The Tecno Camon C5 is the company’s latest device that has been available in Kenya since the beginning of this month (August). Tecno hyped this device given that it is its first 4G LTE smartphone ever. The Phone is available in most retail stores in Nairobi (retailing at Ksh 13,500) and even Jumia has it for Ksh 12,499. If you are interested in the Phone, you can get it from Jumia by clicking here.
The Tecno Camon C5 is a camera-centric smartphone meaning that you are assured of some decent photos when using both the front end and rear facing cameras. I have used this smartphone for some time now and I can tell you that it outshines most other smartphones within the same price range.
In this review, I will be looking at the phone’s design, software, performance, specs, battery performance and of course the camera. I will then tell you if the Tecno Camon C5 offers you the best value for your money or if you should consider getting another smartphone.
What’s in The Box?
The Tecno Camon C5 comes with the following items in the box.
Earphones
USB/Power cable Charger
User Guide
Flip Cover (am not a fan of phone covers but this is a nice gesture)
Tecno Camon C5 Packaging
The packaging is minimalistic but very nice to say the least. All the accessories are tucked up neatly in the box giving out a premium feel.
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Tecno camon c5 Design and Hardware
Picking up the phone from the box, you will notice its premium build quality. I got the version with a midnight black back cover that looks quite good. The back cover is made of plastic but it feels leather-like and not like cheap plastic.
The Tecno Camon C5 is not the slimmest smartphone out there (measuring 8.6mm in thickness) and feels slightly bulky but not too bulky. As for the weight, the Camon C5 feels light and easy to carry around. This smartphone has an aluminum frame that am sure is responsible for its light weight.
Overall, the Tecno Camon C5 has a decent design that feels very premium.
Tecno Camon C5 Back Cover
Performance and Specs
The Tecno Camon C5 comes with some decent specs and features. To start with, it has the 64 bit MediaTek 6735 Quad-core processor that clocks at 1.3GHz. This is coupled with 1GB of RAM that did not disappoint me during the review period. Opening apps and switching through different apps is very smooth and I did not experience any lag at all. It also has the Mali T720 graphic chipset that handles most graphics with ease.
Playing games on the Tecno Camon C5 was better than I expected. I managed to play graphics intensive games, including Asphalt Nitro that comes preloaded on the phone. Playing these games, I did not experience any problems or sluggishness.
Tecno Camon C5 performance
As for the memory, the Tecno Camon C5 has 8GB of internal storage space which did not impress me that much. If you know me, then you know am not a fan of MicroSD cards so I would have liked it Tecno included at least 16 GB of internal storage space or higher. With the system (Android OS) taking over 4GB of storage space, I was only left with less than 4GB to use which was just not enough.
One thing I liked with Tecno in this phone is that they did not fill it with too much bloatware. Most of the preloaded apps were quite useful and I ended up using a few of them from time to time.
Read More: These Are the Features of Tecno’s Soon to be Launched 4G Smartphone, The Camon C5
Display
The Tecno Camon C5 has a 5 inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 720 X 1280 pixels giving it a pixel density of 294 ppi. This display is quite good and bright enough making it possible to see what is on the screen even under direct sunlight. The display also responds very well and has multi touch capabilities. Viewing angles are also great and you can see the screen clearly even from the sides given its bright and vibrant nature.
One thing I liked with this screen is that it is not prone to fingerprint marks. I have used the phone for a while and only had to wipe the screen just once. This is by far one of the best displays on a smartphone under Ksh 15,000.
Tecno Camon C5s Display
Software
The Tecno Camon C5 comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop. This is the first device from Tecno to ship with Android 5.0. Tecno has not messed with the UI so much and this is something I liked about this phone. Still on the UI, you will like it for its clean and neat nature that makes it easy to use if you have ever used Android before.
Read More: Tecno Is Working On Yet another Premium 4G Smartphone, the Tecno Camon C8
Camera
The Tecno Camon C5 has an 8MP main camera and a 2MP front facing camera. This is a camera centric smartphone so you know the software behind the camera enables it take some good photos. With the quality of photos produced by both the front and rear cameras, you get to understand why they always say megapixels do not matter that much. This phone takes some decent photos even when compared to some smartphones with 13MP cameras at the back and 5MP front facing cameras.
The 8MP main camera at the back has dual LED flash while the 2MP front facing camera also has a single LED flash that ensures decent photos in low light situations. Both the front and rear facing cameras take very good photos especially when outside.
Video recording is really good with the Tecno Camon C5. This is especially so with the rear facing camera. Check out some of the photos taken by the Tecno Camon C5.
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[image_slider link=”https://www.techarena.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_20150818_165734.jpg” source=”https://www.techarena.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_20150818_165734.jpg”] Sample 1 [/image_slider]
[image_slider link=”https://www.techarena.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_20150818_170236.jpg” source=”https://www.techarena.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_20150818_170236.jpg”] Sample 2[/image_slider]
[image_slider link=”https://www.techarena.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_20150818_170053.jpg” source=”https://www.techarena.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_20150818_170053.jpg”] Sample 3[/image_slider]
[image_slider link=”https://www.techarena.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_20150818_170157.jpg” source=”https://www.techarena.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/IMG_20150818_170157.jpg”] Sample 4 [/image_slider]
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Battery Performance
The Tecno Camon C5 has a 2500mAh that can easily last throughout the day. I managed to get up to two days of battery life with light usage and slightly less than a day with heavy usage. The good thing about this phone is that it has a removable battery so you can get it replaced in case it is damaged. One thing I noticed is that this phone retains power so well and even when you are using it, battery juice does not drain drastically.
There is also a battery saver mode that will get you extra few hours of battery life if you need that.
Tecno Camon C5 Battery
Conclusion
The Tecno Camon C5 brings an affordable 4G experience to the low end market segment. It also has good front and rear facing cameras that take some decent photos and videos. The phone performs quite well and is perfect for anyone who wants reliable performance, a good camera and wants to enjoy 4G internet. You are also getting Android 5.0 Lollipop which has some nice features which I suggest you look into if you haven’t already.
Camon C5
One of the issues I had with the phone is that it feels a little bit bulky. It is quite thick even though it is very light. The bulkiness is perhaps the only thing that did not appeal to me as everything else is perfect. The other thing is the memory space, I believe Tecno could have pushed it lightly to 16GB.
I would recommend this phone to anyone looking for an affordable 4G experience or outstanding camera performance from his/her smartphone.
As I have mentioned above, the Tecno Camon C5 is retailing at Ksh 13,499 in physical stores but you can get it from Jumia for Ksh 12, 499. Get it from Jumia by clicking here.