A new brand is conquering our market. Tecno Camon 18P review

The name Tecno will sound a novelty for many, as the company is just conquering our smartphone market. In fact, this is an experienced manufacturer, backed by a large holding Transsion. They also own Itel and Infinix. All three brands are leaders in Africa and are widely represented in Asia as a whole, I think this is an application for success in Russia. Under consideration Tecno Camon 18P – the middle representative of the line of camera phones.

Specifications

• Screen: 6.8 inches, aspect ratio 20.5: 9, IPS, 2460 × 1080, 395 PPI, 120 Hz.
• Operating System: HiOS 8.0 based on Android 11.
• Chipset: MediaTek Helio G96, 12nm.
• CPU: Cortex-A76 (2 × 2,05 ГГц) + Cortex-A55 (6 × 2,0 ГГц).
• GPU: ARM Mali-G57 MP2.
• Memory: operational 8 GB, built-in 128 GB.
• Main camera: 48 MP (26 mm, f / 1.8) + 13 MP (50 mm, f / 2.46) + 2 MP (depth sensor), LED flash.
• Front camera: 16 MP (f / 2), dual-LED flash.
• Battery: 5000 mAh, fast charging 33W.
• Dimensions: 168.86 x 76.67 x 8.77 mm.
• Slots: 2 × nanoSIM + microSD memory card (triple tray).
• Communication: 4G, Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n / ac, GPS (A-GPS), GLONASS, Beidou, NFC, USB OTG.
• Sensors: illumination, proximity, accelerometer, gyroscope, electronic compass.

Unpacking

For me, this is my first acquaintance with Tecno smartphones, so it is interesting to study the package bundle as well. And here there is an important difference, the protective film is not attached initially, but is supplied separately. It’s a pity that self-application of the film is not an easy process. Also in the box is a 33W fast charger, a wire and a silicone case.

Appearance and ergonomics

After all the rage for bold gradient designs, the Tecno Camon 18P heel looks clean. Nothing superfluous, just a small logo and a triple camera block, on which all the attention is focused. The combination of materials is just as clear: nice matte plastic is diluted with gloss under the logo and in the camera block. Before buying, you should take into account the rather big dimensions, this is a real phablet with a 6.8-inch screen. The 76.67 mm wide case does not fit into every palm; the moderate thickness of 8.77 mm and the general slope of the lines help out in part. I, a guy with large palms, had no problems, I even type text with one hand with a swipe.

Cameras slightly protrude more for style than for the impossibility of hiding the optics within the body. Framing lenses just above the protective glass, which contributes to their safety.

Remember the included protective case? It is ordinary only at first glance, if you look closely, it flaunts a huge CAMON inscription – a nice detail.

The ultrasonic fingerprint scanners in the power buttons are fast and accurate. The same fingerprint scanner in Tecno Camon 18P copes with recognition even faster. For safety reasons, there is face recognition based on one front camera, but with such a scanner there is no real need for it. Pay attention to the frame, it is made of easily soiled chrome-plated plastic.

Display

Today, AMOLED dominates in the middle and high segments, but such screens are not suitable for everyone due to eye fatigue from flickering. Smartphones with IPS and a refresh rate increased to 120 Hz are even less common, especially in a budget of up to 20 thousand rubles. Our hero is one of those, he has a nice 6.8-inch IPS with a resolution of 2460 × 1080 pixels. The maximum measured brightness reaches 420 cd / m² without additional overclocking in automatic mode, and the minimum is a comfortable 3 cd / m². The screen has a cool-purple calibration, and it cannot be adjusted, there are no display profiles in the settings. But a dark theme and an eye protection mode are available.

The device cannot be called frameless: there are noticeable black stripes on the top and sides, and a slightly wider chin below. This is the peculiarity of IPS-displays, look at the iPhone 11. Several small scratches appeared on the protective glass after a couple of weeks of use, so if possible, I recommend sticking the complete film. By the way, the oleophobic coating is in place.

Camera

The Tecno Camon 18P triple camera has an unusual layout for a mid-range smartphone. The main sensor of 48 megapixels is complemented by a real telephoto lens with optical 2x zoom (50 mm). The third 2-megapixel peephole is a depth sensor. I liked the quality of the final images: the device does not allow overexposures and quite naturally draws out shadows.

It is difficult for a telephoto lens to focus into the distance in cold weather. I can’t understand what this is connected with, because the rest of the picture quality is pleasant.

In low light conditions, you should rely on Super Night mode. It stitches together multiple frames with different exposures for maximum highlighting. Even without it, the Camon 18P does not fail.

Particular emphasis is placed on portraits with simulated different lighting conditions. The main sensor in this case is a 50mm lens that does not distort the proportions of the face. To determine the contour, a 2 Mp depth sensor is actually used, if you close it, a warning appears, and the blurring will disappear. The bokeh turns out to be quite soft and unobtrusive. Background blur is also available during video shooting.

The 16 megapixel front camera with f / 2.0 aperture corresponds to the main one. It captures sharp and detailed images with HDR, portrait mode, beautification and lighting simulations. In difficult conditions, a dual front-facing flash helps out, full-fledged LEDs are almost imperceptibly built into the frame to the right of the camera. The flash is best used in backlight mode to avoid overexposure like in the last shot.

Software

Most manufacturers have their own skins, Tecno uses HiOS 8.0 based on Android 11. Its look resembles a mixture of MIUI from Xiaomi and EMUI from Huawei, some of the elements are inspired by iOS. Interestingly, notifications and quick settings are divided into two panels, pulling out on the left and right, respectively. All applications are collected on the main screens, a menu with alphabetical grouping is available separately. It is impossible to disable this screen, you can simply not use it.

Notifications with news in English come from the standard launcher. Also, intrusive messages come from the service with short Vskit videos, since its application is being removed. The rest of the pre-installed applications are minimum, the Russian package is optional for installation.

A health tracker app with a pedometer, its own collection of news, a huge number of tweaks and a game mode. A rare feature is call recording. The quality of Russification, which is more like machine translation, complicates the development and spoils the overall impression. For the original shell from a company that is just conquering our market, this is excusable, but I will continue to watch for improvements.

Iron and communication

Inside, a completely fresh MediaTek Helio G96 is installed, assembled according to the 12 nm process technology. The chip is composed of two efficient Cortex-A76 cores and six efficient Cortex-A55 cores, frequencies of 2.05 GHz and 2 GHz, respectively. Graphics from ARM – dual-core Mali-G57. MediaTek should definitely not be embarrassed, the Taiwanese company has already achieved recognition, and according to the results of 2021, it took first place in the supply of chips for mobile devices. And in general, their chips are largely based on ARM references – the probability of an error is practically excluded, testing of Tecno Camon 18P confirms this argument.

For example, according to the results of an hourly stress test, the performance decreased slightly, to 89% of the nominal. The descent is smooth without jumps, the body has become noticeably warm, but not hot.

In the presence of NFC for contactless payment via Google Pay, support for USB OTG peripherals and even FM radio. The set of wireless interfaces is complete, navigation is supplemented by an electronic compass. The dual-deck tray can hold two nanoSIMs and a microSD card at the same time. It has a rubber gasket similar to waterproof smartphones, although no protection standard has been declared for the Tecno Camon 18P.

A complete set of sensors is available, including a gyroscope, an electronic compass and an optical proximity sensor. Connectors are also all, USB-C and audio jacks are on the bottom. The sound is mono, but loud and quite intelligible. Basic eccentric vibration motor. We saved only on the second microphone, noise cancellation is not available for calls.

Autonomy and charging

The Camon 18P case is thin enough to accommodate a standard 5000 mAh battery for the given dimensions. Despite this, the device lasted over 26 hours at 60 Hz and almost 22 hours at 120 Hz in the Treshbox autonomy test. In real life, Tecno can be stretched for 2 days.

A full charge from a standard 33 W unit takes exactly 1.5 hours. Tecno standard is compatible with 18W Qualcomm Quick Charge adapters.

Recall after two weeks of use

Recently, smartphones have risen in price very much, so I did not expect much from a device up to 20 thousand rubles. but Tecno Camon 18P I was pleasantly surprised by my balance. It has an attractive look, a chic IPS screen with flagship fluidity and an unusual camera system. Indeed, in most cases, manufacturers supplement the main sensor with a basic wide-angle camera, even without autofocus, and here they use a portrait lens with optical 2x magnification. The best part: we have before us not just a set of attractive characteristics, but a stable device with an interesting HiOS shell. It remains for the company to work on the quality of the translation. The relatively inexpensive device, by the way, is given only by the absence of a second microphone.

I would only like to wish Tecno good luck in conquering the Russian market. The emergence of a new player with original smartphones and a unique set of chips can only be welcomed – diversity drives the whole sphere. Next year I expect even more upscale models from the brand to increase competition in all segments.

Pros:

• matte non-marking backdrop;
• clean design with an emphasis on slightly protruding cameras;
• portrait lens 50 mm;
• productive MediaTek Helio G96;
• no throttling under load;
• fast charging 33 W;
• USB-C and audio jack on the bottom.

Minuses:

• miscalculations in the Russification of the shell.

May not like:

• lack of a second microphone for noise cancellation during calls;
• the protective film is not glued out of the box;
• chromed plastic frame.