Wiko relaunched their products in Malaysia today with Wiko T50 and Wiko T10. Both are offered at affordable prices that won't burden the B40s. But what we realized in Malaysia is that devices sold at affordable prices often have performance issues.
So when given the Wiko T50 to review, I immediately took this opportunity to try it out. Is there or not an affordable device that can be used without any major issues? The answer is at the end of this review.
Specifications And Design
Wiko T50
6.6″ IPS LCD screen,
1080 x 2400 pixels, 60Hz
MediaTek Helio G85 processor
2 X 2.0 GHz Cortex A77 chips
6 X 1.8 GHz Cortex A55
Mali-G52 MC2 Graphics Chip
RAM 4GB LDPDR4x
128 GB Internal Storage
Primary Camera 64MP f/1.8, OIS (Wide Angle)
8MP f/2.2 (Ultra wide angle)
2MP f/2.4 (Macro)
Selfie Camera 16 MP f/22
4000 mAh battery
40W wired charging
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM nano / 4G
NFC None
Audio Jack Yes
Waterproof None
Scan System Side finger scanner
Sale Price RM899 (6/128GB)
Often entry-level devices come with a variety of significant compromises. On side bezel screens, large foreheads and chins are the norm. On the T50, Wiko is still able to offer a screen with a much thinner bezel. As a result the device looks more premium than other devices in the same class.
But it's still just a 6.6″ IPS LCD with a 60Hz refresh rate. This means no HDR support and has the issues we usually see on LCD devices. It works well indoors but continues to be difficult to see what is displayed in bright sunlight. The display is sharp with it detecting finger scrolling well. At the same time LCD will not be able to compete with OLED panels which can display more vivid, bright colors and darker blacks. A selfie camera hole is also placed in the middle.
There is also no under-screen scanner which is now standard. Instead the fingerprint scanner is placed on the power button on the right side of the device. The scanner is not that fast when compared to the Galaxy A23 we reviewed earlier. On average the unlocking process takes about half a second which is slow compared to an instant on other devices' fingerprint scanning systems.
On the same right side there is a button to adjust the sound volume. At the top there is a 3.5mm audio jack. Meanwhile at the bottom there is a USB-C charging port, a nano dual-SIM tray and a grille for mono speakers. A little strange is that there is no slot for a micro SD card which is usually a common feature on entry-level devices in Malaysia.
The entire back panel is made of a glossy plastic material that makes it easy to collect all kinds of dirt and makes the device quite slippery in the grip.
The bump for the tri-camera on the back is moderately large with three more bumps for each camera lens above the first oval-shaped bump. This leaves the camera lens exposed to the surface at risk of being scratched when placed on a table surface.
Overall the design of this device is simple, practical and balanced even though it is not a device sold at a premium price. The design isn't as impressive as a Nothing Phone (1) but it's not disappointing enough to make it feel like a gaming mobile phone.
Use And Software
The device uses Android 11 with Wiko launching which changes some interface elements from Android AOSP. Therefore, the experience of using the T50 feels very smooth because the launcher is not very heavy. The reviewed device only comes with 6GB of RAM but we didn't encounter any chronic lag issues or long times to launch downloaded apps.
There are various standard Android features such as launching applications simultaneously in two different windows, Live Transcribe and Digital Wellbeing. All the required key features are fully supported on this device without any major issues during the review period of around a week.
But we can't deny the use of Android 11 in 2022 is a huge shame. The device launched this year should already use at least Android 12. We don't know how long this device will be supported by Wiko and whether it will receive Android 12 and Android 13. The only positive thing we can see about the software is that at least -at least the T50 we reviewed has a security patch until May 2022.
Bench mark
The MediaTek Helio G85 is an entry-level chip manufactured with 12nm technology. So it is not a chip that offers high performance. Here are the scores the Helio G85 recorded in three key benchmark tests.
Geekbench 5 – 345/1282 Score
Antutu 3D – 234,360 Marks
Wild Life – 724 Marks
The Geekbench score recorded was slightly lower than the Snapdragon 680 4G but over 40% higher in the Wild Life test. Meanwhile, the score in the Antutu test, the Helio G85 scored around 10,000 lower than the Snapdragon 680 4G.
But what is the meaning behind the marks recorded. In daily use the T50 has no problem running social media applications such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. Running low-end 2D or 3D games (like Temple Run 2) is also no problem.
But when we play games that require higher specifications like PUBG Mobile, COD Mobile and Diablo Immortal, games can only be played on medium settings. But one positive thing about the Helio H85 is that the device doesn't have any overheating issues after a long initial session.
Telephony, GPS, WiFi And Radio
The Helio G85 does not support 5G networks. In the 4G LTE test, voice calls were clear on the telco network used. There is support for VoLTE and VoWiFi on telcos that support it. This to some extent solves the issue of bad 4G network in buildings in Malaysia right now to make voice calls.
GPS also works well, just not as fast as on newer chips. Need to wait a few seconds longer before the position in the map can be shown accurately. There is also still radio support but this requires a wired headphone connection to use. If there is no radio signal can not be captured clearly. With 5GHz WiFi support, fast internet speed can be enjoyed at home for example.
Camera
The main camera combines a 64MP wide-angle lens, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2MP macro. On the front, a 16MP sensor is used for selfies. The supplied camera app is basic but still easy to use. One thing we found strange was that to access night mode we had to find it from the extras menu. There is no option to go directly to the quick access settings provided on other manufacturers' device camera apps.
There is an artificial intelligence mode that provides HDR recommendations. The camera supports ultra wide angle mode and zoom up to 5X only. By default quad-binning is done on the 64MP sensor so that the image taken is only 16MP.
The quality of pictures taken through the main lens is satisfactory for an entry-level device. It is sharp and bright in satisfactory lighting situations. But the accompanying intelligence system is not very consistent. Sometimes HDR is enabled and sometimes not. The result is that when taking bright objects such as the sky, other less bright areas will appear dark in the picture. There is almost no HDR effect on the photos taken.
In poor lighting situations the effects of noise and light sources that seem to expand can be seen clearly. This is a common thing that happens on the camera of entry-class Android devices. The night mode is only simple but still satisfactory even though the main sensor is not equipped with OIS. Night mode can also only be used on the main lens and not on the other two lenses.
You can see in the last two pictures the difference between using night mode and not. On ultra wide angle lenses night mode cannot be used. The macro mode is just a gimmick because the sensor is only 2MP which is not satisfactory.
Battery
The performance of the 4000 mAh battery used is disappointing because it only provides 6 hours of SOT on moderate use. The longest usage time we were able to achieve was only around 16 hours on moderate usage as well. Using a battery of this size paired with a 6.6″ IPS LCD screen is a poor combination.
The T50's battery life is less than satisfactory but at least there is 40W fast charging support. Recharging time is only around 40 minutes with the charger provided with every purchase.
Audio
Only mono audio is supported, so it can be assumed that the audio is unbalanced. There is also no Dolby Atmos support when audio accessories are attached to the device. The resulting audio sounds very flat and not particularly loud even at the highest settings. Playing music or watching videos feels less satisfying because the audio produced is not good enough.
In the box
Here's what you get with every device purchase in Malaysia.
1x Wiko T50.
1x USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
1x 40W Charger.
1x Silicone frame
1x Screen protector.
1x Manual.
1x SIM Pin
Conclusion
At a price of RM899, Wiko T50 is a device that will not burden the B40 group. Although the specifications are not the highest in the market, the performance of the device is very satisfactory because the operating system used is close to the original Android which makes it feel smooth even though it is only equipped with 6GB of RAM. Camera performance is also satisfactory in various situations for an entry-level device.
The issues that exist are common such as the use of a macro lens that is not very useful, the battery is not very durable and it is still using Android 11 in 2022.
Like the Galaxy A23 that we reviewed before, the Wiko T50 is a device aimed at people who don't want to spend more for a smartphone. For basic tasks it operates brilliantly. If that's what you want in a smartphone, the Wiko T50 does not disappoint.
Pro
Sharp FHD large screen for watching video content.
Smooth use despite not having high specifications.
The bezel is quite thin for an entry-level device.
Still have the radio.
Equipped with 3.5mm audio jack.
40W fast charging included with purchase.
Cons
Mono speaker.
Still running Android 11.
A not-so-useful 2MP macro lens.
No micro SD slot.