itel Mobile Limited wrapped up 2023 with the launch of the P55 series — a new set of handsets and the latest in the P-series (P dubbed for “Power). The P55 series comes in four variants, P55 5G, P55+, P55T, and P55 — however, only the P55T and the P55+ are available in Uganda. Currently, the P55T is available for purchase, while the plus version will be available starting next month (Feb).
A representative with itel Mobile Uganda confirmed to PC Tech Magazine that the P55+ will be available in the Ugandan market in Feb. 2024 and emphasized that only the P55T and P55+ will be sold in Uganda.
There was no comment on why the two other variants; P55 5G and P55 won’t be sold in Uganda.
The itel P55 series is an entry-level smart series and more capable of being in a mid-range series.
The subject of this review is the itel P55T, and we have the variant thanks to itel Mobile Limited. The itel P55T on is no different from its predecessors in terms of design or features, but it comes with some improvements, which we cover in the next section of the review.
Price and specs at a glance
The phone is priced at UGX399,000 and is available at all itel outlets, MTN Uganda service centers, and authorized phone shops across the country, ensuring easy accessibility for interested buyers.
- Body: 75 x 164 x 8.4mm, 190g; plastic back, plastic frame.
- Display: 6.6-inch IPS LCD, 90Hz, 720 x 1612px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 24 bit.
- SoC and Processor: Unisoc Tiger T606 (12nm): 4x 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A55, 4x 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A55, 8 Cores
- Memory: 128GB + 8GB RAM; with dedicated slot: microSD, microSDHC, and microSDXC.
- OS/Software: Android 14 GO Edition, itel v13.6.0.
- Rear camera: 50 MP (primary camera) + AI Camera (depth).
- Front camera: 8 MP.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 6000mAh; 18W wired.
- Connectivity: 4G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 5; Bluetooth 5; 3.5mm earphone jack.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); stereo speakers.
Unboxing the itel P55T
Inside the box, the device; the P55T seats on top greet you upon opening the box, and underneath the phone, is a 3.5mm standard earphone, USB Type-C for charging & data-transfer cable, an 18W fast-charing brick, and a silicon rubber phone case.
Design, build, and display
The itel P55T features an all-plastic design except for the front panel — it’s not Gorilla Glass, but it’s still glass. Overall, the handset’s design isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it does have a strong iPhone-esque design on the back where the camera island is. It’s like a bigger version of the iPhone camera bump with two protruding camera rings and a ring quad-LED flash.
In contrast to the glossy surface of the camera island, the rest of the back panel features a brushed matte finish. The surface is pretty good in the sense that it provides a decent grip, and fingerprints and smudges are not visible at all.
On the side frames — it is the same design we are used to — nothing out of the ordinary still. You have volume and power buttons (the power button that doubles as a fingerprint reader), and a tray that houses the dual-sim, & a microSD card (to expand your phone’s storage). The bottom houses the USB Type-C port, a microphone, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a mono speaker grille.
Going around the front, a 6.6-inch display with rather thick bezels and an even thicker chin. The selfie camera sits in a centered punch-hole. The display is a 720p 90Hz IPS LCD screen, and the quality is okay — we appreciate the smoothness it provides thanks to its refresh rate. Users will enjoy playing games and watching/streaming content on this display at 1080p resolutions.
The display has warm color tones, and the brightness is “kinda” average. Speaking of brightness, the display can go up to 500 nits which should be enough for well-lit or somewhat sunny environments, but you may struggle to see some of the content under bright sunlight.
Contrast, on the other hand, is pretty high which is enough to produce pretty deep blacks.
We have the black version of the P55T but it also comes in blue, and green.
Overall, the design, build, and display are something we have seen on multiple itel smartphones but all in all the build and design quality remain impressive especially if you consider it in its price bracket.
Software, performance, and battery
The phone comes with Android 14 GO Edition coupled with itel’s v13.6.0 software which works smoothly with the OS with no/minimal hiccups or stutters, despite the influx of apps. So I guess itel has done its job pretty well on that front.
The Android GO Edition software is optimized and it is specifically designed for budget-friendly devices such as the itel P55T. This ensures a smooth performance minimizing lags and shutters offering the user an incredible smartphone experience. Users should opt to download and install only lighter apps of their original versions which are available for download on Google Playstore. Such apps include; Facebook Lite, Instagram Lite, TikTok Lite, and Spotify Lite, to mention a few.
The Software doesn’t have much going around even though you tweak it much — which there isn’t much to tweak since the functions are limited compared to other variants such as the P55 and P55+. All in all the GO Edition is good enough for the P55T and you expect to get a smooth performance.
As for performance, the itel P55T is powered by a Unisoc Tiger T606 (12nm) chipset, an octa-core processor, and 4GB RAM (which is expandable to 8GB via memory fusion) which is decent for the phone considering its price.
As a gamer, you will be able to play basic games at high framerates and good quality, and as for heavy-duty games such as Call of Duty mobile, it is the vice-versa, you get low graphics with a medium framerate.
Overall, with the Android 14 GO Edition, up to 8GB of RAM, and 128GB onboard storage, you will get a decent performance from the itel P55T.
One of the standout features and selling points of the itel P55T is its massive 6,000mAh battery. This powerhouse ensures endurance throughout the day, catering to the needs of users with demanding schedules. With the phone running on a not-so-demanding Unisoc Tiger T606 chipset, you get more power to push you throughout the day.
As for charging, the itel P55T supports 18W fast charging. The device seems to be mostly on par with the competition or even outpaces some of its direct rivals. In the first 45 minutes, the handset gets about half of its battery charge back, while a full charging cycle takes nearly 2 hours. For the asking price, that’s a respectable charging speed.
Cameras
The P55T comes with a 50MP main camera which is more than you could ask for in this price bracket. This is a fairly capable shooter, but unfortunately, it’s paired with an AI camera said to be for depth, but I don’t find it of importance. The main shooter is just enough.
As for the front, it’s equipped with an 8MP selfie camera.
The cameras produce pretty decent photos with sufficient sharpness and a respectable amount of detail for the most part. The color temperature tends to be a bit warmer than it should be, but color reproduction is mostly accurate or a bit punchy at times.
The low-light photos appear average with some noise of course being visible and some highlights are clipped, but the shadows reveal plenty of detail, and the sharpness is somewhat decent. There are even some hints of fine detail with the dedicated super night mode. The contrast is good and the colors are life-like.
As for the recording videos, both cameras support recording up to 1080p at 30 frames per second and the audio is clear if there’s no noise in your surroundings.
Verdict
As a user that prioritizes battery life, the itel P55T is a device that you could opt for. In addition to its display, memory & storage, cameras, and general performance — for a device in its price range — put side to side with other devices, it can be taken up. With such a device it is recommended mostly to first-time users considering that itel Mobile Limited is trying to increase the smartphone penetration in Uganda with its budget-friendly devices.
