Initial Verdict: itel looks to have another hit with the RS4 as its first gaming device. It is the most affordable phone in the Philippines to have 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, and it looks to have a lot of potential for a budget gaming phone. 

Pros

-Very affordable for a phone with 12GB RAM

-Smooth UI for its price

-Decent charging speeds

 

Cons

-Display is only HD+

-Camera bump unnecessarily large

 

itel is joining the mobile gaming scene, and the RS4 is its first offering. Like the S23+, the RS4 is an ambitious offering from itel: this time around, the RS4 focuses on performance, offering a solid set of internals at an under Php 10k price tag. We got our hands on the RS4, and check out what itel has to offer with its debut gaming offering.

 

itel RS4 First Impressions Philippines: Design

As what people pointed out on our Facebook page, the RS4’s back panel reminds us of more expensive phones with that large circular camera module. That module is more of a statement piece, with the RS branding being prominent in the center. Unlike the S23+, the RS4 has flat frame sides, a flat display, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The Super branding remains, which reminds you that the RS4 is one of itel’s best offerings.

The button and port layout is typical of what you see on an itel phone, with the only difference being the other speaker placed on top instead of on the earpiece.

 

itel RS4 First Impressions Philippines: Display and Speakers

While the S23+ stood out for being the most affordable phone to have a curved AMOLED display, the RS4 settles for a 120hz IPS display instead. The resolution is on the low side at HD+, and that bottom bezel is very thicc for 2024 standards. It’s really hard to nitpick on the RS4’s display since we’re talking about a budget phone that goes all in with the internals.

The RS4’s display has decent colors, but you have to be mindful of its brightness: while it is fine for indoor use, the RS4’s display struggles under direct sunlight. It’s a common shortcoming among budget phones, and we think it will take a while before we see under Php 10k phones with displays that are legible outdoors. One nice thing about the RS4’s display is that it has 240hz touch response rate, making it responsive to games especially FPS and battle royale titles.

The nice thing about the RS4 is that you get stereo speakers that are placed on the top and bottom symmetrically. Their soundstage is decent for its price tag, which is nice considering itel’s push for the RS4 as a budget gaming device.

 

itel RS4 First Impressions Philippines: Cameras

Don’t get distracted by that large module, as it only houses two cameras and an LED flash–and only one camera is useful. The setup consists of a 50-megapixel main camera and an auxiliary filler camera. The selfie camera is a basic 8-megapixel shooter, and the RS4 can shoot videos at Full HD. We haven’t tested the RS4’s cameras, but we expect it to be slightly better than the S23+ since you’re getting a better processing package.

itel RS4 First Impressions Philippines: Internals and Battery

The main highlight of the RS4 is its internals, where you get a Helio G99 processor that’s paired with 12GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB eMMC 5.1. While we wished for faster UFS 2.2 storage, it’s hard to deny that the RS4 is the most affordable phone in the Philippines to give you BOTH a Helio G99 processor and 12GB of RAM.

We are familiar with what the Helio G99 is capable of, and while we have yet to put the RS4 to its paces, we expect it to run Genshin Impact at medium graphics without any lags at 30FPS or low graphics if we want to push it to 60FPS.

With that set of internals, the RS4 felt very snappy for a budget device, and itel’s UI has improved with fewer of those annoying pop-up ads. We’re not sure about itel’s software update commitments on the RS4, but we did get a security update while we were setting up the phone.

While the RS4 gets the same 5000mAh battery like the S23+, you get a faster charging speed at 45w. This is the fastest charging speed itel has to offer with any of its devices, and it is fitting that the RS4 gets it since mobile gamers want quick top-ups for their batteries.

 

itel RS4 First Impressions Philippines: Wrap-up and Conclusions

itel pulls off another feat in the budget segment once again with the RS4, as it is hands down the most affordable phone you can buy with a Helio G99 processor and as much as 12GB RAM. While the display has its fair share of shortcomings, the RS4 is a rare budget phone that runs smooth with moderate gaming.

itel RS4 First Impressions Philippines: Price

The official price of the RS4 in Shopee is Php 6,299 for the 8GB/128GB model and Php 7,499 for the 12GB/256GB model.