A major segment of the Indian Smartphone market is still offline and it’s governed and judged by an entirely different set of rules. Tecno, one of the players that target consumers who prefer to buy offline, recently launched its affordable Camon i4.
The Camon i4 brandishes perks like triple rear cameras and Android 9 Pie for under Rs. 10,000. We took the new Tecno phone for a spin, just to check if it holds any substance. In case you just ran into the Camon i4 yourself and are interested, here are a few initial thoughts that should help you make up your mind.
Tecno Camon i4 Price in India and Specifications
| Model | Tecno Camon i4 |
| Display | 6.2-inches, 1520 x 720 pixels, 19:9 aspect ratio |
| Processor | 2GHz MediaTek Helio A22 quad-core Processor |
| RAM | 2/3/4GB |
| Internal Storage | 32/64GB, Expandable up to 256GB |
| Software | Android Pie 9.0 based HiOS |
| Primary Camera | 13 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP Triple Camera with autofocus |
| Front Camera | 16MP with Face Unlock |
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes |
| Battery | 3500mAh (no fast charging support) |
| Indian Price |
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Tecno Camon i4 Design and Build
Straight off the bat, the phone looks and feels trendy, especially considering the price point. The back panel is pseudo glass and like almost every other phone these days, Tecno has given it gradient finish. And the company has been generous enough to bundle a case within the box. Even after putting on the cover, the power button and volume rocker on the right feels tactile. The phone feels light which makes it handier to carry around.
Flipping to the back, you would find the fingerprint scanner, Camera panel, and the Tecno Camon branding. The fingerprint reader is responsive and consistent.
Tecno Camon i4 Display and Software
The facade flaunts a 6.2-inch display with 1520 x 720 px resolution and a water drop notch. The notch houses the selfie snapper which has a dedicated section down below. The phone supports face unlock which is snappy. Though the bezels and chin are little wide, they make the phone comfy to hold while gaming.
ALSO READ: Tecno Camon iSKY 3 With Android Pie Launched: Price, Specs
The brightness levels are decent indoors. However, the same can’t be said about the outdoor experience. The auto-brightness feature is also a bit finicky.
Unlocking the phone, you’re welcomed by HiOS based on Android 9.0 Pie. The software has all the basic options and does its job, but at the same time, the design feels a bit bland, for lack of a better word. However, you could slap on a third-party launcher like Nova or any others to customize it better.
Gladly, most of the bloatware could be uninstalled. And its most, which means some are still left behind. The theming and a few native options could also use some improvements. Again, these are minor nitpicks.
Tecno Camon i4 Camera
The rear camera system comprises of a triple camera panel (13 MP + 8 MP ultra wide + 2 MP depth sensorTriple Camera with autofocus) at the back and a 16MP sensor in the front.
Here are some camera samples from Tecno Camon i4:
As you can probably make out from the samples, the overall camera output struggles in low light but that’s expected of a phone priced under 10K. The camera app comes with some AR stickers to animate your selfies and various modes like beauty, bokeh, and AI. But all of these have a subdued impact on the output. The camera quality outdoors seems good enough for the price, but we are yet to complete our camera testing. Expect a concrete verdict in our review sometime later.
Tecno Camon i4 Performance and Battery
Tecno Camon i4 is powered by a Quad-core Mediatek Helio A22 64Bit processor that is clocked up to 2GHz. Tecno Camon i4 ships with 2GB RAM+32GB ROM, 3GB RAM+ 32GB ROM and finally a 4+64 GB model. The ROM storage memory is expandable up to 256GB via a dedicated micro-SD card.
ALSO READ: Tecno Camon iACE2X with 8MP AI Selfie Camera And 3GB RAM Launched
The phone fared well during the gaming hours which in itself a testament of the power it wields. The phone bears a standard 3500 mAH battery which held up well during a day. Fast charging is again a customary omission in this budget. When it comes to connectivity, the phone does include the dual SIM support with dual 4G VoLTE support, USB OTG, WiFi, and Bluetooth 5.0.
Tecno Camon i4 Verdict: Should you buy it or not?
For those of you who want a trendy phone which ticks (albeit barely) all the boxes, this could be a good pick. The design is trendy with the dot-notch display and sturdy build. You get decent performance, triple camera bragging rights and a decent overall package from the offline market standpoint.
There are plenty of options available online, but the same can’t be said about every nook and corner of the country, where offline retailers are the only outlet. We will be testing the phone some more and will hopefully be back with a final verdict in our full review.
If you’re interested, you could check out the device across 35000+ retail touchpoints and 960+ service touchpoints PAN India and then make the decision.
