Tecno has been strengthening its smartphone product portfolio across the globe including India. The company has been following the strategy of launching power-packed devices at affordable pricing. And with all the smartphone OEMs gradually shifting towards the 5G race, Tecno has also finally made its move with the launch of the Pova 5G.
The Tecno Pova 5G is the company’s first 5G-ready handset for the Indian audience. Equipped with mid-tier hardware, the Pova 5G competes against the remaining Chinese counterparts with pocket-friendly pricing. You can buy Tecno’s latest offering at Rs. 19,999 in the Indian market. But the sub Rs. 20,000 segment is already flooded with 5G-backed Android phones.
This brings Tecno’s latest 5G phone some direct heat from other major players such as Realme, Poco, Oppo, Motorola, and Xiaomi. In fact, the device also goes up against Infinix’s first 5G phone, i.e, the Zero 5G. Now, you might be wondering what makes Tecno’s first 5G phone stand out of the crowd and if it indeed is worth considering over other available 5G handsets in India? Well, we were able to fiddle along with the handset for a while and have jotted down our experience with the Pova 5G.
Tecno Pova 5G Review: Bit Bulky And a Fingerprint Magnet
The Pova 5G features a signature Tecno design language. We are speaking of a tall form factor and a considerably bulky body. However, Tecno has improved the aesthetics a bit and trimmed down the excess body chunk. The Pova 5G is comparatively slimmer than most other recent Tecno mid-tier phones. But, we would have appreciated a thinner and lightweight profile.
The Pova 5G is all shimmering at the back with a dual-tone mix of textured and plain skin. A large vertical camera module with a slightly protruding design is positioned on the top-left. The iridescent panel featuring Manchester City Football club logo surely is a visual delight. However, it isn’t easy to keep clean if you wish to flaunt the panel by avoiding a protective case or cover. The rear panel is a fingerprint magnet and picks up prints and dust instantly. Thankfully, the retail box ships with a transparent case that will not just save additional bucks but also keep your device clean and protected from scratches.
Since the device has a slippery design, using a case becomes necessary. The remaining design aspects are standard as other Tecno mid-range phones. The side panel houses the volume keys along with the power key that integrates a fingerprint scanner. The device unlocking experience has been good with the scanner being accurate and quick in reading fingerprints.
You can find the SIM card slot on the left panel. It is a 3-way dedicated slot that will allow you to use dual SIM cards and a microSD card simultaneously. The bottom panel features the USB Type-C port sandwiched between the 3.5mm headphone jack and speaker grille. To sum up, Tecno has designed a good-looking phone which minus the hefty form factor and a slippery design would have made the design more practical.
Tecno Pova 5G Display Review: Suitable For High-Resolution Videos
Tecno Pova 5G’s massive form factor is justified by the 6.9-inches display. The company has stuck to a standard IPS LCD panel with its new 5G phone and upgraded the specs for a better output. It definitely is one of the tallest display panels that you would find on any affordable 5G phone in the market today.
While an AMOLED or OLED panel would have solidified the deal, the FHD+ LCD display isn’t a disappointment when it comes to video playback or gaming for that matter. You will be able to play 1080p videos online at platforms such as YouTube. The color production is decent and you wouldn’t find the panel oversaturating the content on screen.
But the blacks aren’t deeper as you would have expected on an AMOLED display. This might hamper the viewing experience while watching any dark TV show or movie on OTT platforms. The missing HDR10+ certification is another factor that would have enhanced the viewing experience. Nevertheless, the Tecno Pova 5G’s display supports a 120Hz refresh rate which allows for smother feedback and also better visuals with gaming.
The display’s brightness levels are average. It isn’t a super bright panel and you might struggle a bit with visibility levels under direct sunlight. Overall, the big form factor along with FHD+ screen resolution and 120Hz refresh rate saves the day for the Pova 5G in the display game.
Tecno Pova 5G Performance Review: Lag-Free With General Tasks
Tecno has used a new-generation Dimensity series 5G chipset by MediaTek to power the newest Pova 5G chipset. The first 5G Tecno phone employs the Dimensity 900 chipset which has octa-cores and is built on a 6nm TSMC fabrication process. This mid-range 5G processor can be found on some of the recent popular 5G phones including the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, Infinix Zero 5G, and the Reno7 5G.
Power delivery by the first Tecno 5G phone is good. That’s when you take general tasks into consideration such as web browsing and media playback. You wouldn’t find much difference in the handset’s performance with gaming and other tasks that require extensive processing.
We have been satisfied with the Pova 5G’s multitasking performance. With a high 8GB RAM capacity, the Pova 5G makes it easy to toggle between several heavy apps running in the background without any flinches. The gaming performance has also been at par with the competitions.
The handset delivers a lag-free user experience overall with gaming. We tested the performance with Shadow Fight 4 and Asphalt 9 where the frame drops were less at the highest settings. As for the storage capacity, the Pova 5G offers an onboard capacity of 128GB. This you can further expand using an external microSD card. Storage-wise, the Pova 5G fits the requirements of general users.
Tecno has pre-installed the older Android 11 OS in its first 5G smartphone. The handset also features a custom UI, i.,e HiOS 8.0. While the swift hardware performance comes as one of the biggest advantages of the Tecno Pova 5G, the cluttered UI could be a bummer for most of you.
As soon as you pull up the app drawer, you would see several third-party and system apps pre-installed. Despite the cluttered UI, you get all the Android 11 goodies in place. The firmware also brings along an updated Eye Care feature along with a bunch of dedicated health modes and an enhanced Game Space 2.0 feature.
Tecno Pova 5G: Camera Review
Camera hardware is one of the prominent features that directly impact the popularity of any smartphone amongst the audience. And Tecno has been targeting the budget audience by offering a good imaging experience with most of its smartphones. The Pova 5G is the latest example of a well-loaded Tecno camera phone. The device sports three cameras at the back where the main sensor is a 50MP lens. The primary sensor is clubbed with a 2MP macro sensor and an AI lens. The camera performance has been satisfactory in general scenarios.
The large 50MP main camera is able to capture a good level of detail with every shot. By default, the Pova 5G’s rear cameras click 12MP pixel-binned shots. With the EIS (electronic image stabilization) and additional camera models such as HDR, AI cam, and AR shot, the image quality could further be enhanced. You can also capture hardware-based bokeh shots. The color production is a bit saturated.
The additional sensor helps with the same. The portrait shots look natural if the images are captured with good background lighting. The blurs don’t appear artificial in such scenarios. The same goes for the image quality of the shots captured in broad daylight situations. You will see cleaner edges and less noise in the captured shots. But that isn’t the case with low-light shots.
While the camera app offers a dedicated Super Night mode, the output isn’t super refined. The camera output tends to get hazy with detail when you capture images in low-light scenarios. The camera stabilization is good with the video recording. You can record 960@fps slow-motion videos and also 4K Time-Lapse. The Pova 5G uses a 16MP camera for selfies and video calling. You get high-resolution self-portraits that you can flaunt on social media platforms.
Tecno Pova 5G: Battery Backup
The Tecno Pova 5G gets its power via a mammoth 6,000 mAh battery. This massive battery size is one of the prime factors that add to the heft. Nevertheless, the battery backup is enough to drive the unit for more than a day on a single charge.
That’s even when you perform extensive tasks at a stretch. The battery doesn’t require an additional re-plug if you stick to moderate usage. The battery gets 18W fast charging support which allows for quicker refuels.
Tecno Pova 5G: Final Verdict
The Tecno Pova 5G has joined a competitive race in the smartphone league. An affordable pricing and mid-tier hardware are the biggest highlights of the new Tecno phone. Specifically, the 5G network connectivity which is the future of smartphones in India. The Pova 5G is will fill in as a daily driver but with modern technical aspects. You can consider the Pova 5G as your next mid-range phone backed with the latest 5G network support.
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