Tecno Camon i4 budget smartphone first impressions

Design: Lightweight with a smudge-prone rear panel

The Camon i4 is surprisingly lightweight and feels quite comfortable to hold with a single hand. The device is made out of plastic which appears to be of good quality. We have received the black color variant, which has a shimmering rear panel. Do note that the rear panel is a smudge magnet and you will notice it picking up fingerprints from the moment you grab it. Thankfully, it ships with a clear silicone case which is definitely going to protect it from accidental falls and smudges.

On the rear panel, a triple-lens camera setup is stacked vertically followed by an LED flash. The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner is positioned ideally which makes it convenient to unlock the device. The volume keys along with the power key are housed on the right panel of the device, whereas, the left panel has a 3-slot SIM tray. While the top panel does not have any ports or keys, the bottom panel has a speaker grill, a microUSB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Overall, the smartphone has a sleek profile offering premium looks and a handy grip.

Display: 6.2-inch HD+ Dot notch display

The Tecno Camon i4 features a 6.12-inch display panel with HD+ resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels. The display offers a pixel density of 320dpi and has a waterdrop notch on top which the company is calling as ‘Dot notch'. The display brightness levels appear to be low which hampers the sunlight legibility of the device. The color reproduction is also not up to the mark and the colors seem to be dull. This display is best suited for basic usage, however, it is not optimum for media consumption or for binging on TV shows and movies.

Camera: Triple rear cameras

Tecno is betting big on the triple lens camera setup of Camon i4. It wouldn't be wrong if say the triple-lens primary camera setup is the USP of this device. The rear camera setup comprises of a 13MP (f/1.8 aperture) main sensor which is accompanied by an 8MP (120-degree) ultra-wide lens and a 2MP depth sensor. Besides, the rear camera is backed by AI.

Speaking of the camera performance, we found it average as it failed to capture details accurately. This is a bit of a letdown considering the fact that there are three lenses powering the main camera setup. The bokeh shots captured by the smartphone are decent which could be due to the AI. Edge detection in the images captured are sub-par and like mentioned earlier the camera misses on clarity. Moreover, you can record videos at 1080p resolution.

The selfie camera up front is a 16MP sensor which is also backed with AI as the rear camera. You get the options such as AI Cam, Beauty, Portrait and AR mode in the front camera. The selfie camera also lacks detailing despite ample lighting. The front camera also supports a video recording @1080p. We didn't notice any lag while using the camera app. We will definitely push the camera to its limits in our comprehensive review.

Hardware and Software: Entry-level MediaTek Helio P22 processor

Powering the smartphone is an entry-segment octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 chipset which is combined with 3GB/4GB of RAM. This is reasonable for the price tag it is retailing for. The smartphone comes with a total storage space of 32GB/64GB which is expandable via microSD card. The internal memory is expandable to up to 256GB. On the software end, the device ships with an Android 9 Pie topped with HIOS v4.6 UI.

The UI is neat and basic and is quite easy to operate. Swiping up on the home screen brings the app drawer. We didn't experience any noticeable lags while starting any apps on the device. We still need to test the performance of the device with extensive gaming and day to day tasks. Stay tuned for a comprehensive review on the same.

Battery: 3,500mAh battery with fast charge support

Rounding off the spec sheet is a decent 3,500mAh battery which features a ‘Rocket' fast charging technology. For charging and data transfers, there is a standard microUSB port placed at the bottom panel of the smartphone. It is good to see that the company is providing a fast charging technology with the smartphone. We still need to test the device thoroughly in order to see how long it lasts with a single charge and extensive or moderate usage.

Verdict

Tecno Camon i4 qualifies as a decent budget smartphone. It packs an average set of cameras and a waterdrop notch display panel which is also satisfactory. The smartphone comes with a starting price tag of Rs 9,599 and goes all the way up to Rs 11,490. At this price range, the device competes head-on with Realme 3 and the Redmi Note 7 smartphone. With the Realme 3 and Redmi Note 7 getting an upper hand in the processor and camera department, the Tecno Camon i4 might have a tough time out there.