Design and Build Quality
Just because something isn’t a flagship doesn’t mean it can’t look luxurious. I guess that’s what the people at TECNO had in mind when they designed the TECNO Camon 20 Pro 5G.
The device uses what they call a deconstructionist design that utilizes a leather-like material that’s cut into polygon shapes for the rear panel. It’s an uncommon take, and along with the premium feel of the leather, it allows the device to look and feel more expensive than it actually is.
Then there’s the camera island, which is shaped like a pentagon, in a black color that delivers good contrast with the rest of the device.
TECNO Camon 20 Pro 5G has flat sides coupled with rounded corners for a boxier look and feel. A SIM Slot which has room for two SIM cards and a microSD card for more storage is on the left, while its right houses all the buttons of the same finish as the sides, along with a headphone jack.
The device uses a dual speaker system, which can go loud enough, but sound average at best. Falling short on bass and detail.
You get a 6.67-inch Full HD+ flat AMOLED screen that has deep blacks and punchy colors, and a punch hole for the front camera. You can choose from 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz for the refresh rate, or just let the phone decide.
Performance
TECNO Camon 20 Pro 5G is powered by the 6nm Dimensity 8050. There’s also 8GB of RAM, which is not the best we’ve seen at this segment, but is still pretty decent for some multitasking, and 256GB of storage that’s becoming more common in mid-range phones. Thanks to its RAM Extension feature, you can also get up to 8GB of virtual RAM.
As expected, day to day performance is excellent with no major issues. You can run several apps without the phone slowing down, and opening apps is quite fast.
If you play Mobile Legends, then you’ll have a blast with this phone, as it handles the game well with refresh rate and frame rate both set to Ultra.
Asphalt 9, on the other hand, ran like I wasn’t using a mid-range phone. It was very smooth even at 60 fps and at the high quality preset.
Call of Duty Mobile also runs very well at Very High graphics and Max frame rate, something that’s not very common in a device at this price point.
Lastly, TECNO Camon 20 Pro 5G can run Honkai Star Rail at its Very High preset and 60 fps, but for a smoother experience I had to dial it down to the Medium preset, which, to be honest, still decent for a phone at this price point.
I did notice that the device got a bit warm during the test, but not the point where it was uncomfortable.
Camera
TECNO Camon 20 Pro 5G boasts a 64MP main camera, and a pair of 2MP units for macro photography and bokeh. As I’ve previously mentioned, I prefer an ultra-wide over a macro unit any day, but well it’s probably something that would raise the price above what they were gunning for.
That being said, the phone is able to capture photos with a good amount of detail even in room lighting. It did struggle with one instance, which is when I was shooting a plant with the sky as the background. You’ll notice that the light has been blown out on the sides. Hopefully it’s just the processing.
Apart from that, you get good sharpness and background separation. The AI does tend to boost colors a bit, but not too much.
Software
TECNO Camon 20 Pro 5G runs HiOS 13 on top of Android 13. There are a number of pre-installed apps, most which you can disable. That being said, the UI performs well, and I haven’t run into any unwanted stutters.
Some notable features include Lightning Multi Window, which is a floating window of another compatible app that you use, move around, and resize. There’s also Smart Panel, which is a sidebar that lets you open apps quickly.
Then of course, there’s Game Mode, which, for one, allows you to open the Game Assistant Panel for quick access to various settings, lets you set health reminders to prevent game addiction, and even lets you apply visual enhancements to compatible games.
Battery
The TECNO Camon 20 Pro scored 10.5 hours on PCMark’s Work 3.0 benchmark, which simulates task such as data manipulation and basic video and photo editing. It’s a decent result, but I expected a bit more for a 5,000mAh battery.
Perhaps one of the weaker points of this phone is its charging speed, which is 33W. Using the power brick that came with the box, 5% to full took around an agonizing 3.5 hours. That is quite a wait.
TECNO Camon 20 Pro 5G – Verdict
TECNO Camon 20 Pro 5G is one of the most well-rounded smartphones I’ve used at this price point. The design looks fantastic, its gaming performance, in particular is impressive – made me feel like I was using something more expensive, its cameras, while not the most versatile, are still very capable.
On the downside, the speakers are only average at best, there’s no ultra-wide camera, and charging the phone with the supplied power brick takes too much time.
That being said, its competitive PHP 12,999 price tag still makes it an easy recommendation, especially to those who prioritize looks, performance (gaming in particular), and battery life, when buying a phone.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
