Fast, sturdy, and 5G-powered – it’s the itel P55 5G – and this is our take on this entry-level game-changer of 2023.
Unboxing
The box of itel P55 5G is typical in shape and form, with the cover showing the phone’s unit in big font and some of the key specs at the bottom.
The back and side of the box are dominated with itel’s iconic red hue. The packaging contains the user manual, phone case, charging brick, charging cable, SIM ejector pin, and a pair of earphones.
The phone case isn’t very special but the earphones and charging brick are, considering many phones on sale no longer have them.
Check out our unboxing and first impression story below.
Display
The itel P55 5G has a 6.6-inch display panel with 90Hz refresh rate. It has a waterdrop design but it isn’t an annoyance when viewing content. Although the bezels aren’t that thin, the phone’s balanced height and width make it seem that the screen is very big.
If you want to scroll content smoothly, take advantage of the device’s 90Hz refresh rate. This is adjustable under the Display settings. To make the phone feel so snappy, go to Display settings and tap on Ultra Touch. Here, you can adjust two options so the animations during navigation will become very fluid.
In terms of visual quality, itel P55 5G comes with a 720 x 1612 display resolution. This resolution is an excellent balance between battery life, performance, and quality. But you can watch online videos with 1080p resolution, thanks to the phone’s processor. The images may look crispier than 720p.
Despite having a waterdrop notch and a bit of a chin, the itel P55 5G’s display looks clean, sharp, and bright. You can also play games with it and get up to 90 frames per second, ideal for fast-paced action titles.
Software
Out of the box, itel P55 5G runs Android 13 and itel OS 13.0. The custom software based on Android sports some handy tools for users:
| itel OS 13 Exclusive Features | Functions on itel P55 5G |
| AI Gallery | The Gallery app has tools for making a collage, compressing photos, and cleaning up storage. |
| Social Turbo | Get support on voice recorder, video beauty, voice changer, and custom emojis on WhatsApp. |
| Game Mode | Software-based game client for immersive experience and quick access to useful tools. |
| Battery Lab | Manage battery life using different methods. |
Camera
The main camera setup on itel P55 5G is composed of two sensors: a 50MP and an AI lens. The captures using the primary camera are quite good with decent color reproduction and obvious details. Even in the low-light conditions, the sensors will still capture details using the LED flash. Check out the samples below.
The selfie camera is a single 8MP sensor powered by AI. This sensor lets you shoot scenes with optimized quality and face retouching. The latter helps enhance your visual charm via numerous tweaks, including smooth skin, skin color, and slim face.
More images by itel P55 5G are shown below.
The main sensor can record videos as well. The most optimized video recording is at 1080p but the phone impresses as it can push up to 2K. If you want to customize your captures, options like Time-Lapse, Panorama, and AR Shot are available for you.
Watch the sample video capture below.
Performance
itel P55 5G is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 6080 CPU, a six-nanometer chipset. This is a relatively new processor, initially announced around June this year. It’s considered a very capable mid-range processor for most popular apps and a great choice for a daily driver.
Although itel P55 5G is an entry-level smartphone, don’t judge too quickly because Dimensity 6080 can score over 400,000 on AnTuTu 10. It’s also the CPU powering the phone’s 5G capability and image processing.
To meet this processor halfway, itel P55 5G sports up to 6GB of onboard memory and up to 128GB internal storage. The memory is expandable by twice the amount; that’s 6GB + 6GB for a whooping 12GB. This is thanks to memory fusion, which you may adjust in the Settings menu.
With these specs, the smartphone can do gaming. During our gaming test, the itel P55 5G ran Mobile Legends: Bang Bang at Super FPS and Ultra graphics. On Call of Duty Mobile, the phone had no problem running on Medium FPS and High graphics. You can swap them for higher frames.
Many other gaming titles will run without issues on itel P55 5G, but don’t expect much on very demanding games. You may get decent performance by lowering graphics quality and FPS.
5G Connectivity
We all wish we could bring unlimited internet with us but that’s not possible. That’s why mobile data is the go-to when traveling. Thus, 5G is very important these days for students, office employees, and other workers.
This is the strength of itel P55 5G. In the entry-level market, the brand is giving everyone a fast, 5G-enabled smartphone without breaking their bank. With 5G, they can benefit from higher transmission speeds, lower latency, larger network capacity, and more stable network connection than 4G.
Users who are not brand-sensitive but desire to own a powerful, entry-level smartphone with 5G can take advantage of the following:
| itel P55 5G Connectivity | Other Brands with 4G only |
| Better transmission of up to 1Gbps | Limited to transmission of up to 100Mbps |
| Very low latency hitting 1 ms | Low latency between 50 to 100 ms |
| Handles more types of devices | Handles all devices in the same service |
| Operates between 30 and 300GHz wavelengths | Operates 6GHz and below wavelengths |
| Precise processing for connected devices to lower signal noise | Not enough processing to lower noise for multiple connected devices. |
In areas where 5G is strong, itel P55 5G lets users connect to the internet at incredible speeds. They can easily browse and shop, play games, and watch videos online without worrying about turtle speeds.
Battery
itel P55 5G is equipped with a 5000mAh battery and this unit supports up to 18w fast charging. The combination of the battery capacity, display resolution, and processor helps maintain peak performance from day to night.
But after it’s exhausted, plug in the device for a quick recharge. Since heat from fast charging can impact the battery, itel installed Charging Safety Protection on P55 5G.
In case the battery needs further extension, go to the Battery Lab under the Settings where two options are available to extend power. Select Power Boost to optimize apps and many phone features to conserve battery. Choose Ultra Power Saver for maximum power conservation, limiting the phone to only six apps.
If your friend’s phone need some juice, you can use itel P55 5G to recharge them via Reverse Wired Charging.
Takeaway
For its price point, itel P55 5G is a deal you can’t miss. First, it’s already 5G-enabled with a mid-range processor. Second, it has a big battery with 18w fast-charging, uncommon in the entry-level market.
Third, the processor isn’t a weakling for it can run many apps and games smoothly. Fourth, it has a big memory and storage, which are both expandable. Boost the RAM with memory fusion and expand the storage with a microSD card slot. Fifth, the display has 90Hz for smooth experience and up to 90 FPS for gaming.
You can get all these perks for an SRP of ₱5,999. itel P55 5G is launching on December 7, 2023. Check out the phone on Shopee, Lazada, and the TikTok Shop.
