Given the fact that we’ve had a couple of devices for review this year, including a mighty 13MP selfie camera device. Our compiled list features smartphones that are indeed worth to buy with the best capabilities as a $1000 iPhone. Well, 2019 will have more phones to come, but first here are the exciting devices that toppled up 2018 with a budget-friendly tag

Fero A4001 Plus

In Uganda, MTN has promoted this smartphone more than its very own KaFit smartphone. Well, the coolest thing with this phone is that it’s the cheapest you can ever get at only UGX 99,000 approximately $26 as the mix and mingle was evident during the 2018 MTN Expo. Though we are not sure of the price of this smartphone in Kenya and Tanzania, You can get it in several telecom shops across the region

Itel S13

Gifted with a 13MP selfie camera and a long-lasting battery, the S13 is one of those great smartphones for the low spenders who wish to get a fingerprint sensor mixed up with some great picture quality. At only, UGX 290,000 ( Kshs 7,900 | Tshs 179,000 | $78) you can get yourself a brand new Itel S13 with its specification listed here. But if you are not a great Itel fan, Huawei is one of those brands that give Samsung some headache on a global showdown

Huawei Y5 lite

The Huawei Y5 lite was introduced in Kenya a few weeks back as a cheap version of the Y5 prime. Retailing at $97 across Huawei dealer shops and telcos in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, we believe the Y5 is not one of the smartphones that can’t disappoint for a super showdown since it’s great specifications speak louder than its sole shiny design.

Tecno Spark

By now, every user who opts to buy a TECNO smartphone would mention the model Spark. The TECNO Spark smartphone is a predecessor of the Spark 2 which is priced above $100 and that’s why it’s not listed here.

If you are looking for that great big screen smartphone with bulk features to poise around with? then considering the Spark wouldn’t be a bad choice depending on your budget since it’s priced at exactly $100 across the region. Or else, Itel mobile still has some budget-friendly bulls with fantastic features you can opt to own for less

Itel P32

Itel’s P series are best known for their big batteries that can take you for more than 3 days with only 1 charge. In 2018, Itel decided to unveil the P32 which has two duo light covers that can make one wonder the type of smartphone you own.

At only UGX 320,000 ($86 | Kshs 8,700 | Tshs 198,000) you can own yourself a brand new Itel P32 smartphone, Other than that, why not drop your favorite budget-friendly phone you’ve purchase below $100 below for inclusion in our comments section!

If you are searching for that one smartphone with atleast 3GB RAM or even a beautiful top notch, you could opt for the Tecno camon x pro or Infinix S3x respectively, else stick to the affordable S13 release. More so, here is a simple compilation of the exciting features that turn the S12 successor a killer device up for grabs.

Better Picture quality

Unlike many smartphones we’ve seen on the market, the Itel S13 is a tweakable smartphone with multiple options like HDR allowing you to do more for less. Although the quality is not as excellent as that of an iPhone Xr or Xs, It’s surely enough and excellent depending on the price of this particular smartphone from Itel mobile.

The most affordable under $100 smartphone available

Comparing an iPhone X or Xs or Xr to any other trendy smartphone available on the market, the Itel S13 may not have hundreds of dollars following its price tag denominator, but all features rolled out to this smartphone are extremely worth these Zero’s following the UGX 290.

However, as Itel mobile stands for a goal to make smartphones more affordable with their “Join Enjoy” slogan, the S13 is by far the most affordable smartphone you can ever find with exceptional features on its back with a genuine seal tipped to the screen. More so, with a quad core processor pushing each and every node of this smartphone at only UGX 290,000 you can get yourself a copy of a no slow motion device but a bullet performance companion.

Super performance quad core processor

All killer smartphones available on the market today are all advertised with a fast performance or even fast charging trailing slogan. However, the S13 has the 13MP front camera leading its slogan path yet its super fast performance is undeniably the best you can ever secure with a budget friendly smartphone anywhere in Uganda. Nonetheless, with 1GB RAM and Android Go powering this particular release, the next time you go on a hunt for a great smartphone you should consider a few reasons why you should buy one.

Why the Itel 13 is a must buy smartphone

We’ve seen smartphones come and go. While Samsung smartphones had their time on the market. Itel, Infinix, Tecno and Xiaomi smartphones are the trendy smartphones that you can’t fail to notice with a wider percentage of 60% on a 100 users test. Nevertheless, as we thought the P32 was the best Itel release that ever landed from its category, the S13 could be having a section of successors to its name with massive features than we witnessed on the 13MP selfie camera.

For the past 2 weeks we’ve held the Itel S13, our reactions about its 13MP camera quality and fingerprint sensor stand on a worthwhile package of mixed feelings. While we could tweak the front camera for some exciting pictures and its fingerprint sensor having a lot of tricks to spice up the device usage. It’s by no doubt that this is one of the 2018 releases that won’t perish the same way iNotes did on the market.

At this juncture, here is our S13 journey filled with the crispy looks of the $76 smartphone and a dig deep into the cut outs de-ranking Itel’s S12 successor with a spark off by the top features.

Itel S13 Key Specs

• OS: Android 8.1 (Go edition)
• Screen Resolution: 480*960 pixels
• Display Size: 5.5 inches
• Processor: 1.3 Quad Core
• RAM: 1GB
• ROM: 8GB
• Rear Camera: 5mp + 5mp
• Front Camera: 13mp
• Battery: 2400mAh

Performance

The Itel s13 packs a MediaTek MT6580 chipset of a quad-core Cortex A7 processor that clocks at 1.3ghz which is pretty amazing. With its low clock rate with a minimal processor, the s13 doesn’t lag behind prior to demanding apps. However, one thing we realized is the need to monitor the kind of apps installed on this particular device as it can fail to respond more so with the fingerprint sensor if the storage exceeds the minimal cap.

Although S13 is able to execute low demanding tasks without any hitches ‘thanks to the Android 8.1 Go Edition’. Apps like the Highway zombie, Hill climb, and Subway surfers run smoothly on this phone given their light size and capability to utilize only the available resources allocated.

With a backup of 1GB RAM, which is average but can maintain a good performance on the phone as witnessed with the rookie games above. the S13 doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the performance gauge

Battery

Fueling the phone is a removable 2400mAh battery that can last a full day on average usage and with no data connection, it can last at least 21/2 days. Unlike the P32 which had a ‘3 days no charge’ slogan, perfect optimization is the only key to guaranteeing more battery life with the Itel S13.

More so, from the apps, you run and the more your data connection send traffic, Its the more the battery trembles down. To our experience with the S13, we rarely searched for the charging brick and USB even with a 2400mAh battery.

Camera

As a selfie device, the front camera has a 13MP lens while the rear camera is a dual 5MP+5MP totaling to 10MP. There’s Face Beauty for those who love the feature to remove those unwanted spots and a front soft LED flash that will make those night shots visible like they r captured with the new iPhone Xr.

The drill about the Itel S13 selfie camera, taking breathtaking photos requires you to play with either the HDR option or bundle up with the inbuilt effects to hype your selfie game.

Design and Display

With its 5.5” display, itel brought out the perfect design a phone can have, what we love most about this device are the defined soft edges of the display endorsing a full display ratio even at a 16:9 version. While many users can’t afford the iPhone X series, buying these budget-friendly smartphones surely counts as they pose similar features. The Itel S13 is an affordable version of a great display smartphone on the market ranking up high in the market circles.

To the design of Itel’s S13 smartphone, Its elegant borders and display ratio bring out the true feel of Android Go on a basic feature smartphone compiled up with elegant features like the multi-security fingerprint sensor.

In addition, we can see many smartphone manufacturers diving to the Android Go centric side with lightweight designed smartphones like the P32. However, as per the price tag of this particular Itel version in our coons, It has a balistic design except for the single side phone cover that lowered our expectations since the P32 had dual covers making you think Itel mobile had a new revolution ahead.

Pricing

The Itel S13 comes at an affordable price of 290,000/= only and is available at all retail shops across Uganda. Despite the fact that high copy versions of all smartphones exist on the market, the Itel S13 is a 2018 release meaning copy phones might come out early 2019. However, you can also consider scooping a copy from an official Itel shop or online on Jumia.

smartphone photography with the Itel S13

When it comes to capturing lifetime memories, selfies count a nice rank up to throwback Thursdays and with the Itel S13, this could be the cheapest selfie monster in a league of its own. Even with many things you can tweak around to make your photo beautiful, Its a welcome dock for the S13 rear camera which also shipped in the HDR option for even more landscape detailed photos just like one we captured below.

Selfie wise, the 13MP front camera has a little more noise when capturing in the dark. However, its never time to worry too much with a soft front flash ready to save all unfavorable conditions. But then, let’s dive into a simple selfie showdown for some headlights ahead.

How you could improve the photo quality with the S13 in your right hand

Improving your smartphone photography completely lies between the type of phone you hold and your camera skills. However, with the S13 in your right hand, you hold one of Itel mobile’s confident releases with a cheap price tag yet teasing a little behind the Infinix S3X.

Among the amazing features you can lay with on the Itel S13, the HDR option is one of a kind with the best lighting conditions and crispy feel produced on both the rear & front face. In addition, turning on the Camera flash can eliminate some of the dark spots sneaking in during capture.

Another option that is brilliant to consider yet not very unique of Itel smartphones. Camera effects, on the other hand, can surprise your Instagram or Snapchat followers thinking you borrowed a Tecno Camon X for a selfie showdown. However, these are some of the unique features you could utilize on your smartphone even when you don’t own the affordable Itel S13. Nonetheless, before you could decide to in opt for the Infinix S3x or Tecno Pouvior2, the Itel S13 can have a slot on your quartery smartphone budget.

Verdict

The Itel S13 is beautiful by the design and basic feature range. However, Its camera is not as good as its proclaimed even when you can improve the qaulity with the above procedures. Therefore, for its price, the camera is just so good although you cant compare it superior models.

However, we scooped a copy of the 13MP selfie beast and here is a dose from our unboxing journey all the way to the features layout. But first, Let’s dive into the S13 top specifications that are bundled with the UGX 290,000  price tagged smartphone.

Quick S13 specifications

• OS: Android 8.1 Oreo with Android Go
• SIM Type: Dual SIM (Micro)
• 4G LTE: NO
  
• Screen Size: 5.5 Inches LCD IPS Touchscreen
• Screen Resolution: 480 x 960 pixels (282 PPI)
• Processor Type: Quad-core 1.3 GHz, MediaTek MT6580 Chipset
• RAM: 1GB
• Internal Storage: 8GB.
• External Storage: microSD, up to 32 GB
• Back / Rear Camera: 5MP + 5MP dual cameras & LED Flash
• Front Camera: 13MP front camera with LED flash
• Battery: 2,400 mAh

Unboxing the Itel S13

Just like the unboxing of any other smartphone, Itel’s S13 engraved box doesn’t contain a handful of accessories. But instead, the usual charging brick, headsets, USB data cable and the device itself (A Midnight Black version). Unlike the previous Itel models that used to come with OTG capabilities, the company’s S series lies more on the Selfie side and the dual rear cameras prove just that with a single lens front version which we shall have to test whether it surely supports the proclaimed 13MP full detail.

S13 first impressions

If you were to compare a Samsung smartphone with a 1 step decrement to its other version, the difference could probably be void. However, Itel deserves a thumbs up for its unique features per device launched. But then, the Itel S13 appears more like the P32 on first sight with 2 tweakable rear camera lenses (Wide Angle + Telephoto) except the size which separates the two with a slightly bigger margin.

Coming with a light back cover this time around, the S13 peals out the comfort of its fingerprint sensor that lies on a 45 degrees scale away from the rear camera that excited us with its 360 sensitivity. While the 13MP front camera also thrilled us for a selfie showdown. The 6.0 screen size fitted right in the left pockets making it that simple, light and plenty feature smartphone budget-friendly wonders have always yearned to see.

Identically, the device comes with Android Go guaranteeing the best space available even with bulk files stored. Nonetheless, we felt like a P32S with a 13MP camera powered up to the front, But since its the actual S13 that doubles as the 3rd Android Go Itel smartphone we’ve seen this year, here are the Full specifications blending it out loud.

Itel S13 Full specifications board

NETWORK

BODY

DISPLAY

MEMORY AND OS

AUDIO

CONNECTIVITY

CAMERA

BATTERY

OTHER FEATURES

PRICE

Among the several things that Itel mobile has always pushed to the line, budget-friendly smartphones have surely booked a slot in the competitive market given the previous P32 smartphone status. However, as we see more smartphones raving in this year like Tecno’s Pouvior 2, everyone is much excited about the new S13 smartphone that has been officially launched today. Henceforth, let’s dive into the awesome functions shipped to the Itel S13 smartphone.

Customized Outstanding Selfie Features

The Itel S13 is created to capture clearer, brighter and sensational selfies with its monster 13MP front facing camera powered with a soft selfie flash. While its innovated 4 in 1 big pixel technology enhances selfies in broad light conditions. The S13 customized face beauty V2.0 feature aligns up your face with a slimmer, ruddy and smooth touch in realtime without any extra tweaks to the device.

Although Itel mobile has in its past few releases including the S32 focused on dual camera lenses. The idea was not left out with the S13 smartphone featuring more compact and advanced capabilities. For instance, if you wish to take blurred background pictures with the Itel S13, you simply play around with one of the lenses to bring out those produce professional like portraits.

However much, the Tecno Camon X was a top-notch version with awesome camera capabilities, you can do more with artistic like selfies captured by the whole new Itel S13 which we are yet to test when we get a copy of the device.

Smart Gesture Key and Multi-Functional Fingerprint Sensor

Unlike any other smartphone we’ve sighted this year, the Itel S13 comes with a unique gesture key adding on what we already know, the fingerprint sensor. As the S13 gesture key is optimized for maximum full-screen performance. The S13 fingerprint sensor allows you to even do more with 5 unique fingerprints registered. Among the few things this mutual fingerprint sensor can do, you can take photos, capture videos, answer phone calls and leaving alone that! perform quick launch functions at the comfort of your lock screen.

Android 8.1 (Go edition) Operating System for Smoother Experiences

Android Go and Android P are undeniably ruling the smartphone market. Even when, the latter has only been shipped to a few devices, we at least have Android Go smartphones on the podium. Just like the Itel P32 smartphone was powered by Android Go, the S13 is no way different in functionality when it comes to the apps and software piled up.

When it comes to the operating system. The Itel S13 is powered by Android ^TM 8.1 (Go edition) which is tailored to deliver a smooth and fast experience on low memory smartphones. Among the few apps pre-installed on all Android Go powered smartphones, Google Go, Google Assistant, and YouTube Go for Android 8.1 (Go edition) are uniquely designed for the bullet fast performance.

Your Personal Assistant, Always Ready to Help

Last but not least, the itel S13 comes with the Google Assistant. Unlike all previous Android versions like the 7.1 and 6.0 sandwich that don’t come with this awesome system app. As soon as you are signed in to your Google Assistant service, whenever you feel like pulling off the talk and do game, you long press the home button and get things done in a flip of a second.

Our Verdict

Just like any other smartphone that has been launched with minimal hype around it’s features, the Itel S13 is one of those budget friendly smartphones that may stay on top of the market for a little while. Therefore, we shall treck what this awesome selfie series smartphone has to offer when we receive a copy of the S13 smartphone. In addtion to the super 13MP selfie camera, the battery and fingerpriint sensitivity are some of those key features we shall look up for in an exciting review coming soon.

The unique S13 features

Itel mobile has released a couple of S-series smartphones in the past ____from the Rema Namakula ambassadorial S31 to the S11 and S12. But this time around with the S13, new features have been shipped in for better image quality and performance spicing up the budget-friendly game. At this point, let’s dive into what we know about the upcoming Itel S13 for now.

13MP Clearer Selfie Experience

Based on the innovative 4in1 big pixel technology, the 13MP selfie camera will bring you clearer & brighter selfie experience in various light conditions. It is time to show off your selfie. Try the brand-new face beauty V2.0, which can make your face thinner, ruddy, smooth & radiant in real-time and get you the kind of stunning chocolate color skin.

Dual Rear Camera for Artistic Portrait

5MP dual rear camera is more than capturing clear photos. Slide from left to right in camera interface to find portrait mode and take artistic portrait shots with amazing background-blurred effect.

5″ IPS FullScreen Immersive Display

Thanks to 5.5″ IPS FullScreen, S13 brings you immersive display with broader view & ultra-narrow bezel. Enjoy the lively visual experience with rich color & detail whether you browse a webpage, watch videos or play games.

Multifunctional Fingerprint Sensor

Just one touch on the fingerprint sensor, you can find great potential of fingerprint usage. Unlock the phone, take photos, record videos, answer phone calls, stop alarm clock, you can even customize shortcuts to quick launch apps.

Your Personal Voice Assistant

Powered by Android^TM 8.1 (Go edition), S13 is really your personal assistant. Sign in Google Assistant, then start talking to your phone. Ask it to call mom, play videos, find your favorite coffee shop etc. S13 is always ready to help.

Price & Availability

The Itel S13, unlike it’s sister smartphones, will have a 13MP camera smartphone for clear quality selfies. Imagine if you had a phone that could bring out a tiny pimple on your nose, that’s the kind of camera performance we expect out this yet to be unveiled smartphone.

The smartphone is expected to launch during the Genesis days of September and it’s price will vary from 280,000 to 300,000 UGX. With this, we shall give Itel’s 3rd android Go smartphone a balanced review when it lands in the Tech Point Magazine yard as it will feature a couple of exciting features for it’s basic price tag.