Benco V91 Review: Android experience at BDT 10000

December 28, 2023, 10:10 AM
by Shahriar Rabab

UNB News
Publish- December 28, 2023, 10:10 AM
Shahriar Rabab
Update- January 01, 2024, 01:00 PM

Benco V91

Benco is a subsidiary of the Chinese electronic giant INONE Group. The brand has been operational since 2009 and specializes in entry-level to mid-range smartphones. Benco is getting popular day by day for their value-for-money devices. Recently, Benco launched V91 under their V series lineup. The phone is now available in Bangladesh. Let's check out the smartphone in detail.

Key Specifications of Benco V91

Design and Build Quality

Benco V91 is positioned as an ultra-budget smartphone. As a result, there are certain cut corners to accommodate an overall passable Android experience.

Starting from the design, the V91 is a major overhaul from last year’s V90. The rectangular camera housing with a fingerprint on the back has been replaced with a circular camera grid and a dual-tone finish. The fingerprint scanner has now been moved to the power button. The matte frosted back is made of plastic with the frame also following suit.

Dimension-wise, the smartphone comes in at 162.94 mm by 74.69 mm by 8.99 mm with 195 g weight. There isn’t any specific information on the screen-to-body ratio but it isn’t exactly pleasing. The front panel has a water drop notch display with a thick bottom bezel. It looks quite out of place by 2023 standards but that’s just one of the gripes of entry-level smartphones.

The smartphone has the usual ports and buttons with a dedicated microSD slot and a headphone jack. However, the secondary mic for noise cancellation is missing on the V91.

The Display

The display on the V91 is a 6.56-inch HD+ IPS LCD panel with 720 by 1640 pixels with 269 ppi density. The panel has 90.14% color accuracy which is on the higher spectrum among HD+ LCD panels.

The inclusion of a 90 Hz refresh rate is praiseworthy. The higher refresh rate alleviates the display experience and somewhat compensates for other lacking. As for the visibility, Benco didn’t provide any rating on the nits of the panel. But visibility felt alright indoors as well as outdoors. However, users would have to squint a bit under direct sunlight.

Overall, the panel won’t be a disappointing experience considering its price. The only drawback however would be its design.

The Camera

There is a triple-camera setup on the Benco V91. However, only the main 13 MP AI camera with f/2.0 aperture gets the specifications. There are two more 2MP sensors in the camera housing.

As for the main sensor, it gets the job done for casual photography. Images had good details with an average dynamic range. There were a few exposure issues as the shadows became completely dark at times. The image quality also deteriorated in indoor and artificial lighting conditions. Pictures taken without the flashlight had noticeable grains in them.

There is also an 8 MP front camera which can take some decent selfies.

The videography on the Benco V91 is rated at 1080P at 30 fps. However, the lack of proper stabilization both internal and software doesn’t produce good quality videos on the V91.

Processor and Performance

The processor on the V91 is Unisoc T606. The octa-core processor is coupled with ARM Mali-G57 MP1 GPU. Both the processor and the GPU are entry-level ones with modest performance.

In day-to-day tests like browsing the web, watching videos, and browsing social media, the processor performed fairly well. There weren’t any noticeable lag or glitch and the 90 Hz made it a smooth scrolling experience.

As for gaming, the V91 isn’t made for graphics-intensive 3D games. Yet it was able to run games like PUBG and Asphalt 9 with basic settings. However, the device became hot after about 20 minutes of gaming.

One of the best features of V91 is its Operating System. Typically, budget-friendly smartphones tend to use the lightweight Android GO as their OS. Unlike them, the V91 comes with a full-fledged Android 13. Even though the OS uses a custom skin, there wasn’t any bloatware to bog down the experience.

Overall, the V91 was able to provide a decent user experience considering its price.

Battery and Charge Time

The battery on the Benco V91 is a 5000 mAh Li-poly one. It also comes with an 18W fast charging feature.

Pros and Cons of Benco V91

Pros:

- High refresh rate
- Standard user experience
- Headphone jack
- Reliable battery life

Cons:

- Mediocre camera.

Official Price of the Benco V91 in Bangladesh

The Benco V91 is available in 4/128 GB and 8/128 GB variants. The official prices of these variants are 9,999 BDT and 10,999 BDT respectively.

Verdict

Benco V91 is an incremental update over last year’s V90. It brings quite a few noticeable changes in terms of design and performance. The fast refresh rate and the easy-to-navigate UI make the V91 a perfect daily driver budget-friendly Android. However, the camera could’ve been a bit better.

Overall, this entry-level smartphone offers a standard package for regular tasks. It can be said that the highly affordable price of the Benco V91 can make it an easy choice in the ultra-budget market.