphone needs to be able to handle multiple tasks at once because you use your phone for so many different things throughout the day. You need to check your email, answer a few texts, catch up on the latest TV show, play a mobile game while you're waiting at the DMV, and so on.

Many people---myself included---forget to close out of apps when you're done using them. This means that your phone is still trying to juggle everything that's open, but minimally in the background, putting the biggest focus on whatever you currently have open. With only 6GB of RAM in the REVVL 6 Pro, don't expect to be able to leave mobile games or other demanding apps open without noticing a decrease in loading speed for other apps.

Software & Battery Life: Some of Its Best Features

There's not much to mention about the REVVL 6 Pro's software. It runs Android 12, no surprise as Android 13 is very new, and puts its own pink T-Mobile spin on the look. While browsing through the settings or using the quick-access menu, you'll see a light pink background where you'd usually see white on other Android smartphones. T-Mobile hasn't made any specific promises about updates, so don't expect to ever see Android 13 come to the device.

Seeing as Android is developed by Google, it makes sense that the phone comes with most of Google's apps pre-installed. This includes the Google Chrome browser, YouTube, Gmail, Home, and many others. Then, you'll also see three other apps pre-installed: Amazon Shopping, Facebook, and McAfee Security. Luckily, you have the option to uninstall all of these if you don't use them regularly.

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Despite being stacked with unnecessary bloatware, the battery life on this baby is insane. Like my current phone, the REVVL 6 Pro has a 5000mAh battery that can last all day---and then some. If you're not playing mobile games or streaming media throughout the day, a full charge can probably last you about two to three days. And when you do need to charge it, you can do so wirelessly! There aren't many budget smartphones that are capable of wireless charging, but this one is.

Sarah Chaney / Review Geek

Cameras & Audio: The Little Stuff That Matters

You can take surprisingly decent photos with T-Mobile's REVVL 6 Pro. The 16MP front-facing camera won't produce the most amazing selfie you've ever taken, but it's crisp and well-lit enough to post on social media or just admire for yourself. Then, the rear setup is a quad-camera system, with a 50MP main camera, and then three extra lenses, including a 5MP ultra-wide, 2MP depth, and 2MP macro.

If you want to use photos and videos to document your personal life and have memories to look back on, the REVVL 6 Pro has you covered. But if you want to take stunning photos that showcase your amateur photography skills, you won't get those results with this camera setup. For photos of that caliber, you'll have to shell out more cash for something like Google's Pixel 6 Pro or Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra.

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Most people nowadays have some type of Bluetooth speaker to stream music from, which is great because most smartphone speakers are notoriously horrible. Unfortunately, the REVVL 6 Pro's audio was slightly worse than the norm. Whereas some smartphones have two or more speakers to spread out the audio for a more balanced experience, there's only one speaker on T-Mobile's latest flagship.

The songs I tested sounded one-dimensional, only projecting the mids strongly but practically ignoring lower bass notes and higher treble notes. Overall, music came off very muffled, and this problem only worsened the more I turned up the volume.

Conclusion: If Budget Is Your Number One Priority, You'd Love It!

T-Mobile's REVVL 6 Pro is an affordable smartphone that offers people many of the luxuries we've come to expect, but it skimps on some important stuff. If you just need a smartphone to carry out the most basic tasks and you want to save your money for something else, the REVVL 6 Pro is a good option. But before purchasing, be sure that you don't want any specific demands, like a phone that can run a visually demanding mobile game or play music (that actually sounds good) in the background while you complete chores.

There's nothing overly stunning about this smartphone, but its affordable $220 price tag makes it a worthy contender in the market right now, especially next to other smartphones that are consistently priced over $1,000.

T-Mobile REVVL 6 PRO 5G

ProsConsSee at T-mobile

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