Lately, Tecno has been slaying the competition in the sub-Rs10,000 price bracket. Last we made a video of Tecno Spark 7, which was launched at Rs 8,999. Today, the brand has sent us their Tecno Camon 17, which is launched in India at Rs 12,999.
Processor
Gone are the days when we used to complain about poor performance. These days a good processor is quite common on smartphones! And Tecno’s new Camon 17 is laced with best in class MediaTek Helio G85 processor. This chipset was introduced last year and has been used by many smartphone makers. We have used many phones having this chipset and it’s safe to say you won’t experience any issues as far as the performance is considered. Notably, it comes with 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB storage, which storage expansion support.
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On top of the fantastic processor for gaming and heavy-duty tasks, this phone runs on HiOS (Android 11), which is Tecno’s custom Android skin. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it either. It’s quite smooth in operation and gets the job done. Furthermore, it has many features built-in for small-small conveniences. Tecno has built a good community in India since it entered into India by offering features like WhatsApp call recording, voice changer, kids mode, and many other interesting features.
Camera
Tecno Camon 17 comes with a Quadruple rear camera setup, where the primary lens is a 64MP resolution sensor. There are two 2MP resolutions, where one is a macro lens, and the other is a depth sensor. The fourth sensor is an AI lens, which we have not understood the requirement of. I don’t find the other three lenses apart from the primary lens quite useful. Notably, the rear camera array is supported by a quad flash setup.
But I would like to inform you guys that the primary lens is quite good. It has an f/1.8 aperture which makes it quite a capable sensor. Let us show you some camera samples from the rear module and be the judge yourself.
Check Out: What is Gcam? How to install Gcam on any Android smartphone?
Now speaking about selfies, it has a 16MP selfie camera. Take a look at some selfies I took.
Overall, I found the camera to be useful as far as putting out Instagram-worthy shots is concerned. The camera app on this phone is filled with features, I’m sure you guys would love to try them out.
Display
This is a large smartphone with 6.8-inch full-HD+ resolution display, with the peak brightness levels at 500. Its centre punch-hole design makes sure you get more real estate to view on the screen.
Design
We have got the Spruce Green colour, and it looks ravishing! While I like the colour, I don’t necessarily like the big Camon branding. Sadly, gone are the days of the complete clean back design.
Anyway, speaking about the design, despite its large display it feels easy to hold in hand. Probably because it’s not too tall and broad. Just the right dimensions for operating it single-handedly.
What I don’t like is the big camera bump, which protrudes and makes it unusable when it’s put on the surface. Speaking about the biometric sensor, it has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor built right into the power button. They are all the rage these days! It’s like side-mounted is the new rear-mounted trend. Every smartphone maker is putting it there.
Overall, I found the design of the Tecno Came 17 quite impressive. It’s a solid body, plastic, but solid. Further, the small details like the textured finish on the volume rocker make the design experience quite intuitive.
Battery
This phone comes with a 5000mAh capacity battery, which, paired with HiOS battery optimization will make sure you get at least a day’s charge even during heavy usage. You will also get a fast 18W charger in the retail box of the phone. This should charge a 5000mAh battery in 2.5 hours or less.
Read More: Top 10 Tips To Keep Your Smartphone Battery Healthy
I know with Helio G85, you guys are going to play COD and BGMI on this phone. Talking about gaming, would you like to see a Cashify-style Extreme Gaming Test of Tecno Camon 17? Let us know in the comments below.
Initial Thoughts
India gets many smartphones in the price bracket between Rs 10,000-15,000, and that’s why it’s hard to recommend any single handset in this price range. But I would recommend the Tecno Camon 17 for buyers who are seeking a solid smartphone with good performance, feature-rich custom skin, a solid sturdy phone, and promising battery life.
Vishal is the Swiss-knife at Cashify, he takes pride at his behind the camera skills of shooting poor portraits. He’s a creative thinker who comes up with the weirdest ideas. You can find him posting on Instagram or tweeting his thoughts on south Indian music and cinema.