Review Summary
Expert Rating
Itel has become a formidable player in the Indian smartphone space, especially in the offline budget segment. After launching the 5G-enabled Itel P55 under Rs 10,000, the company is back with the new iteration, dubbed Itel P55+, but without 5G.
The new phone is priced in a similar range, Rs 9,999 to be precise. But the new iteration has some nifty upgrades, including increased memory bandwidth to 256GB. It also features a vegan finish, adding freshness not only to the Itel P-series but also to the sub-Rs 10K segment.
Table of Contents
Verdict
Itel P55+ proves that good 4G phones can still exist in 2024 without a high sticker price. It offers a solid battery backup, fast charging speeds, and 256GB inbuilt storage – all under Rs 10,000. The display is also satisfactory, considering the competition in the segment. However, its cameras are average and you shouldn’t have high hopes if that matters to you. Overall though, it’s a decent buy for entry-level users.
Design and display
At first glance, the Itel P55+ looks premium and doesn’t feel like a sub-Rs 10K smartphone. It boasts a sleek design with a vegan leather finish. The rear panel has two large cutouts for the dual cameras. The build is plastic, but it doesn’t feel substandard by any metric.
I am reviewing the green unit that comes in a faux leather finish. The quality is hard to verify, but the in-hand feeling is good. It is possible that the leather may develop cracks over time and may even accumulate dirt and smudges. So it is advisable to use the protective case provided in the box. The Itel P55+ is also available in purple and black colours, though they lack the leather finish.
As mentioned, the Itel P55+ boasts a sleek design, a rarity in smartphones of this category, which tend to be bulky. It measures nearly 8mm in thickness and weighs 187 grams. That’s roughly the same size as the Realme C53 (review) – a popular choice in the sub-Rs 10K segment. On the other hand, the Redmi 13C 4G (Rs 7,999 onwards) is relatively bulkier, measuring 8.1mm in thickness and 192 grams in weight.
Buttons and ports on the Itel P55+ include a power button (with a fingerprint scanner embedded), USB-C for charging, and an audio jack. There’s also support for dual SIM and microSD cards.
The Itel P55+ also comes with a tall 6.6-inch HD+ (720 x 1,612 pixels) LCD display with 90Hz refresh rate. Those who are upgrading from their old feature phones may like the tall screen for reading or watching videos. The 90Hz refresh rate also offers a smooth scrolling experience. The screen has thick bezels on all sides.
The display includes a punch-hole cutout instead of the antiquated waterdrop-style notch. However, the protective film on the screen is designed for smartphones with a waterdrop notch. While it’s not a big deal, it may bother those particular about details. Itel also flaunts an iPhone 14 Pro-inspired Dynamic Island notch for notifications, but it has limited functionalities.
Overall, the display experience on the Itel P55+ is decent for reading and watching short videos. However, there’s only L3 widevine clearance, meaning you can enjoy movies and videos on YouTube and OTTs in standard definition (SD) quality. There are no stereo speakers, and the native audio quality is also average.
Cameras
The Itel P55+ carries two cameras on the back (50MP + 2MP) and an 8MP front camera for selfies. The rear panel includes two large cutouts to provide an impression of a larger sensor size.
While the Itel P55+ impresses with a modern design, cameras are not its biggest strength. Most photos in daylight and dim lighting conditions exhibit the same problems of clarity and colour balance. There’s also a very minimal amount of processing happening, therefore, in some sense, you capture what you get sans sharpness.
It also struggles to recognise the right shades of red. There can be inconsistencies in the output too. During our testing, the phone turned light orange into dark red and vice versa. On the other hand, the primary 50MP camera detects green palettes nicely.
The 8MP selfie camera is also average at best, as it exhibits inconsistencies in skin tone detection. At times, the phone struggles to reduce noise in the image to maintain sharpness. Conversely, in attempts to minimise noise, say in low-light conditions, the phone may over-soften details on the subject’s face, resulting in a somewhat artificial appearance.
At night, the Itel P55+ struggles to perform. Firstly, the phone has to be stationary for an extended period to capture a stable photo. Even then, details get missed. The phone also struggles to balance out areas exposed directly under light.
Performance and software
The Itel P55+ rocks Unisoc’s T606 octa-core chipset, which powers a host of devices in this segment. It is not the most powerful chipset in this category, but it offers sufficient grunt to run apps, including WhatsApp, YouTube, Gmail, and Instagram. You may notice some lags and mis-touches occasionally, but those are common issues with many smartphones in the segment.
For gaming, you can play popular titles like Subway Surfers and Candy Crush without facing heating issues. However, playing (and enjoying) demanding titles like BGMI may require more juice. The mistouch issue may make it more difficult to play demanding titles. While the Itel P55+ offers 8GB RAM, which seems substantial on paper, there aren’t leaps in performance.
The internal storage has been expanded to 256GB, all while maintaining a price under Rs 10,000. Despite utilising old standards for storage, the Itel P55+ deserves credit for expanding inbuilt capacity to new heights in the segment.
The phone runs on Android 13-based custom skin, and also comes loaded with pre-installed apps. Thankfully, the Android OS offers a ton of customisation. For individuals transitioning from a feature phone or for those new to smartphones, any form of personalisation typically enhances the user experience.
In terms of benchmarks, the Unisoc T606-powered Itel P55+ performs relatively better than the Realme C53. However, the 5G-enabled Itel P55 (review) and Lava Blaze 2 (review) are ahead, thanks to the MediaTek chipsets powering them.
Battery and charging
The Itel P55+ boasts a 5,000mAh battery that offers a solid battery backup, even with a 90Hz refresh rate enabled. It can last for an entire day even with mild gaming. The phone also scored a decent score in the PCMark battery test (nearly 9 hours).
However, its charging speed is easily the best in the segment. The phone comes bundled with a 45W charger that can fully charge the phone from 0 to 100 percent in around 60 minutes. 30 minutes of charging offers around 58 percent charge.
Final verdict
The Itel P55+ is a solid choice for productivity-focused users looking for an affordable option. The phone particularly excels in departments such as in-built storage, battery, and charging speeds. The display is satisfactory, but a Full-HD screen would have taken it to the next level.
However, if cameras matter to you, don’t have high hopes for phones in this segment, let alone the Itel P55+. And if you want to enjoy 5G internet and a clean Android experience, the Lava Blaze 2 5G is a decent option for an additional Rs 1,000. If you’re happy with 4G, the Itel P55+ won’t disappoint.
Editor’s ratings: 7.5 / 10
Reasons to buy
- The Itel P55+ boasts a sleek design and features a nice leather finish.
- The internal storage is 256GB, which is very good considering the price.
- The phone supports 45W charger. You get a 50 percent charge in 30 minutes.
- The battery capacity is also good, thanks to a 5,000mAh battery unit.
Reasons not to buy
- The cameras are average at best, especially in low light.
- The display supports only HD+ resolution. There’s only L3 Widevine clearance.
 | Rs. 9,999.00 | Go To Store |
