TECNO PHANTOM 8 VS PHANTOM 6 PLUS: WILL YOU UPGRADE?

Tecno Phantom 8 vs Phantom 6 Plus: Was the hype worth it? What has changed in the last year since we had our hands on the Phantom 6 plus, and should you hold on to the old or is the Phantom 8 a worthy upgrade? We take a look at how the newly launched Phantom 8 compares to the Phantom 6 Plus.

Tecno has once again hit the smartphone market with the much anticipated and sort after addition to its flagship Phantom Series- the Phantom 8. Here we are, once again, blown away by the stellar design and astounding features that tingle our techie fingertips. However, this isn’t the first time we have been impressed with the Phantom series, the Phantom 6 Plus was pretty great too as we discovered here. How much has really changed since we drooled over the Phantom 6 Plus last year? – Well, we unboxed this beauty here, so with our Phantom 8 and Phantom 6 Plus in hand –you can whip out yours too – let’s dive in!

Let’s quickly check the key specs for both devices.

Tecno Phantom 8 Key Specs

• 5.7-inch IPS Display, 1080 x 1920 pixels (400ppi)
• 2.6GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P25 CPU with 6GB RAM
• Android 7.0 (Nougat) with HiOS upgradable to 8.0 Oreo
• 64GB Storage with support for memory card up to 256GB
• 12MP + 13MP Dual Rear Camera and 20MP Front Camera
• 4G LTE
• Fingerprint Scanner (Rear)
• 3500 mAh Battery

Tecno Phantom 6 Plus Key Specs

• 6.0-inch LTPS Display, 1080 x 1920 pixels (367 ppi)
• 2.0GHz Deca-core Mediatek Helio X20 CPU with 4GB RAM
• Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with HiOS upgradable to 7.0 Nougat
• 64GB built-in Storage
• 21MP Rear Camera and 8MP Front Camera
• 4G LTE
• Iris Scanner (Front)
• Fingerprint Sensor (Rear)
• 4050 mAh Battery

TECNO Phantom 8 vs Phantom 6 Plus: DESIGN

Could they really top the Phantom 6 Plus champagne gold full metal body stunner? – Yes, and they did. Tecno has wowed us away once again with the flawlessly designed Phantom 8. This beauty is tagged “Diamond Fire” and this design translates brilliantly as a soft 3D glow in the array of eye-catching metallic back covers available on the Phantom 8.  Unlike the Phantom 6 Plus which only offered us one cover colour, we are spoilt with options as the Phantom 8 allows us to choose between 3 stunning covers – Galaxy Blue, Black, and our beloved Champagne gold.

When it comes to size and dimensions, not much has changed since the Phantom 6 Plus. The Phantom 8 did, however, lose a few inches off its width, making for a slimmer grip in our hands. It comes with a premium glossy finish and rounded edges and retains its ultra-slim design – a signature feature of the Tecno Phantom Series.

TECNO Phantom 8 vs Phantom 6 Plus: DISPLAY

Although the Phantom 8 retains most of the great display features we loved in the Phantom 6 Plus, these features are displayed on a slightly smaller screen. Phantom 8 projects 1080x1920px full high definition on a 5.7-inch touchscreen, unlike the Phantom 6 Plus which has a display of a 6.0-inch screen size. The stunning FHD resolution is retained along with the Gorilla Glass coating which prevents and protects the phone from accidental scratches. Basically, the Phantom 8 has the same resolution with the Phantom 6 plus.

 TECNO Phantom 8 vs Phantom 6 Plus: CAMERA

Phantom 8 is set to win the hearts of selfie lovers the world over while crushing the competition in the camera space thanks to its amazing 10X Zoom and background blurring effect. The Phantom 6 Plus‘s 8-megapixel front camera goes head to head in comparison with the Phantom 8’s whopping 20-megapixel front camera with the flash feature- “Bright Selfie”. This translates to clearer and more life-like photos even in a low light environment. I pitched the two phones against each other in a selfie war, below is how the two phones fair.

NB: Pictures taken with the Phantom 8 are watermarked.

The Phantom 8 further establishes itself as the ultimate photographer’s phone with not just one but two powerful rear cameras. Its 12-megapixel Sony wide-angle sensor coupled with 13-megapixel telephoto sensor combine to deliver remarkable images in a snap. These dual cameras combined with a 10x super digital zoom, rival the Phantom 6 Plus’s 21-megapixel rear camera with 4x digital zoom. The Phantom 8 allows you to transform beautiful moments, near and far, to award-winning professional images with just one click. We asked for more, and we certainly got it!

The Phantom 6 Plus is a year old device and it has been my daily driver for the past one year. One thing I like about the camera is that it didn’t lose its quality. It is still a solid performance if you are looking for a good camera phone. The Phantom 6 Plus 21MP rear camera has a 4X Zoom capability while the 13MP second camera on the Phantom 8 comes with up to 10X zoom and impressive telephoto functionality. The 12MP sensor on the Phantom 8 is the same one used on the Xiaomi Mi 6 and other high-end devices. Below are camera samples of both devices.

NB: Phantom 8 photos are watermarked.

 TECNO Phantom 8 vs Phantom 6 Plus: BATTERY

When it comes to battery life, the Phantom 8 is a bit of a letdown when compared with the Phantom 6 Plus. It comes with a 3500mAh cell that, although provides enough power to keep the phone on all day for medium to heavy users, does not match up to the Phantom 6 Plus’s 4050mAh cell. And on our side of the world, those extra minutes of battery life really count.

In my battery test, the Phantom 8 battery performs beyond my expectation and it last up to 10hrs

Overall the battery life of the Phantom 8 is acceptable as it also comes with Tecno’s advanced light speed charging technology that delivers more talk time per minute of charge and takes just a little over an hour to get fully charged.

TECNO Phantom 8 vs Phantom 6 Plus: SOFTWARE & HARDWARE

With the Phantom 8, we have been gifted with an enhanced 6GB RAM –an upgrade from the 6 Plus’s 4GB- which makes multi-tasking amazingly efficient on this device. It allows about 80 apps run simultaneously in the background without interference, which is more than double the capability of the Phantom 6 Plus.

Both phones, however, boast massive storage offering at 64GB ROM, allowing you to store tens of thousands of your favourite music, movies and images on your device.

Phantom 8 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat which comes with new and more refined features of the 6 Plus’s Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and allows for faster and easier updates, more windows supported in its multi-window option, data saver options and much more. However, the Phantom 6 Plus received an Android 7.0 Nougat in August and you can now upgrade to the Android Nougat. Basically, the Phantom 8 is not much of an upgrade here since the phantom 6 Plus is upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat.

The Phantom 8 powers through with a 2.6GHz Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P25 Processor and delivers higher processing speed with less power usage by leveraging its 16nm processor. The Phantom 6 Plus, on the other hand, runs a 2.0GHz Deca-Core tri-cluster processor with a great but older 20nm processor. On the performance side of thing, the Phantom 6 Plus is still faster and from the various benchmark tests I run on both devices, the 6 Plus was clearly ahead.

TECNO Phantom 8 vs Phantom 6 Plus: Benchmark

If you are the gamers types and you are undecided which one of the two devices will offer the overall best graphics and butter smooth gameplay, this is the part I think you need to read. Like I earlier stated, the Phantom 8 has an octa-core MediaTek helio P25 processor paired with Mali-T880 GPU, 6GB of RAM with a maximum clock speed of 2.6Ghz. On the Phantom 6 Plus, there is a 2.0GHz deca-core MediaTek helio X20 processor paired with Mali-T880 GPU and 4GB of RAM. In this test, I will be using Antutu Benchmark and Geekbench to determine which of them is faster and with better graphics.

GeekBench Single core Test [ Higher is better ]

• Phantom 6 Plus: 1507
• Phantom 8: 847

GeekBench Multi-core Test [ Higher is better ]

• Phantom 6 Plus: 3783
• Phantom 8: 3933

ANTUTU BENCHMARK [ Higher is better ]

• Phantom 6 Plus: 84,445
• Phantom 8: 63896

 TECNO Phantom 8 vs Phantom 6 Plus: CONNECTIVITY

Phantom 8 and Phantom 6 Plus have everything in common when it comes to network and connectivity, with standard GSM, WIFI, BLUETOOTH and USB connectivity in play. But when it comes to 4G LTE, the Phantom 8 ticks the necessary boxes as it supports all the major 4G networks in Nigeria. It has a total of 11 4G bands compared to 5 on the Phantom 6 Plus.

Phantom 8 vs Phantom 6 Plus: Sensors

It is has been long overdue and finally, TECNO listened by incorporating important sensors on the Phantom 8. The Phantom 8 has a total of 9 sensors as revealed by Antutu Benchmark while that of Phantom 6 plus has only 3 sensors.

TECNO Phantom 8 vs Phantom 6 Plus: PRICE

With the significant improvements made to the Phantom series in the past year, it is only fair to expect the Phantom 8 to retail at a higher price to reflect this. The TECNO Phantom 8 costs N128,000 at launch while the 6 Plus was priced at around N135,000. The Phantom 6 Plus now retails at 115, 000.

 Phantom 8 vs 6 Plus: SPECIFICATIONS

More Reviews on TECNO Phones

1. TECNO Phantom 8 Unboxing: Impressive design and stylish package
2. Top Tecno Phones with Fingerprint scanner you can buy
3. TECNO Spark Unboxing and First Impression Review
4. Tecno Phantom 6 Plus Price and Specifications
5. TECNO Phantom 8 Launched with Massive 6GB RAM, Dual Cameras, Specs Review and Price
   
6. Tecno Spark Plus K9 Specifications Review and Price in Nigeria and Kenya

We can conclude that the Phantom 8 is an even greater addition to the Phantom series as it ticks many areas the Phantom 6 Plus has left untick. However, the Phantom 6 Plus held its own when it comes to performance.

Does the Phantom 8’s incredibly huge RAM, professional grade cameras and the option to choose the variation of the Diamond Fire design that best suits your style?

Do all these features make the Phantom 8 a worthy upgrade and great value for money – in our opinion. So, will you hold on to your old phone, or upgrade to the Phantom 8? Let us know in the comments below.