Tecno Camon 19 vs Tecno Camon 19 Pro

Tecno has, as per its website, at least four different variations of the same device. The most common denominator is the name they share, Camon 19, which denotes the series they belong to.

Of the four, the Tecno Camon 19, Tecno Camon 19 Pro, Tecno Camon 19 Pro 5G and Tecno Camon 19 Pro Mondrian, it is the first three that are available in the Kenyan market, as of the last time we checked. The special edition Mondrian is a no-show in Kenya. The 5G Camon 19 Pro is somewhat of a rarity and, as per our own interactions with the other two devices, is largely unnecessary.

Most people’s needs are covered by the standard Camon 19, whose segment entry-level pricing makes it standout, and the Camon 19 Pro, which we highly recommend for most people (it covers needs now and in the immediate future).

As a result, we have entirely focused on the standard model and the Pro model. Bonus points that they are the devices we’ve had in for review.

Specifications

Further breakdown

There are several ways that the Camon 19 varies from the Camon 19 Pro. There are also many ways in which the devices are similar.

They have the same display and display size, they, practically look the same on both the front and the back (very visible in our review units which are both in the Eco Black colour), they have almost the same placement of cameras and they all have the same features as far as the rest of the physical attributes go – like the side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

They also run pretty much the same software so, the experience here should largely be the same save for the bit where other factors kick in.

We will explain the similarities in images, below:

As far as the differences go, they are quite a number.

• Much as the two devices essentially share the same display (the size and the technology), there is a slight variation in how they operate. One (the Camon 19 Pro) is a high refresh panel (120Hz) while the other is not.
• There is a difference in the processors in use. This goes a long way in placing one device ahead of the other as far as performance goes. This, as we will see in the next point, is also affected by the differences in the available flash memory. The Camon 19 uses a Helio G85 chipset from MediaTek while the Camon 19 Pro uses a Helio G96 chipset from the same Taiwan-based company. On paper, those are just names but, in reality it means that while both devices are quite fast (Tecno has done a great job optimizing the software for the hardware in place), one edges the other because of its superior components hence, as we will see below, a higher price tag.
• The Camon 19 Pro has more storage and memory options than its sibling. The Camon 19 is limited to just 4 and 6 gigabytes of memory (RAM) and 64 and 128 gigabytes of onboard storage. On the other hand, the Camon 19 Pro’s internal storage goes all the way to 256 gigabytes with 128GB also being an available option. 8GB RAM is standard on the Pro model. Both devices allow for memory expansion via a microSD card.
• In the camera department, things are as captured in the above specs comparison.
• Obviously, as all the above differences, which are in favour of the Camon 19 Pro, show, that device has a higher price tag with pricing starting at just under Kshs 34,000 for the base model and going all the way to Kshs 40,000 for the fully-specced model like the one we reviewed (refer to our review).