Tecno’s rise over the past years has been monumental, and the brand is sending out another successful year. Part of the Transsion Holdings group alongside Infinix and itel, Tecno has been making rounds in developing markets for several years, and the maker released some great phones in 2024.
From the Phantom V Fold2 and V Flip2 foldables to its Camon 30 and Pova 6 series, Tecno solidified itself across its device portfolio, but we also saw some shortcomings and the more pressing matter of expanding its global presence.
Winners: Phantom V Fold2 and V Flip2
While still a fairly new player in the foldable market, Tecno’s Phantom V Fold2 and V Flip2 were major upgrades over their predecessors. Tecno took a big leap in design with both devices, but the V Fold2 stood out the most.
A whole 50 grams lighter than the first gen V Fold and noticeably slimmer, V Fold2 is in a whole different league in terms of hardware. The updated touch-friendly vegan leather back, more conventional camera island and added IP54 rating are all great additions. We should also mention the added stylus support, new 50MP ultrawide camera and more recent Android 14 interface, which is more optimized for the large screen format.
V Flip2 also feels like a much more polished product with an actually usable 3.64-inch cover screen, updated 50MP ultrawide camera, larger 4,720 mAh battery and class-leading 70W fast charging.
At INR 79,999 ($945/€890) for the V Fold2 and INR 34,999 ($415/€390) for the V Flip2, these are some of the most affordable folding phones out there but sadly Tecno hasn’t figured out global availability which we hope will be fixed with the next gen Phantoms.
Winner: Camon 30 Premier
High-tier features that punch above its price range – that’s the gist of the Camon 30 Premier which was one of the pleasant surprises in the midrange segment. It packs an LTPO OLED, a capable Dimensity 8200 Ultimate chipset and a great trio of 50MP cameras, including a 3x optical periscope shooter which is not something you see in the INR 39,999 ($470/€450) price range.
Paired with a premium design, solid battery life, 70W charging and excellent speaker setup, Camon 30 Premier is a device that deserves more recognition. Hopefully, Tecno expands to more markets in 2025, and the Camon 40 Premier builds on the excellent value package offered by the Camon 30 Premier.
Winner: Tecno Pova 6 Pro
Like the Camon 30 Premier, Tecno’s gaming-focused Pova 6 Pro was another feature-rich midranger that caught our attention for its price/performance ratio.
It has a distinct design with transparent back elements, angular shapes and an LED strip for notifications. The 120Hz AMOLED, updated 108MP main cam and massive 6,000 mAh battery with speedy 70W charging were some nice additions over the Pova 5 Pro. The dependable Dimensity 6080 paired with the feature-rich HiOS 14 based on Android 14 and generous retail package left little to be desired in the €300 price range.
Loser: Spark 20 Pro+
Tecno’s Spark series delivers some great budget devices, and while the Spark 20 Pro+ is a well-rounded midranger, we had a few gripes. The MediaTek Helio G99 inside the phone is starting to show its age now, and the lack of any software update policy is something that needs to be addressed.
We also felt that the 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display was held back by the lack of HDR support and relatively low 549 nits brightness. Coupled with the fact that our review unit shipped with HiOS 13.6 instead of the newer version 14 and some Wi-Fi stability issues, we felt the Spark 20 Pro+ could have been better executed.
Loser: Global availability
From its great selection of midrange Camon and Pova series phones to the affordable Phantom V Fold and V Flip series, Tecno has been making great phones that undercut established brands. The brand has a well-established presence in emerging markets, but it’s yet to carry its momentum to Western markets, which we can only hope is coming sooner than later.
Loser: Phantom X2 Pro successor
It’s been over two years since Tecno launched its Phantom X2 Pro and its 2.5X pop-out portrait camera, which we absolutely loved. We’re left wondering why the Tecno never brought a successor all this time but hopefully 2025 will change that.
Tecno recently announced its EVS Dynamic Snapshot and Tap Any Zoom Prism Telephoto camera developments which feel like they belong on the Phantom X3 Pro.
