In January 2018, TECNO surprised all their fans by going bezel-less with the Camon CM. The device is also known as “Camon I” in the Indian market, targeting the entire Asian region. It’s definitely a ‘new year new view’ for TECNO lovers, as the device comes with 18:9 aspect ratio. Asides that, the device comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.

I got a review unit of the device which I have had for more than two weeks now. So guys here is my Review of the Camon CM. Before I go any further, I will be showing you the key specs of the TECNO Camon CM.

TECNO Camon CM Key Specs

⚫Display: 5.7-inch
⚫Screen Resolution: 720 x 1440 pixels
⚫Chipset (Soc): MT6737H
⚫Processor: 1.3GHz Quad-Core
⚫Storage: 16GB (upgradeable with microSD)
⚫RAM: 2GB RAM
⚫OS: Android 7.0 Nougat, HiOS 3.2.0
⚫SIM: Dual Nano-SIM + microSD
⚫Back Camera: 13MP with Quad-LED flash
⚫Front Camera: 13MP with LED flash
⚫Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, WiFi b/g/n
⚫Battery: 3000mAh Non-removable
⚫Fingerprint sensor: Yes (Rear)
⚫Color: Black, Gold and Blue
⚫Price: $129 (N47,000)

TECNO Camon CM Design

One of the things I like about the device is the design, it’s unlike the previous Camon smartphones we are used to. This is because the Camon CM is one of the lightest smartphones you can ever lay your hands on. It weighs just 135g despite having a 3000mah battery. I also like the fact that it can be operated easily with one hand without any inconvenience at all.

As you can see, the rear camera is at the top left corner assisted with a Quad-LED flash underneath. The fingerprint scanner is still at the usual position, for fast access to the phone and private apps. The antenna line now goes above the rear camera dishing out a sleek and unique overall back.

To be honest, you have to hold the Camon CM very closely to see the difference with other Camon smartphones. Except that it is made from a plastic material while the CX is metallic, however, there’s been a little improvement in the design, which is a plus for TECNO.

TECNO Camon CM Display

So let’s turn this baby around to see what it has in store for us. Whether you call it full vision, infinity display or full view, they are mean the same thing.  The screen is quite stunning and attractive I must confess and TECNO is bold to call this ” a full view display” The 5.65-inch screen is now much taller, dishing out a Full Vision display and allowing you to CMore. As you can see from the photos, there are still bezels on the screen, at the top, bottom, even the narrow bezels are still visible.

While outside, the screen brightness can be increased with the details on the screen popping out. I think that’s when the 280 pixel per inch density of the screen really comes out to play. The screen is ok for me as far as sunlight visibility is concerned.

According to the multi-touch test I did,  the panel supports only 3 fingers at a time, which is not up to the standard 5 fingers for a gaming smartphone. Nevertheless, keeping in mind it’s a budget smartphone, this can pass.

TECNO Camon CM Hardware and Software Performance

When it comes to heavy lifting and gaming, the Camon CM might not be the perfect device. The device comes with a MediaTek MT6737H quad-core processor coupled with a Mali-T720 GPU which is clocked at 1.3GHZ as against the octa-core processor on the Camon CM. So in terms of performance, the Camon CX is still a better device.

On Antutu Benchmark, the device got a 35,860 score which is not bad for a budget device.

You will have no problem running normal apps on the device but heavy apps and games tend to lag a bit. This is expected since the device only has 2GB of RAM and a Mali 720 GPU.

What I love, however, is that heavy apps didn’t force close while running them on the device. I  could hold up to 6-7 light apps on standby and still have much RAM space to spar.

The Camon CM has 16GB of storage but only 9GB of internal storage space is available for use, no thanks to the heavily customised OS.

Camon CM Software

The Camon CM runs on HiOS version 3.2 on top of Android 7.0 Nougat. The UI looks quite similar to the new Grace UI found on Samsung Galaxy flagship. My friend Dele said the device looks like the Galaxy S7 probably because of the Full view display.

You have some cool wallpapers to play with and I actually like them.

The usual apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp are pre-installed and there are whole lots of other bloatware like Aha app, Palm store, PHX Browser which can easily be uninstalled.

I love the new pop up notifications from the HiOS user interface. It shows up below the screen for fast navigation, you can also take screenshots now by swiping three fingers down the screen. This is no longer new on TECNO phones though.

Long-pressing on any icon on the screen will give the option to create a folder, remove the app or know more about such app.

The fingerprint scanner worked well for all the times I used it, unlocking the device in 0.3s. You can also take photos and answer calls with the fingerprint scanner as well, which I find to be very useful. However, anyone holding the phone can use their finger to take photos and make calls when it’s locked.

In the performance field, I’ll give the TECNO Camon CM 8/10.

TECNO Camon CM Camera

We all know the TECNO Camon CM smartphone is all about the screen. But we have to keep in mind that the Camon series focuses on the camera as well. Photos taken outdoors with the rear camera was are decent for a 13MP camera. But if you are looking for great photos with well-balanced colour production, the Camon CX should be your device of choice.

The front camera has the same camera rating as the back, you have a 13MP on the back and the front. The selfie camera also produces colourful and sharper photos with lots of beautification features. Personally, I will give the camera 6/10 overall.

TECNO Camon CM Battery

The 3000mAh battery powering the device actually surprised me with its endurance power. After about an hour and 30 mins of heavy usage with the device, the battery was still ready for more demanding tasks, dropping to just 76% from 100%.

I tried to play some games and videos on the device and after an extra 4 hours, it reached the 17% mark and begging to be charged up.

What I don’t like however about the device here is that it takes more than 2 hours to charge up the device. I’m guessing that’s because of the 5V-1.2A charger it comes with. I plugged in the fast charger that comes with the Phantom 6 Plus, it got filled up in about an hour and 30mins.

Overall, the battery performance is ok for me except the slow charging issue.

Conclusion

For a budget smartphone that costs just N47, 000, the TECNO Camon CM is very impressive I must admit. Especially for the build quality, the display and the camera. But it solely depends on what you are looking for in a device.

What I Love

• The design and display are quite satisfactory
• Decent battery performance
• The 13MP front and back cameras are okay

What I don’t like

• There is no fast charging
• Not so great MediaTek Processor

Lemme know what you think about the Camon CM, does it worth the price?