We have spent some time with this new product (note that the Smartron T.Phone is exclusively available on Gadgets 360). And the good news is that it is very different from what Indian companies have been making for years. In the fiercely competitive Android smartphone market, Smartron has tried something new. Does this startup have the guts to take on the big players? Let’s find out.
Look and design
The Smartron T.Phone looks a little different. The rear panel of our review unit was bright orange. It is also available in pink, blue and neutral grey. The top and bottom of the handset are painted in a unique metallic grey colour. Considering its 5.5-inch screen, the T.Phone feels quite big and heavy. But it is one of the thinnest handsets available in the market. Using this phone with one hand is not that easy.
You will see a big distinct looking camera at the top of the front panel. This part also houses the earpiece and several sensors. You will see a small dot on the left edge. This is a multi-coloured notification LED. There is no fingerprint reader. According to Smartron, most companies are not able to fully implement the security standard and in such a situation the fingerprint sensor is of no use. The different design pattern gives the T.Phone a tough look. It is completely different from the usually sleek glass and full-metal body phones.
You will see the dual-SIM tray on the right side. This means that you will have to choose between a microSD card and a second SIM card. We found the edges of the SIM tray a little worn when we pulled it out. Looking at this, we are not sure if it will last long or not. The power and volume buttons are on the right side. They are very easy to reach. The standard 3.5mm audio jack is on the top. The Type-C USB port is at the bottom. The T.Phone comes with a quick charger. It also comes with a Type-A to Type-C USB cable, a headset and a SIM eject pin.
Specifications and software
While companies are trying to attract more and more customers in the price range of Rs 10,000, Smartron is eyeing customers interested in slightly more expensive smartphones. Keeping the price in mind, the company has also provided powerful features in this handset. The T.Phone has an octa-core Snapdragon 810 chipset, which was Qualcomm’s most powerful processor until last year. This processor was criticized in the initial days due to overheating. Smartron has said that it has used the latest revision of this processor. You will get 4 GB RAM and 64 GB inbuilt storage. The screen is 5.5 inches with a resolution of 1080×1920 pixels. Today, expensive smartphones are being provided with displays with even higher resolution. In reality, it does not make much difference. Gorilla Glass 3 protection is present on the display.
The rear camera has a 13-megapixel sensor. It has dual-LED flash and phase detection autofocus feature. You will be able to record videos in 4K resolution with it. The 4-megapixel sensor of the front camera is also claimed to take great selfies in the dark. Enlarged pixels contribute to this, much like HTC’s UltraPixel camera. The T.Phone has four microphones, about which the company says that with their help the sound echoes less and the background noise also decreases.
Smartron has a 3000 mAh battery. This phone supports Quick Charging 2.0. You will be able to use a microSD card up to 128 GB. Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS and FM radio are part of this handset. You will not get a fingerprint reader, infrared or NFC.
The T.Phone comes with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The good thing is that Smartron has already started talking about the Android N update. You will also get some minor customization options in this handset.
You will find Smartron’s own tronX app. We first got a glimpse of it in T.Book. Here you will be able to buy Smartron products and accessories.
Performance
As expected, we have no complaints with the overall performance of this smartphone. The screen is decent, but the colours could be more vibrant. Surprisingly, the Assertive Display option is available in the Settings app and is off by default. If it really improves the display and reduces battery consumption, it should be on by default. The T.Phone has DTS Premium Sound Enhancement. It does produce very clear sound, but it is not as loud as we expected. We are not satisfied with the quality of the bundled headset and we would not use it for listening to music.
While recording videos, using LTE data or playing games, we noticed the handset getting a little warm near the camera lens on the rear and the earpiece on the front. The phone stayed cool during all other tasks. The UI is quite responsive.
Benchmark results indicate good performance. Even games with heavy graphics ran smoothly. In our video loop test, the phone’s battery lasted 11 hours and 10 minutes. After using 4G data for some time during the day and playing games, its battery easily lasted a day.
When we first turned on the T.Phone and tried to set it up, the camera app disappointed us the most. It has no modes and no creative tools. We had to open a menu to even switch between the front and rear cameras. We got three pages of options. The flash toggle was found on the third level of the menu.
Sometimes the app took a few seconds to store the picture and this caused a slight delay in taking the next picture. In such a situation, it was not possible to take pictures continuously. All these problems were resolved when I used another camera app, but the autofocus still worked strangely at times.
When we spoke to Smartron, we learned that an update has been released for this app. But we found that it was not available through the phone’s firmware update tool or on Google Play. We could get it through a manual update. The new app version is 2.1. In this version, the camera app has been completely changed.
The camera app sometimes had trouble focusing when taking photos, especially in low light. In general, it took longer than necessary to lock focus after tapping the screen. But when we took our time, the photos came out fine. When we viewed the photos in full size, we found that they lacked texture and detail. Autofocusing was more difficult at night. Photos taken with the front camera were disappointing.
Our verdict
Smartron has insisted that the T.Phone has been made with India in mind. We also want a domestic company to make a name in the international market. There are many things to like about the T.Phone. The best part is that the company has tried to offer something different by not becoming a part of the rush of smartphone companies. The price is aggressive, especially considering its specifications and features. However, many people are satisfied with the capabilities of a cheaper phone.
Battery life is the most important feature of the T.Phone. It would have been better if it had convenience features like a fingerprint reader. We also have high expectations from the company’s tronX service. Smartron needs to work on improving the out-of-box experience for its customers. The new camera app solved our problem, but what’s the point of such an update if the user has to struggle a lot to get it. The Xiaomi Mi 5, which is built with a better finish and powered by the Snapdragon 820 processor, is available in the same price range, but we hope that T.Phone has no shortage of fans either. This is a strong offering from an ambitious new company and we will definitely keep an eye on Smartron’s next move.
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