TechRadar Verdict
The Smartron t.Phone P is well built and has good battery life. If that's your priority, this phone is worth considering.
Pros
- +
Great battery life
- +
Near stock Android
- +
Build quality
Cons
- -
Substandard camera
- -
Bad speakers
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With more and more smartphones filling up the sub-Rs 10,000 segment, users are now confused more than ever. Companies like Xiaomi and Moto have filled the market with affordable options. Smartron, the Hyderabad based electronics company, has also launched the t.Phone P under this budget. But is the t.Phone P just another smartphone masquerading as an inexpensive entry level phone, or does it stand up to the tall claims? We find out.
Smartron t.Phone P price and release date
The Smartron t.Phone P was launched in India on 11 January at Rs 7,999. It is exclusively available on Flipkart.
Design
Right out-of-the-box, the t.Phone P doesn’t look like a cheap phone. It’s got a rear panel made out of metal which fits into a plastic frame, though the top and bottom of the back panel are made from plastic. It has a fingerprint sensor on the back which, in our usage, is quite snappy.
The power on and off button on the right side is textured to differentiate it from the volume rockers. The power button is metallic while the volume button is plastic, which is also a differentiating factor.
The phone feels a bit on the heavier side and considering the battery capacity you would expect no less. It weighs 160 grams and is the thinnest at 8.9mm. When you pit that against the competition, those aren’t really good numbers but not all of them have metal bodies either. It's more like a favourable compromise which we don’t think should bug most users.
Smartron's t.Phone P is a well-built phone and feels solid in hand. The weight works in its favour and gives it a certain, reassuring heft.
Display
The t.Phone P comes with a 5.2-inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) display with 2.5D curved glass atop. It’s a gently curved glass that fits the plastic frame of the phone, unlike curved designs on Samsung's flagship devices.
If you're coming from a phone with an 18:9 display, the bezels of t.Phone P will look huge. They did to me. But I did get used to them eventually.
For its price, the display is good. It isn’t the best one and surely isn’t the brightest one when you look at the competition. When indoors, the display is well-lit and bright. However, sunlight legibility is far too low.
The colour reproduction on the screen is decent, something matching the standard on phones in this price bracket. Images are sharp and the phone can be used to watch videos easily, as long as you're indoors.
