ALL TECNO 2016 PHONES, SO MAKE YOUR CHOICE.

Before now i was not the Tecno kind of guy. However you would agree with me that in recent times that they've really stepped up their game in making premium smartphones, with features that satisfy the needs of the average Nigerian smartphone user and still at very affordable prices. As a matter of fact in the Nigerian market as a case study, Tecno Mobile obviously stands as one of the highest smartphone vendors. 

           Having observed that, i decided to bring together all phones they've released so far this year, their specs and directions on the kind of the user each one of the products is actually meant for. So enjoy.

THE PHANTOM 6

All hail Tecno's 2016 flagship. The Phantom 6 and Phantom 6plus. Tagged #beautyandthebeast.

BUILD QUALITY

Of course as a flagship it is meant to stand out among equals in order to get the needed attention. So it is shows off a Nano-Molded metal Unibody with aluminium framework. All condensed into just a 6.15mm of thickness. Making it really a piece of beauty and one the slimmest phones around.

DISPLAY

A 5.5inch AMOLED display. Are you wondering why it's AMOLED this time. I will say something about in the battery section, just keep reading. With a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and to increase picture richness, it has a pixel density of 420ppi(pixel per inch) definitely making images and videos really a great delight to behold.

PERFORMANCE

To handle all tasks seamlessly is Mediatek's latest Helio X20 Octa-core processor clocked at a blistering fast 2.0GHz of speed. Alongside is a 3Gb RAM and  32Gb internal storage space. Still has SD card slot of upto 128Gb space. To run on this is the Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS onto which Tecno's new custom OS the HiOS diffuses. Altogether providing a very beautiful user experience and interface.

CAMERA

They did't take any chances here. This time around they had to enlist the help of Smartphone Camera wizards SONY to take it to the next level. So on this beauty you get dual back facing cameras. Yea you read it correctly, two cameras at the back only. A powerful 13MP + 5MP IMX 230 Sony lenses. With an 8MP front facing and flash. Which is equipped to perform Iris scanner function for user security. Definitely no slouch here. 

BATTERY

To keep the screen aglow is a 2700mAH  non-removable battery. Oh no. Are you disappointed? So am i. But wait a minute, remember the adoption of the AMOLED(Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) screen this time. Yes, because it is power conservative compared to its IPS-LCD variant. So the battery should still pull through a full day's usage. 

TARGET USER

For the boxed up guy who wants to have a taste of Tecno's latest crown prince (Omo oba).

*PRICE RANGE: 80,000 - 90,000 NGN

THE PHANTOM 6PLUS

BUILD QUANTITY

This bigger sibling of the duo, features a full metallic Unibody. With curved edges. Still maintains a slim outlook at 7.7mm thickness. A biometric/finger print is at its back just below the camera modules. One striking thing is the fact that on beholding the Phantom 6+, you will immediately attest to its size. Its a big guy.

DISPLAY

It is a 6-inch Full HD IPS-LCD panel. With a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a pixel density of 420ppi. Crystal clear display I must say.

PERFORMANCE

Similar to its smaller sibling, it has on board Mediatek's latest Helio X20 processor. However, beefed up to Deca-core clocked at 2.0Ghz. Supported by 4Gb of RAM and 64Gb of internal storage space. The android 6.0 Marshmallow is gonna be running on it with their new custom OS, the HiOS layered onto it.  But something is striking here, it has a hybrid SIM slot. Meaning you can either use two SIM cards or a SIM card  and an SD card at a time. I don't really fancy it but probably they felt that with the massive internal storage, you might have no need for an expandable storage. New trend kinda.

CAMERA

Here, you have powerful 21MP SONY IMX 230 back cam with dual LED flash and an 8MP front facing cam with a soft flash. Which also has the Iris Scanner function. Which makes it really incredible to have two top security protocol functions just on one device; the biometric and fingerprint scanner. It's a combo you  hardly get around often. Impressive is the word.

BATTERY

To remain up and running, it is stuffed up with a massive 4050mAH Li-Po non-removable battery.

TARGET USER

You've got the cash and you want to flaunt the reigning Tecno king full of power (the beast).

*PRICE RANGE: 90, 000 - 100,000 NGN  

THE CAMON C9

It is the latest in the Camon series which is a Tecno smartphone line dedicated to providing their users with optimum image capture experience.

BUILD QUALITY

It has an aluminiun unibody design. So of course you will be looking at a gorgeous piece of device when you get your hands-on it. Aside the black, it is made into Gold and Sandstone colour variants.

DISPLAY

It is a 5.5inch 1080 x 1920 pixel Full HD IPS-LCD display panel. This means very in-depth colourful images and videos right there.

PERFORMANCE

It is powered by 1.3Ghz Octa-core  64-bit Mediatek processor. Backed up by a 2Gb of RAM and internal storage space of 16Gb. Running smoothly on this is the Android 6.0 Marshmallow Has expandable storage of upto 128Gb. A combination of these should deliver anytime.

CAMERA

Perching at the back is its 13MP camera module. Then stationed in front is also a 13MP module too......Surprised!.... Ok allow me to explain something here though. The camera is modified to perform Iris scan to unlock the phone, so i think that is why it had to be that much high on pixels. Considering the fact that it would have to capture every minute detail of the user's Iris.....Wow! that is definitely top-notch. I performed an outdoor test for both cameras, truth is, even though the front cam is theoretically that much pixelated, it is not as powerful as what you get with its custom 13MP back cam. However it is very impressive compared to other conventional selfie cameras. This makes it one of the phones with the best selfie cameras out there. Little wonder it what tagged #thekingofselfies during its promotion. This area is significantly its selling point like we would say.  

BATTERY

To keep all these up and running is a 3000mAh Li-On non-removable battery. I would say it is fair, because i expected an increase here considering all the powerful components the phone has which will definitely place a demand on more power. All the same it can still go through a whole day of just normal usage without recharge. Not bad right? Yes, that that's what i thought too.

TARGET USER

Essentially for the chick who doesn't do much of web surfing and downloads. But needs something good enough for her numerous impulsive selfies and camera shots with friends to  be uploaded on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook and get as many likes as possible, and definitely change her Watsapp profile picture...how could i forget that...lol... Just saying. The device is just classy for anyone.

*PRICE RANGE: 45,000 - 55,000 NGN

THE CAMON C7

BUILD QUALITY

A custom plastic finish, but well crafted not to give the C7 a cheap look but rather a solid outlook and lightweight. 

DISPLAY

It has got a 5-inch IPS-HD display, with a 1280 x 720 screen resolution.

PERFORMANCE

With a 1.3Ghz speed processor from Mediatek. Working alongside a 2Gb RAM and 16Gb of internal storage. It will surely handle things quite smoothly. Even though it might slow down a bit when loaded with some pretty heavy stuffs to the extreme. But not to worry because it's gonna handle your normal daily tasks with ease. To run on it is the Marshmallow android 6.0 with Tecno's HiOS over it.

CAMERA

Surprisingly even though the Camon is a step down move, it still doesn't slack in this area. Just as in the C9, i maintains a very high camera profile. It does so by rocking a 13MP lens both front and back. The both have flash. The front is equipped to perform the Iris scanner duty.

BATTERY

To fuel the C7 is a 2700mAH Li-On removable battery. Of course it's small but with C7's general mini profile. Battery of such capacity should meet it's power demands. 

TARGET USER

This is the C9's step down. Meant for you if you wanna still get the Camon sensation however in a lighter mood. 

*PRICE RANGE: 30,000 - 35,000 NGN

THE BOOM J8

BUILD QUALITY

It is made of a fine plastic chasis. With a metallic lining round about it which makes it cool to grasp. It has what Tecno calls the dreamlight, just at the base below the front bezel. It lits up showing different colours for notifications but am sure you should be able to personalize. Is that all? No. So why is it called "Boom"? This is because it is equipped with dual Boom speaker grills at its base. Most of all it comes with a Boom headphone. Sounds pretty cool right? So on buying the J8 you get a headphone. 

DISPLAY

It is a 5.5inch IPS-LCD display. A screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. With a pixel density of 320ppi. Not the highest of course but it means pictures and videos are still gonna look pretty great.

PERFORMANCE

Right inside is a 64-bit Quad core Mediatek processor clocked at 1.3Ghz of speed. Supported by 2Gb of RAM size. To run on this is Android 5.1 Lollipop OS. Embedded alongside is Tecno's new custom HiOS UI. An interplay of all these internals shouldn't slouch.

CAMERA

In this section, it has a 13MP Rear facer. Equipped with autofocus, a single LED flash and HDR(High Dynamic Range) feature. The front gives you a 5MP selfie taker, with a soft flash to aid low lighting.

BATTERY

To sustain everything this time is a 3000mAh battery. I would have wanted more. However this has a fast charge technology promised to give you 8 hours of talk time when charged for 15mins. I would say that's nice since you would be able to charge up in no time when battery is drained.

TARGET USER

For the Music lover (audiophile). The Boom speakers and Boom headphones will really be of good service. 

*PRICE RANGE: 40,000 - 50,000 NGN

THE TECNO L8 AND L8plus

BUILD QUALITY

Here it has a metallic finish even though it's not Unibody.  Which means you can open the backcover to insert SIM cards and expandable memory. But generally it has a premium look and feel.

DISPLAY  

It is a 5.5inch IPS HD Display. With a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixel which is standard HD and a pixel density of 267ppi(pixel per inch). That ppi is not super considering it is relatively a 5.5inch panel but should just be OK.

PERFORMANCE

Sitting inside is a Mediatek Quadcore processor clocked at 1.3Ghz of speed, which is definitely fit to handle the user's daily tasks. It is backed up by a 1Gb RAM, which I think is where is where the phone got a bit sloppy. Running on this is the Android 5.0 Lollipop and embedded onto it is the new HiOS.

CAMERA

It sports an 8MP rear facing camera with autofocus, image stabilization and HDR(High Dynamic Range). A front facing cam of 2MP.

BATTERY LIFE

This is the strongest point it has. It packs inside a beastly non-removable Li-Po battery of 5050mAh capacity. For the records, this is Tecno's highest battery yet.

TARGET USER

For that guy who does a lot of web surfing, live streaming and downloads and definitely demands a lot of power from his device but is watching his budget. 

*NOTE:The L8plus is the same as the L8 in all specifications and design except for the RAM boost to 2GB.

*PRICE RANGE: 35,000 - 38,000 NGN

THE TECNO W4

BUILD QUALITY

A nice plastic body with a metallic lining all around its side. Coupled with its lightweight makes it cool to grasp with the palm.  

DISPLAY

It an IPS-LCD 5.0inch screen size. With a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixel at a density of 294ppi.

PERFORMANCE

With a  Quad-core 1.3Ghz Mediatek chipset/processor, 1GB of RAM size and internal storage space of 16GB. Upon which will run the Marshmallow Android 6.0 with HiOS embedded alongside. It is still very much set to carry out daily tasks quite well. Of course it's not the highest you can get in terms of internals but it is still powerful to keep up with daily demands. 

CAMERA

It has an 8MP back camera shooter. Equipped with HDR, autofocus and an LED flash. At the front you get a 2MP module. 

BATTERY

To light up the house is a 2500mAH removable Li-On battery. I would say there was a bit of sloppiness here, considering the so little capacity they gave to the battery. However on a second thought maybe the little screen size and scaled down profile of the phone generally will also mean less demand in terms of power. If that's the case, then that capacity should be able to pull through a whole day's usage before recharge.

TARGET USER

You wanna have taste of the new flavor dished out on the Android platform, the Marshmallow but seriously considering your budget. Then you got served.

*PRICE RANGE: 25,000 - 30,000 NGN

THE TECNO W3

BUILD QUALITY

It is a budget smartphone to the core. More like a W4 step down. So overall you wouldn't expect much of high end specs. It is a complete plastic finish with a scratch pattern design adorning the backcover.

DISPLAY

A 5-inch display. Of IPS-LCD screen technology with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at a density of 196ppi.

PERFORMANCE

On board is a quad-core 1.3Ghz processor. 1 GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. It's running Android 6.0, the Marshmallow alongside Tecno's custom OS, the HiOS.

CAMERA

Here, you have a 5MP back cam with autofocus and LED flash. While the front has a decent 2MP and a soft flash.

BATTERY

To provide power is a 2500mAh Li-On battery which is removable. Of course, it's little but just like the W4 it has low power demand curve. So the battery should still deliver for a full day.

TARGET USER

Everything here is all geared towards being more budget friendly than ever. So, your prayers were answered.

*PRICE RANGE: 22,000 - 28, 000 NGN.