Hotwav T7 Review: specs and features, camera quality test, gaming benchmark, user opinions and photos

HOTWAV T7 - rugged, but too stripped down

The segment of inexpensive smartphones protected from dust and moisture according to IP68 standards is only becoming more popular every year. In pursuit of additional profit, many manufacturers are expanding the range of such devices, but the modern user needs not only durability and an affordable price, but also functionality. Unfortunately, the hero of today's review has problems in this aspect.

The appearance of the new product is quite attractive considering its focus. Of course, it was not possible to get rid of the excessive dimensions of the case and large display frames, but it was possible to decorate the exterior with a stylish carbon texture of the rear panel, an innovative block of photo modules, and interesting colors of the candy bar. As for the disadvantages of the design, the lack of a fingerprint scanner will also add to their list. The 6.52-inch IPS display will definitely not surprise you with its image clarity at HD+ resolution, but the brightness margin is not so bad (500+ nits), and the color rendition is close to realistic. There is no increased image refresh rate, but competitors cannot boast of it either.

The technical characteristics were a MediaTek MT8788 CPU, 4GB of RAM and a Mali G72MP3 video adapter. This is a relevant combination for the price category, gaining significantly more than 200 thousand points in the AnTuTu benchmark. Reproduction of the Android 13 interface occurs without frequent lags, application launch is fast, without serious delays. The gaming capabilities are not considered wide, but it is quite possible to while away the time in PUBG Mobile or World of Tanks Blitz even with not the most minimal graphics settings. It is recommended to run the more resource-intensive Genshin Impact and Fortnite on expensive devices. Autonomy is not satisfactory thanks to the 6280 mAh battery. In 99% of cases, it is enough for two days of work with the unit, but you need to stay at the outlet for more than three hours due to the charging power of only 10W. 128GB of permanent memory is allocated; you can expand it with MicroSD cards at any moment.

The photographic capabilities of the main 21-megapixel (Sony IMX220 sensor) and 0.3-megapixel cameras are slightly higher than the basic ones. The buyer can count on decent daytime shots of stationary objects, while other scenarios will look mediocre due to noise, an abundance of blur, and problems with color reproduction. The 8-megapixel selfie camera is more useful for video calling. There is no stereo sound, the only speaker will not leave you without loud notifications about messages or calls, but enjoying music is hardly possible due to the unbalanced frequency response. There are no NFC contactless payments, which is unpleasantly surprising. The process of shopping in a supermarket will no longer happen in a matter of seconds. As a result, the impression from the device is mixed, because a number of its opponents are noticeably more technologically advanced.