itel A70 Review: A Pocket-Friendly Package With Impressive Design

itel has kicked off the new year with its latest ultra-budget offering — the itel A70. From its iPhone-like aesthetics to a promising camera setup and commendable audio output, this device aims to deliver a well-rounded experience without putting a dent in your wallet. At a starting price of Rs 6,299, the A70 seems like a good catch, but should you consider buying it? We have been using the device for some time to answer that and more in our full review.

itel A70 Pricing and Availability in India

The itel A70 is available in a single RAM variant, but you get multiple options in the storage department. You can check them out below.

• 4GB RAM and 64GB storage – Rs 6,299
• 4GB RAM and 128GB storage – Rs 6,799
• 4GB RAM and 256GB storage – Rs 7,299

itel A70 Review: Design and Build Quality

The A70, with a design reminiscent of premium smartphones, particularly iPhones, manages to strike a visual chord. While the camera module may lead you to believe that it has a triple-lens setup, the LED flash plays the imposter role.

The A70 can be found in four flashy colourways. For this review, we have the Azure Blue hue. The back panel features a coarse texture, slightly helping with the grip. It weighs around 187 grams, and the weight distribution on the device is quite balanced. If you are afraid of dropping the phone, the MagSafe-like case provided in the box should help.

The right side of the phone features a power button that also functions as a fingerprint sensor, which works well. You will also find the volume rocker on this edge. A SIM tray is located on the left side of the frame, while the USB Type C port, a headphone jack, and a speaker grille are located at the bottom.

Itel A70 Review: Display and Audio

While the A70 falls short of supporting Full HD content, the display performs well for the price. The panel offers vibrant colours, accompanied by minimal side bezels. This ensured our content viewing experience was enjoyable. Legibility under direct sunlight was also decent, with the panel reaching a maximum of 500 nits.

The itel A70 also includes the iPhone-inspired Dynamic Bar, which, although not useful, adds a unique touch. The animations are smooth, and you get a bunch of options to tweak around with.

For audio, the single-bottom speaker surprises with its robust performance, delivering a balanced mix of punch and clarity. Retaining the 3.5mm headphone jack is a thoughtful inclusion for users who prefer a wired audio experience.

itel A70 Review: Performance and Software

Performance is where the A70 faces a bit of a challenge. While daily tasks and navigation are relatively smooth, more heavy apps can strain the device. However, a swift recovery from occasional stutters indicates a robust system. The RAM management was also quite up to the mark, with the device remembering apps even after a certain period.

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The A70 also offers gimmicks such as virtual memory, which uses a portion of the storage as RAM. While gaming is not its forte, the A70 manages low-intensive games such as Temple Run and more, smoothly.

The A70 runs on Android 13 Go Edition with minimal bloatware, which in turn reflects a good UI experience. You also get a bunch of customisation options, with a slew of themes to change the look of your homepage.

The scrolling experience throughout the UI was good, with no jitters or lags, indicating good optimisation. While the device will get two years of security updates, there’s no word on the software update cycle.

itel A70 Review: Cameras

In the camera department, the A70 holds its ground considering its price point. The camera UI is quite straightforward, with all the necessary options at arm’s reach.

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Pictures taken during the daytime exhibit good contrast, but the images tend to lean towards a warmer tone. The images also have a decent amount of detail. While the dynamic range was mostly under control, we noticed certain situations when the highlights in the sky were overexposed. Regardless, the primary camera gave us consistently satisfactory and usable output.

Surprisingly, the handset shines in the selfie department, even in indoor conditions, capturing detailed and impressive shots. This means that buyers seeking a competent selfie shooter on a budget might get swayed toward the itel A70.

itel A70 Review: Battery

Despite being an entry-level offering, the A70 has not compromised on the battery capacity. The 5,000mAh battery easily lasted us an entire day on a single charge — clocking around five to six hours of screen time.

The 10W USB Type-C charging may seem slightly sluggish by contemporary standards but proves effective. During our testing, the device took around two and a half hours to go from 15 percent to 100 percent. Its endurance, coupled with reasonable charging times, ensures a dependable daily driver for users with moderate usage patterns.

itel A70 Review: Verdict

In conclusion, the itel A70 emerges as a noteworthy option for those eyeing a sub-Rs 8,000 smartphone. Its appealing design, robust build, satisfactory performance for daily tasks, and surprising prowess in the camera and audio departments make it a good choice.

However, pragmatic expectations are key, as this budget offering isn’t tailored for intensive tasks. If you seek a well-rounded device that ticks most boxes without breaking the bank, the itel A70 merits serious consideration. Moreover, it can be a fitting choice if you are looking for a secondary smartphone for making calls and handling emails.