TNT Panalo Phone 5G Review

The TNT Panalo Phone 5G is the most affordable 5G-enabled smartphone to date. This title was previously held by the Smart ZTE Blade A75 5G, which was made by TNT’s sister company.

Needless to say, this is an entry-level device with connectivity as its leading feature. In this review, we’ll be sharing our experiences with the device to better inform readers of what they’re in for.

So, can the TNT Panalo Phone 5G put itself in contention to be your next daily driver before 2024 ends? Let’s dive right in to find out.

Design and Construction

At first glance, the phone has a relatively minimal look. Weirdly enough, it has matte-like polycarbonate material covering the back panel. I believe the back panel itself is made of glass, which you’ll see just below the camera island.

Speaking of, the circular island houses three sensors and a LED flash. Of course, we’ll go in-depth on how they perform later on. Below it, users will find a faded TNT logo.

At the front, we have the phone’s display and a camera situated in a water drop notch. The bezels are thick, but what I don’t appreciate about the device is how scratch prone it is.

The device feels just right as well. It’s not too thick or thin, and it’s got a good amount of weight to it.

All things considered, I like how muted the design is. It doesn’t really try to stand out, which I appreciate. Of course, this is a subjective take, but going with what works for everyone should be the goal.

For buttons and ports, the volume rocker and power switch can be found on the phone’s right side. The left side is clean as a whistle, though.

At the bottom, users will find the SIM tray, a USB Type-C port, and a single-firing loudspeaker. There’s also a microphone situated on top of the device.

Just to let readers know, this phone does not come with an ingress protection rating. In other words, you should try your best to keep this device dry.

All in all, the phone does well under this segment. Notably, the polycarbonate cover on the glass back panel does irk me. Then again, I imagine it would be smudge prone if it was made bare.

I’m also fairly surprised that this phone doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio port. Most entry-level devices have it still, so I guess this just cements everyone moving away from it.

Display, Multimedia, and Biometrics

This device sports a 6.51-inch LCD with a refresh rate of 120Hz and HD+ resolution. For audio, users have its mono loudspeaker and an option to use its Bluetooth for wireless earbud use.

The display feels smooth when watching videos. The thickness of the bezels prevents accidental touches too. This should be good for when you’re streaming a video or playing a game.

I do, however, have an issue with using the phone under sunlight. It’s not impossible, but would certainly annoy plenty of us. Keep this in mind, as the photo taken above was shot with max brightness set on the device.

This isn’t the same case for scrolling though. Not sure if it’s just me, but the slight stutter didn’t escape me. Generally speaking, colors favor accuracy over vibrance.

I’ve used the phone for streaming videos, reading, and light gaming. While the experiences themselves were enjoyable, I wish the device came with dual stereo speakers when my buds need charging.

For biometrics, the phone only has face unlock. The only other means of security is a PIN code. I must say, this feature is off-putting. Sure, facial enrollment was quick.

However, there’s no indicator on the display if it’s working or not. It doesn’t work as efficiently as it should. I had to keep staring, locking, and unlocking the screen to see how well the response time was.

Bottom line, just use a PIN since it’s easier to manage for this device in particular.

Cameras

For optics, the phone has a triple-rear camera setup. This includes a 13-megapixel main, 2-megapixel depth sensor, and an auxiliary sensor. At the front, it’s equipped with a 5-megapixel selfie shooter.

Despite the numbers, the phone surprisingly takes decent shots. It even has a portrait mode and a pro mode, which is crazy considering its price point.

Weirdly enough though, it looks blurry or grainy before you capture a photo. Since phones nowadays are built differently, it fixes the shot with post-processing and improves in tenfold.

Shots from the phone are color accurate, but can end up looking dark on auto. I’m guessing it’s because the system isn’t fully hashed out, making it rough for the device to take in light even outdoors.

Users may remedy this by adjusting settings in pro mode by increasing ISO or tinkering with aperture.

For video recording, it pretty much performs as expected. It’s not very stable if you move around and the quality needing some work is evident. Personally, I think this is alright considering how much the device is.

Here are some of our sample shots below for readers to see.

OS, Apps, and UI

The phone runs on Android 14 right out of the box. Admittedly though, it feels like it’s an older version of the OS. If I had any gripes from the start, it would be its lack of a dedicated photo gallery.

For apps though, it has Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Grab, and Netflix pre-installed already. These apps are pretty handy and will save you some time when you’re setting up the device.

Plus, there’s little to no sign of bloatware. If there’s anything pre-installed that you might not use, it’s the Ka-Partner app. It’s an app from Smart that we assumed is for loading your device and overseeing your promos.

It’s a bit of an odd case when you click it. It directs you to the app store and says it can’t be updated because it wasn’t installed from Google Play. If the message was “Don’t use it!”, then message received.

Wrapping up, the user interface is straightforward and easy to digest. The useful mainstay features from the drop down menu like DND, flashlight, and screen recording can be found here.

While this segment wasn’t on the flashier side, I liked how convenient it was. What matters most is that people can use it with ease and I appreciate the familiarity that comes with it.

Performance and Benchmarks

Powering the TNT Panalo Phone 5G is a UNISOC T765 chipset. This comes with a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage.

As mentioned, my time with the device has been mostly with multimedia consumption, reading, and light gaming. While it does run most tasks decently, it may struggle with resource intensive apps or games.

In other words, it should be good for games like Mobile Legends, Honor of Kings, and League of Legends: Wild Rift. Because my expectations were leveled, I mostly stuck to playing Teamfight Tactics. It only runs about 30 frames and is fairly easy to manage.

For readers who may want to play Genshin Impact, Zenless Zone Zero, or even PUBG Mobile, this isn’t it. With only 4GB of RAM and its low base storage, you’re better off opting for another device.

Again, this phone’s selling point is its reliability and connectivity at an affordable price point. The fact that it could even run a handful of titles is already a feat. For those interested in the benchmark scores, I’ll leave them below.

Battery and Connectivity

The phone packs a 4,000mAh battery with support for 10W of wired charging via USB Type-C. To determine how efficient the device is power-wise, we took it on a few tests.

In PC Mark’s Battery Test, the phone was able to provide 12 hours and 8 minutes of activity. This test was taken with the device at 50 percent brightness, in airplane mode, with the volume muted.

For our video loop test, the phone was able to pump out 19 hours and 26 minutes of playback. This test had the same variables mentioned above while playing a full HD movie.

We also took the device for a gaming test, which saw it last for exactly 10 hours. This test was taken with brightness and volume set to 50 percent over a Wi-Fi connection.

In the charging test, we found that the phone takes 2 hours and 21 minutes to power up from zero. This test was taken with the 10W charging brick that comes with the device.

From our findings, we’ve come to the conclusion that the phone should only be good for roughly half a day. We recommend users to not go all out with gaming, streaming, or even maxing out the brightness. More or less though, it’s pretty decent under this segment.

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, and 5G as the device name suggests. The device is capable of holding a steady, reliable connection. We had no issues with the signal and the call quality over Wi-Fi or the network.

Pricing and Conclusion

As mentioned at the beginning, the TNT Panalo Phone 5G is the most affordable 5G smartphone this year. It has a suggested retail price of PHP 3,990USD 68INR 5,764EUR 65CNY 495 and comes with a free SIM card from TNT.

With that out of the way, I have to unpack a few things from my time using the device. While the display is alright indoors, it really does struggle under sunlight. I think the biometrics (face unlock) indicator could be added via a firmware update as well, although unlikely.

Lastly, the OS feels a bit dated despite being Android 14. As raw as it is, it should really have a dedicated gallery for easy access to photos, screenshots, and the like. As for positives, I appreciate the design and camera system the device has for its price.

The design is muted, lowkey, and not too flashy. Like I said, if it works for most of us, then it’s surely in the right direction. The cameras fared surprisingly well for an entry-level device. While I do have to credit its results to post-processing, it’s still great that the phone can produce great shots.

As I weigh the pros and cons, I’m sure it’s not a bad device to pick up under budget. My recommended uses for the phone are media consumption, photography, and on-the-go connectivity.

That wraps it up for the TNT Panalo Phone 5G. Share your thoughts on the device in the comment section below!

What we liked:
* Muted design
* Camera (surprisingly)
* Price

What we didn’t like:
* Display (scratch prone, usage under sunlight)
* Biometrics (no face unlock indicator on screen)
* OS (feels like it’s an older Android version)

TNT Panalo Phone 5G specs:
6.51-inch HD+ (1600 x 720) IPS LCD
90Hz refresh rate
UNISOC T765 (6nm)
2x Cortex-A76
6x Cortex-A55
Mali-G57 MC2 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
microSD card support
13MP main camera (wide)
2MP depth sensor
0.08 auxiliary sensor
5MP front camera
Mono loudspeaker
Dual nano-SIM
5G
Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS
FM Radio
USB Type-C
Android 14
4,000mAh battery
10W charging support (wired)