Last night, Tecno took the wraps off the Camon 19 series. Alongside it was a surprise introduction: the Spark 9 series.
While we expected the Camon 19 series’ debut at the event, thanks to all the marketing that had been before, the Spark 9 series was quite the surprise.
However, the introduction of both devices means a few things to Tecno watchers and customers alike: there’s a little bit of something for everyone.
The Camon 19 series, as expected, takes care of the camera-centred experiences. The Spark 9 series, on the other hand, does a little bit of the same but with a balance between offering that and other desired features on a device and keeping things, as far as pricing goes, to a minimum. With the Camon series now effectively stepping in for what would previously have been Tecno’s flagship smartphone territory (now that Phantom is its own brand within the family), the Spark series has a bigger room to grow into and, for many, its top most offerings now cover for what the Camon series previously did.
This can be seen in the pricing where the Camon 19’s flagship offering is priced at a steep Kshs 41,600. Compare and contrast that to the Kshs 21,000 price ceiling of the Spark 9 series (for the Spark 9 Pro).
The Camon 19 Pro, which is what we have in for review and which, at this point, we recommend for anyone interested in a Camon device, is priced at Kshs 33,800. It is its 5G variant that is going for the Kshs 41,600. The standard Camon 19 is priced at an “affordable” Kshs 23,500.
All three devices are immediately available for purchase in the market.
The same is true of the Spark 9 series where the Spark 9, Spark 9T and Spark 9 Pro are also available. Pricing for the trio is as follows:
- Tecno Spark 9 – Kshs 15,600
- Tecno Spark 9T – Kshs 17,200
- Tecno Spark 9T – Kshs 20,900
With the Camon 19 series, Tecno is offering VIP-level treatment to buyers of the device – its counterpart from sibling brand Infinix is dubbed the “VIP”, after all. Buyers of devices in the series get warranty terms that are stepped up from the usual 13-month (12 + 1) warranty to a 25-month (24 + 1) one! It is also topped up with a free broken screen replacement at the Transsion Group’s CarlCare centres with 3 months of purchase.
The camera on the Camon 19 Pro features both electronic and optical image stabilization (EIS + OIS), promising users even more stable video recording and predictable image captures with either the 64-megapixel “Super Night” camera or the 50-megapixel “Portrait” camera whose lenses protrude and define the device’s back “Star Diamond” design, a “dazzling backshell”, to use Tecno’s marketing terms. A 32-megapixel selfie shooter adorns the front of the device.
While the 5G model of the Pro shares the same features and specifications, there’s, obviously, a difference in the radios in use with a MediaTek Dimensity 810 taking charge there to handle the 5G situation and the demands that come with it.
As far as more detailed features and key differentiators go, we will be sharing those in a couple of videos shortly. That is for the Camon 19 series. As far as the Spark 9 series goes, we will only be able to know if we will be having some hands-on time with those devices in days to come. Our fingers are crossed that we actually do.
In the meantime, you can view their specifications here and here.
