T-Mobile REVVL 6 Pro 5G review: Pro doesn’t always mean pro

While high-end smartphones are definitely the best you can buy, not everyone can afford them. Fortunately, some manufacturers and cell phone carriers try to provide affordable smartphones with higher-end features. One example is the REVVL 6 Pro 5G from T-Mobile.

The Pro moniker tries to distinguish this budget device from the competition with features like a 6.8″ 720p screen, 128GB of expandable storage, 6GB of RAM, a quad camera, and a massive 5000mAh battery. Is the T-Mobile REVVL 6 Pro 5G deserving of the “pro” moniker? Find out in our full review!

Specifications

Display	6.82″ HD+, 20.5:9, 1640×720 LCD TFT, 2.5D glass
Processor	MediaTek Dimensity 700
Storage	128GB (expandable up to 2TB)
RAM	6GB
Camera	Rear: Quad • 50MP (main) • 5MP (ultra-wide) • 2MP (depth) • 2MP (macro) Front: • 16MP
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC
Sensors	The integrated fingerprint scanner on the power button
Ports	USB Type-C, 3.5mm Jack
Network	• GSM: 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz • 5G: n25, n41, n66, n71, n77 • LTE: 2, 4, 5, 7, 12, 25, 26, 41, 71 • LTE Roaming: 1, 3, 7, 8, 13, 20, 28, 38, 39, 40 • UMTS: Band II (1900), Band IV (1700/2100), Band V (850)
Battery	• 5000mAh • 15W • Wireless charging
Operating System	Android 12
Dimensions	6.84 x 3.05 x 0.35 in / 174 x 77 x 8.9 mm
Weight	7.54 Ounces / 213.7g

What’s in the box

• T-Mobile® REVVL® 6 PRO 5G
• USB-C Cable
• SIM Pin
• Quick Start Guide
• Product Safety Information
• Terms & Conditions

Design

Despite new designs like foldable handsets, smartphone form factors are pretty much standard across the board these days. The REVVL 6 Pro has a more plastic feel to it than a premium feel. The phone’s plastic back has a matte finish, with the sides being less noticeable.

Looking over the rest of the phone, the top is smooth, with one noise-canceling microphone. The left side is completely blank, while the right side has a pink accent power button and a black volume rocker. The power button also functions as a fingerprint sensor, which is a nice touch. The Type-C charging port, a speaker grill, and, yes, a headphone jack can now be found at the phone’s bottom.

The dimensions of the phone are 6.84 x 3.05 x 0.35 inches (174 x 77 x 8.9 mm). Having said that, the device is extremely tall. The iPhone Max model comes to mind when I see it. People with larger hands will prefer it, while those with smaller hands will find the device to be too large. After a while, you should become accustomed to the size.

Display

When it comes to the display of the REVVL 6 Pro 5G, you’re looking at a 6.8″ HD+, 20.5:9 ratio TFT display with a resolution of 1640×720. Given the price point of this device, 720p is about right if you compare it to other phones in the same category.

I use the Samsung Galaxy Fold4 as my main smartphone with the S21+ as a backup. Getting spoiled by the higher resolutions is what it is, but going down to 720p was definitely a big downgrade. I could also notice differences in color and viewing angles. It’s not to say that Samsung ups their color profiles and makes them a bit more saturated but I could at least look at what I was viewing on the screen when at almost any angle. The REVVL 6 Pro isn’t like that. If you go past a certain degree, it’s illegible. Whites became faded, blacks turned gray, and so on. On top of that, if you’re looking at a black background on the screen head-on while tapping on something, say the settings menu, you can see the color shift to gray before opening to whatever you selected. While part of this is due to the lower resolution, it’s also due to the TFT technology used in this display.

The refresh rate drop wasn’t that big of a deal either. However, if you’re dropping from 120hz to 60hz, you’ll notice a difference, especially when scrolling. Now, let’s get into the brightness side of the display. I can’t complain too much for most of the time I used the device, but while watching videos on YouTube, Netflix, or Funimation, my goodness was it bad. I could view everything that was on screen but was able to pick out the pixels.

Could T-Mobile have squeezed in a 1080p screen? Sure, why not? But that’s not the case with this phone. Take it how you will, but with this phone not being specifically made to go against higher-end devices, I believe those who can afford this phone will find the display acceptable for most tasks.

Software

The REVVL 6 Pro 5G comes with stock Android 12 preinstalled with little bloatware. This version of Android was a bit of an overhaul and introduced Material You. I won’t go into full details about the whole Android 12 OS, but the top feature is the ability to customize your device more with color pallets based on your background picture. Any time you change your wallpaper, so do the color options and overall experience. The settings, quick menu buttons, widgets, and others will be set to the color of the pallet you chose.

As for the preinstalled apps, you get a few T-Mobile apps such as T-Mobile app for easy account access, T-Mobile Pay, and McAfee Security. T-Mobile Pay and McAfee Security can be uninstalled while the T-Mobile app can be disabled if you don’t plan on using it.

With Android 13 right around the corner, there is no telling if or when the REVVL 6 Pro 5G will be upgraded to the next Android operating system.

Performance

The REVVL 6 Pro 5G is a budget phone, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have some pretty decent specifications. Internally, you’re getting MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 mobile processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 2TB with its microSD card slot.

The Dimensity 700 chip is in an Octa-core processor with four Arm Cortex-A76 at up to 2.2GHz and the other four Arm Cortex-A55 at up to 2GHz. The 6GB of RAM is LPDDR4X, so you’re getting speeds up to 2,133MHz. Theoretically, this should phone work seamlessly without any issue.

It sounds great on paper but real-world use can vary depending on what you’re doing. While testing the performance of the REVVL 6 Pro, it was able to handle most tasks with ease, including switching between applications, playing games, and basic usage. There were times when it couldn’t keep up with more demanding tasks which were to be expected. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but thanks to the 6GB of RAM, it still did fairly well.

Sound Quality

An area where the REVVL 6 Pro 5G shows its budget side is in the sound department. The quality itself is fine as I was able to hear the audio from a video or music. Unfortunately, when it came to the actual volume that was a problem. In order for me to hear anything from the speakers, the volume had to be cranked up to around 80% volume just to be able to hear clearly.

In the Sound Enhancement settings, there are options for boosting the volume of the speaker and a Hi-Fi mode. BesLoudness is a feature that allows the speaker to become louder, but that failed to make a noticeable difference when toggling it on or off. As for Hi-Fi mode, it should you higher music quality. If you’re already using Spotify Premium or other music streaming services that offer Hi-Fi, you likely won’t notice a difference. While both features are nice to have, they didn’t offer any noticeable difference that I could tell.

Camera

These days, most devices come with two or three rear-facing camera lenses. The REVVL 6 Pro comes with a quad camera setup. The primary lens is a massive 50MP shooter, the ultra-wide being 5MP, and the depth and macro cameras are 5MP each.

When you’re using the main camera, your photos are set to 50MP. The photos look decent when viewed on the phone but look a bit better on a big screen such as a monitor. Colors don’t look too oversaturated or too flat. With that being said, photos are great if you’re going to look at them on a better screen. The ultra-wide lens also follows suit when it comes to picture quality.

As for the depth or macro photos, that’s something different. Depth photos look blurred out in the background causing subjects to look too front and center. While that may be the point of portrait photography, this is a bit overwhelming. Of course, you can turn down the blur post-processing but you’re having to take an extra step to get the right photo you’re looking for. The macro lens is ok if you’re looking for close-up pictures to show off to people but otherwise, there’s no point in having it on the device.

Overall, the camera quality is decent for a budget device, but isn’t its best feature.

Camera Sample Gallery

Call Quality

Being a T-Mobile device, it is locked to their network. From the phone calls that I did take while out and about around town or at work, each call came in clear. I was able to understand what others were saying and vice versa.

Battery Life

The REVVL 6 Pro comes with a massive 5000mAh battery that can give you about 33 hours of talk time or 27 days of standby time per T-Mobile. Of course, battery life varies based on what you use your phone for on a day-to-day basis. Even so, a 5000mAh battery is pretty good to see in a budget-friendly device.

While using the device, I performed typical tasks like daily web browsing, text messaging, switching through different applications, and the occasional video streaming. This was able to last me throughout the day and into late night. By the time I hit around 10%, it was around 11 PM. When morning came, the phone was fully charged and I started the same process over again with little to no change.

Also included is the ability to wirelessly charge the device — a feature missing from most budget devices. It’s convenient for those who have some Qi chargers lying around the house. It does take a bit of time for the device to charge if you go this route. Otherwise, standard charging can get you from 10% to 85% in about 50 minutes. With that being said, there are no fast charging capabilities, so that may turn some people away who may require a quick charge.

Photo Gallery

Price

T-Mobile is currently selling the REVVL 6 Pro 5G for a super affordable price of US$219.99. If you’re looking to purchase this device, the monthly payments are only $9.17 for 24 months. If you’re looking to switch carriers or add a new line of service to an existing account can take full advantage of the current promotion to get it for $0 per month via 24 monthly bill credits.

Here’s the thing. The price-to-performance ratio is fitting and you’re getting what you pay for. If you have, say an iPhone 12 or Galaxy S21 or even a Pixel 5a, and are looking to upgrade, you’re better off sticking with one of those than upgrading to this smartphone.

Wrap Up

When compared to more expensive flagship devices, the REVVL 6 Pro 5G may seem lacking. Don’t get me wrong: for those on a budget, this smartphone should be suitable for daily use. This phone is ideal for anyone on a tight budget.