The itel S24 is the latest addition to itel’s popular S-Series of affordable smartphones. Priced accessibly, the S24 aims to deliver strong specifications and features for daily use on a budget. In this in-depth review, we’ll take a look at everything the S24 has to offer and whether it succeeds as a versatile budget champ.
Design and Build Quality
Right out of the box, the itel S24 has a solid yet minimalistic design language. It sports a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor with the itel logo and a vertically aligned triple camera module in the top left corner.
Held in the hand, the S24 feels well-constructed for its price tag. Made from polycarbonate, the body has a smooth matte finish that isn’t fingerprint-prone. At 192g, it has a heft that adds to the in-hand feel but isn’t too heavy. There’s also an IPX2 water resistance rating for protection from light splashes.
The flat sides allow for a comfortable grip while the rounded corners add to the ergonomics. The button placement is standard with the power key and volume rocker on the right edge within easy reach. The USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack are positioned at the bottom. Overall, the S24 ticks important design boxes for a budget device.
Display
Moving to the front, the itel S24 sports a 6.6-inch IPS LCD panel with HD+ (720×1612) resolution. Colours are decently vibrant while brightness levels go up to 480 nits, making the display easily viewable even under direct sunlight.
Text and images look reasonably sharp at this resolution on a screen of this size. The 20:9 aspect ratio is perfect for video consumption as well. What’s really impressive though is the inclusion of a 90Hz refresh rate. Scrolling and animations feel incredibly smooth as a result.
The screen also has good viewing angles with minimal colour shifting when viewed from aside. Coming to this price segment, it’s great to see itel not cutting corners with the display. It provides an engaging viewing experience for media and gaming without any noticeable downsides.
Hardware and Performance
Powering the itel S24 is the MediaTek Helio G91 Ultra chipset paired with Mali-G52 MC2 GPU. It comes in variants with 4GB/6GB/8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB internal storage respectively.
In day-to-day use, the S24 feels zippy and responsive. App launches, multitasking and gesture navigation are buttery smooth thanks to the upgraded 90Hz refresh rate and powerful chipset under the hood. Heavy apps like games also run without any lag or stutter.
Gaming performance is top-notch at this price point. Popular titles like Call of Duty Mobile, Asphalt 9 and Pokémon Unite can all be played at high graphics settings smoothly without frame drops. The G91 Ultra chip enables a fully immersive gaming experience.
Benchmark scores were also impressive. In AnTuTu, the S24 managed to score over 280k, close to more expensive devices. Geekbench scores of around 570 for single-core and 1730 for multi-core further validated the strong processing capabilities.
All in all, for day-to-day tasks and even serious mobile gaming, the S24 delivers outstanding performance way above expectations from a budget phone. While it may not match flagships, for its price it is undeniably a performance powerhouse.
Cameras
Moving to the triple rear camera setup, the S24 houses a 108MP primary sensor along with auxiliary and depth lenses. For selfies, there’s an 8MP shooter on the front.
Daylight shots from the main sensor come out with gorgeous details, balanced exposures, and natural colors. Wide-angle shots are also possible within the same 108MP resolution. The 2x digital zoom is usable without significant quality drops.
Low-light photos pick up decent light but there is visible graininess with noise if lighting gets too dim. Night mode helps capture brighter shots in such scenarios without overexposing highlights. Macro photography also works quite well.
Selfies captured skin tones accurately even in artificial lighting indoors. Beautiful Portrait mode applies natural-level background blurs for well-separated subjects. Overall, imaging capabilities are commendable for a sub $150 asking price.
Videography tops out at 1080p30 resolution. Footage appears stabilized with colors retaining vibrancy and exposures adjusting fast in mixed lighting conditions. Slo-mo and time-lapse shooting further add to the camera’s delight.
Overall, the itel S24 definitely impresses with its capable stills and video shooting for the price, offering a delightfully versatile camera experience within budget constraints.
Software and Features
On the software front, the S24 ships with Android 13 out of the box with itel’s custom XOS interface on top. The UI remains intuitive with minimal bloat and unnecessary tweaks like some other budget offerings in the market.
App drawer access is quick from the home screen. Settings are logically arranged as per stock Android. Preloaded apps include PhonePe, YouTube, Facebook, and a suite of Google services. Additionally, there’s the Smart Panel sidebar for handy shortcuts.
Connectivity options include dual 4G VoLTE, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, and basic location services like GPS/A-GPS. Face unlock is an intriguing additional biometric authentication alongside the rear-facing fingerprint sensor.
itel further promises regular security patches and 2 major Android upgrades during the product lifecycle. Other notable features are a dedicated microSD card slot (up to 256GB supported), dual stereo speakers and 18W fast charging over USB-C.
Overall, the S24 excels at offering neat stock Android experience with useful itel additions, polished performance, and solid connectivity options at an affordable cost, making it great for day-to-day usage.
Battery Life
At the heart is a decently sized 5000mAh battery cell tucked inside. Combined with efficient hardware and a 1080p panel, the S24 delivers excellent battery stamina.
With moderate usage including 2-3 hours of screen time, social media, calls, and multimedia, it easily sails through 1.5 full days on a single charge. With lighter usage, the battery can potentially last up to 2 days.
Impressively, even with heavy gaming through an hour-long session, the battery only drained around 15-20%. Charging speeds are quite decent too, with the 18W brick fully rejuvenating the cell within 2 hours.
In our battery loop video test playing continuously, it managed to clock over 17 hours which is outstanding longevity. Safe to say, the S24 absolutely nails the battery department leaving no room for complaint.
Pricing and Alternatives
The Itel S24 is priced very competitively starting from just $140 for the base 4GB+128GB variant. The top-end 8GB+256GB model retails for around $180 region.
At this price bracket, some alternatives worth considering include the Tecno Spark 9 Pro, Realme C35, and Redmi 10 Power. However, they lack the S24’s 90Hz AMOLED panel, premium glass build quality, and near-stock Android experience.
The recently launched Infinix Hot 12 Play is another capable contender but the S24 still wins out with better cameras, software, and potentially longer software support. When looked at holistically, the S24 undoubtedly offers the best value for money in this segment currently.
Final Thoughts
After using it extensively, we were very impressed with the S24 truly standing out as a brilliant budget champion. It ticks all the right boxes with capable hardware, clean software, responsive display, and stellar 2-day battery life.
The only minor downside is average low-light photos but that’s understandable given the price. Overall, for well under $150, it’s hard to find fault with what’s on offer from the S24.
If your priority is getting great all-around performance without stretching the budget, itel’s S24 is undoubtedly one of the best choices currently available in the affordable segment. It surely delivers a delightful smartphone experience for daily use without any major compromises.