Pros
- Unique color changing back panel with Polychromatic Photoisomer technology
- 64MP triple rear cameras capture clear shots
- 32MP massive selfie snapper
- 5,000 mAh battery with 33W fast charging technology
Cons
- Average low light cameras
- Pre-installed bloatware
India is one of the biggest markets for budget smartphones. Entry-level and mid-range Android phones have the largest user base in the country. The brands that are ruling this segment, specifically the sub Rs. 20,000 price category include Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, and others. But lately, Tecno has emerged as a powerful contender in the mid-range smartphone market in India and global regions with its value-for-money products.
Tecno is bringing in some unique models for a budget price point. The recently introduced Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondrian is the best example of the same. This affordable Android handset sets itself apart from the crowd with its color-changing design and mid-range gaming chipset. The Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondarian edition can be purchased at Rs. 17,999 in India with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration. Is the unique style statement enough to recommend this handset? Let’s find out in this review:
Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition Review
Design
The Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondrian isn’t any standard-looking mid-range handset. Tecno has brought in a color-changing design which is the most unique design aspect that you can find in the mid-range segment. Until now, the Vivo V25 series took center stage with a color-changing back panel. However, Tecno has taken this design approach a step ahead and has improved the overall theme that is based on Mondrian art.
The Camon 19 Pro Mondrian edition’s back panel is painted in white and you will see a blocked pattern (square blocks) that itself makes the design unique. You don’t see the colors changing right away, the trick is to see the back panel in sunlight.
As soon as you expose the Camon 19 Pro in direct sunlight, you will see the white blocks changing to pink and purple shades. It’s for the first time we have seen a brand using Polychromatic Photoisomer technology to design a mid-range phone. This is what aids with the color change in the back panel when directly exposed to sunlight.
Not just the color changing theme, the Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition’s white matte surface and a flat frame thin profile add all the necessary pointers to the design. The rear panel is protected from dust and dirt and also isn’t a fingerprint or smudge magnet, unlike the other phones in this segment. Its 200 grams body weight makes it easily portable and you don’t feel any extra bulk inside your pockets while carrying it around.
Even the rear camera module featuring two massive camera rings protruding from the body enhances the appeal of this handset. The remaining design aspects include the volume and power keys on the right spine and a dedicated microSD card slot on the left. At the bottom, it stores the USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the speaker grille.
Overall usability factor is good with the flat frame design and the large yet reasonably sized screen that makes it slightly easy to operate with a single hand. Of course, extensive tasks require both your hands, but the majority of the basic tasks such as web page scrolling and messaging is easy.
Display
Tecno has added a tall 6.8-inch display on the Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition. The panel used is IPS LCD which is a common panel type for affordable and mid-range Android phones. The screen resolution offered is 1080 x 2460 pixels FHD+ and the pixel density is 395 PPI. While the panel type is standard LCD, a higher 120Hz refresh rate enhances the user experience with this screen. We experienced no issues with video playback.
The Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition has a responsive display that shows high levels of clarity despite it being an LCD screen. While the blacks aren’t as deeper as an AMOLED panel, it does a good job overall with displaying colors. The tiny punch-hole camera cutout further hampers the least with visuals.
The brightness levels are average. That’s one of the only drawbacks we could find with the screen. The visibility is good when you are indoors, however, with the outdoor settings you will experience slight issue with viewing content; specifically, under direct sunlight. The display performance has been apt with both video playback and gaming and also streaming content via OTT platforms.
Camera Performance
Tecno is amongst those brands that integrate a high-end camera setup even in its mid-range offerings. The Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition is a good example of the same with a triple rear camera module. The device is equipped with a 64MP main camera that has an f/1.65 aperture and a 50MP secondary lens that has an f/1.9 aperture.
This wide-angle sensor is further clubbed with a 2MP lens with an f/2.4 aperture for depth mapping. If you look at the spec sheet, it’s quite powerful for a mid-range Android handset that retails below Rs. 20,000. And when we speak of the camera performance, you aren’t left disappointed with the overall image quality.
The clarity levels aren’t compromised anyhow when the shots are captured in areas with good lighting conditions. The 64MP main camera is capable of capturing minute details. Thanks to the additional OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and laser autofocus, the scene detections are improved and overall imaging quality also enhances.
The combined triple lens setup offers great accuracy with color production with the captured images. The quality doesn’t deteriorate when you try to capture some complex backgrounds or with moving shots. The fast shutter speeds handle the latter.
The bokeh shots are also well-defined with the dedicated 2MP sensors. The background blur intensity can be adjusted manually and the blur effects don’t seem artificial. The camera app integrates a dedicated Super Night mode if you wish to click detailed images in low light. The quality of the night shots aren’t bad either. There are slight distortion and background noise that gets captured with low light photos but they can be ignored.
Tecno has designed the Camon 19 Pro to please the shutterbugs; specifically, the selfie fanatics will be happy with the massive 32MP selfie camera. The selfie snapper captures brilliant self-portraits with high-clarity levels and balanced color production.
Hardware, Software, Battery Backup
At its core, the Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition integrates the MediaTek Helio G96 chipset as its brain of operations. This is a standard 4G chipset with an octa-core CPU cluster designed for a premium gaming experience. Now, the Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition is a well-equipped handset overall, but the 4G chipset is a shortfall. We wouldn’t say it’s an entirely wrong pick as a processor, but a 5G processor would definitely have given it an edge against the competition.
The processing speeds are decent and you aren’t made to experience delays or lags with app loading or usage. Even with multiple apps launched at once, the phone’s speeds are hardly hampered which is impressive. You can easily play games in HD settings with no stutters or lags in sight.
But the slight warm-up issues are noticeable when the handset is being used extensively while gaming. With its sole 8GB RAM configuration, the Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition easily takes on multitasking as well. Whereas, the 128GB onboard storage space is ample to store files and documents in addition to videos and photos.
But if you are amongst those users who are frequently with downloading large apps and games, adding up an external microSD card would make sense. The expandable storage support is up to 512GB which should suffice all the storage requirements.
Tecno has installed the Android 12 OS as the firmware on the Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition. The UI pre-loaded on top is HiOS which is customized specifically for Tecno phones. The device has a bunch of pre-installed bloatware which clutters the UI. But thankfully, Tecno has improved multiple aspects of the UI for a premium user experience.
Lastly, the battery capacity packed inside the Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition is a 5,000 mAh unit. The large battery capacity along with mid-tier hardware is suitable for a long-lasting backup. The maximum backup on a single charge is over eight hours on a single charge. This is when you use the device for basic tasks including web browsing. But if the usage is extensive such as gaming, the backup reduces significantly. The battery refuel time with the 33W fast charging is around an hour.
Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition: Final Verdict
For buyers with a budget under Rs. 20,000, the Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition makes for a decent buying option. And if in case you are okay with a non-5G phone that offers a unique design language, a powerful camera setup, and a responsive display, this color-changing Camon series model is a good fit.
This is one of those phones that you can flaunt easily out in the crowd and at the same time, there is least of compromises with the overall performance. The Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondrian Edition gets our recommendation for its out-of-the-box design and feature-rich camera module.
