The itel S23 4G is taking up the challenge of being the best entry-level phone in the PH market. The question is, is it worthy enough?
After the debut of its Phantom X2 Series and the Phantom V Fold, which received such high praise from the international press because to its amazing price-to-specs ratio, Transsion’s TECNO is making waves as a serious rival in the premium market and is now a major player in the Philippine smartphone market.
Another alternative for power users on a budget is INFINIX, which offers a wide range of possibilities for not much money (at least around the 10k mark). The first two sub-brands we mentioned are also gaining popularity for their correspondingly inexpensive Spark Go / 10 Series and Hot 30 Series.
The Itel Vision 3 and 5 are excellent instances of a developing trend of inexpensive phones getting better with time. On the other hand, the extreme entry-level Itel tries to give even more value by giving decent products beneath the 5K peso barrier.
The newly introduced S23 4G has a lot of promising features and value for money we all expect for less than a fraction of the price. Given that along the line, we may notice some cost-cutting decisions Itel has in store for us, but the S23 4G surprised us in a way – it is a huge bang-for-the-buck!
Quick Unboxing and Design
The new box and packaging for the itel S23 (128GB version) is a welcome change from the previous model. The muted red and white color scheme is more pleasing to the eye, and the plastic wrap is a nice touch. The inclusion of a plastic divider, hard case, and earphone jack is also a surprise at this price point. The 10W charging brick and Type-A to Type-C cable are nothing special, but they will suffice.
Moving on to the Itel S23 4G, we quickly noticed the gorgeous back design resembling a Huawei device. The colorway is extremely pleasant to the eyes.
The camera has a slight bump that houses the two camera modules and it’s safe to say that we are deeply impressed by the looks of this device.
The display is respectable
The huge 6.6″ HD+ display, which is covered by a pre-applied plastic screen protector, has a 720p resolution yet has vibrant colors and no discernible pixelation, indicating that Itel utilized a high-quality LCD panel for this device – not just a shabby one.
The bezels ultimately give away its budget status, but it’s not a bad thing at all. But wait, the Itel S23 4G has another trick up its sleeve: it has a 90Hz refresh rate, something that’s a rarity within this super budget range.
Regarding the user experience, watching videos on YouTube is only adequate and nothing special. During our Costa Rica 4K test, it maxes out at 720p, and the colors are somewhat subdued and dark, but not so much that it is unwatchable. We are content with the fact that the S23 4G isn’t even trying to exceed its 720p display. Netflix does not have HD-quality streaming and only has Widevine L3 certification, thus it is not advised to watch it here.
The plastic back of the phone is slippery and a smudge magnet, but it’s to be expected at this price point. The glass front is just okay, and we’re not sure what type of glass it is. Outdoor usage is fine, but the screen is a bit reflective.
Audio, battery life, and charging
The Itel S23 4G’s audio output is adequate when using its single down-firing speaker. Compared to phones with stereo speakers, it may be tin-like and quiet, but it serves the purpose. There is no Dolby Atmos or similar technology, therefore using the included headphones may be more preferable.
The S23 4G’s audio jack output is weak, with almost silent lows and crashing highs. It’s not great for music playback, but it gets the job done. The battery is 5,000mAh, which is enough for moderate usage, but you’ll need to charge it in the afternoon if you’re using it heavily. The Unisoc Tiger T606 chipset is outdated and power-hungry, so expect to charge the phone more often than you would with a more efficient chipset.
Charging the Itel S23 4G with the provided 10W charger took us a little over 2 hours to fully charge it from 0% to 100%. We just wish they include an 18W one because some of their counterparts are already offering that kind of wattage in their charger within the same price range. But hey, they need to cut corners somehow.
itelOS 8.6.0
The proprietary operating system for this device is similar to Infinix’s XOS and TECNO’s HiOS. We recommend using a different launcher, such as Nova Launcher or Aurora Launcher, for a cleaner look. The notification panel and quick functions are also borrowed from HiOS and XOS. We like the Peek Proof feature and the lack of bloatware but we wish the phone could be updated to the latest Android version.
The Itel S23 4G runs on a Unisoc Tiger T606 processor clocking in at 1.61GHz (both the two large cores and six little ones are clocked at the same speed). It has 4GB of RAM that can be expanded up to 8GB with its Virtual RAM function.
It may help with multitasking, but at the end of the day, it all depends on what SoC can handle. What’s surprising is the 256GB storage onboard which is a rarity for its price. More apps, more data, more fun.
It scored around 270968 points on AnTuTu Lite (v9.5.9) which is more than enough to run most apps with minimal stutters and lag. Popular games such as CoDM, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Genshin Impact’s performance are as follows:
- CoDM: Medium graphics / High refresh rate – Barely playable. But there are constant frame drops and heavy lag when there are too many players. Multiplayer is fine, but we advise turning the graphics to low instead and downloading shader preload for both modes.
- MLBB: High graphics / High refresh rate – Extremely playable, as it can even run smoothly on a device from many years ago. Comparing this aside, turning the graphics smooth and the refresh rate high is better.
- Genshin Impact: Low graphics / low refresh rate – Even with the lowest settings, Genshin Impact struggles to run on this device.
Even with the Game Space function, it offers little to no improvement at all, as the phone suffers from throttling within the first ten minutes of gaming.
The camera is on the weaker side though
Don’t expect Huawei-like quality from the S23 4G (or even the other S23 from Sammy), despite the camera island’s stunning aesthetics. Daylight photo quality is at best subpar, exhibiting inconsistent computational power with varied results, dark spots, and slow shutter speed necessitating multiple takes and just the right amount of patience to produce decent photos.
The 50MP rear camera also struggles with night mode as well (using the Super Night mode), producing noisy, grainy images that look like they were taken with a 2010 myPhone device. The QVGA camera isn’t helping as well, as we see no real function to it other than detecting depth.
Portrait shots produce uneven blurring effects, which are barely usable. Due to pixel binning, the 50MP camera produces 12MP photos.
The 8MP selfie camera produces similar results in terms of daylight, night mode, and portrait mode. Both video qualities on the rear and front are kind of alright, and are serviceable as best. We aren’t saying that we expect flagship quality for a budget device. If you want to get creative, those nostalgia-esque qualities can be of use to your advantage as well.
The video recording quality of the Itel S23 4G is decent for a budget phone. It can record videos in 1080p at 30fps, and the quality is good enough for sharing on social media. However, the video quality is not as good as some of the more expensive phones on the market. The colors are not as vibrant, and the details are not as sharp.
Conclusion
What we like about the itel S23 4G
- Huge 256GB of internal storage inside
- Trendy design
- 90Hz refresh rate
- Unisoc Tiger T606 inside which is more than enough for this phone class
- 720p display better than most offerings under this class
- Minimal bloatwares
- Earphones and hard case inside
- Very affordable
What we dislike about the itel S23 4G
- Mediocre camera performance
- 10W charging brick is so slow
- itelOS 8.6.0 is clunky
- No Netflix HD support
Final Remarks
Itel S23 4G delivers a solid entry-level device with competitive specs and value for money, if not for its mediocre camera quality and slow charging speed. Still, this solid offering will guarantee a head turn from consumers and enthusiasts alike.
The itel S23 4G is officially priced at Php4,999 for the 8GB/256GB variant.
To see the specs for the itel S23 4G, click here: https://unboxdiaries.com/phones/itel-s23-4g/
If you want to purchase the phone, you can find the itel S23 4G – 8GB/256GB at the Lazada Mall. Add to cart here.
The phone is offered at a reduced price of 4,799, and free gifts like the itel Neck Band G3, itel Speaker K07, or itel Wired Headset IEP-41Freebie are also included.
Use the coupon code “VOUCHER HERE” to receive an extra 100 pesos off your order.
Only July 5, 6, and 7 are eligible for the discounted pricing. To receive your freebies, choose one gift when you check out.
