Benco S1 Review: Just the Design!

Benco S1 is a new budget smartphone that was launched in Nepal in April 2023.

The Benco S1 is priced at Rs. 14,999 for the 4/128GB variant and Rs. 15,999 for the 6/128GB variant in Nepal.

TechLekh Verdict

Considering it is an entry-level phone, the Benco S1 stands out with its stylish design and modern punch-hole camera design. Furthermore, it offers the rare combination of 6GB RAM and 128GB storage at this price point. The battery life is also commendable.

In terms of performance, the Benco S1 delivers a mediocre performance. However, considering its price, it may be deemed acceptable. The camera performance is also average, and the software support remains uncertain.

So, for under Rs. 15,000, the Benco S1 offers impressive design and storage capabilities, but the overall phone is not impressive.

If you’re looking to buy a phone under Rs. 15,000, I recommend you to get Redmi 12C.

The phone’s design is undeniably impressive, particularly when taking into account its price. But how does this phone perform? How are its cameras? Should you even buy this phone? I will be sharing all of those in my Benco S1 review.

ALSO READ: Redmi 12C Price in Nepal (November 2024 Updated)

Benco S1 Review

Stylish Design

• 168.47 x 75.34 x 8.5 mm
• 203.4 g
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)

The Benco S1 has an attractive design despite its all-plastic build. The back features a gradient design and a textured frosted finish, featuring a square camera island that houses two huge camera circles and a flash.

It has curved corners on the front, where the display wraps around, giving it a more premium look. Additionally, the modern punch-hole design adds to its appeal, especially considering its price range of under Rs. 15,000, which is not commonly found in other phones of similar cost.

The phone has a slightly heavy weight of just over 203g, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortably heavy when held.

The bumpy camera island has a glossy finish, while the bottom camera ring houses two cameras. The frame also has a glossy finish to it. The power button on the right side, below the volume buttons, doubles as a fingerprint sensor, and it is reliable.

Being an entry-level phone, it still retains the 3.5mm headphone jack. Furthermore, it’s worth mentioning that the phone comes with an included earphone, a noteworthy feature that other manufacturers should consider.

On the left side, the SIM card tray offers three slots: two for nano SIM cards and one for a microSD card. Similarly, the bottom of the phone houses a microphone, speaker, and USB-C port, a welcome feature instead of the outdated Micro-USB port.

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Typical LCD Display

• 6.8-inch LCD
• 720 x 1640 pixels
• 60Hz

It has a huge 6.8-inch display. It is an HD+ IPS panel with a normal 60Hz refresh rate. It offers the typical display experience you expect from an entry-level phone. Enough for media consumption, such as scrolling through social media and watching YouTube videos. The brightness is also decent, providing satisfactory visibility.

The bezels of the Benco S1 are surprisingly narrow for an entry-level phone. The top and side bezels are almost symmetrical, and the chin is also relatively small.

Average Performance

• Unisoc T606 (12nm)
• Octa-core (2×1.6 GHz Cortex A75 & 6×1.6 Cortex A55)
• ARM Mali G57 MP1
• 128GB 4/6GB RAM, supports microSDXC

The Benco S1 is equipped with the Unisoc T606 processor, which is an entry-level chipset manufactured on TSMC’s 12nm process technology. It comprises two Cortex-A75 CPU cores and six Cortex-A55 CPU cores, all clocked at speeds of up to 1.6GHz. The GPU is handled by Mali G57.

I have the 6GB RAM variant, but there is also a 4GB RAM model available. Both variants offer 128GB UFS 2.2 storage, which is both larger and faster than what is typically provided by similarly priced phones.

However, the actual performance of the Benco S1 suffers due to the mediocre chipset it is equipped with.

For everyday tasks such as navigating the user interface and scrolling, the phone performs decently. The app loading speed is also satisfactory. Nevertheless, users may notice animation lags and delays when switching between apps.

GAMING TEST

I played PUBG Mobile on the Benco S1, setting the frame rate to High and the graphics to Smooth. Under these settings, the game achieved an average of around 25fps. Although the gameplay remained playable without significant frame drops, it fell short of the expected 30fps.

On the other hand, when playing Mobile Legends, the Benco S1 delivered a stable 60fps gameplay experience with graphics set to medium and the frame rate set to high.

In conclusion, while the Benco S1 does offer playable gameplay, I would not recommend it to individuals seeking a phone primarily for gaming purposes.

Mediocre Camera

• Rear Camera: 48MP, f/1.8, (wide)
  • 2MP (macro)
  • unspecified “AI” camera
  • Video: 1080@30fps
• Front Camera: 16MP
  • Video: 1080@30fps

The smartphone features a triple camera setup comprising a 48MP main camera, 2MP macro camera, and an unspecified “AI camera”. Likewise, the front has a 16MP selfie camera.

MAIN CAMERA

While attempting to capture photos with the Benco S1, I observed that the focus speed is slow, which is to be expected from a budget phone. Additionally, the shutter speed proves to be inconsistent.

An oddity I discovered is that the HDR mode can only be activated from the portrait mode. When using this mode, I noticed that the resulting photos appear soft, lacking in details, and appear over-processed. Furthermore, the colors appear unnatural.

Occasionally, though, the camera manages to capture good photos. Consequently, the camera performance of the Benco S1 is inconsistent.

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PORTRAIT

The camera app on the phone allows you to adjust the depth intensity when capturing shots in portrait mode. It’s worth noting that the shutter speed is quite slow, meaning that the subject needs to remain still for a certain duration when taking portrait shots.

The background blur achieved by the phone is acceptable, and the subject remains in focus. However, the phone struggles to accurately distinguish and separate the background from complex subjects.

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FRONT CAMERA

When capturing selfies with the 16MP front-facing camera, even in a well-lit room, I noticed a lack of sharpness and detail in the photos. Unfortunately, the front camera performance is not up to par.

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VIDEO

The phone has the capability to record 1080p video at 30fps. The resulting footage appears ordinary, lacking in detail with noticeable shakiness.

Impressive Battery Life

• Non-removable Li-Po 5000mAh battery
• 18W Charging

The battery life of the Benco S1 is impressive, thanks to its 5000mAh capacity. During my usage, it consistently provided an average screen-on-time of around 7 hours, which translates to over a day of battery life on a single charge. It’s worth mentioning that my usage included playing games.

When it comes to charging, the Benco S1 supports 18W charging. With the included charger, it took just under two hours to fully charge the phone from zero percent.

Software

• Android 13
• INONE UI

The Benco S1 comes with the latest Android 13 pre-installed. The operating system closely resembles stock Android, although Benco has implemented some customizations and has no app drawer.

Unfortunately, this phone lacks extensive customization options, including those offered by Android 13 such as options to change themes and app icons.

Another concern is the software support. Benco has not provided any information about the duration of software support for this phone.

What do you think of the Benco S1? Let us know in the comments!