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T-Mobile is one of the largest smartphone carriers in the U.S., and its signals keep millions of phones connected to the world. But, the company wanted to play a bigger part in the smartphone experience and bring forth its own T-Mobile-branded line of phones under the REVVL name. I was given the opportunity to review the newest phone in this series called the REVVL 7 Pro 5G. Let’s see if this phone is as good as the other phones its OEM powers.
When dealing with a phone like this, we tend to consider them lower in quality. It makes sense; Samsung is a company that makes high-quality phones, but its smartphone business is a priority for it. A good amount of the company’s income comes from smartphone sales. T-Mobile, on the other hand, is a smartphone carrier first and foremost. It earns its money from the number of people who subscribe to its service.
As such, making a phone to push the smartphone industry forward isn’t a priority for it. There’s no real reason to use the latest and great Snapdragon chip or a QHD+ OLED display. The purpose of this phone is to create another avenue for people to use T-Mobile’s services.
But, the T-Mobile REVVL series has proven to be a relatively popular line of phones. We’re not sure how big of a role T-Mobile played in the production of the phone; who’s to say that the company didn’t partner with a company to manufacture the phone? In any case, the company must be doing something right to be able to make a popular brand. So, the REVVL 7 Pro 5G has some big shoes to fill.
REVVL 7 Pro 5G Review: Design
When it comes to the design, it looks like a 2023 Motorola phone and a OnePlus 10 had a baby. The camera package curves to meet the frame of the phone just like the OnePlus 10, though the effect isn’t as seamless with the REVVL. There’s a clear line that separates the camera package and the frame. So, it doesn’t look like the package is melting into the frame. It’s still pretty nice.
The backplate of the phone looks just like what we got with the Motorola Stylus 2023. The material has this matte texture that plays with the light in a certain way. It gives the backplate the illusion of depth. T-Mobile emulated the phone’s backplate down to the color.
All of this is wrapped in a pretty boxy body. T-Mobile went for the “bigger is better”mentality with the phone, as this is a pretty chunky guy. The fact that the camera package is so small compared to the rest of the body makes the phone look even chunkier. That’s not a bad thing, as many folks like the thought of holding a larger phone.
Looking at the front of the device, things don’t get any prettier. I’m not one to obsess over bezel size; I always say, “When you’re using your phone, you’re not looking at the bezels, you’re looking at the display.” However, I have to admit that the bezels of this phone are rather big. It’s the classic story of the chin bezel being a bit larger than the forehead bezel. There are affordable phones that try to keep the bezels slim like the Tecno Camon 30 Premier (Review). The REVVL 7 Pro, on the other hand, isn’t one of them.
Overall, there’s nothing really spectacular about the design. I’ve reviewed phones designed to look like fashion accessories, but I’ve also reviewed phones that aren’t meant to catch your eye. The REVVL 7 Pro 5G is one of the latter. The backplate does look nice in the light, and I give the company props for trying to bring the OnePlus 10’s camera package. Also, the magenta-colored power button is a nice touch. However, this is not the phone you’ll get for the design.
REVVL 7 Pro 5G Review: Build quality
This being an affordable phone designed for the American market, it was no mystery what material this phone uses the most. I’m not going to mince words, the REVVL 7 Pro 5G isn’t designed to make you feel like you’re holding a flagship. It’s not a phone designed to nip at the heels of a flagship phone.
When I first picked up this phone, it became apparent that it is primarily made of plastic. The frame is plastic as well as the backplate. I was a little surprised about the backplate, as T-Mobile pulled off the frosted glass look perfectly. So, it’s able to fool people into thinking they’re holding glass… until they actually start holding it.
When holding this phone, I got the same feeling I got while holding the Tecno Pova 6. The thing with that phone is that it’s a pretty thick phone, but it’s so light; it’s a marshmallow. I got that disconcerting feeling of hollowness when I picked up that phone, and it’s the same for the REVVL 7 Pro.
When I pick up the phone, it feels like there’s a lot of wasted space inside of the phone. The use of plastic greatly contributes to this feeling. I won’t say that it’s a terrible thing, but it definitely has an impact on the feeling in the hand.
Structure
The feeling in the hand isn’t the most important thing about the build quality. I did a very light bend test to listen for any kinds of sounds coming from the phone. I listened for any creaks or moans from the phone. After bending it, I could hear some slight noises, but nothing significant. It’s a cheaper phone, so these are things that you should come to expect.
I wouldn’t say that the build quality is problematic, but the REVVL 7 Pro 5G isn’t pulling any extra weight in the build quality department.
REVVL 7 Pro 5G Review: Display
Affordable phones, especially ones designed for the American market, typically have underwhelming displays. There are some standouts, but they’re pretty bad most of the time. In the case of the REVVL 7 Pro 5G, I wasn’t really expecting much in the display department. But, being a person who’s reviewed affordable phones with surprisingly good displays, I should know better. The fact of the matter is that does stand out in a few areas.
Brightness
Brightness is one of the most important areas of a display’s quality. It doesn’t matter how many pixels are on the screen if you can’t see it. Smartphone screens have gotten brighter over the years, and this is true for affordable phones as well.
I’ve reviewed a few phones that are perfectly visible in the sunlight, and they’re better than flagship phones from a few years ago. In the case of the REVVL 7 Pro 5G, I can’t say that I’m all that impressed.
The sunlight visibility is pretty decent; I’m able to see the screen pretty while outside. When I turn on Adaptive Brightness, I see the max brightness get a nice boost. It certainly helps me see the screen better. However, even with the boost, it can still be a little tough to see in the sunlight. When I first took the display outside, I was already having a bit of trouble seeing the display, and it was overcast.
So, when it comes to brightness, I’d say that it’s definitely better than a phone of this price a few years ago. However, the brightness isn’t anything to write home about.
Colors
The REVVL 7 Pro 5G uses an OLED panel, which surprised me a bit when I saw it. The T-Mobile REVVL series of phones has been in a blind spot for me, so I don’t know too much of what these phones typically offer. When I was first turned on the phone, I was hit with a good bit of color, and it was just the T-Mobile and Android logos on a gray backdrop.
Once I got into the software and started using the phone, I really enjoyed what I saw. Not all OLED panels are created equal; it all comes down to the calibration. The Poco F6 series of phones have amazing OLED panels, but their colors are calibrated to be more subdued. The opposite goes for the Motorola Edge 2023.
In the case of the REVVL 7 Pro 5G, the screen is jam-packed with color. Everything on the screen just pops with color. It even makes the pastel colors present in Material You look saturated. You get some pretty juicy colors when navigating the interface.
As such, every app I used on the phone was that much more saturated. I’d say that this is the most saturated display that I reviewed on a phone. This is something that can be problematic in some cases.
Issue
It’s nice seeing the colors pop off of the screen; games, movies, and other apps look nice when being used, and the interface is colorful. However, I feel that the company took things a little far. Like I said, it’s about the calibration. Phones with some the best screens I reviewed are from Techno and Infinix. They’re not just mindlessly saturated, the companies took the time to meticulously calibrate the display so that the screens are saturated in all the right places. Sure, calibration is subjective but oversaturated is oversaturated.
The colors are super-saturated, and not everyone likes colors like that. It wouldn’t be so bad if T-Mobile gave the phone an option to tone down the colors that you see on numerous other phones. It’d be nice to at least tone them down a bit. Certain colors on the screen, like T-Mobile’s magenta, singe the eyes when you look at them. It’s very easy for the colors to become too much.
Extras
When it comes to extra features, there are a few. Firstly, this display caps out at 120Hz. I think that 120Hz is the sweet spot when it comes to refresh rate. There’s no need for 144Hz displays.
Lastly, there’s a nifty Extra dim feature. It’s nothing special; it just dims the screen a bit more. It’s handy for those times when you wake up in the middle of the night and you want to check your phone without blinding yourself.
Overall
It’s hard for me to place this display. The brightness is decent and it’s very fluid. The colors are nice, but I think they go just a bit overboard. It almost feels like T-Mobile just cranked the saturation up without really putting too much thought into the actual calibration. Everything’s so packed with color, and the company didn’t show any kind of restraint.
I wish that T-Mobile would have put more thought into calibration or at least given us the option to tone down the colors a bit. The display is nice, but it’s behind many of the other displays that I’ve reviewed.
REVVL 7 Pro 5G Review: Speakers
The display quality goes hand-in-hand to create the overall media experience of a phone. Again, since I haven’t used a REVVL phone before, I didn’t know what to expect in the speaker performance. So, I went in with an open mind.
To test out the speakers, I played six short text pieces that accentuate one aspect of a speaker’s performance: Volume, Bass, Treble, Vocals, Balance, and Immersion. I used the text pieces, but I also just used the speakers in my daily life.
Volume
In terms of overall volume, these speakers are lacking power. At their full volume, the speakers sounded pretty quiet. I’ve reviewed speakers with relatively quiet speakers like the Galaxy S24+, but I think that these are some of the quietest speakers I’ve reviewed. They’ll do just fine when you’re inside, but once you’re outside, you’re going to struggle to hear them.
Bass
When it comes to the bass, the performance isn’t bad. I wouldn’t say that it’s great, but it’s better than most other phones that I reviewed. The test piece that I used is a short orchestral piece with emphasis on lower instruments like Double Bass, Bassoon, Contra Bassoon, and Tubas. I can hear some good definition in the instruments along with a good bit of rumble. So, I’d say that these speakers have some decently good bass.
Treble
When listening to the treble example, I listen for clarity mostly, and there’s some nice clarity. The test piece includes Piano, Celeste, Pizzicato Strings, Violins, and Flutes. Everything sounded pretty crisp and defined. Again, it’s not the best that I’ve reviewed, but it was better than I expected.
Balance
The piece that I used is a mellow chill-hop song with equal emphasis on the treble and bass. In terms of overall balance, I think that the bass is a bit stronger than the treble. When listening to music, you’re most likely going to hear the lower-end frequencies more than the higher-end ones. It’s not bad, but it’s something to keep in mind.
Vocals
It’s important for speakers to project voices clearly in order to enjoy your music. Sometimes, phone makers forget that. In the case of the REVVL, I think that the voices project pretty nicely, but the performance is overall underwhelming. When listening to different songs, I found that the voices were a little bit washed out. They’re not the worst, but I wouldn’t call the vocal performance a high point of these speakers.
Immersion
When it comes to the overall immersion, I think that these speakers are rather nice. I listened to music and watched movies, and they did a good job of putting me in the action. Obviously, they’re not as good as what you’d get with a more expensive flagship phone, but they do a decent job.
Overall
I think that T-Mobile put a lot of work into these speakers. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance. Going in, I wasn’t expecting gold… and I didn’t get gold. However, what I got was a pair of pleasantly nice speakers.
REVVL 7 Pro 5G Review: Camera
When reviewing budget-friendly phones, we don’t tend to expect much, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by a few. When it comes to the camera in the REVVL 7 Pro 5G, I’d say that it’s pretty par for the course.
Exposure/Contrast
In terms of exposure, the camera did a nice job of exposing the image without blowing out the highlights. Some spots in the direct sunlight were even a bit toned down in terms of exposure. For example, there’s a picture of the rocks. I think that the phone knocked the exposure back a bit. However, the exposure remains overall balanced.
When it comes to the contrast, I think that this camera tends to crush the shadows just a bit. The shot with the leaves and the shot with the trees have a few areas that are completely black. It’s not bad, though. I think the phone did an admirable job.
Colors
In terms of colors, nothing about the pictures really stuck out to me. I think that the camera captured colors that are pretty true to the scene. Colors like greens and reds got a nice little punch to them without going overboard. However, the overall tone remains pretty neutral.
The most pleasant picture I took, color-wise, is the image of the Wedelia. The yellow in the flower is warm and the green of the leaves is rather lush.
When it comes to the colors, I think that it’s meant to produce picture perfect to be seen on the display. Since the phone’s screen is so saturated, the colors in the pictures get a nice boost without being too much. So, if you’re planning on taking images to post to social media or share, then you might want to consider throwing them into a photo editor and boosting the saturation.
Low-light
Every camera has its Achilles heel, and that’s the case for the REVVL 7 Pro’s low-light performance. If there’s a good amount of light in the scene, the Night camera mode can pull a decent shot. However, even its best shots leave much to be desired. Overall, many of the details in the image are very blurry, and it makes for an unappealing image altogether.
Overall
The general performance of this camera is pretty decent. It’s not stellar, but’s far from bad. You’ll get pleasantly mid-range performance from this camera. I’ve definitely reviewed worse.
REVVL 7 Pro 5G Review: Performance
Now, for that almighty section of the review. The performance of this phone is a bit of a funny story. Navigating the software in general is smooth. You’d be surprised by how many devices lag consistently when just navigating through the menus. A good example would be the abomination that is the TCL Tab 8 LE. Going through the interface, I didn’t see any stutters or dropped frames at all. So, does the bare minimum of running the software.
When it comes to opening apps, it’s definitely slower than more expensive phones, but it’s not problematically slow. I did have an issue with how long it takes to open Survivor.io. It takes about 30 seconds to do so. However, the phone will open most other apps completely fine. You won’t notice a difference unless you place the phone right next to a flagship. We’re talking about opening Spotify in 0.4 seconds compared to 0.1 seconds for a more expensive phone.
While the general performance bad, there are some areas where I see the chip panting a bit. A good example is when taking videos. While doing so, I see the camera struggling to keep a consistent frame rate. Also, the rendered video is choppy as well. You’re not likely getting this phone to film your Sundance Film Festival entry, but it’d still be nice to see some better performance.
Another area where this phone was sluggish is in video rendering. I rendered a minute-long video in CapCut at 1080p resolution. Most flagship phones take less than 20 seconds while many mid-range phones take between 20 and 30 seconds. The REVVL 7 Pro 5G took 45 seconds to render the video.
So, while navigating the software and opening apps is rather smooth, you can expect some sluggish performance in some areas. You’ll see the cracks in the shield once you start to put on a relatively heavy load.
Benchmark numbers
For those who are curious, here are a few benchmark numbers. Obviously, they’re not an accurate representation of the phone’s performance, but it’s still good to see some scores.
Starting off with GeekBench 6, this phone got a single-core score of 765, which is pretty low. It’s nearly 200 points lower than the Galaxy S20 FE’s score of 978. Moving onto the multi-core score, the REVVL 7 Pro 5G scored 2445. Again, this chip’s not exactly batting 1000. It’s a bit lower than the Poco X3 Pro, and that phone used 2019’s Snapdragon 860 SoC.
Moving onto 3D Mark, this phone got a Best loop score of 613 and a Lowest loop score of 608. So, when it comes to the benchmarks, the REVVL 7 Pro just doesn’t bring the goods. However, those are just benchmark scores. I said that reviewing this phone’s performance was weird, and it was! Why?
Gaming…
REVVL 7 Pro 5G Review: Gaming
Don’t judge a book by its cover, and don’t judge a phone by its benchmark scores. So, with the laggy video performance, slower app loading speeds, and low benchmark scores, I assumed that this phone would be a mess when it comes to gaming. However, that’s not the case. To be quite honest, this phone surprised me quite a bit.
Starting off with a 2D game, I gravitate toward Survivor.io. This is a game that really packs in the sprites, and it’s definitely caused some dropped frames on powerful phones. I admit that there were some dropped frames when I played this game on the REVVL 7 Pro 5G. Overall, it didn’t become an issue. The stutters were few and far apart.
Moving onto some 3D games, let’s start with Asphalt 9 and Sky: Children of The Light. I had no issue whatsoever with the performance of those games. I opened them, cranked their graphical settings up to their maximum settings, and played them without any stutters or dropped frames. Both of these games are pretty graphically intensive, and they can bog down performance in different ways. We all know how intense Asphalt 9 can get in the heat of the race. As for Sky, it’s not shy about showing wide-open spaces.
Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail
Now, let’s crank the dial up a notch or two. I installed Genshin Imapact and Star Rail on this phone to test out the gaming, and I expected the performance to tank. Well, it was a mixed bag. Staring with Star Rail, the performance was nothing to write home about. During battles, there were occasional dropped frames with certain attacks.
Walking around in the frozen wasteland was relatively smooth. As with the other games, I turned the graphical settings up to full. I didn’t get 60fps, but it was still smooth with the sparse dropped frame. However, the performance takes a dive once you enter the town. The lag is pretty consistent. However, that’s with the graphics turned all the way up.
The story for Genshin Impact is different… very different. Again, I expected the game to turn into a slideshow once I turned the graphics all the way up. When I started playing this game, and the performance I got was nothing like I expected. It was perfectly smooth. The frame rate didn’t drop below 30fps, all of the animations were perfectly smooth, and nothing slowed down.
I was pretty stunned, as Genshin Impact is one of the most graphically intensive games on the Play Store. I expected some sort of slowdown, but I just didn’t get it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I was able to get 60fps, but the frame rate certainly didn’t fall below 30fps. Let me remind you, this is with all of the graphic settings turned to their maximum settings. I even left the motion blur on.
It’s clear that Genshin is just better optimized than Star Rail. Regardless, Genshin Impact basically has PS3 graphics; it’s a pretty game. The REVVL was able to conquer that game without breaking a sweat.
REVVL 7 Pro 5G Review: Battery
The battery life is pretty good overall. To test the battery, along with using it as my daily driver, I played a video non-stop until the phone died. The phone lasted 15 hours and 16 minutes before dying. That’s not a bad number, and it means that you should be able to expect all-day battery life.
I was able to get through the day on a single charge during my testing. Most of the time, I was able to make it into the next day without needing to charge it. So, the battery life is definitely pretty good.
REVVL 7 Pro 5G Review: Final Verdict
There are those phones that surpass expectations, and the T-Mobile REVVL 7 Pro 5G is one of them. As I said before, this phone isn’t meant to push the envelope in terms of smartphone tech or the overall smartphone experience. Rather, it’s a device designed to capture more people and keep them locked into T-Mobile.
As such, the technology under the hood isn’t the priority. However, that didn’t stop T-Mobile from bringing a rather nice smartphone experience. It’s not going to dethrone certain mid-range titans like the Techno Camon 30 Premier or the Poco. Still, I enjoyed my time with this phone.
The screen is colorful, the sunlight visibility is pretty good, the speakers are pleasant, the performance is decent, the gaming is great, and the design is pleasing. T-Mobile overachieved in a few areas with this phone that’s sure to keep some users tethered to the carrier’s service.
If you’re a T-Mobile customer, and you’re looking for a good phone for only $250, then the REVVL 7 Pro should be on your list.