This year alone, quite a number of smartphones with Helio G99 have been launched in the Philippines — the ZTE Blade V50 Vita, Cherry Aqua S11 Pro, Infinix Note 40, and Note 40 Pro 4G.
Only one other device actually had a Helio G99-Ultimate, and that is the widely popular POCO M6 Pro 4G, although that one was priced close to Php12k.
The itel RS4 smartphone comes with the same gaming-capable Mediatek Helio-G99 Ultimate with a starting price of only Php6,299, undercutting the POCO M6 Pro by almost 50%.
Here are five (5) reasons why we think the itel RS4 is the most capable budget gaming smartphone to hit the market today.
Table of Contents
Chipset: Mediatek Helio G99 Ultimate
Powering the itel RS4 is a rarely used but gaming-optimized Mediatek Helio-G99 Ultra. This is based on a 6nm process technology and is composed of dual Arm Cortex-A76 cores at 2.2GHz and a 6-core Arm Cortex-A55 at 2.0GHz paired with a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU.
In a series of synthetic benchmarks, the itel RS4 fared just decently, with scores of 423,702 points in the Antutu benchmark, 10,962 points in PCMark Work 3.0 performance, and 746/2,064 in Geekbench 6 for single-core and multi-core tests, respectively.
Here’s the complete set of results for all the tests that we ran:
Antutu Benchmark v10: 423,702
Antutu Storage:
Sequential Read – 1,052MB/s
Sequential Write – 805MB/s
Random Read/Write: 341MBs/s, 321MB/s
PCMark Work 3.0 Performance: 10,962
GeekBench 6 CPU: 746 (single core), 2,064
GeekBench 6 GPU: 1,329 (OpenCL)
3DMark Wild Life: 1,270 (7.6fps)
3DMark Slingshot Extreme: 2,683 (18fps, 8fps)
In terms of gaming, we get mixed results depending on the game and the graphics settings. For the most part, we have no problems with popular games such as Mobile Legends (which can reach 120fps).
Also, with the help of iBoost Game Engine, it can automatically optimize the system to provide a “boost” while gaming.
However, with very heavy games like Genshin Impact, you will need to set the graphic settings to Low in order to play for long periods of time. Otherwise, if you try Medium, High or Highest, it will be playable and smooth but the device will feel warm to the touch and eventually heat up.
Diablo Immortal and Free Fire: Garena both played just fine. Suffice it to say, the itel RS4 can handle most of the usual games we throw it at.
Generous Memory and Storage Options
The itel RS4 comes with a very generous 12GB of RAM with an additional 12GB of MemFusion, giving you a total usable memory of up to 24GB. No other smartphone in its price category can deliver that much memory, not even in the Php10k range.
The closest there is in the market today is the POCO M6 Pro, but that one is already at the Php14k price point, which is almost double that of the itel RS4.
In terms of internal storage, you also get up to 256GB of space for all your apps and games.
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In this day and age when some of the most frequently used apps and games have humongous file sizes (Tiktok, 2.21GB; Asphalt 9, 3.54GB, Genshin Impact, 33.07GB; Mobile Legends, 7.42GB), not to mention the hundreds and hundreds of photos and videos we regularly take, you will definitely need ample storage space in your phone. That does not include the 12GB to 20GB of basic system files for Android operating system and the 12GB of MemFusion that will be dedicated to virtual RAM.
We think 256GB is a good starting point and iTel acknowledges that with the RS4.
Long Battery Life
With its 5,000mAh battery and 45W charging capability, the itel RS4 is sure to provide you with extra long battery life.
When playing Mobile Legends, we managed to run an hour of Ranked Game and only used up 9% of the battery life. That translates to roughly about 10.5 hours of gameplay, which is impressive!
Likewise, in our PCMark Work 3.0 Battery test, the itel RS4 scored a solid 17 hours and 39 minutes. In our video loop test, the itel RS4 managed to last a decent 20 hours and 55 minutes.
You might get lower results when playing more graphics-intensive games like Genshin Impact, Diablo Immortal or Call of Duty: Mobile and the likes but that is to be expected.
The device comes with a relatively fast 45W wired charging capability which means you can charge it up from 1% to 80% in just 30 minutes. With bypass charging, you are also assured that you can charge and play at the same time without overheating the phone and optimally save on battery cycle. It also offers 3 levels of charging mode, depending on your need or situation.
120Hz Screen Refresh Rate
Primarily positioned as a gaming smartphone, the itel RS4 supports up to 120Hz of refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. The refresh rate is adaptive so you can simply let it adjust according to the conditions or you can manually set it to either 60Hz, 90Hz or 120Hz.
This is complemented by a fairly large 6.6-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 720 x 1612 pixels. This gives the screen an acceptable 267ppi pixel density. The punch-hole at the top of the display allows for the 8MP front camera and, while there is no mention of glass protection, there is a screen protector already pre-installed.
Furthermore, the inclusion of a Z-axis motor and gyroscope sensor on top of the high refresh rate provides for better gaming experience especially with 3D spatial effects.
Modern Design
The itel RS4 comes with three (3) colorways — Lurex Black and Silvery White, but Elegant Beige. If you noticed that the RS4 looks familiar, well it is because it has similar treatment as the vegan leather back cover of the realme 12 series with its zipper-like line at the middle and the stitches surrounding the camera module. Well, at least that’s based on our review unit which is the Elegant Beige.
On the other hand, the other two coloways, Lurex Black and Silvery White, have a more modern look with different textures on the back panel, accented by a “racing line” across the middle.
The large camera module at the back houses a dual 50MP AI camera together with a dual LED flash. The elegant back panel feels nice to the touch and prevents fingerprints and smudges to stick to it.
Verdict
Most of the capable gaming phones on a budget would tend to sell at the 10k to 12k price range. The itel RS4 breaks the glass ceiling by offering a capable gaming phone at just under Php7.5k which is unheard of.
For that budget, you get a pretty capable smartphone powered by a Helio-G99 Ultimate, 12GB of RAM with 12GB more of MemFusion and 256GB of internal storage. It’s almost unmatched in this category as itel is shaking things a bit.
Pricing and Freebies
The itel RS4 will officially be released in the Philippines this April 15, 20204. There will be initially two colorways: Lurex Black and Silvery White, but Elegant Beige will soon arrive in the stores, too.
The itel RS4 will be available in two variants:
(8GB+8GB) 16GB/128GB = Php 6299 (Here: https://tinyurl.com/RS4128 127)
(12GB + 12GB) 24GB/256GB = Php 7,499 (here: https://tinyurl.com/RS4256 183)
A special discounted price of just Php4k+ will be released via Shopee (with vouchers).
When you order the itel RS4 this April 15, you can also get itel A10 earbuds or itel BudsFire (limited quantity only). Since the itel RS4 is in collaboration with Free Fire and has Buds Fire as its suggested accessory. During the product launch period, Buds Fire will be given out as a freebie until supplies last only.
itel RS4 specs:
6.56″ HD+ IPS LCD @ 1,612 x 720 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate
Mediatek Helio-G99 Ultimate
8GB, 12GB LPDDR4X RAM (+12GB MemFusion)
128GB, 256GB UFS 2.2 internal storage
50MP dual AI camera
8MP AI portrait camera
4G LTE
WiFi-5
Bluetooth 5.2
NFC
GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC
USB Type-C
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
Face Unlock
5,000mAh LI-Ion battery, 45W wired charging
iTel OS 13.5 (based on Android 13)
163.69 x 75.69 x 8.15mm (dimensions)
198 grams (weight)
