Review: Tecno Spark 10 5G Sets The Bar For MidRange Smartphones
These two years have been busy for the Tecno brand especially in the South African market. In addition to establishing itself with its mid-range smartphones, the brand has also launched a number of additional products in the new year, including smartwatches, headphones, speakers and a range of laptops. A few weeks ago, the Tecno Spark 10 5G was launched locally.
Its launch aims to bring affordable 5G and is marketed to deliver speed and performance to users looking for a mid-range smartphone.
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Build and design
Out of the box, the smartphone really likes it. Although it's listed as a mid-range smartphone, it doesn't take any shortcuts when it comes to its design philosophy. At first glance, the glass front doesn't reveal much about its design. However, when you unpack the device and reveal the back, you will find a 3D printed design on the back cover. The design is similar to miniature versions of the phone's shape that fit together to create a unique model.
Its contents also include a transparent case that provides a clear view of the back design. Although the frame is plastic, it doesn't look cheap. Plastic polymer provides excellent hand feel. The plastic keeps the weight down to 194g, which is on par with many similar flagships.
Tecno Spark 10 5G has a 6.6-inch display with 84.3% screen-to-body ratio. It's not a completely bezel-less option, but it's not too subtle to notice. With dimensions of 164.4x75.5x8.4mm, it is quite reasonable for a mid-range phone. The screen has an IPS LCD panel that offers a 90 Hz refresh rate. In addition, its screen has a density of 720x1612px.
In terms of structure, the phone has a Type-C charging port and a 3.5mm audio jack. It also has a fingerprint sensor on the right side, which is a dual power button. This is the norm for non-flagship smartphones, which usually have the sensor inside the display. It also includes a dual NanoSIM tray for good measure. The design of the rear camera island is also slightly different, which gives it another unique feature.
Overall, it's a pretty smart design and a solid build. It is not your average classic phone that offers attractive looks in a more premium range.
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Performance and battery life
When it comes to daily use, the Tecno Spark 10 5G offers plenty of features to handle most of your daily tasks. The device uses a MediaTek Dimensity 6020 chipset. It has an octa-core processor (x2 Cortex-A76 2.2GHz and x6 Cortex-A55 2.0GHz) and a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU.
In my tests, I managed to exceed the 24 hour limit with the phone many times. Sometimes I could get 48 hours before needing a charge. It has a 5000 mAh Li-Po battery which accounts for most of this battery life. However, the energy consumption, with a slightly lower screen resolution, is less significant.
However, the fast charging approach is missing here. It offers a maximum charge of 18W, which takes more than 150 minutes from 0 to 100%. It is quite slow. The good news is that it's rare to get charged less than 40% on a daily charge.
Its RAM offering is an interesting addition to the Tecno Spark 10 5G. It has 4GB of RAM, a combination of physical and virtual RAM. With internal memory that comes in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB variants, it uses a page file to increase virtual memory. Tecno calls this feature Memory Fusion. It can offer 4GB of RAM to get the job done. This is quite an interesting trick, as most mid-range smartphones offer less memory at the expense of full multitasking potential.
Tecno has included a 50MP primary camera in its dual camera design. The 50MP wide-angle lens has an f/1.6 aperture supported by a 0.08MP depth lens. It's not the best deal on paper, but the results are impressive nonetheless. The main camera does the heavy lifting here, and the depth camera is only used for blurring and bokeh effects. It offers decent image quality, good color depth and contrast, even close-ups. However, the result lacks some clarity, so more work will be needed to correct this problem.
Unfortunately, if there's one thing I miss in everyday use, it's the lack of NFC. While I understand that the device is a mid-range phone, meaning it won't offer all the features of a flagship phone, I'll gladly trade any other feature to include it and keep the same price. With NFC becoming an easier way to make mobile payments and access control, I can't live without it in my daily driver.
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closure
Tecno Spark 10 5G has many features that you can enjoy. Although it is billed as a mid-range smartphone, it has a lot to offer to compete with some of the flagships. That said, it lacks some features that I would prefer over others. Overall, it's a solid offering.
Priced at Rs 5,499, it is quite affordable for what it offers. And with wide availability from all merchants, potential buyers will have multiple payment options. Retailers selling the device include Ackermans, Edgars, Game, Jet, Makro, Mr Price, TFG and Vodacom.
Review
Techno Spark 10 5G Review
ADVANTAGES:
- Great design elements
- Big screen
- Back and screen covers included.
- Great battery life
accidents
- 720p screen
- No NFC support
- 18W charging
