The Tecno Spark 9T is a great “entry-level” smartphone. We are using quotes there because it delivers such value that it almost doesn’t look like it belongs to that segment. Yet it does. Also, there’s the small matter of several other devices below it in the pecking order.
The difference? Unlike those, Tecno has been pretty consistent with the Spark series and, before them, it used to be absolute entry-level offering from the brand. With things moving up the ladder – the Phantom series being spun into its own sub-brand and the Camon series being forced to step – the Spark series has also been forced to upgrade it stature so, here we are.
If we are to behave like our fellow countrymen do and just look at the money, then the Tecno Spark 9T is much closer to a number of devices from Samsung, Xiaomi and others. In our case, we picked a device that had been launched in the local market just as the Spark 9T went on sale: the Nokia C21 Plus. We said as much in our unboxing video of the device which you can watch here.
So, what does the Tecno Spark 9T offer that the Nokia C21 Plus doesn’t and vice-versa?
For starters, these are fundamentally different devices tied to the hip only by their closeness in pricing and where they stand in the pecking order of their respective brands. By all means, the Nokia C21 Plus, like the Tecno Spark 9T, is one of the devices one can get on the cheap if they are looking at joining the Nokia ecosystem or, as we will often recommend here at Android Kenya, to get a good Android experience that is devoid of unnecessary customizations that barely add any value.
Nokia smartphones guarantee users an almost unparalleled clean experience of Google’s vision of Android. This is thanks to most of them belonging to the Android One program. The Nokia C21 Plus, unlike most of its siblings in the Nokia fold, belongs to the Android Go program, a program that caters to devices with much limited hardware specifications by offering them a stripped-down version of the software that they can handle with their limited resources. Read more about the difference between the two programs here.
That is a huge contrast to the Tecno Spark 9T which runs the full Android version, in version 12, under the auspices of Tecno’s custom overlay, HiOS.
What that means is that users can run pretty much the same applications that they can run on other Android devices, Tecno or not, while those of the Nokia smartphone will have to stay within the confines of the “Go” apps, if they are to stay sane and not be left with no hair on their heads from the frustration that comes with the hogging of resources by non-optimized apps.
Yet, both devices are within the same price range.
So far, despite our misgivings about Tecno’s software overlay, HiOS and the many add-ons we feel are unnecessary and bog down what could easily be a nice user experience, it still appears that Tecno has a leg up in the software department.
Then there’s the matter of the microUSB port on the Nokia smartphone. Seriously, in 2022? For about Kshs 16,000? No way!
The HMD Global device redeems itself with its IP52 rating but can that cover up for the measly 2GB RAM it offers for its base model at the above-stated price? The 4GB RAM version costs exactly the same as the Spark 9T! It’s easy to see which direction we’d go, ourselves given our harsh verdict on the device.
Its (Nokia C21 Plus’) other saving grace could be its promised 2-3 day battery life but, as we found out, the Tecno is no slouch either.
So, where does that leave us?
The Tecno Spark 9T is the better device here. However, if one is on the lookout for even more options, there’s the Samsung Galaxy A23 which we are trying hard to justify comparing to the Spark instead of pitting it against the Spark’s elderly siblings in the Camon 19 series where it would be more or less at home – the entry-level Camon 19 is smack in the Galaxy A23’s price range and is more of its peer than the Spark 9T but matches up, price-wise, to the Spark 9T’s other sibling, the Spark 9 Pro.
