T-Mobile Keeps Investing in REVVL Phones, and Now Tablets. Why?
Context
T-Mobile recently announced three new REVVL devices: the basic REVVL 6x 5G, slightly less basic REVVL 6x Pro, and its first REVVL-branded tablet, the REVVL TAB 5G. This marks the fifth year since T-Mobile started offering REVVL phones, which has to be some kind of longevity record for a carrier device brand.
Typically, carriers have used the ODM model for one of two reasons. Carriers need to ensure that there are inexpensive devices available for a new network technology, especially if they have a unique combination of protocols or frequencies. The other reason is for the carrier to push its own apps and services. T-Mobile is using REVVL somewhat differently. T-Mobile does have unique frequency bands, but its subscriber base is large enough that if all T-Mobile wanted to do was put inexpensive 5G phones on its network, it could do so with OEM brands like TCL or Motorola and specify 2.5GHz 5G in the RFP. Instead, REVVL is intended to ensure a consistent user experience even at lower price points.
To eke out a profit on low margin entry level smartphones, OEMs often load up their phones with paid app placement. This is how you end up with a phone preloaded with multiple solitaire games, morally questionable gambling apps, and arguably even more insidious loot box games. To T-Mobile’s credit, that’s not the user experience that the company wants for its 5G brand. Techsponential has been tracking app preloads on every phone we get in to test, and the REVVL software is remarkably clean - see data below. REVVL phones have effectively no bloatware. (The possible exception is McAfee Security, which was preloaded on the REVVL V+ 5G and REVVL 6 Pro 5G.)
Preloaded apps on REVVL and comparable entry-level phones 2018 - 2023; Source: Techsponential
REVVL has helped push 5G prices down and helps load up T-Mobile’s 5G network, which has more spectrum available and lower operating costs. T-Mobile does save some money by having the phone exclusively spec’d for and tested on its own network; unlike equivalently priced phones from Motorola, T-Mobile’s ODM does not have to include bands for other carriers or pay for multiple carrier network qualifications (which can be as much as $1 million per carrier per phone).
The one area where the REVVL brand promise could use improvement is sustainability. All three devices ship with Android 13 and have two-year warranties. However, T-Mobile makes no commitments to OS or security upgrades.
Tablets
Carriers typically offer discounted connected tablets any time they want to goose subscriber numbers for Wall Street, but it’s just a short-term bump. While there are absolutely use cases for cellular connectivity on tablets, most people keep them at home connected to WiFi, so once the rebate term is up, they stop paying the $10 - $15 per month for cellular data, and that subscription disappears. The REVVL TAB 5G is an extension of the REVVL brand, and T-Mobile is highlighting its use for media playback that ties back to its phone plans (i.e., Netflix on Us). For an inexpensive tablet, it should actually deliver a good viewing experience: it has a 15:9 aspect ratio and quite high 1200x2000 resolution. However, it is still a $200 connected tablet that T-Mobile is offering free when activating a tablet line via 24 monthly bill credits plus tax, so subscriber numbers are a part of the rationale as well. Techsponential does not have a review unit of the REVVL TAB 5G in yet; we will update this report if we uncover anything unusual.
MediaTek is a Big Winner
All three REVVL devices are built around MediaTek 5G chipsets: the Dimensity 700 for the phones, and the MTK5G-C for the tablet. This is an important design win for the company, as the U.S. market doesn’t usually see MediaTek’s higher-end Dimensity 8000 and 9000 series that go into flagship phones and tablets from Chinese brands sold primarily into their home market. The premium segment in the U.S. is almost entirely Apple, which designs its own silicon, and Samsung, which has a multi-year agreement with Qualcomm for its Galaxy S and Z phones. Google also designs its own silicon. TCL has left premium smartphones, and LG stopped making phones at all. That leaves just Motorola and OnePlus as potential avenues for MediaTek’s higher end chipsets, making design wins in the entry level more significant. While T-Mobile has switched ODM partners multiple times (from TCL to Coolpad to TCL to Wingtech) MediaTek has been a staple of the line.
REVVL 6x PRO Hands-On
Testing a REVVL 6x PRO review unit shows why these phones are successful – they’re big, they feel responsive to use, and they have great battery life all for around $200 (or free over time). It’s not perfect: the display, bezels, and camera are all drawbacks, even at this price point.
The REVVL 6x PRO feels quite large in the hand – which is the point; consumers buying budget phones want larger displays as much as premium buyers, and more screen real estate translates as better value. The 6.82” display itself is certainly large, but the prominent bezels all the way around add noticeable girth – so much so that the selfie camera cutout is just a dip in the top bezel rather than a cutout.
The display is tremendously washed out off-axis but is plenty bright when viewed head on. This is an area where corners are clearly being cut, and where the move from TCL – which has its own display factories – to Wingtech is a downgrade for the consumer experience.
Photos are acceptable in good lighting, though they lack the detail you find as you move to higher price points. Selfies are a real weak spot: exposure was pushed so high – despite good lighting in my office – that I looked like a washed-out ghost. This is not the fault of the chipset; Samsung’s Galaxy A32 used the Dimensity 700 and, while no Galaxy S23 Ultra, its photos were significantly better.
We have not completed full battery testing, but it should be a highlight – the MediaTek Dimensity 700 is efficient, and even with the large 6.82” size, the HD+ resolution should not be enough to give the 5000mAh battery much trouble.
New REVVL Device Specs:
For Techsponential clients, a report is just a springboard to personalized discussions and strategic advice. To discuss the implications of this report on your business, product, or investment strategies, contact Techsponential at avi@techsponential.com.