Tecno Spark 20 Pro Review: A Closer Look at Its Standout Features – Overhyped or Just Right?

Where flagship devices often steal the spotlight with their high-end features and hefty price tags, the mid-range segment quietly undergoes revolutionary changes, bringing premium experiences to more budget-conscious consumers. Among these unsung heroes is the Tecno Spark 20 Pro, a device that promises to deliver an impressive array of features without breaking the bank. Positioned as a significant upgrade from its predecessor, the Spark 10 Pro, this smartphone is created for those looking for a balance between performance, aesthetics, and affordability.

Launched amidst a competitive landscape dominated by established giants and emerging challengers alike, the Tecno Spark 20 Pro stands out by offering a compelling package that includes a robust processor, a high-refresh-rate display, and a versatile camera setup. Retailing at approximately $170, it presents itself as a strong contender in the budget segment, challenging the notion that one needs to compromise on quality or features when opting for a more economically priced device.

This detailed review delves into the Tecno Spark 20 Pro, exploring its unboxing experience, design and build quality, display characteristics, performance metrics, camera capabilities, and much more. By evaluating its strengths and weaknesses against the backdrop of its competition, we aim to provide a comprehensive perspective on whether the Tecno Spark 20 Pro truly offers good value for money and if it’s the right choice for you in the vast sea of budget smartphones.

Tecno Spark 20 Pro Features

Design and Build Quality

The Tecno Spark 20 Pro showcases a thoughtful blend of aesthetics and ergonomics, making it a standout device in its price bracket. Its design philosophy seems to draw inspiration from high-end smartphones, offering users a premium feel without the hefty price tag. The device features a sleek glass front that seamlessly merges with its plastic frame and back, creating a smooth, cohesive look that’s both appealing and practical.

At first glance, the Tecno Spark 20 Pro exudes a certain elegance, thanks to its minimalist branding and the sophisticated placement of its camera module, which, while reminiscent of the iPhone’s layout, adds a touch of luxury. The color variants – Moonlight Black, Frosty Ivory, Sunset Blush, and the unique Magic Skin 2.0 Green – provide options to express your style. Particularly striking is the Sunset Blush model, which features a color-shifting design that dances under different lighting conditions, creating a captivating visual effect that’s both modern and chic.

Despite its substantial 6.78-inch display, the Tecno Spark 20 Pro maintains a comfortable grip, thanks to its rounded edges and thoughtful weight distribution. The device’s plastic back not only contributes to its lightweight profile but also ensures durability, making it less susceptible to shattering upon impact compared to glass-backed phones. The inclusion of a side-mounted fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button enhances usability, allowing for quick and secure access without compromising on the sleek design.

The choice of materials in the Tecno Spark 20 Pro strikes a balance between aesthetic appeal and practicality. The plastic used in the construction of the back and frame is of high quality, and resistant to fingerprints and smears, although occasional cleaning might be necessary to maintain its pristine look. The device’s durability is further bolstered by its IP53 dust and splash resistance rating, offering peace of mind during everyday use. This feature is particularly noteworthy, as it’s not commonly found in smartphones within this price range.

Display Quality

The Tecno Spark 20 Pro sports a sizable 6.78-inch IPS LCD panel, offering users a broad canvas for their multimedia, gaming, and daily productivity tasks. This display boasts a resolution of 1080 x 2460 pixels (Full HD+), ensuring that content is rendered with clarity and sufficient detail. The screen’s large size, coupled with its high resolution, provides an immersive experience whether you’re watching videos, browsing the web, or engaging in mobile gaming.

One of the standout features of the Tecno Spark 20 Pro’s display is its 120Hz refresh rate. This high refresh rate is a significant upgrade over the standard 60Hz found in many budget to mid-range smartphones, contributing to a smoother, more responsive user interface. Whether scrolling through social media feeds, navigating the device’s menus, or playing fast-paced games, the enhanced fluidity is noticeable and appreciated. Users have the flexibility to choose between 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz, allowing them to prioritize smoother motion or battery conservation as needed. There’s also an auto-switch feature that intelligently adjusts the refresh rate based on the content being viewed, striking a balance between performance and power efficiency.

While the Tecno Spark 20 Pro’s display offers vibrant colors and good viewing angles typical of IPS technology, it does have its limitations. The screen’s brightness, while adequate for indoor use, may fall short under direct sunlight, affecting outdoor visibility. Additionally, the contrast and deep blacks that AMOLED panels are known for are absent here, which is a trade-off considering the device’s price point.

When it comes to streaming, the device’s Widevine L1 certification is a significant plus. This certification allows users to stream high-definition content from popular platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and others. The experience of watching movies or TV shows on the Spark 20 Pro is quite enjoyable, thanks to the combination of a large screen, decent display quality, and effective sound output.

Performance:

The Tecno Spark 20 Pro, equipped with the MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, positions itself as a formidable contender in the budget smartphone arena. This processor, known for its balance between efficiency and power, caters to a broad spectrum of users, from casual browsers to avid gamers. With a 6nm fabrication process, the Helio G99 not only ensures smooth operation under typical use scenarios but also maintains commendable power efficiency, contributing to extended battery life. This SoC comprises two high-performance Cortex-A76 cores clocked at up to 2.2 GHz and six power-efficient Cortex-A55 cores, ensuring a balanced mix of speed and energy conservation. The graphics department is handled by the Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, designed to support smooth graphics rendering in games and multimedia applications.

Accompanying the robust chipset is a generous allocation of RAM and storage. The device comes with 8GB of RAM, which can be expanded up to 13GB using Memory Fusion technology, a feature that dynamically allocates storage space to act as additional RAM. This capability allows for seamless multitasking and fluid switching between apps without noticeable lag.

Storage is another area where the Tecno Spark 20 Pro shines, offering 256GB of internal storage. This ample space ensures users can store a plethora of apps, photos, videos, and games without worrying about running out of space. For those who find themselves needing even more, the device supports expandable storage via a microSD card, ensuring that you’re unlikely to ever hit a storage wall.

In our testing, the Tecno Spark 20 Pro achieved a score of approximately 426,000 in the AnTuTu benchmark. This score is indicative of its position as an entry-level device, capable of handling day-to-day tasks such as social media browsing, video streaming, and light gaming. In Geekbench tests, the phone presented modest results, further emphasizing its suitability for basic usage rather than intensive applications. In single-core and multi-core tests, the device recorded scores of 725 and 2010, respectively.

Gaming performance on the Spark 20 Pro is commendable, especially considering its budget-friendly price point. Popular titles like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile run smoothly in medium settings, providing an enjoyable gaming experience free from frustrating lags or stutters. The 120Hz refresh rate display further enhances gameplay, rendering action-packed scenes with fluid motion and sharp details. While it may not support the highest graphical settings available on more premium devices, the gaming experience on the Spark 20 Pro is more than satisfactory for casual to moderate gamers.

Despite its potent performance, the Spark 20 Pro manages thermals effectively. Even under sustained load, such as during long gaming sessions or benchmarks, the device remains comfortably warm, avoiding the overheating that can throttle performance. This thermal efficiency can be attributed to the 6nm process technology of the chipset and the device’s internal heat dissipation mechanisms.

Camera Capabilities

The Tecno Spark 20 Pro stands out in the budget smartphone segment with its advanced camera setup, designed to cater to the versatile photography needs. At its core, the camera system is highlighted by a 108MP main sensor, which promises detailed and vibrant images across a variety of lighting conditions. This section delves into the specifics of its photographic prowess, evaluating everything from the primary sensor’s performance to the selfie camera and video recording capabilities.

Main Camera Performance

The 108MP primary camera is the crown jewel of the Tecno Spark 20 Pro’s photography suite. It utilizes pixel binning technology to combine multiple pixels into one super pixel, resulting in brighter, clearer images even in low-light scenarios. You have the option to shoot in the full 108MP resolution, unlocking unparalleled detail and allowing for significant cropping without a loss in quality. The camera’s AI enhancements further optimize scene recognition, ensuring colors are vivid and exposure is balanced.

Wide Range of Shooting Modes

Beyond the standard photo mode, the Tecno Spark 20 Pro offers a suite of shooting options to enhance the photography experience. Portrait mode leverages the depth sensor to create a beautiful bokeh effect, artfully blurring the background while keeping the subject sharp. The Super Night mode is engineered to capture detailed and noise-free images under minimal lighting, showcasing the camera’s low-light capabilities. Additionally, the macro lens allows for close-up shots, revealing the intricate details of smaller subjects.

Front-Facing Camera for Selfies

The 32MP front camera stands as a testament to the Tecno Spark 20 Pro’s commitment to selfie enthusiasts. It produces sharp, natural-looking selfies with a wide dynamic range. The camera software includes various beautification features and portrait effects, offering users the tools to tailor their selfies to perfection. The front flash ensures that selfies are well-lit, even in poorly lit environments.

Video Recording Capabilities

Video enthusiasts will appreciate the Tecno Spark 20 Pro’s ability to record up to 2K resolution videos, a rare feature in its price bracket. This capability ensures that videos are crisp, with a level of detail that brings content to life. The inclusion of electronic image stabilization (EIS) would have been a welcome addition; however, the device manages to deliver stable footage under most conditions. The dual video mode, utilizing both front and rear cameras simultaneously, opens up creative possibilities for content creators.

Software and User Experience

The Tecno Spark 20 Pro runs on Android 13, overlaid with Tecno’s custom skin, HiOS 13.5. This combination delivers a software experience that is both rich in features and customizable and brings a slew of enhancements and features designed to improve usability, personalization, and overall efficiency. Noteworthy among these are the AI Wallpaper generator, which allows to creation of unique wallpapers through AI; the Smart Panel for quick access to frequently used apps and tools; and the Game Mode, which optimizes the device for gaming by managing resources and minimizing interruptions. The interface is intuitive, with easy navigation and a clean layout. You can customize your experience extensively, from changing themes and icons to adjusting the display’s color profiles. The AI Wallpaper generator, in particular, is a fun addition.

This rich suite of features and customizations is designed to enhance the user experience, productivity, and personalization. Here’s a deeper look into some standout HiOS features available on the device: Smart Panel provides a convenient side toolbar that grants quick access to frequently used applications, tools, and functionalities. This feature is customizable, allowing to tailor the Smart Panel to their preferences by including favorite apps and shortcuts.

Social Turbo is a unique addition aimed at social media enthusiasts, particularly those who use WhatsApp extensively. This feature offers an array of WhatsApp assistant tools, including the ability to record calls, create custom stickers, and discreetly read messages with a peek mode.

Game Mode enhances the gaming experience on the Tecno Spark 20 Pro by optimizing performance and minimizing distractions. It includes functionalities such as blocking incoming calls and notifications during gameplay, adjusting settings for optimal game performance, and allowing messages to be viewed in a floating window, ensuring gamers can focus on their gameplay without interruptions.

A standout feature in the Tecno Spark 20 Pro software suite is the ‘Dynamic Port’, an adaptation of the Dynamic Island concept. This feature offers an interactive and visually engaging way to display notifications, battery status, and other alerts. It exemplifies Tecno effort to bring innovative features to the budget segment.

The introduction of Gesture Navigation allows one to choose between traditional button-based navigation and a more modern, gesture-based approach. HiOS’s Custom Themes and Wallpapers feature enables users to personalize their devices to match their style or mood. With access to a vast library of themes and wallpapers through the built-in theme store, changing the look and feel of the device is effortless and fun, allowing for a high degree of personalization.

Hi Translate delivers real-time text and voice translations in multiple languages, making it an invaluable tool for translating conversations, signs, or documents directly on the device. This feature is especially beneficial for users who travel frequently or interact with content in foreign languages. Privacy protection in HiOS includes features such as a secure vault for hiding sensitive photos, videos, and apps, as well as a dedicated kids’ mode that restricts device access to child-appropriate content and applications. Additionally, the fake call feature offers users a discreet way to navigate out of uncomfortable social situations.

The AI Gallery intelligently categorizes photos and videos, simplifying the process of finding and organizing media. It can also automatically create highlight reels from stored media. Lastly, the AI Wallpaper Generator is a novel feature that leverages AI to create custom wallpapers based on user descriptions. This tool allows for the generation of unique and personalized backgrounds, adding another layer of customization to the device.

Bloatware refers to pre-installed apps and software that come with a device right out of the box. These can range from additional tools, games, and utility apps to various system apps that might not be essential to every user. While some bloatware can be useful, offering added functionalities without the need to download extra apps, they often consume valuable storage space and can negatively impact the device’s performance by running unnecessary background processes. Tecno has made strides in improving user experience by allowing more bloatware apps to be uninstalled or disabled compared to previous models.

Audio and Connectivity

The Tecno Spark 20 Pro is equipped with stereo speakers and ensures a robust and balanced sound output, which is a noteworthy upgrade from its predecessors. The inclusion of DTS audio processing further enhances the listening experience, offering clearer, more dynamic sound. The volume levels are impressively high without significant distortion at peak volume, marking a substantial improvement in audio quality that users will appreciate. Moreover, the Tecno Spark 20 Pro maintains a traditional yet increasingly rare feature in modern smartphones: the headphone jack.

On the connectivity front, the Spark 20 Pro covers all the essential bases expected from a budget smartphone, without venturing into 5G territory. It supports dual SIM functionality, and a dedicated microSD card slot for expandable storage ensures the choice between extra storage and dual SIM capabilities, a compromise often seen in other devices.

Wireless connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS capabilities, NFC, enabling contactless payments, and quick pairing with compatible devices. This addition is a welcome feature in the budget segment, where NFC is not always guaranteed, enhancing the Spark 20 Pro’s appeal in markets where contactless transactions are becoming increasingly common.

Battery Life and Charging

The Tecno Spark 20 Pro is equipped with a robust 5,000 mAh battery, a capacity that has become a standard for many modern smartphones, especially in the mid-range sector. This generous battery size ensures that the device can comfortably last through a full day of use under normal conditions. For heavy use, including those who frequently engage in gaming, streaming, or extensive social media browsing, the Spark 20 Pro still manages to hold its ground, offering substantial endurance that minimizes the need for mid-day recharges.

In real tests, the Spark 20 Pro demonstrates admirable stamina. On a typical day involving a mix of calls, text messaging, social media usage, a few hours of video playback, and casual gaming, the phone can easily last from morning to night with some juice left to spare.

Accompanying the phone is a 33W fast charger, included in the box, which is a notable improvement over its predecessors and many competitors in the same price range. This fast charging capability means that the Spark 20 Pro can be charged from 0 to 100% in approximately 70 to 75 minutes. The first 50% of the battery charges exceptionally quickly, providing a significant boost in a short period – a handy feature for those times when you need to quickly top up the battery before heading out. This rapid initial charge slows down as the battery nears full capacity, a common characteristic in modern smartphones to preserve battery health over time.

Conclusion

In the budget smartphone market, the Tecno Spark 20 Pro faces stiff competition from established players like Samsung and Xiaomi. This segment is particularly crowded, with each brand striving to offer the best value for money. In comparison to its competitors, such as the Samsung Galaxy A15 and Redmi Note 13, the Tecno Spark 20 Pro holds its ground with distinctive features like stereo speakers, a high refresh rate display, and superior storage options, presenting itself as a value-packed.

The Tecno Spark 20 Pro emerges as a compelling contender in the budget smartphone segment, offering a harmonious blend of performance, design, and camera capabilities at a price point that’s hard to overlook. With its large and responsive 120Hz display, it delivers a smooth visual experience that’s a rarity in its class. The inclusion of the Mediatek Helio G99 chipset, coupled with ample RAM and storage, ensures that the device can handle everyday tasks and moderate gaming with ease.

Camera performance, led by a 108MP main sensor, stands out for its ability to capture detailed and vibrant photos. The device’s battery life and fast charging capability also merit praise. While the transition to a plastic build may raise questions about durability compared to its glass-backed predecessor, the decision likely contributes to the device’s affordability and lightweight design. Moreover, the IP53 rating for dust and splash resistance adds a layer of practicality for everyday use.