At this time of the year, Tecno is offering 3 variations of the latest iteration of its Camon smartphone series.
Those three are the standard Tecno Camon 15 model, the Tecno Camon 15 Air and the Tecno Camon 15 Premier.
The Tecno Camon 15 Premier has only started selling in the local market recently while the standard model has been around since towards the end of April.
As of the time of writing this, Tecno is yet to avail the Camon 15 Air but it is coming soon.
Now that you know a little about the three devices, what sets them apart? Which one should you go for? Why should you pick one over the other?
Specifications
| Tecno Camon 15 Air | Tecno Camon 15 | Tecno Camon 15 Premier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 164.5 x 76.5 x 8.95 mm | 164.08 x 76.35 x 8.75 mm | 163.3 x 77.7 x 9.05 mm |
| Display | 6.6-inch HD+ (1600 X 720 pixels) Dot-In | 6.6-inch HD (1600 x 720 pixels) Dot-in | 6.6-inch Full HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) |
| Camera | Back: 48MP + 2MP + 2MP + QVGA Front: 8MP with dual flash | Back: Same (as Air) Front: 16MP with dual flash | Back: 64MP + 5MP + 2MP + QVGA Front: 32MP (pop-up) |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio P22 (MT6762) | Same | MediaTek Helio P35 (MT6765) |
| Memory | 3GB RAM, 64GB onboard storage | 4GB RAM, 64GB onboard storage | 6GB RAM, 128GB onboard storage |
| Operating System | HiOS 6.0 based on Android 10 | Same | Same |
| Battery | 5,000mAh | Same (as Air) | 4,000mAh |
| Network | 3G, 4G | Same | Same |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, microUSB | Same | Same |
| Colour options | Malachite Blue / Ice Lake Blue / Misty Grey | Shoal Gold, Fascinating Purple, Dark Jade | Ice Jadeite, Opal White |
| Extras | FM radio, Fingerprint sensor (at the back), 3.5 mm headphone jack | Same | Same |
Quick notes
- A quick look at the above spec sheet reveals the obvious: the Tecno Camon 15 Premier is the most superior device in the series followed from a distance by the Tecno Camon 15 and, finally, the Tecno Camon 15 Air is at the lower end of the spectrum.
- The same is reflected in their prices. The Tecno Camon 15 Air starts at Kshs 16,000, the Tecno Camon 15 goes for Kshs 18,000 and the Tecno Camon 15 Premier costs Kshs 27,000.
- Why would the Camon 15 Premier cost that much? Well, I don’t know the rationale behind Tecno’s pricing but from my interaction with both the Camon 15 Premier and the standard Camon 15, there are clear differences between the two. While the Tecno Camon 15 does hold on its own pretty well, the Camon 15 Premier is a whole other upgraded experience. Far enough to justify the difference in the price? I don’t know. But it is far enough to notice.
- For instance, its design is markedly different from the Camon 15 and, by my assumption, the Camon 15 Air. That is just looking at the back and the sides of the device – the frame and the back. Looking closer, one can notice other add-on features like the pop-up camera, the only one in the Camon 15 series. There is no word on how many cycles the pop-up mechanism is rated for but it will still rise up to the occasion when you need to unlock the device if you have face unlock enabled. The device also packs just enough weight to complement its premium looks and finish to convince you that you are getting the better end of what is available in the local mid-range market. At its price and feature offering, it even makes a case for picking it over, say, Tecno’s 2019 flagship smartphone, the Phantom 9.
- Under the hood, as can be seen from the spec sheet above, the Tecno Camon 15 Premier has the best of everything as far as the series goes. It has the better chipset, more memory and double the onboard storage of its siblings. This makes it the go-to option for anyone interested in sticking with the Tecno brand or getting the best of what Tecno has to offer in the market right now.
- The Camon 15 and the Camon 15 Air stick with a “punch-hole” on the display to accommodate the front-facing camera, which is also the key differentiator among them as far as their camera systems go.
- There are some big numbers as far as the cameras go but, in my usage of two of the three devices (the Premier and the standard model), I am unable to pick a favourite or to say which one has a leg up over the other. Knowing what I know now, if I was in the market for any of these devices, the camera experience would only be a factor when pitting them against devices outside the series and from competing brands.
- The software experience across the three devices should be largely the same thanks to the optimizations by Tecno. For instance, I had no noticeable differences in how the Camon 15 and the Camon 15 Premier handled themselves performance-wise. Of course, the levels should be different but in either case, your expectations of what amounts as “okay” performance should be met.
- That rings true of the battery life as well. Much as the Camon 15 Premier packs a “smaller” 4,000mAh battery unit when compared to its siblings’ 5,000mAh units, I had around the same mileage on it as I did on the Camon 15, take away a few hours every once in a while depending on what I had been up to on the device. So, while the statistic looks good on paper, it shouldn’t be viewed as a downside of the Camon 15 Premier – why didn’t it get a similar battery as well? Everything is taken care of. As it should be.
Which one of these three smartphones from Tecno’s Camon 15 series would you go for?
