Tecno Mobile is gaining a reputation as a mid-range contender with its Camon and POVA smartphones. The Tecno Spark series isn’t in the same price range as the Camon and POVA but does offer good value for users. Case in point, the Tecno Spark 7 Pro.
Design: 4/5
I really want to commend Tecno’s recent design choices. The Spark 7 Pro looks and feels like a premium device. Its unique camera bump is just bang-on its best design feature. Our review unit came in the Magnet Black color scheme and looks pretty good, especially the slight dual tone on the back.
The Spark 7 Pro is made of plastic but the textured finish at the back makes it a joy to grip. Did I also mention that it is just 8.8mm thin and beats a lot of its competitors at that price?
The Spark 7 Pro sports a 6.6-inch IPS display with a 90Hz refresh rate. On the top-left of the screen is the punch hole for the 8-megapixel front camera that is pretty big. The back is the fingerprint reader and the 48-megapixel triple camera setup. On the left is the sim-tray and dedicated microSD slot, on the right is the volume and power buttons. Beneath is the headphone jack, the micro USB port, a mic-hole, and the downward-firing speaker.
Hardware: 4/5
Making the Spark 7 Pro tick is the MediaTek Helio G80 octa-core processor. It’s paired with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage expandable via MicroSD. Powering the whole device is a 5000 mAh battery.
For its cameras, it has a 48-megapixel camera setup at the back. The main shooter, of course, is a 48-megapixel camera. Paired with that camera are 2 sensors that aid in the depth of field effects. At the front is an 8-megapixel selfie camera.
The Helio G80 is an older processor but still works pretty well. Antutu Benchmark (v9.1) has it at 219414 with Geekbench rating it at 366 for single-core and 1332 for multi-core. Pretty good for a phone at a sub-7K price.
User Experience: 4/5
For gaming, the Helio G80 is a decent mid-range chip and can run most esports titles on high settings. I tried League of Legends: Wild Rift and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang on the Spark 7 Pro and it went well as you’d expect. On Wild Rift, it was able to reach Ultra at 60fps settings, while Mobile Legends had it only on High.
As for tougher titles, Asphalt was pretty alright at performance setting but frame drops were typical on High graphics. Surprisingly it was able to run Genshin Impact, currently one of the toughest mobile titles to run. Unfortunately, that was it. You can run Genshin on the lowest settings but it’s not a good time.
Despite its lack of additional power, Tecno did do a great job on its cooling. Even though I put it through some tough benchmarks and games it didn’t get hot.
For the camera, the main shooter did do well, especially if you consider its price. It’s amazing how Tecno is able to fit a 48-megapixel camera in this price range. As for image quality, it’s good when conditions are alright. The Spark 7 Pro’s AI was also impressive able to separate the fur on my cat’s back from the background. Selfies were quite alright too, coming from an 8-megapixel shooter.
One of the downsides of the Tecno Spark 7 Pro is its micro USB port instead of a Type-C. I think this is one of the areas Tecno needed to cut corners on to keep costs down. Another area where they might have cut corners is the speaker quality. It’s fairly loud but sounds mushy or hollow sometimes on loud volume.
Another thing that might concern power users is the 4GB of RAM. Though simply cleaning your background app will help, but in the long run, 4GB may not be enough especially for gamers.
Value: 4.5/5
Coming it at PHP 6,590 the Tecno Spark 7 Pro is definitely a contender in the lower midrange smartphone. At its sub-7K price you have a pretty good camera, 90Hz refresh rate screen, and a decent octa-core processor. For that price what more can you want?
Pros:
- Good for esports gaming
- Great internal cooling
- Good camera
Cons:
- 4GB of RAM feels inadequate for 2021
- Bloatware and ads
- Speaker isn’t the best especially in max volume
Bottomline:
- The Tecno Spark 7 Pro is a great smartphone for the budget conscious.
Specs:
- Display: 6.6-inch HD (720 x 1600 resolution) Display with 90Hz refresh rate
- Processors: MediaTek Helio G80
- OS: HiOS v7.5 over Android 11
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 128 GB expandable via microSD
- Cameras: 8-megapixel (front); 48-megapixel triple camera setup
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi (dual-band), microUSB
- Features: Fingerprint reader, Bluetooth Audio share, Super Night Mode, 2K video shooting
- Battery: 5000mAh
- Dimensions: 164.9mm x 76.2mm x 8.8mm