At $216, the Revvl 2 Plus is one of the least expensive phones available through T-Mobile.
It's a modest update from its predecessor, and offers a few admirable qualities like long battery life and a bright display.
Unfortunately, its build quality, performance, and dated Android software make it a hard sell compared with similarly priced phones like the Motorola Moto G7 Power and the Nokia 7.1.
Design and Display
Made by TCL, the Revvl 2 Plus looks like your typical budget phone.
It measures 6.38 by 2.95 by 0.34 inches (HWD) and comes in at 6.17 ounces.
The front is dominated by a 6-inch LCD with chunky top and bottom bezels.
Flip the phone over and you'll find a shiny black plastic backplate with prominent T-Mobile and Revvl branding.
A dual camera stack and a fingerprint sensor sit top and center.
And while it looks good when you pull it out of the box, it attracts fingerprints and scratches.
It also just feels cheap when you compare it with the Moto G7 Power.
The frame itself is made of sturdy matte plastic.
On the top of the phone you'll find a headphone jack, while the bottom is home to dual speakers and a USB-C charging port.
The left side of the phone is bare, with the exception of the hybrid SIM/microSD slot, and on the right, you'll find a magenta power button and volume rocker.
Both provide a satisfying click when tapped, though it can be difficult to reach the top of the volume rocker if you have small hands.
If you prefer smaller phones, T-Mobile also offers the $168 Revvl 2, which has a smaller display and a more manageable footprint overall.
But size isn't all that's missing from the Revvl 2: It has a smaller battery, less RAM, and a slower processor.
The Revvl 2 Plus' 6-inch LCD is good for the price.
Resolution comes in at 2,160 by 1,080, for 402 pixels per inch.
While the Revvl 2 can't reach the full color gamut of more expensive phones, we found colors to be accurate in our lab tests.
We also found the display to be quite bright at 456 nits, so you should have no problem using it in direct sunlight.
Durability is a mixed bag.
While the Revvl 2 Plus has a plastic body that should handle drops and dings better than phones with glass backs, TCL provides no information about the type of glass used in the display.
It's also not water resistant, so an accidental drop in the sink will likely lead to a dead phone.
It's a good idea to invest in a waterproof case if you plan to use the phone around water.
Hardware and Performance
A MediaTek Helio P23 processor along with 3GB of RAM power the Revvl 2 Plus.
There's 32GB of internal storage, with 26GB available out of the box.
If you need more space, you can add up to an additional 128GB via a microSD card.
See How We Test Phones
Performance is poor, especially compared with the aforementioned Nokia 7.1 and Moto G7 Power.
Apps open slowly and multitasking becomes cumbersome with more than half a dozen apps open.
Gaming is also a no-go: When playing Asphalt 8 we encountered skipped frames and the game froze three times during an hour of gameplay.
The phone also performed poorly in benchmarks.
On PCMark 2.0, a suite of tests that simulate typical smartphone tasks, it scored 4,848, which is far below the Moto G7 Power (6,107) and Nokia 7.1 (6,224).
On the plus side, the phone's 4,000mAh battery is superb.
In our battery drain test, which streams video over Wi-Fi at full brightness, it took 14 hours and 32 minutes for the battery to peter out.
With more conservative use, you should have no problem going two days between charges.
If you do need a little extra charge, you may have to wait awhile, since the Revvl 2 Plus doesn't offer a quick charging option like the Moto G7 Power.
Camera
On the back of the phone you'll find a dual-camera array with 12MP and 2MP sensors.
The selfie camera on the front comes in at 8MP.
In bright light, both the rear and front cameras perform well.
Test photos are crisp, with excellent color accuracy.
We noticed a small amount of detail loss in the background, but are still pleasantly surprised by the photos overall.
Low-light testing is a bit of a different story.
Test shots on the rear camera are acceptable, though there's loss of background details and a little bit of noise.
The front-facing camera fared poorly, however, with blurring in the foreground and background, and significant noise.
Overall, the photo quality on the Revvl 2 Plus is slightly better than that of the Moto G7 Power, but doesn't quite compete with the Nokia 7.1.
It's fine for social media posts, however.
Network and Call Quality
As a T-Mobile exclusive, the Revvl 2 Plus is carrier locked.
It supports LTE bands 2/4/5/12/66/71.
The addition of band 71 means T-Mobile customers in rural areas should have solid data coverage.
Data speeds were impressive in testing, at 73Mbps up and 16Mbps down despite congested network conditions.
Call quality is good.
Our test calls were clear for the most part, though a few words were chopped off at the end, likely due to noise cancellation.
That said, noise cancellation worked well (perhaps too well), as we heard no background noise in our test calls.
With a peak volume of 84dB, the earpiece is loud enough to hear conversations on congested streets.
The speakerphone has a peak volume of 64dB, so it may not be best for outdoor calls or loud meetings.
Peak volume comes in at a hearty 89dB when streaming multimedia.
The overall sound is crisp and clean, though bass notes are totally absent.
Bluetooth 4.2 is built in for wireless headphones and wearables, but NFC is missing for contactless payments.
Wi-Fi is supported on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and we connected effortlessly to both networks in testing.
Software
The Revvl 2 Plus ships with Android 8.1 Oreo.
There's a custom UI that makes slight changes to the multitasking screen and Settings menu.
T-Mobile's suite of apps is included on the phone, as are Facebook and Amazon, which can be uninstalled.
We asked T-Mobile if an update to Android 9.0 Pie is in the works, and a representative confirmed the phone will not receive any further OS updates.
If you want to use the latest version of Android, you'll need to look elsewhere.
The Motorola Moto G7 Power ships with a nearly stock version of Pie, and the Nokia 7.1 is an Android One phone that not only ships with Pie, but will receive an Android Q update later this year.
Conclusions
Over the past few years, the budget phone market has evolved.
It's entirely possible to find a solid smartphone for less than $300.
Unfortunately, T-Mobile's Revvl 2 Plus hasn't caught up with the times.
Its build quality screams budget, and its low-end Mediatek processor offers laggy performance.
Both the Motorola Moto G7 Power and Nokia 7.1 offer a much better experience at a similar price.
Pros
Long battery life.
Good call quality.
Bright display.
Cons
Poor performance.
Speakerphone is hard to hear.
Build quality doesn't compare with similarly priced phones.
Runs an old version of Android.
View More
The Bottom Line
The Revvl 2 Plus for T-Mobile has excellent battery life but otherwise lags behind similarly priced Android phones.
At $216, the Revvl 2 Plus is one of the least expensive phones available through T-Mobile.
It's a modest update from its predecessor, and offers a few admirable qualities like long battery life and a bright display.
Unfortunately, its build quality, performance, and dated Android software make it a hard sell compared with similarly priced phones like the Motorola Moto G7 Power and the Nokia 7.1.
Design and Display
Made by TCL, the Revvl 2 Plus looks like your typical budget phone.
It measures 6.38 by 2.95 by 0.34 inches (HWD) and comes in at 6.17 ounces.
The front is dominated by a 6-inch LCD with chunky top and bottom bezels.
Flip the phone over and you'll find a shiny black plastic backplate with prominent T-Mobile and Revvl branding.
A dual camera stack and a fingerprint sensor sit top and center.
And while it looks good when you pull it out of the box, it attracts fingerprints and scratches.
It also just feels cheap when you compare it with the Moto G7 Power.
The frame itself is made of sturdy matte plastic.
On the top of the phone you'll find a headphone jack, while the bottom is home to dual speakers and a USB-C charging port.
The left side of the phone is bare, with the exception of the hybrid SIM/microSD slot, and on the right, you'll find a magenta power button and volume rocker.
Both provide a satisfying click when tapped, though it can be difficult to reach the top of the volume rocker if you have small hands.
If you prefer smaller phones, T-Mobile also offers the $168 Revvl 2, which has a smaller display and a more manageable footprint overall.
But size isn't all that's missing from the Revvl 2: It has a smaller battery, less RAM, and a slower processor.
The Revvl 2 Plus' 6-inch LCD is good for the price.
Resolution comes in at 2,160 by 1,080, for 402 pixels per inch.
While the Revvl 2 can't reach the full color gamut of more expensive phones, we found colors to be accurate in our lab tests.
We also found the display to be quite bright at 456 nits, so you should have no problem using it in direct sunlight.
Durability is a mixed bag.
While the Revvl 2 Plus has a plastic body that should handle drops and dings better than phones with glass backs, TCL provides no information about the type of glass used in the display.
It's also not water resistant, so an accidental drop in the sink will likely lead to a dead phone.
It's a good idea to invest in a waterproof case if you plan to use the phone around water.
Hardware and Performance
A MediaTek Helio P23 processor along with 3GB of RAM power the Revvl 2 Plus.
There's 32GB of internal storage, with 26GB available out of the box.
If you need more space, you can add up to an additional 128GB via a microSD card.
See How We Test Phones
Performance is poor, especially compared with the aforementioned Nokia 7.1 and Moto G7 Power.
Apps open slowly and multitasking becomes cumbersome with more than half a dozen apps open.
Gaming is also a no-go: When playing Asphalt 8 we encountered skipped frames and the game froze three times during an hour of gameplay.
The phone also performed poorly in benchmarks.
On PCMark 2.0, a suite of tests that simulate typical smartphone tasks, it scored 4,848, which is far below the Moto G7 Power (6,107) and Nokia 7.1 (6,224).
On the plus side, the phone's 4,000mAh battery is superb.
In our battery drain test, which streams video over Wi-Fi at full brightness, it took 14 hours and 32 minutes for the battery to peter out.
With more conservative use, you should have no problem going two days between charges.
If you do need a little extra charge, you may have to wait awhile, since the Revvl 2 Plus doesn't offer a quick charging option like the Moto G7 Power.
Camera
On the back of the phone you'll find a dual-camera array with 12MP and 2MP sensors.
The selfie camera on the front comes in at 8MP.
In bright light, both the rear and front cameras perform well.
Test photos are crisp, with excellent color accuracy.
We noticed a small amount of detail loss in the background, but are still pleasantly surprised by the photos overall.
Low-light testing is a bit of a different story.
Test shots on the rear camera are acceptable, though there's loss of background details and a little bit of noise.
The front-facing camera fared poorly, however, with blurring in the foreground and background, and significant noise.
Overall, the photo quality on the Revvl 2 Plus is slightly better than that of the Moto G7 Power, but doesn't quite compete with the Nokia 7.1.
It's fine for social media posts, however.
Network and Call Quality
As a T-Mobile exclusive, the Revvl 2 Plus is carrier locked.
It supports LTE bands 2/4/5/12/66/71.
The addition of band 71 means T-Mobile customers in rural areas should have solid data coverage.
Data speeds were impressive in testing, at 73Mbps up and 16Mbps down despite congested network conditions.
Call quality is good.
Our test calls were clear for the most part, though a few words were chopped off at the end, likely due to noise cancellation.
That said, noise cancellation worked well (perhaps too well), as we heard no background noise in our test calls.
With a peak volume of 84dB, the earpiece is loud enough to hear conversations on congested streets.
The speakerphone has a peak volume of 64dB, so it may not be best for outdoor calls or loud meetings.
Peak volume comes in at a hearty 89dB when streaming multimedia.
The overall sound is crisp and clean, though bass notes are totally absent.
Bluetooth 4.2 is built in for wireless headphones and wearables, but NFC is missing for contactless payments.
Wi-Fi is supported on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, and we connected effortlessly to both networks in testing.
Software
The Revvl 2 Plus ships with Android 8.1 Oreo.
There's a custom UI that makes slight changes to the multitasking screen and Settings menu.
T-Mobile's suite of apps is included on the phone, as are Facebook and Amazon, which can be uninstalled.
We asked T-Mobile if an update to Android 9.0 Pie is in the works, and a representative confirmed the phone will not receive any further OS updates.
If you want to use the latest version of Android, you'll need to look elsewhere.
The Motorola Moto G7 Power ships with a nearly stock version of Pie, and the Nokia 7.1 is an Android One phone that not only ships with Pie, but will receive an Android Q update later this year.
Conclusions
Over the past few years, the budget phone market has evolved.
It's entirely possible to find a solid smartphone for less than $300.
Unfortunately, T-Mobile's Revvl 2 Plus hasn't caught up with the times.
Its build quality screams budget, and its low-end Mediatek processor offers laggy performance.
Both the Motorola Moto G7 Power and Nokia 7.1 offer a much better experience at a similar price.
Pros
Long battery life.
Good call quality.
Bright display.
Cons
Poor performance.
Speakerphone is hard to hear.
Build quality doesn't compare with similarly priced phones.
Runs an old version of Android.
View More
The Bottom Line
The Revvl 2 Plus for T-Mobile has excellent battery life but otherwise lags behind similarly priced Android phones.
