Tecno Pova 5 Pro

Tecno Pova 5 Pro specs and price in Kenya

Tecno Pova 5 Pro price in Kenya is Ksh 16,500. It has a 6.8-inch Full HD+ screen with a 180Hz touch sampling rate and has a Side-mounted fingerprint sensor. It runs on the MediaTek MT6877 Dimensity 900 5G (6 nm) processor with up to 8GB of RAM, 128GB storage and works on the HiOS based Android 11.

Tecno Pova 5 Pro in Kenya

Tecno has recently introduced two new smartphones in the Indian market as part of the Pova Series – the Pova 5 5G and Tecno Pova Pro 5G. We had the opportunity to review the Tecno Pova 5 Pro model, priced at KSh 26,500, which boasts a sleek glass finish design. Tecno aimed to give the Pova 5 Pro 5G an eye-catching aesthetic with its unique LED design on the rear panel, all at an affordable price point. This glass-backed LED design undeniably adds a premium touch to the Tecno Pova 5 Pro.

The Pova 5 Pro 5G is equipped with a MediaTek 6080 chipset, a 120Hz display, a 50MP primary camera, and more. With these impressive specifications, it prompts the question of whether this smartphone is truly an all-rounder or if it’s merely impressive on paper. Let’s dive into our Tecno Pova 5 Pro 5G review to find the answer.

Design and Display:

In the case of the POVA 5 Pro, discussing the smartphone’s design is particularly relevant. Tecno has designed this phone to grab your attention, and it succeeds with its LED strip design and camera module on the rear. Starting with the back panel, termed as the ‘Arc Interface’ by the brand, it offers various backlight effect options such as Soft, Racing, Dreamy, Breath, and Party, which can be applied to incoming calls and boot-up. Additional variations like Sunrise, Starburst, Halo, Pure, and Lightning can be used for notifications. Does the Arc Interface enhance the phone’s visual appeal? In short, yes. However, it’s worth noting that this design element primarily serves an aesthetic purpose and lacks the customization options found in Nothing phones’ LED strips.

The rear camera module is trapezium-shaped with two large circular elevations for the dual camera lenses. With its spacious 6.78-inch IPS LCD display, the phone has a relatively large form factor but maintains balanced weight distribution, making it comfortable to hold. However, individuals with smaller hands may find it slightly unwieldy. Nevertheless, you should still be able to conveniently access the power button, which also functions as a fingerprint sensor.

Turning to the display panel, the combination of a 120Hz refresh rate and FHD+ screen resolution delivers an exceptional viewing experience whether you’re navigating the UI or watching YouTube videos. While the phone offers decent viewing angles, it falls short in outdoor visibility under direct sunlight due to its limited brightness levels.

Cameras:

Let’s delve into the camera specifications. The POVA 5 Pro features a 50MP primary wide-angle sensor with PDAF support and a 0.08MP depth sensor. During testing, it performed well in edge detection, a feat not often achieved by smartphones in this price range. The primary sensor captured significant detail in well-lit environments, and its color accuracy was commendable. However, like many phones in this price range, low-light conditions proved to be a challenge. Image quality notably suffered in the absence of proper lighting, but the ‘Super Night’ mode helps improve the results to some extent.

The default camera app offers an array of options for capturing images. While the ‘AI CAM’ delivers good pictures with decent dynamic range, younger users may be more interested in the beauty filters, ensuring social media-ready photos. These filters allow adjustments such as skin smoothening, face slimming, eye enlargement, skin color adjustment, nose slimming, and head slimming. The adjustable filter levels provide complete control over your photo appearance. The front-facing camera on the TECNO POVA 5 Pro can capture detailed shots with accurate colors in well-lit conditions. However, in low-light settings, photos may exhibit some graininess, a common issue in this price range.

Performance and Software:

The TECNO POVA 5 Pro houses a 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 6080 5G chipset, featuring two 2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 cores and six 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 cores, supported by a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. In everyday use, the phone operated smoothly without noticeable hiccups, and app switching animations were generally fluid. Even during extended gaming sessions, the phone didn’t experience excessive heating, making it a suitable choice for mobile gaming enthusiasts. Over the course of several days using the phone, it consistently delivered sufficient performance for various tasks, although it may not claim the title of the best-performing device in this price range.

On the software front, the POVA 5 Pro runs on HIOS 13, based on Android 13. The phone includes pre-installed apps, although these didn’t find much use during the review. Notable software features include Game Space (optimized for better gaming performance), MemFusion (expands RAM by up to 5GB using internal storage), and Video Assistant (prevents notifications from interrupting video playback in select apps). The settings menu also offers a Micro Intelligence section, allowing control over quality-of-life features like Lift to Wake and Flip Mute.

Battery Life and Charging Speed:

The phone is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, which easily lasted an entire day under normal usage. For gaming enthusiasts, expect to need a recharge by day’s end. A standout feature of the TECNO POVA 5 Pro is its impressive 68W fast-charging support. During testing, the phone charged from 1 to 100 percent in less than 50 minutes, a remarkable feat considering that most phones in this price range don’t exceed 45W fast-charging support. In this regard, the TECNO POVA 5 Pro outpaces the competition.

Final Verdict:

TECNO has priced the POVA 5 Pro sensibly at KSh 26,500, and it excels in nearly all aspects. Its distinctive design, 120Hz display, and industry-leading 68W fast-charging support make it a compelling choice. However, potential drawbacks include the absence of an ultra-wide rear camera sensor and the phone’s large form factor, which may not suit all users. Overall, if you’re in the market for a daily driver under Ksh. 30,000, especially one suited for a mobile lifestyle or if you prioritize fast charging, the TECNO POVA 5 Pro is certainly worth considering. See more Tecno phones in Kenya.