The srt.phone is the company’s second smartphone and is aimed at mainstream consumers. With a starting price of Rs 12,999, the t.phone is a very affordable smartphone. We will be testing a more powerful version of this phone which has more RAM and storage but is priced under Rs 15,000.
We think the SRT.Phone will be an initial appeal for many as Smartron claims that the phone is inspired by Sachin Tendulkar. But is this reason enough to buy the phone? Let’s find out in our review.
Smartron SRT.Phone Design and Build Quality
The SRT.Phone comes with a standard candlebar design but has curved edges and corners for a comfortable grip. The plastic body feels sturdy. The battery is non-removable but the two nano-SIM slots can be accessed by removing the rear cover of the phone, although it is a bit difficult to do so. The grey colour does not look very good but the matte finish does not attract fingerprints too much.
Talking about the front, the phone has a 5.5-inch full-HD IPS display with Gorilla Glass 3. The brightness level of the display is very good which makes it easy to use the phone in daylight. Viewing angles and color reproduction are also good. There are three backlit dots below the display that work like Android navigation buttons. You have the option to enable the onscreen buttons by going to the Settings app. On the top, there is ambient light and proximity sensor but there is no notification LED.
The volume rocker on the right side of the phone is convenient to operate, but the power button on the top is in a very awkward position and is difficult to use. Thankfully, you’ll mostly use the fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone, but it would still have been better if it was placed on the left side. Also, there’s no ‘double tap’ gesture to activate the screen.
The camera setup on the back of the phone is flat and Smartron’s signature orange branding can be seen everywhere on the device. The fingerprint sensor is easy to use and is quick to recognise fingerprints. We never had any trouble unlocking the phone using the sensor during our usage. Unlike many other smartphones, you cannot use the fingerprint sensor to lock apps and files. There is a USB Type-C connector on the bottom edge of the phone along with a speaker grille.
In the retail box, you get an 18-watt adapter with the phone which comes with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge standard support. Apart from this, there is a Type-C cable and some instruction manuals. Smartron has also given some launch offers. Customers will also get an additional cover with Sachin Tendulkar.
Overall, the SRT.Phone has a good build quality and fits well in the hand. The phone weighs 155 grams and is easy to carry in the pocket despite its 8.9mm thickness. The phone doesn’t look very fancy and the awkward placement of the power button will take some getting used to, but apart from that, there are no major issues with the phone.
Smartron SRT.Phone specifications and software
The SRT.Phone has good specifications. This phone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor and we reviewed the variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The lack of expandable storage option in the phone is disappointing but the phone has enough space for most uses. Talking about other specifications, there are features like Bluetooth 4.1, dual-band Wi-Fi AC, USB OTG, FM radio and GPS. The SRT.Phone supports NFC which can be called a great feature in this price segment. The phone also has several sensors including a gyroscope. The phone supports 4G with VoLTE on all Indian bands.
Smartron hasn’t tampered with Android and that’s something we really like. The phone runs Android Nougat (7.1.1) and is expected to get an Android O update. The stock launcher looks similar to the Pixel phones. But this phone has an app drawer button. Swiping to the right opens the Google Now page and Google Assistant is also provided. In the app drawer, recently installed apps appear first but there is no way to change the app icons alphabetically.
Smartron has provided an Office suite of Microsoft apps which cannot be uninstalled. Thankfully, there aren’t too many apps on the phone. The other apps on the phone are a custom gallery and the Tron.X app. Tron.X is a useful security feature which requires a login in case the phone is reset or stolen.
The Tron.TX app has three sections – TStore, TCloud and TCare. From TStore you can buy products like other Smartron products and accessories. And TCloud gives you unlimited backup space to store contacts, messages, photos and videos in Smartron’s cloud storage service. Syncs automatically at regular intervals but you can also sync manually if needed. Currently, only the DCIM folders created for photos and videos in the phone are synced and we did not find any way to sync any other folders. Lastly, TCare allows you to chat with a representative and call or email for any questions.
There is a section for gestures in the Settings app, but there is only one option available right now. And pressing the power button twice opens the camera app.
Smartron SRT.Phone Performance, Camera and Battery Life
SRT.The phone performed well in almost all the tests. In AnTuTu, we got a score of 80,790 points while in GFXBench, we got a score of 35 frames per second. 3D games like N.O.V.A. Legacy and Asphalt 8 ran smoothly on the phone without any lag. Due to the stock Android phone, the performance of the phone is good and the interface is also clean. Multitasking is also good on the phone. The call quality through the earpiece was good and we did not face any heating issues with the phone. The edges of the frame get heated quickly while shooting videos or using the camera but no such issue was seen during normal use.
Media playback was a fun experience thanks to the large display on the SRT.Phone. The single speaker at the bottom produces good sound but the sound seems weak when there is external noise. The audio output from the headphones is good but there is no audio enhancement feature.
The camera is the biggest disappointment in the srt.phone. The 13 megapixel rear camera comes with PDAF and aperture f/2.0, so focusing is not too bad in daylight and the wide aperture gives a bokeh effect in macro shots. However, the quality of the pictures is very average. Landscape pictures taken in daylight lack depth. Closeup shots come out very flat and look overexposed in sunlight. Focus speed is poor. Selfies from the 5 megapixel sensor are decent in daylight but the quality is not very good in poor lighting.
The camera app is well designed and the user has access to auto HDR, scene mode, filter and ratio controls on the left side while the shooting mode is on the right side. Manual mode lets you control shutter speed and ISO, but these settings are not visible in the viewfinder in real time. Apart from this, auto HDR also does not work always, so it would be better to select HDR mode manually when needed.
The phone can record videos up to 4K (up to 10 minutes at a time) and the quality is really good. The slow motion mode helps and the timelapse video mode is also useful.
The phone has a 3000mAh battery, but its performance was not very good in our HD video loop test. We were able to use the phone for only 8 hours and 43 minutes. In actual use, the phone lasted for a full day. Thankfully, the phone’s battery supports Quick Charge 2.0, so the battery does not take too long to charge.
Our verdict
Smartron has done a good job the second time around. The SRT.Phone is a very good looking handset, except for the camera performance. Spending Rs 14,000 for a phone that is more powerful than the Honor 6X and the Moto G5 Plus (Review) is not bad. The SRT.Phone has a good screen, solid build quality (despite being plastic) and app performance is also very good. On the other hand, it is not the best looking phone in its price segment and the battery life could have been better.
The SRT.Phone is a good option, and the Honor and Moto smartphones also have their own features that make them good options. However, if you want a more robust UI, the Honor 6X might be a better choice and with the Nougat update rolling out, system performance is expected to improve. If you like stock Android but want a good camera, the Moto G5 Plus (Review) is a better choice. If you choose the Smartron SRT.Phone, you’ll have to pay more for the 64GB variant as there’s no expandable storage option on the phone.
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