The Spark Series from TECNO is known for its affordability, stylish design, and tons of features. The Spark 20 Series is no different as it comes with good specs for a fantastic smartphone experience.
With the Spark 20 series, TECNO went all out and decided to give us even more with the Spark 20 Pro and Pro Plus.
We have had the Spark 20 Pro Plus with us for some days and in this review, we will share everything you need to know about the phone.
SPARK 20 PRO PLUS PACKAGING
One instant eye-grabbing thing about the device is its beautiful packaging which took a lot of elements from the recently concluded AFCON. TECNO was one of the Sponsors of the 2023 tournament and is no surprise that the Spark 20 Pro plus is AFCON branded, and the software has some nice AFCON wallpapers as well.
The Phone comes with a 108MP primary camera, an IP53 water and dust resistant, and a curved AMOLED display, and it is powered by an overclocked version of the MediaTek Helio G99. This is the first time a TECNO Spark device will be loaded with high-end specs such as a 120Hz curved AMOLED screen and IP53 rating.
Now let’s take a detailed look at the device.
In the box, you get all the necessary accessories -The Phone
· Screen Protector
· Silicone TPU Case
· Warranty Card
· Sim Ejector Tool
· USB C Cable and charger
· Earpiece
Design and Build Quality
The phone has a unique build quality and design separating itself from the other phones in the Spark 20 Series lineup. It has a classic feel with a circular camera ring design that I prefer over the iPhone style on the Spark 20 Pro.
There are three colour variants but the Magic Green is my favorite which I haven’t seen in Nigeria, maybe it won’t be available here. What I have with me here is the white colour variant and there is also another variant in black, they are the most common in Nigeria.
The back of the phone is made of glass which makes it feel premium. The frames are made of plastic and on the right side, we have the volume keys and unlock button. It is a slim phone with just 7.55mm thickness, it is also lightweight and you will barely feel it on your hands.
The sim card tray is at the button and the phone supports dual 4G sim cards. You don’t have a port for memory cards and while that might seem a problem it has 256GB storage space.
You also get dual speakers that sound amazing. You get to feel it in your hands while gaming or watching a movie. It doesn’t have a headphone jack and it also charges through a USB C port. As far as build quality and design goes it is impressive you also get a tiny LED flashlight at the front of the phone for taking selfies in the dark. You also get an IP53 water and dust resistance rating which makes it even more impressive.
The Display
The phone comes with a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Outdoors it can reach close to 1000 nits of brightness and that’s quite decent. The display is slightly curved by the sides and the bezels are quite symmetrical. Since it’s an AMOLED display, streaming content online or watching movies is pleasing. You also get to enjoy playing games on the phone because of the display size. There is also an optical under-display fingerprint scanner on the phone and it’s responsive.
It comes with a punch-hole camera cut out on the display but it doesn’t intrude while watching content. There are ways you can tweak and customize the display settings to your taste. The display of the phone is on par with most phones around the same price.
Performance Aspect
The phone is powered by the MediaTek Helio G99 Ultimate, not the regular G99 we have on the Spark 20 Pro. It is a slightly overclocked version of the regular Helio G99 from MediaTek.
In terms of performance, it handles all demanding games on a moderate level and multitasking is also very impressive. You can have a couple of apps running in the background and it will run smoothly without reloading. This is thanks to the 8GB RAM that can be expanded to 16GB thanks to memory fusion.
You also get 256GB storage space but it can’t be expanded with a memory card. Performance is very okay and it is similar to what we have on the Tecno Spark 20 Pro. If you benchmark the phone on Antutu and other benchmark apps you will find out that the overclocked chipset isn’t far apart from the regular chipset.
Software
The Spark 20 Pro Plus is the first Tecno Phone to come out of the Box with Android 14 and HiOs 13.6. The user interface didn’t change a lot from the last Spark-you get the same icons and menu features. However, the software is more fluid now compared to before, and using this device is pure Joy. All thanks to the 120Hz AMOLED screen and the RAM.
You get menu navigation and a lot of other shortcuts to aid your everyday life. There are also a lot of customizations you can do on the phone in the settings. From the special functions tab in the settings to the personalization tab, the phone is feature-packed to guarantee an enjoyable mobile experience.
Another exciting thing is the fact that there aren’t any ads on the phone and It got me surprised. Hopefully, it will be the standard for TECNO moving forward.
The Cameras
The phone has a 108MP primary camera and you will get impressive pictures from the main camera. There is a second 2MP lens for depth and an AI lens. The level of exposure and contrast in the pictures from the main camera are impressive and saturation is not over the head; it’s moderate.
Portrait images with great depth of field
The HDR is also balanced and not overexposed. There is up to 10X zoom in the camera app but its best use case is at 3X you start to lose quality when you pass that 3X zoom. You also need to be stable when snapping pictures to get the best when using the camera.
You get super night mode and when you use it in the night it’s impressive against the default camera. There is portrait mode in the camera app and the shots are also impressive.
There is a 32MP selfie camera and the images are pretty decent as well. You get portrait mode and night mode on the selfie and it is great. The images are well-balanced and the color tends to not be over-saturated. For the price, it gives you more than what is expected.
Battery Test & Charging Speed
The Spark 20 Pro Plus comes with a 5000mAh battery and it supports 33 watts fast charging. It takes an hour to charge the phone from zero to hundred and with the fast charger in the box of the phone. I have been impressed with the battery life because it takes you through a whole day on a single charge. The battery life is one of the best things about the phone and you won’t have any problem with it.
Conclusion
The phone ticked many boxes and there are some compromises like the lack of an ultrawide camera. However, the 108MP rear camera is a very good lens delivering well-balanced and detailed images. It feels comfortable in the hand because the sight curve prevents the phone from digging into your hand.
For N291,000, the Spark 20 Pro Plus is among the best phones you can buy. It is the perfect balance between performance and usability at a reasonable price.
