Photo credit:Gadget360.comitel S24: I've spent some time with the itel S24, and now I'm here to share my initial impressions of this budget smartphone with you. The year 2024 has just begun, and itel has introduced its third model in the Indian market, the itel S24. This handset succeeds the itel S23, which was launched in June last year. Compared to the previous version, the new smartphone comes with several changes. Instead of the waterdrop-style notch present in the previous model, the new phone features a hole-punch cutout.
itel S24 Review
Additionally, upgrades have been made to the processor, camera, and charging speed. The good news is that itel has retained the standout feature of the itel S23, namely its color-changing panel, in the new itel S24 as well. The itel S24 is priced at Rs. 10,999 in India. This segment already has several strong contenders, but the color-changing panel and the 108-megapixel main rear camera set the itel S24 apart in this price range.
The single 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant of the itel S24 was launched at Rs. 9,999. It comes in Dawn White and Starry Black color options, and I got the White color variant. The box includes the handset, charging brick (18W), charging cable, a TPU case, and a user manual. The quality of the transparent case was above average, but it is likely to be yellow over time. itel also promises one-time free screen replacement (within 100 days) with this phone.
Anyway, let's start with the key features without further ado. Firstly, at this price, my attention was immediately drawn to its color-changing panel, which shifts from white to pink when exposed to sunlight or UV light. It's certainly not a practical feature, but its inclusion at such a low price point is a nice add-on.
The panel feels like a glass finish, but it's actually made of polycarbonate. At 192 grams, it's not exactly lightweight, but the weight distribution across the body is well done, so it doesn't feel too heavy in the hand. There's a similar design where the smartphone, at 8.3 mm thick, feels relatively bulky for its size, but the slim frame above the display makes it look slim.
As mentioned earlier, itel has made several changes to the new handset compared to the itel S23. The new model features a large circular camera island on the back panel, surrounded by a golden ring. On the front side, a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera has been added to the display. The power button is on the right side of the plastic frame with a metal finish, which is seamlessly integrated with the fingerprint sensor for unlocking the phone.
Above that are the volume rockers. The placement is right where I didn't have to struggle to reach them. A SIM tray is found on the left side, which can accommodate two SIMs along with a microSD card. At the bottom of the frame, there's a USB-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a speaker grille with a microphone, while another small speaker grille is present at the top. The presence of dual speakers at this price is also a good add-on.
The itel S24 runs on a custom skin based on Android 13. At first boot, I found plenty of bloatware in it, most of which could be removed. However, shortly after using it, native apps started spamming me with notifications. If you've been a user of itel smartphones before, the UI is nothing new for you, and even if you're switching from another smartphone, you shouldn't take much time to adapt to its UI.
The itel S24 features a 6.6-inch HD+ (720 x 1,612 pixels) IPS display that supports a 90Hz refresh rate. The company claims the panel supports a peak brightness level of 480 nits. While the presence of an AMOLED panel would have significantly enhanced the display quality, it can't be complained about at this price. During my time of use, I found the display performed well indoors. The colors were vivid, and the brightness was adequate.
However, viewing content on the display under direct sunlight was a bit troublesome. It also features a 'Dynamic Bar' feature, which is similar to iPhone's Dynamic Island, but with significant differences in functionality. This feature in the itel S24 shows basic notifications around the selfie camera and displays an animation when unlocking the phone.
Instead of the UniSoC T603 processor present in the S23, itel has upgraded the S24 with the more powerful MediaTek Helio G91 chipset. The chipset was launched earlier this year in February. Built on a 12nm process, the new chipset claims to offer budget gaming performance.
However, I didn't test its gaming capabilities due to limited time with the phone. It comes with 8GB of RAM, which can be virtually expanded through Memory Fusion technology to 16 GB. Without virtual RAM enabled, the phone handled basic tasks like scrolling, app loading, and switching between apps without any issues. Loading heavier apps took slightly more time. However, the true capability of the chipset can only be gauged after prolonged usage of the phone with all kinds of tasks.
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Another major highlight of the itel S24 is its 108-megapixel Samsung HM6 ISOCELL sensor with Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) support. Its presence in the sub-10,000 rupees category makes a significant impact. Although I didn't get much time to play around with the camera, I took some pictures in daylight that were worthy of sharing directly on social media. The dual-camera unit includes a secondary QVGA depth sensor. On the front, there's an 8-megapixel selfie shooter, which produced decent selfies in daylight, but the performance wasn't consistent. Both rear and front cameras can record videos up to 2K resolution at 30fps.
The camera app was simple and easy to use. Options like AI Cam, Video, Portrait, Super Night, and others can be accessed through 'More' on the main screen of the app. I didn't notice any shutter lag whatsoever. The camera app also supports features like Pro mode, Document Scanner, Slow Motion, Time-lapse, and Dual Video.
The itel S24 is equipped with a 5000mAh battery that supports 18W charging. The charging brick is included in the box. While I didn't go through extensive battery testing, with normal usage, it should last a full day on a single charge. Additionally, with 18W charging output, it should take a little over 2 hours to fully charge the battery.
Overall, the itel S24 smartphone stands out in the competition with a price of Rs. 9,999. The phone has everything one would expect from a smartphone in this price range. The inclusion of features like a color-changing panel, 108-megapixel camera, dual speakers, and an attractive design make it standout against many models in the competition. However, it's important to consider that the changing situations in long-term usage may affect its performance.
| Details | itel S24 |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.50-inch |
| Display | 6.60-inch |
| Front Camera | 8-megapixel |
| Rear Camera | 108-megapixel |
| RAM | 4 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB |
| Battery Capacity | 5000 mAh |
| OS | Android 13 |
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