With the recently released Camon 30 5G and Camon 30 Premier 5G, Tecno is building on its reputation in the market for providing distinctive designs and strong cameras. The Camon 30 5G is a smartphone that aims to deliver good camera performance at an affordable price. It has an AI-enabled Ella assistant, an ultra-clear selfie camera with advanced eye-tracking, and a host of other features that make it feel like a well-rounded experience for under Rs 25,000. Does it succeed in this goal, or do these features feel gimmicky? Check out my in-depth review to find out.
Rating: 7 / 10
Verdict
For those under Rs 25,000 searching for a phone with a camera, the Tecno Camon 30 5G is a fantastic option. The phone provides excellent photo performance in most lighting circumstances because of its 50MP high-resolution camera sensors on both the front and back. In addition, the phone has a unique design and a striking display. Nonetheless, there are more potent phones in this price bracket, including the Infinix GT 20 Pro (review). The Camon 30 is a decent option if your preference is for a phone with a large camera, but there are alternative phones that are better in other areas.
Design and display
- The rear of the Tecno Camon 30 5G is decorated with a design called “Nature Flow Texture Glass,” which combines a glossy and grainy matte finish. The design, according to the brand, captures the rich textures seen in nature, such as the volcanic lava in Iceland and the salt flats of Uyuni. The phone‘s unique appearance immediately draws attention and is visually appealing.
- The phone’s fluted bezel on the sides complements the circular camera arrangement at the back. The phone looks more expensive thanks to this design decision.
- Even in direct sunshine, the phone’s display performs incredibly well, reaching a maximum brightness of 1300 nits. I was able to use the phone outside without any visibility problems.
- Even though I thought the display was a little too bright, the quality was still impressive. You can expect deep blacks and brilliant colors with the AMOLED panel, regardless of whether you’re watching videos or playing games.
- The UI and apps feel incredibly smooth to navigate around because of the high refresh rate panel.
- Additionally, the viewing angles are really good. Overall, I had no problems and was pleased with the visual quality.
Cameras
- A 50MP primary camera with 1/1.57-inch sensor size and OIS is available with the Camon 30 5G. A 2MP depth sensor and a light sensor help the main camera. Support for two flashes allows for improved low-light shooting.
- Since the brand has made a big deal out of the phone’s camera capabilities, I took as many photos as I could to identify the best and worst features of the optical performance. I discovered that in contrast to many other phones in this price range, the phone didn’t increase any colors (depending on the topic) even with the AI branding in the default camera mode.
- This meant that the grass wasn’t particularly green, the skies weren’t overly blue, and, happily, the skin tones the camera photographed were accurate to life. The phone was able to accurately record skin tones because of Tecno’s skin tone tuning technology.
However, the color accuracy also applied to non-human subjects. The original shot’s soul can sometimes be lost in oversaturated photos, which is why this image’s color accuracy stands out. - The phone did a really good job at detecting edges in portrait orientation.
- With the 100MP mode in particular, the primary camera sensor was able to capture some detailed images, and the OIS made the films reasonably stabilized.
- The phone has a 50MP ultra-clear selfie camera with Dual Color Temperature Flash and AutoFocus. With the selfie camera, “advanced” eye-tracking capability is included. The front camera does an equally good job of capturing skin tones as the rear camera does. The phone’s high-resolution sensor allows it to take highly intricate selfies.
- Those who take a lot of selfies or wish to try vlogging can easily use the selfie camera because it performs dependably.
- To determine which phone’s primary camera configuration produced better photos, I contrasted it with the Infinix GT 20 Pro’s. As you can see, color accuracy was improved with the Camon 30 5G. Additionally, the device recorded more details than the GT 20 Pro.
Both software and performance
- The Camon 30 5G, with its MediaTek Dimensity 7020 5G CPU, is not one of the most powerful phones in its pricing category. In terms of competition, devices such as the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion (review), OnePlus Nord CE4 (review), and Infinix GT 20 Pro outperform each other in benchmarks and real-world use.
- Although I didn’t experience any significant lag, program crashes, or hiccups when using the phone, its performance was inferior to that of the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion, which I just reviewed.
- With a score of 513359 on the AnTuTu benchmark, the phone is capable of handling both light gaming and your typical workload.
- The device achieved a single-core score of 915 and a multi-core score of 2253 on the Geekbench test.
- I discovered the phone’s maximum graphical settings, HD – High, while playing BGMI. In contrast, a lot of other phones in this price range come with the option to use Ultra HDR. This meant that although the game functioned flawlessly, the graphics were not as good as they could be on other phones.
- If someone only uses this phone for light games and daily duties, it would be ideal. A phone like the Infinix GT 20 Pro would be a better choice if gaming is your main activity.
- You can speak with Ella, the AI assistant, or you can press and hold the power button to access her. The AI helper was erratic at times, in my opinion. For instance, I requested it to set a 3 p.m. alarm for every workday the next week. Initially, it set the alarm for midnight on the same day. I mentioned the time in the initial voice prompt, and it even recognized it, but when I repeated the same instruction, it prompted me to say it again. When I finally brought this up, it attempted to shift the subject of conversation.
- HiOS has a minimal number of pre-installed programs and a tidy interface. The user interface navigation and animations are quick and fluid.
Life of batteries and rates of charge
The Tecno Camon 30 5G has a 5,000mAh battery that can be charged quickly with 70W of power. In our charging test, the phone took about 46 minutes to charge from 20% to 100%. This demonstrates that you can charge your phone before taking a bath, even if it is empty, and when you’re ready to go, it will be fully charged.
The phone provided adequate battery backup for me, especially when it was in standby mode. The Camon 30 5G lasted 11 hours and 10 minutes in the PCMark battery test, and I was able to get about 7-8 hours of screen time with the phone. When used regularly, the phone can easily last more than a day for you with ease.
Final Verdict
At Rs 22,999, the Tecno Camon 30 5G fulfills a lot of requirements. However, it’s important to note that the Moto Edge 50 Fusion stands out for its lightweight design, and the Infinix GT 20 Pro deserves consideration if you’re searching for a phone focused on performance. Returning to the Tecno Camon 30 5G, it has a distinctly premium design that feels solid, capable cameras on both the front and back that can capture sharp images in a variety of lighting situations, an AMOLED 120Hz display that is colorful and fluid, and support for 70W rapid charging. For anyone who prioritizes these qualities, it is a wise option.
