Last month, Itel added another entry-level smartphone to its India portfolio. The new Itel P55 is priced at Rs 7,499. It is available in two storage variants. One of the highlights of this phone is support for 18W fast charging; a feature which is often looked past in this category. The 6.6-inch display is one of the biggest screens we have seen on a smartphone priced under Rs 10,000. The P55 crossed our desks last month and we have been using it as our daily driver for the last week. So, how did it fare in our tests? Find out in our Itel P55 review.
Read Also: How to use Family Link to block explicit content on Google Chrome? (2024)
In This Article
Itel P55 review: Design and Display
Inside the Itel P55 retail box, you get the following things:
- Smartphone
- 18W power adapter
- USB Type-A to Type-C cable
- Clear plastic case
- SIM ejector tool
- User manual
- Warranty card
The P55 is available in four colour options – Aurora Blue, Brilliant Gold, Moonlit Black, and Glitter Purple. The smartphone’s design is almost identical to the Infinix Smart 8 (our review here). The camera array on the back panel has a two-step design. These cameras along with the LED flash are aligned in a triangular shape, similar to the iPhone Pro models. The flat plastic black feels sturdy and glimmers against the light.
The plastic frame has flat edges and rounded corners, giving the phone a nice in-hand feel while offering a good grip. The right edge of the frame houses the volume rocker keys and the side button. The side button also doubles up as the fingerprint sensor. At the bottom edge, you will find the 3.5mm headphone jack, primary microphone, USB Type-C port, and speaker grille. The SIM tray is positioned on the left edge of the frame.
One of our favourite things about this smartphone is its front panel. The 6.6-inch IPS LCD panel has a 90Hz refresh rate and a 720 x 1,612p resolution. This display is surrounded by thick bezels on all four sides. These bezels become prominent along the chin. The selfie camera is housed in a punch-hole cutout on the display – something you don’t often get to see in this category. Certain notifications pop around this punch hole cutout, like the Dynamic Island on the newer iPhones. Itel calls it the ‘Dynamic Bar’. On the Infinix Smart 8 Series, this is called the ‘Magic Ring’.
The IPS LCD panel on this smartphone is vibrant and produces detailed images. Watching video content across the major streaming platforms was an enjoyable experience on the P55. Since it does not have Widevine L1 certification, you won’t be able to access the Full HD content on apps like Netflix. This isn’t too big of a dealbreaker, as we were satisfied with the picture quality of the display. The speaker on this phone produces a tinny output and is lacking considerably when it comes to the low-end output. We’d suggest using a pair of headphones while listening to music.
The touch response offered by the display is decent. It’s not as snappy as the budget smartphones in the upper price bracket, but that is something to be expected from every entry-level device. While using the phone in direct sunlight, you will need to cover it with your palm to make the display legible. The good news is that the side-mounted fingerprint scanner is super quick. Even a gentle press of the finger unlocks the screen very quickly.
Itel P55 review: Performance and Cameras
Powering the Itel P55 is the Unisoc T606 processor. This processor does duty on a lot of entry-level smartphones, including the Infinix Smart 8 HD (our review here). The P55 is available in multiple RAM and storage variants – 4/8GB + 128GB and 8/16GB + 256GB. On the Geekbench 6 app, the smartphone scored 376 points in the single-core test and 1,408 points in the multi-core test.
We used the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant of the Itel P55 for this review. The everyday performance of the P55 is pretty standard for an entry-level device. Apps take every so slightly longer to load and there are frequent lags while multitasking. Our daily tasks on the device included audio and video calling, instant messaging, emailing, navigation, media playback, social media browsing, and a bit of gaming. The smartphone was able to handle all these tasks but noticed slight overheating while video calling for an extended duration of time.
The smartphone can handle games like Candy Crush Saga, Subway Surfers, and Toon Blast fairly well. Games like Garena Free Fire Max can be played in low settings. The main issue lies with the touch response while trying to play FPS games. You are also bound to experience frame drops frequently. If you’re looking for a dedicated gaming smartphone, we’d suggest expanding your budget and browsing other categories.
The smartphone comes with Android 13-based ItelOS V13 out of the box. This OS offers a clean interface with minimal bloatware. If you’re making the switch from a feature phone, it won’t take long to get used to this software. The app drawer is neatly arranged in a four-column pattern and has a ‘Recent Apps’ menu at the top to access your most used apps.
The home screen can be customised with your favourite widgets. The Quick Settings Menu is aesthetically pleasing with iOS-like individual cutout tiles for different functions. Talking about similarities with iOS, the ‘Dynamic Bar’ around the punch hole cutout of the smartphone has fun animations for notifications related to face unlock, charging, background calls, and low battery. Another great feature of this OS is the ‘Game Space’ which compiles all the installed games on the device in an attractive layout and lets you access the ‘Game Mode’.
The Itel P55 is one of the few budget smartphones that offer fast charging. It comes with an 18W power adapter out of the box as well. However, since it packs a massive 5,000 mAh battery, the smartphone can take over an hour to fully charge. There is a small LED notification light on the front panel that lights up when you plug in the charger. During the review period, we got a consistent one-day battery backup on the Itel P55. On more moderate usage, you can push this smartphone to 2 days on a single charge.
The rear camera array of the smartphone comprises a 50MP primary shooter and a 0.08MP auxiliary lens. Up front, the 8MP selfie camera is housed in a punch-hole cutout. In daylight conditions, the 50MP rear camera takes good pictures that pack essential details while producing punchy colours. However, it tends to overexpose images while shooting in harsh lighting conditions. On certain occasions, we found the images a bit overprocessed and heavily saturated.
The native camera app on Itel P55 has an AI function that gauges the scene and applies the necessary effects. While shooting in limited lighting, the Night Mode gets turned on automatically. While taking selfies, the portrait mode kicks in. There is a ‘Super Night’ mode in the camera app that needs to be manually activated to take images in limited lighting. It does a good job of brightening the subject and reinjecting the appropriate colours. The only catch is that you need to hold your phone still for at least 5 seconds while the sensor lets in the light. Since the smartphone relies on a very basic chipset, the images take a bit longer to process.
The Portrait Mode on this smartphone can be a hit or miss. It struggles to apply blur to the background but the close-up shots are very vibrant. The problem with overexposure is also prevalent here. The 8MP selfie camera takes good pictures but applies a skin brightening effect which feels too gaudy. There are a bunch of native filters on the camera app that can be used to add flair to your pictures.
Read Also: Google Maps vs Waze: What’s the difference?
Verdict
As far as entry-level smartphones go, the Itel P55 is a good deal at Rs 7,499. There’s a lot to like about the design of the smartphone, from the flat edges and back panel to the punch-hole cutout on the display and the slim form factor. The addition of the ‘Dynamic Bar’ is a nice touch. It could’ve used a more powerful chip than the Unisoc T606, but for everyday use, this is still a very good smartphone. If your primary tasks involve watching video content and video calling, the P55 should fit the bill nicely.
Itel P55: Pros
- 90Hz display
- Punch-hole cutout instead of a notch
- 18W charging
- 5,000 mAh battery lasts over a day
- Good OS experience
Itel P55: Cons
- Needs a more powerful chipset
- Average camera performance
