Tecno Spark Go First Impressions

| Published: Saturday, August 31, 2019, 16:00 [IST]

After launching the Phantom 9 in July, Tecno has launched two new budget-centric smartphones. The Spark Go which is priced at Rs 5,499 for the 2GB RAM + 16GB internal storage and the Spark 4 Air priced at Rs. 6,999 for the 3GB +32GB storage options.

Both Spark Go and the Spark 4 Air support a 3,000mAh battery, 6.1 waterdrop-style notch display, same OS, and 5MP front camera, and face unlocks feature. But there are some differences between the two phones which include the price, storage options, and the rear camera set up. Besides, the company is providing free Bluetooth earpiece worth Rs. 799 with the Spark Go.

The smartphones will be available in two colors options i.e Nebula Black and Royal Purple and will be available at offline stores across the country. We got a chance to try our hands-on Tecno Spark Go and this is what we think of it.

Design And Display: Gradient Finish With HD+ Dot Notch Display

The most impressive thing about this smartphone is its design. Despite the fact the it comes with the plastic body the smartphone does not look cheap, thanks to its gradient finish, slim bezels, and waterdrop notch display. Talking about the ports, on the right side of the smartphone, you will find the volume rockers and power button, while there is nothing on the left side.

The 3.5mm headphone jack is placed at the bottom, along with a micro USB port. The newly launched devices also come with a removable battery, two SIM slots, and a dedicated micro SD card slot. You will also find the camera module at the back followed by the Tecno branding along with the speaker grill.

Overall, the smartphone looks quite premium and feels good in the hand. It can fit in your palm very easily. We did not face any issues while using this smartphone with one hand.

On the display front, the new smartphone features a 6.1 HD+ display with an aspect ratio of 19:5:9 and with a screen resolution of 1560x 720 pixels. During our brief testing period, we felt the screen touch to be responsive with decent brightness, and good viewing angles at this price points. The display is also good enough for watching videos.

8MP AI Rear Camera With Dual Flash

The Tecno Spark Go comes with an AI-backed 8MP rear camera with an LED flash. While at the front you'll find a 5MP AI-backed camera along with an LED flash so that you can click selfies in low lighting conditions. Both the cameras are equipped with modes like Portrait mode, HDR, Night Mode, beauty, AR Shot, and Panorama.

Talking about the image quality, both the rear and the front camera offers decent detailing and natural color tones on the 6.1 HD display. The camera performs very well in the daylight scenario. We will evaluate this smartphone imaging ability in the coming week during our detailed camera review.

Mediatek Helio P22 Processor And Android 9.0 Pie

The newly launched smartphone is powered by Meditek Helio 22 processor paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage which can be further expanded by up to 256GB via a microSD card. Now, this might create some issue for this smartphone as the Infininx Smart 2 offers 3GB RAM + 32GB storage at Rs. 4,999. Besides, this smartphone will face a tough fight with Chinese brands like Realme and Xiaomi.

On the software front, the Tecno comes with Hios 5.0 which is based on Android 9.0 Pie operating system. It offers an app drawer and quick access tool which seems good at this price point. It has in-built face unlock feature and some pre-loaded apps like Calcare, Opera News, and AHA Games.

In our limited time with the smartphone, the performance was quite smooth. We did not find any lags while using the applications, browsing the internet, playing some mild games like Danger Dash, and others.

Removable Battery And 4G Support

The newly launched smartphone is fuelled by a 3000mAh battery, which the company claims can offer video playback for 9.8 hours, 7.6 hours of web browsing, and 10 hours of calling on a single charge. We will evaluate these claims in the coming days. But the major drawback is that it comes with a removable battery, which is very rare these days. On the connectivity front, the smartphone features 4G Volte, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, dual-SIM, and micro USB port.

Our Take

There is no doubt that the Spark Go seems like a decent budget smartphone. And we didn't find face any major issue with the smartphone in our brief time with the device. But, both Realme and Xiaomi are also very aggressive in terms of launching smartphones at this price segment.

So we believe that the Spark Go will face tough competition with these established brands in India. We will be testing out the device in the coming days, so stay tuned for the detailed review.