One of the few smartphone companies in India that concentrates on the low-cost market is Itel. The company has recently debuted the itel S24 in India, the follow-up to the 2023-released itel S23, as a new member of its budget-friendly portfolio. With its improved chipset and cameras, the newest S-series smartphone looks ready to challenge other low-cost rivals. It is yet unclear, though, if the gadget would be sufficient for everyday use. With this itel S24 review, let’s find out.
Verdict
The itel S24 is the perfect smartphone for those looking for a reasonably priced, feature-rich gadget that meets all of their needs. With its huge display, powerful stereo speakers with DTS support, long-lasting battery, elegant design, and outstanding daylight cameras, it provides a good multimedia experience. However, its performance is a little bit subpar and it does not support 5G.
Design & display
With a huge circular camera deco positioned off-center and a shimmering white rear panel dubbed “Dawn White” by the company, the itel S24 has an understated yet elegant design. The glossy quality of the panel naturally draws certain smudges and fingerprints, but the color scheme effectively hides them, making them invisible unless viewed from an angle.
According to Itel, the panel has color-changing technology that modifies the color of the rear panel in direct sunlight. I gave it a try, and it does, indeed, change the white color of the rear panel to a delicate pink that resembles a Sakura blossom. The power and volume buttons are located on the right edge, which also functions as a side-mounted fingerprint reader to quickly unlock the device.
The display has enough brightness for inside use, however outside, especially during the midday, it seems less bright. The panel provides a good visual experience, enhanced by the powerful stereo speakers that enable DTS. Although the 90Hz refresh rate seems seamless, there are currently smartphones in the same price range with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Cameras
The primary camera on the itel S24 is better than that of the itel S23. The new gadget has an AI lens attached to a 108MP Samsung HM6 ISOCELL primary camera with an f/1.6 aperture. An 8MP selfie camera is located on the front. Although the camera captures fine daylight photos, in bright environments it tends to overexpose pictures. A special 108MP mode is available for capturing photographs with greater detail and adjusted exposure settings, yielding somewhat superior images. Here’s a comparison with another well-liked low-cost smartphone, the Moto G24 Power.
The images taken by the itel S24 and Moto G24 Power have about the same levels of dynamic range and detail. The Moto G24 Power slightly amplifies colors and tends toward a cooler hue, while the itel S24 favors somewhat warmer tones. This is the main difference between the two devices’ color grading schemes. The itel S24 in this instance more nearly captured the real scenario.
Although the itel S24’s low-light camera performance is not as good as it is in the daylight, it is still acceptable considering its cost. The photos indeed get more light when the super night mode is turned on, but details are lost in the process. In low-light photos, there is a lot of lens flare and low sharpness levels.
Both software and performance
The itel S24 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G91 CPU with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage. The MEM fusion capability allows for an additional 8GB of RAM to be added. The itel S24 doesn’t really offer anything that makes it stand out from other products in the same price range in terms of performance. While looking through apps, there are sometimes hitches, but overall, it’s a seamless experience. These are some performance comparisons with some of the main rivals.
To test the device’s performance, we ran a few graphically demanding games on it, including BGMI, Real Racing 3, and COD: Mobile. Even at medium settings, the smartphone was able to run COD: Mobile, but there was a perceptible lag. Real Racing 3 was likewise played at default graphics settings, albeit with significant slowness this time. When we tried to play BGMI on the itel S24, it had trouble. The phone is best suited for casual gaming and daily use; it is by no means a gaming phone.
Pre-installed on the smartphone is Android 13, coupled with some intelligent features designed to enhance your daily life. Features like the gaming mode, smart panel, and i-smart gestures were quite helpful to me. The dynamic bar also gives the UI as a whole a nice, finishing touch. I’ll provide some pictures that highlight each of these characteristics. Additionally, there is a feature for generative wallpaper, but sadly it is not functional at this time. I’m pleased with the NFC functionality, which is uncommon for this price.
Recharging and Batteries
The itel S24 runs on a normal 5,000mAh battery and supports up to 18W rapid charging when used with the charger brick that comes in the retail package. The itel S24 scored 12 hours and 20 minutes in our PCMark battery benchmark test, which is a little less than average for its price range.
During our comprehensive testing, which involved a range of demanding activities including gaming and streaming videos, the itel S24 recorded an overall battery drain of 21%. For most users, the phone easily provides a full day’s worth of battery life. From 20 to 100% battery life, the itel S24 takes about 1 hour and 43 minutes to charge, which is comparable to the typical charging time for smartphones in this market.
Final Verdict
The itel S24 is a competitor in a highly competitive segment and retails for Rs 10,999 in India. The smartphone’s main competitors are the Redmi 12 5G (review), the newly released Realme C65 5G (review), and the Moto G24 Power (review). While the Moto’s performance is similar to that of the Itel S24, it stands out because of its enormous 6,000mAh battery and stock Android interface. With its FHD+ display, the Redmi 12 5G has an advantage in multimedia applications, while the 120Hz refresh rate of the Realme C65 makes for a seamless browsing experience.
Despite not supporting 5G, the itel S24 excels in a few important areas, most notably providing a great multimedia experience with its large display and notable stereo speakers. The smartphone also has an excellent battery life, good daylight cameras, and an elegant appearance. For those looking for a reliable low-cost phone that fulfills all the requirements, this gadget is perfect.
