Tecno Camon 18 Review 

Tecno’s entry-level offerings are known for their low prices gaming-powered smartphones and a strong set of specs. As their name began to emerge and become popular in the Philippine market, they earned the reputation of a market challenger. Today, we have premium midrange to flagship  phones to choose from, but there are still affordable options.

Let’s go back to the launch of the Tecno Camon series last year. The Tecno Camon 18 is their most recent and least expensive device in the series that features a 90hz display, Mediatek Helio G88 chipset, 5000mAh battery, and a premium-looking design. Find out if it’s a good fit for your entry-level gaming.

Pros

• FHD+ plus 90Hz Display
• 2K Video Recording
• Gaming Chipset
• Premium Design
• Featured-Pack

Cons

• Battery Optimization
• AI Selfie optimization
• Fingerprint Magnet
• A bit heavy

READ: TECNO Phantom X Full Review - 6 month later 

Design and Build

The vanilla version is a thick and hefty smartphone with a glossy finish and gradient design. Most of the time, you’ll see fingerprint smudges but using a protective case prevents this. The back is fairly clean, with a Tecno Camon text in the bottom right corner and the camera module is in the top left.

Taking a closer look at its camera bump, the housing of each lens has a large circumference despite the fact that the lenses are smaller. We couldn’t argue why it’s so big, but it’s really cool to see because it has an aesthetic feel to it. On a flat surface, it doesn’t wobble much as the bumps aren’t protruding much. Holding and using the Tecno Camon 18 for an extended period of time doesn’t cause much stress in the hands, despite the fact that it has a budget build. The durability will be determined over time, but we believe the solid feel will make it last longer.

READ: why Tecno camon 18 premier is the phone to Buy? 

Camera

Moving to its cameras, the Tecno Camon 18 has a triple camera setup. A 48MP primary snapper, a 2MP macro, and a 2MP depth sensor. While the punch hole cutout in the front houses a 16MP selfie camera with dual-LED flash, this will help to capture decent selfies even in low light. Moreover, it can record video up to 2K resolution and 1080p, but the video bokeh feature only records in 720p.

In terms of quality, the main camera produces decent colors and vibrancy, there are no visible grains in the shadows as well and the sharpness is on point. However, it has a tendency to overexpose shots when HDR is turned off. The overexposure images didn’t introduce extreme highlights, but rather a +1 above the exposure value meter. This can be corrected by enabling HDR mode, which lowers highlights while lifting shadows to improve overall image light balance. Higher exposure isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the rule of thumb states that it’s better to have an over-exposed shot than an under-exposed image because you can’t push the shadows and blacks any further. Still, we recommend always capturing with HDR On to ensure a great overall output every time.  We can say that it has an impressive quality beyond its price point.

When shooting at night, the Tecno Camon 18 produces grains in extremely low light conditions, however, using the super night mode feature improves overall picture quality. When there is enough light, the main camera will capture a contrasty image to compensate for the deeper blacks and make the image look decent. However, activating the Super Night Mode feature improves the color, contrast, and exposure balance, which is impressive.

As for Macro photography, there are no visible grains on each photo, and we are impressed by its quality despite the fact that it is only a 2MP lens. It’s a fixed focus macro, but once you’ve got the focus right, it produces a clear image with details and colors. It’s not the best quality, but for the price, it’s one of many macro lenses that produce decent results.

When it comes to selfies, the skin tone is accurate when captured in the main AI cam mode. When you switch to beauty mode, your skin tone will be inconsistent because it detects minor changes in white balance. But my face has been beautified, and my pimples have been removed, despite the fact that it appears soft. It needs more sharpening to the face to look more natural. Nonetheless, the images are quite good for the price.

There are a lot of helpful and useful features in its native camera app, but the ability to capture in Pro Mode is a little lacking. As a photographer, I’m always looking for a smartphone with DSLR-like control in its camera in case I can’t bring my arsenals with me, but the Tecno Camon 18, like the Tecno Phantom X, lacked Pro Mode and pro controls to capture different photography styles. However, for users who only shoot with a point-and-shoot camera, the device includes features that automate everything, such as film mode, super night mode, beauty, AI, bokeh video, and so on. It’s also worth noting that it lacks a stabilization feature. However, we can say that for the price, it is already feature-packed.

READ: Samsung teases Galaxy Unpacked event this February 2022

Performance

Under the hood, the Tecno Camon 18 is powered by a newer chipset, MediaTek Helio G88 with 12nm architecture. When we look back on Mediatek’s affordable gaming-powered chipsets in 2020, the Helio G88 is much improved and can run games at FHD+ with higher stability. We tried playing games, and the results can be found here. Furthermore, it can run esports title games and some Honkai Impact, but don’t expect stable frames when playing Genshin Impact because it is a heavier graphic game. With higher quality settings, PUBG Mobile, COD Mobile, Wildrift, and Mobile Legends all work fine and are stable.

Battery

In terms of battery life, we put the Tecno Camon 18’s 5000mAh battery through its paces for two hours of nonstop gaming. The battery dropped from 100% to 78%, which is already an impressive result. However, if it falls below 40%, the battery will begin to feel drained quickly. Heavy usage lasts only 7 hours and 10 minutes, which is significantly shorter than other competitors in the price range. Though it is still dependent on usage, we believe it is acceptable due to its FHD+ IPS screen with 90Hz, and we frequently use the phone’s full capacity by playing games at higher quality settings.

As for charging, the Tecno Camon 18 has an 18W fast charging capability and charging the 5000mAh battery took us 2 hours and 35 minutes, which is quite slow but understandable given the device’s low price.

Verdict

Overall, the Tecno Camon 18 costs P9,499 (6GB+128GB) and is available in the Philippines through the Tecno flagship store on Lazada, Shopee, and other physical stores.

It shows impressive capabilities and provides more than its price. It is a value-for-money device that meets gaming needs while also delivering great productivity due to its higher configuration. Though the battery is a drawback, as is the relatively heavy build, the display provides a unique experience for an entry-level smartphone. It is worthy enough and has excellent value for money.

READ: TOP 10 Entry-Level Smartphones under P10K (2021)

TECNO Camon 18 specs:

• Network: 4G LTE
• Display: 6.8-inch Dot-in FHD+ (2460 x 1080)
• OS: HiOS 8 (Android 11)
• Chipset: MediaTek Helio G88
• Memory: 4GB RAM, 128GB storage
• Sensor: Fingerprint scanner
• Rear Camera: 48MP (main), 2MP (depth), 2MP (macro)
• Front/Selfie Camera: 16MP
• Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, A-GPS
• Port: USB Type-C
• Battery: 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charge
• Dimensions: 168.86 x 76.67 x 8.77mm
• Colors: Iris Purple, Dusk Gray, Ceramic White.