Big is sufficient a word to describe the Tecno Pouvoir 4. It is big, there is no lying. How big, though?
From my usage over the last few days, not too big, it turns out.
There is the bit where I have been spoilt by the many 6-inch devices I have been using and there is the bit where Tecno managed to just stretch things a bit and got away without making the device seem or feel unwieldy. You know, the first thing that comes to mind when one hears of a 7-inch device are the 7-inch tablets we had a few years ago (Tecno even sold some), right?
While those devices had ungodly bezels, the Tecno Pouvoir looks and feels like your average 6-inch device. How? Well, for starters, there are very minimal bezels so no space is wasted. Only the chin is a little thick.
The rest of the stuff is pretty much standard. Especially if, like yours truly, you have used a few (maybe many?) Tecno devices in the past. Nothing else is new or feels new. That is not necessarily a bad thing and it isn’t a good thing either save for the bit where the familiarity may be welcome by older users who like finding everything just where they left it.
That, also, is what complicates things for the Tecno Pouvoir 4. Who is it for?
That is a tough question to answer since the device is a jack of all trades and a master of none. Want a big display for consuming content on the go? It’s got it. It’s big and sharp and vibrant – all the usual nice words, never mind that it is just an HD panel. Tecno has done a very good job putting all of that together while still keeping its price grounded.
Then there’s the device’s other key selling point: the battery. As you can see in our separate battery review, Tecno manages to cram a beefy 6,000mAh battery unit to take care of everything and does a commendable job while at it. Now, if only it wasn’t far-fetched to expect fast-charging on such a lowly-priced device, the Tecno Pouvoir 4 would be perfect just for its battery chops alone.
Modern-day phones have to do modern-day stuff, right? Since all that many of us care about are the quality snaps we can take with our phones, it should be music to the ears of anyone considering the Tecno Pouvoir 4 that they’ll get along just fine, as long as they are able to manage their expectations.
You see, if you take the Tecno Pouvoir 4 out and about on a random day, you’ll be able to come back with some “good enough” snaps for your social media feeds. The caveat here is that you won’t attempt things like zooming or going a step further and attempting any form of photography in low-light. It doesn’t fare well in such scenarios and that is the device’s Achilles Heel. Not quite surprising for a device in its price category.
Here are some samples (compressed, as usual):
Since we have already said that it’s “the same old, same old”, that also applies to the software. Interestingly, this is where we get to see some features that Tecno has added to HiOS over the years that we have previously dismissed or turned off at first sight, like the Smart Panel, for instance, coming in handy. Sure the Tecno Pouvoir 4 doesn’t feel so big but there’s no running away from the fact that it is big. A one-handed mode, easily toggled on and off from the Quick Settings up top, and the Smart Panel go a long way in making things bearable for anyone who finds the device overwhelming.
Things like the performance are usually a mixed bag. Different strokes for different people, especially For one, I wasn’t able to register any complaints but that was because I never gave the Pouvoir 4 more than it could handle. I didn’t stretch its capabilities. Just my usual daily usage – some social media, calls, casual web browsing etc. It handled all of that well.
The audio is neither here nor there but, hey, you’ll get the job done. I started using the device with a lot of expectations for the audio because, well, dual stereo audio (refer to our unboxing) but it is, at best, average.
The lowdown
If you’re in the market for a big-screen smartphone but are on the short end of cash, then the Tecno Pouvoir 4 has no competition. Its big battery can also be very attractive. Especially when you’re out and about and your immediate need is staying connected to the rest of the world and not much else. However, its biggest competition’s strengths happen to be in features other than its own strengths, creating a mismatch that works in the device’s favour while compounding the choices available to a buyer.
