T-Mobile’s New Budget Phone Has Five Years of Updates

Finding a good budget phone can be a challenge, but there are some neat options out there. T-Mobile’s Revvl line is a pretty good option for those wanting to save a buck, and the newest member is here—and while I think there are still some better options, there are a few reasons why this could also be fine for some.

T-Mobile has just introduced the latest member of the Revvl family, the Revvl 8 smartphone. At the heart of the Revvl 8 is an upgraded Qualcomm processor, but sadly, that’s all we know as far as specs go—and even that isn’t too helpful. The Revvl 7 from last year had a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, and this could have gone up to a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 this year. The camera system also now features a 50MP main camera with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). And we have a larger battery, which could be one of the most important takeaways from the announcement since the previous model packed a 5,000 mAh cell.

Unfortunately, with T-Mobile not providing a spec sheet, we’ll certainly know more once the phone is actually out and in the hands of customers—it’s hard to gauge how much of an upgrade this is right now. But assuming we’re not seeing downgrades anywhere, this should be a solid unit. Other specs from the previous model include 6GB of RAM, a 6.58-inch 1080p display, and Android 14 out of the box. If it comes with Android 16, it’s already pretty good. What’s also good is the fact that you get a whopping five years of security updates. We’re not sure how many of those are actually OS upgrades and how many are actual security updates to an old OS update. But nonetheless, if you don’t care that much about OS updates, 5 years of security updates is still pretty cool.

If you’re buying unlocked, I’d still be more inclined to get something like a Galaxy A16—it has six years of OS updates, not just security updates. The good thing about Revvl phones is that, with them being T-Mobile’s first-party devices, they offer some sweet deals and flexibility for them. At T-Mobile, both new and existing customers can receive the phone at no cost by either adding a new line on most plans or by trading in any device on premium plans like Experience More or Experience Beyond. For those who prefer financing and don’t want free stuff attached to a long-term commitment, the phone is available for $8.33 per month. At Metro by T-Mobile, customers switching carriers can also get the Revvl 8 for free on plans starting at $40 per month.

Source: T-Mobile