BackSmartron tPhone P review: Takes on Xiaomi Redmi 4, and isn’t holding back
Smartron has hit the bulls eye with its new smartphone which impresses with its all-round performance
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Strong battery backup is a key parameter for many users when it comes to buying new smartphones. To make the battery last longer, phonemakers are using less customization to the software, lower resolution displays in more affordable phones, and big batteries in general. Indian smartphone maker Smartron has managed to incorporate all of them in its new smartphone, called the tPhone P. Available at Rs7,999 on Flipkart.com, the new smartphone is likely to be compared to the 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant of Xiaomi’s Redmi 4, which is selling at Rs8,999.
■The tPhone P is a sturdy smartphone with a lustreless metal body and rounded edges. It is 8.9mm thick and weighs 167g, which is a bit high for a regular 5.2-inch screen smartphone. Yet it doesn’t feel unmanageable or hefty when held in the palm.
■The phone’s thickness can be attributed to its 5,000mAh battery, which is rare even among big battery smartphones. Even the Redmi 4 packs in a 4,100mAh battery. With modest use, the tPhone can easily deliver about two days of backup, which is more than what the Xiaomi smartphone can muster.
■The tPhone’s power/screen lock button has a coarse pattern to distinguish it from the volume keys placed next to it. The fingerprint sensor is fast and accurate and can also be used as a shortcut button to take photos and answer calls.
■The 5.2-inch display has a resolution 1,280x720p, which is adequate for the screen size. The display looks good enough for watching videos and reading. Compared to Redmi 4’s 5-inch (1,280x720p) screen, we didn’t notice any major difference in terms of sharpness and colour accuracy. However, with Redmi 4, you get more options such as Bluelight filter.
■When it comes to hardware, the tPhone P is at par with the Redmi 4 as it runs on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 octa-core processor. Coupled with 3GB RAM, the tPhone P is smooth to use, if not fast. We didn’t notice any lags with 6-8 apps running in the background. It even managed to handle games such as Shadow Fight 3 smoothly.
■The smartphone offers 32GB internal storage but provides the option to add 128GB more via microSD card. The only niggle is that the microSD card slot is built on one of the SIM trays, just like the Redmi 4. For users with more storage requirement, Smartron is offering 1,000GB of free cloud storage, on their servers, with the smartphone.
■The tPhone P runs Android 7.1 with a clutter-free stock Android UI. Built-in customisation options are limited. But you can change the size of app icons and text and the adjust the opacity of the background in the app drawer. The Redmi 4 runs Android 7.1 too but with MIUI 9, which offers more features and customisations.
Smartron tPhone P is ideal for users looking for a big battery smartphone which doesn’t have to be charged every day. A clean Android experience and a slightly bigger screen gives it an upper-hand over the Redmi 4, which is notable for its more compact form factor and feature-packed MIUI.
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