Pros and Cons of itel S23 Smartphone

The itel S23 has certainly made waves, with its sales skyrocketing in markets across numerous countries. It's no wonder this phone is among itel's most trusted models.

What makes it so popular? The itel S23 delivers impressive specifications and capabilities at an unbeatable price point. This strategy has undoubtedly paid off, boosting itel's confidence in this particular model.

Considering its entry-level price tag, you're treated to a speedy chipset, generous RAM for its category, and a camera boasting a 50 MP resolution, among other features. Intrigued about the itel S23? Let's find out our detailed review discussing its pros and cons.

Pros of itel S23

Despite its budget-friendly, entry-level price point, the itel S23 boasts several impressive features for its category. Here are some of the standout advantages of the itel S23:

1. Modern and Color-Change Design

The design of the itel S23 is one of its notable strengths. It showcases a modern aesthetic, characterized by a sleek back and a boxy shape.

Remarkably, the white variant of the back body is designed to change color under UV light or direct sunlight, transitioning from white to purple. However, this unique feature isn't present in the black variant.

The glossy finish on the rear, reminiscent of glass, enhances its contemporary appeal. The itel S23 adopts a flat design on all sides – front, back, and edges.

On the back, there's a distinct circular camera module. At a glance, it appears to have three camera lenses and an LED Flash, but in reality, only two cameras are functional. The additional circle below the LED Flash serves as a decorative element.

The front boasts a generously-sized screen, though its waterdrop notch for the front camera feels a bit dated. The bezels aren't particularly slim, but they're reasonable for a phone in its price range.

A vital aspect of any phone design is its ergonomics. The itel S23 scores well in this area with dimensions of 164 x 75.6 x 8.4 mm and a comfortable weight of 185 grams, making it easy to hold and use.

2. 90 Hz Vibrant Display

While the itel S23 might have a somewhat dated design, particularly in its notch display, the screen's capabilities are commendable for a budget phone.

The phone sports a 6.59-inch IPS LCD panel, a size that's sufficiently large for multimedia or entertainment purposes like watching videos. It adheres to the standard 20:9 aspect ratio common in today's phones.

Although its resolution might not be the highest on the market, the HD Plus display, with 720 x 1612 pixels and a pixel density of 269 ppi, is adequate for an entry-level priced phone. One downside is that the S23 only supports Widevine L3, limiting its ability to play movies from platforms like Netflix to just HD quality.

A standout feature is the screen's 90 Hz refresh rate. It's impressive that such an affordable phone offers smooth visuals typical of pricier models. Users have the flexibility to adjust the refresh rate between 90 Hz, 60 Hz, or set it to automatic, allowing the rate to adapt based on the active application.

Moreover, the device boasts a touch sampling rate of 180 Hz, ensuring a swift touch response. This enhancement is especially evident when gaming, eliminating any delayed reactions.

3. 50 MP Camera Packed with Features

The camera is often a pivotal feature for many smartphone users. Recognizing this, the itel S23 boasts an intriguing camera setup. Notably, it utilizes the Samsung JN1 (S5KJN1) ISOCELL 2.0 sensor, offering an impressive resolution of 50 MP (f/1.8).

This sensor is generally found in mid-range phones, so its inclusion in the entry-level itel S23 makes the device even more enticing.

Besides its primary camera, the S23 features a secondary depth or AI camera with a resolution of 0.3 MP (f/2.4). However, its functionality remains a topic of debate. Dan Manjares II from Unbox Diaries commented that the AI or QVGA camera offers limited value, mainly providing depth detection.

The front of the phone houses an 8 MP selfie camera. While it might not stand out in terms of clarity, it delivers expected results for its price range. Both the front and rear cameras are capable of recording videos in 1080p resolution at 30 fps.

What sets the itel S23's camera apart is its rich array of features. As highlighted by GontaGantiHaPe in a YouTube video, the S23 showcases a unique camera user interface distinct from other phones under Transsion Holdings. This distinction is evident from the breadth of features it offers.

The camera provides a range of modes including Photo, Video, Short Video, Portrait, and Super Night for enhanced low-light photography. Other features include AR shots, Ultra HD, Panorama, Time-lapse, HDR, and Pro.

Of particular interest is the Pro mode, which provides a comprehensive suite of camera settings. Users can adjust Manual Exposure, Manual Focus, White Balance, ISO levels ranging from 100-6400, and Shutter Speeds between 1/1500 to 1/6 second. Such expansive settings in Pro mode are rare to find in similarly priced phones.

4. Class-Leading Chipset Performance

The itel S23 distinguishes itself among budget phones by delivering commendable gaming capabilities. This offers great value for gamers who are constrained by budget. Several other brands, including the Tecno Spark 8C and Samsung Galaxy A03, also utilize this popular chipset.

The S23 is powered by the UNISOC T606 chipset, which is recognized for its solid performance in its price bracket. Notably, this chipset handles everyday tasks with ease and can even smoothly run lighter games.

Manufactured using a 12 nm process, the UNISOC T606 boasts an octa-core processor. This comprises two Cortex A75 cores (1.6 GHz) dedicated to performance, complemented by six Cortex A55 cores (1.6 GHz) optimized for power efficiency.

Complementing this, the Mali G57 MP1 GPU, clocking at 650 MHz, oversees the device's graphical operations. So, how does this configuration fare in standardized tests?

Based on data from Nanoreview, the UNISOC T606 achieved an AnTuTu v9 score of 178,471. For GeekBench 5, it registered a score of 309 in single-core performance and 1,175 for multi-core. Additionally, when tested with 3DMark Wild Life, it scored 411.

Interestingly, Dan Manjares II from Unbox Diaries undertook a hands-on assessment of the S23's UNISOC T606. His tests yielded a score of 223,985 on AnTuTu v9, placing the itel S23 just below the Galaxy A51, powered by the Exynos 9611, which scored 231,008.

However, in the context of its pricing, the itel S23's score is impressive. Dan Manjares II observed that the device could efficiently run games like COD Mobile on medium to high frame rate settings, Mobile Legends on high settings, and even Genshin Impact on low settings.

Though Genshin Impact on low settings can technically be played, Dan Manjares II suggests players might find better experiences elsewhere, given Mobile Legends performs much smoother on the device.

5. 8 GB RAM and Up to 256 GB UFS Storage

The itel S23 ranks as an affordable phone suitable for gaming. Its performance isn't solely due to the T606 chipset; a significant factor contributing to its efficiency is its ample RAM.

itel presents two configurations: 4 GB and 8 GB of RAM. The 4 GB version comes with 128 GB of storage. However, owing to its popularity, this variant is hard to come by in the market. Additionally, there's an 8 GB RAM version with 128 GB storage, which experienced such high demand that itel had to replenish stocks.

Intriguingly, itel introduced a third option: 8 GB of RAM combined with a whopping 256 GB of storage. This combination, particularly at its price point, positions the itel S23 as one of the most economical phones offering an 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage duo in 2023.

Notably, the internal storage is of the UFS type, which is known for faster performance. Users also have the option to enhance this storage via a dedicated microSD slot.

Furthermore, the Itel S23 boasts the MemFusion or Memory Fusion feature. This innovative capability allows for the extension of RAM capacity using virtual RAM. In layman's terms, the RAM is augmented by allocating a part of the internal storage. Users can determine how much storage to assign as RAM, with choices ranging from 3 GB, 5 GB, to 8 GB.

Given these specifications, it's unsurprising that the itel S23 delivers impressive performance for its price range. This competitively priced phone excels in multitasking due to its vast memory resources.

6. Decent Battery Life

Beyond its commendable performance, the itel S23 is backed by a battery that boasts respectable longevity. With a capacity of 5000 mAh, it's quite standard, but the itel S23 is reputed to power through an entire day. Plus, both the charger and cable come included in the box.

The phone is well-suited for daily use. Additionally, it supports charging speeds of up to 10W. While this might not be the fastest charging rate available, it's sufficient to reduce overall charging time.

7. Complete Box Contents

Another notable benefit of the itel S23 is its complete box contents. Given its affordable price point and mid-tier specifications, the array of inclusions feels particularly generous. This completeness only enhances the attractiveness of the itel S23, especially given its myriad of intriguing features.

Inside the box, along with the phone itself, you'll find a 10W charger paired with a Type-C cable. There's also a sturdy protective case ready for immediate use and a SIM ejector tool, consistent in design with other Transsion Holdings models.

What's more, the itel S23 package even includes wired earphones. This is a valuable addition, saving users the hassle of purchasing earphones separately. This inclusion is particularly apt since the itel S23 still features a 3.5 mm audio jack port.

Cons of itel S23

While the itel S23 boasts several commendable features for its category, it's inevitable for an affordable phone to have certain limitations. If you're considering purchasing this device, it's crucial to be aware of its drawbacks to make an informed decision. Here are some areas where the itel S23 might fall short:

1. Plain Interface

The itel S23 operates using the itel OS 8.6.0 interface, which largely mirrors the functionalities found in its siblings– the XOS from Infinix and HiOS from Tecno. Given that all three are under the umbrella of Transsion Holdings, the similarities are expected.

However, there's ample room for improvement in the interfaces of these three brands. In fact, many users opt for alternative launchers due to the current limitations.

Features that the itel OS shares with XOS and HiOS include its notification panel display and the Smart Panel. Another notable addition is the Peek Proof feature, which aids in maintaining screen privacy, preventing others from getting a full view of the phone's display.

While the itel S23 currently runs on the Android 12 operating system, which might be justifiable given its affordability, it would undoubtedly benefit users if itel considered updating to the latest Android 13 version in the future.

2. Limited Sensor Suite

Another limitation of the itel S23 pertains to its sensor offerings. While the phone commendably features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, its responsiveness leaves much to be desired.

As pointed out in a video by GontaGantiHaPe on YouTube, the fingerprint sensor operates at a noticeably slower pace compared to the face recognition feature for unlocking the device. The only other native sensors on the S23 are the accelerometer and proximity sensor.

Crucially, other sensors, such as the gyroscope and magnetometer, are merely software-based. This means that these sensors tend to exhibit lag and are not as responsive as one might hope for in real-time applications.

3. Limited Charging Rate

Another drawback of the itel S23 is its charging speed. Even though it offers up to a 10W charge, it doesn't support fast charging capabilities.

However, the device's 5000 mAh battery should sufficiently last throughout the day for most users. This suggests that users might only need to charge the itel S23 once daily. On the brighter side, a Type-C charger and cable come included with the purchase, ensuring readiness out of the box.

Conclusion

The itel S23 stands out prominently in its segment. itel has employed a strategy similar to other brands by offering high-end specifications at a surprisingly affordable price.

The phone boasts impressive features for its range: from a 90 Hz refresh rate display to the power-packed UNISOC T606 chipset, and an impressive RAM configuration of up to 16 GB (8+8 GB). The battery endurance is commendable, supporting both day-to-day tasks and gaming.

Yet, as an affordable smartphone, the S23 does have its compromises. Potential buyers might pause to consider its average user interface, limited sensor availability, and the absence of rapid charging capabilities.

After weighing the pros and cons of the itel S23, would you still consider it a worthy buy? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!