TECNO recently launched their Spark 10 Pro in South Africa. This mid-range handset finds itself in a crowded segment of the smartphone market, going up against more established brands like Samsung, Apple and Huawei, while at the same time having to fend off competition from the likes of vivo, realme and Xiaomi.
With an impressive array of features for a phone of this price – a 6.8-inch 90Hz FHD screen, 8GB of RAM (with the ability to expand this with a further 8GB of VRAM), and 256GB storage – it’s hard to see where this TECNO could go wrong.
Design and Display
TECNO didn’t hold back when it comes to design. Our Pearl White review unit had a beautiful iridescent finish, allowing it to change colour ever so slightly depending on the angle you hold the phone. Paired with a clear case included in the box, it’s easy to see that this phone is designed to be noticed.
The design is a clean, squared-off design reminiscent of recent iPhones. Around the edges, you’ll find a USB Type-C port, dual SIM tray, volume rocker, power button, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
TECNO’s Spark 10 Pro is a chonky boy (168.41mm x 76.21mm x 8.46mm) similar to Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra (163.4mm x 78.1mm x 8.9mm) in terms of size and thickness, thankfully it weighs slightly less than the Samsung coming in at 208g vs the Ultra’s 233g. The display is bright and relatively crisp, however, I found the display to be slightly over-saturated and cold, thankfully this can be adjusted in the display settings. Having said this, watching videos on YouTube and Netflix is a pleasant experience.
Cameras
Let’s get into an important part of any smartphone purchase, the cameras. Unlike other smartphone brands that have opted for huge camera bumps, TECNO has instead opted for protruding camera lenses surrounded by a reflective square to differentiate it from the rest of the phone’s rear. Here you’ll find a dual-lens setup consisting of a 50MP wide-angle sensor with an 0.8MP depth sensor below.
Images are good although colour accuracy can be called into question at times, there’s a lack of detail when zooming in and in lowlight conditions, it can struggle just a little bit. By default, images are pixel binned down to 12MP images, however, you are able to turn on 50MP mode to get full-resolution images but beware that it will balloon the file size for each shot taken.
All in all, the rear camera setup does a good job at this pricepoint.
Up front you’ll find a 32MP selfie camera with a flash that has 3 levels of adjustable brightness, giving you more control over your lighting.
Videos on the TECNO Spark 10 Pro are solid but, without stabilisation, you’re going to notice every little shake or wobble.
Performance and Battery
Powering the Spark 10 Pro is MediaTek’s Helio G88 CPU, the same one found in the realme C55. While this chipset is optimised for gaming and has AI features to optimise resource utilisation, this is not a device for heavy, intensive gaming sessions of something like Genshin Impact. What you do get is a phone that, for the most part, is able to move smoothly through the day and only occasionally has minor hiccups when switching between apps.
Depending on how you use your phone, the Spark 10 Pro is capable of lasting 2 days without needing to be charged. While it’s nice to see the charging brick included in the box something faster than 18W charging speed would’ve been appreciated.
Final thoughts:
With a recommended retail price (RRP)of R6999, the TECNO Spark 10 Pro is a great mid-range smartphone.
From a design that will get heads turning to pictures that are Instagram ready, and a great battery, this is a great all-rounder that should be on almost everyone’s list when shopping for a new phone.
Unlike previous offerings, the Spark 10 Pro feels like a more intentional device that is perfect for the South African market by giving people features they need and will actually use.
From the large, high refresh display to the glass back and a large battery to the software powering the device, it’s easy to see that TECNO wants this to be a no-brainer phone and for the most part, they’ve delivered.
