Seems like Transsion Holdings, the owners of Tecno Mobile may have gotten their plans back on track as they have started giving us new devices like the Tecno Spark 5 despite the ongoing cases of COVID 19.
Anyways, the Tecno Spark 5 replaces the Spark 4 and I am here to point out its features and specifications as well as point how it differs from its predecessor and possibly sees reasons why you should upgrade from your old device or not.
Tecno Spark 5 Specifications Summary
| OS | Android 10.0 Q HiOS 6 |
| Display | 6.6 inch LCD Dot-In Punch Hole Display, 720 x 1600p resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio |
| Camera | 13 MP main + 2MP camera for macro, + 2 MP Depth Sensor + QVGA, 8 MP Dot-In (Punch Hole) selfie |
| RAM | 2GB RAM |
| Storage | 32GB, Expandable to 256 GB |
| Processor | MediaTek, Helio P22 4 Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz and 4 Cortex-A53 chips clocked at 1.5 GHz |
| Battery | 5000 mAh |
| Security | Fingerprint ID (rear mounted), Face Unlock |
Design
The Tecno Spark 5 happens to be a beautiful device that many people will soon scramble to get. The phone is 6.6 inch tall and uses a dot-in display, unlike the 6.52 water drop notch that adorns the Spark 4.
The phone is almost bezel-less but there is a dual LED flash on the topmost side of the body frame, close to the speaker grille. The chin at the bottom side also provides structural integrity.
Being tall, the phone will be good for media/ entertainment purposes. The rear side of the phone houses a quad camera set up arranged on a circle rectangle frame. The fingerprint sensor stands close too alongside the Tecno brand name.
At the side of the phone are the SIM tray and volume and power buttons. The base provides room for the speaker, dedicated mic, 3.5mm jack, and a USB Type C connector. This connector is widely sought after and it’s presence in the phone’s features may be one of the deciding factors that users look at.
The phone has a gradient design with wavy texture to provide a firm grip that prevents the phone from being slippery. The body is made with polycarbonate and the frame is plastic. The screen has unknown glass protection.
Also, the color options available are Ice Jadeite, Spark Orange, Vacation Blue, and Misty Grey.
Display
The difference in display panel height between the Tecno Spark 5 and the old Spark 4 is not much. The Spark 5 has a 6.6-inch display panel while the Spark 4 had a 6.52 display panel. I guess the display size doesn’t matter if that is part of what one might consider if opting for an upgrade.
The display resolution has always been an area where I kind of gets tired of Tecno’s devices. I get it that the Spark Series is a budget series but I figured they could do better than a 720 x 1600 pixel resolution on this device, don’t you think?.
This screen is not the sharpest out there. Most of Umidigi’s devices have 1080p and if the Nigerian entry-level market had more devices that we could select from, the Spark 5 display resolution would fall short.
Anyways, the screen uses IPS LCD display and the screen to body ratio should be around the 83% mark. The aspect ratio is 20:9 so you will get to enjoy your movies and probably minor games on a larger display.
Also, tasking graphical demands are handled by the PowerVR GE8320 GPU.
Camera Specifications
The Camera specifications had long been one of the best parts people check when it comes to mobile phones review. Tecno sure did what seems like an upgrade on the Spark 5 by giving it an extra camera module.
The camera modules and flash are arranged in a vertical format, occupying two columns. The camera occupies one column and the flash occupies the top position of the second column, followed closely by the “AI QUAD CAMERA” marketing tag and the Spark Series brand.
This looks to be the phone’s selling point as Tecno places emphasis on the phone’s “5 camera” modules. The selfie camera lens is the same as that as of the Spark 4, an 8 MP lens. There is a dual LED flash to assist in low light selfie conditions.
The rear camera module was where the Tecno Spark 5 got an extra lens; a 2 MP macro lens that helps capture closer image details up to 2CM and that is that. The rest of the camera lenses consists of a 13MP main shooter, 2MP depth sensor ad a QVGA sensor, all found in the Spark 4.
The rear LED flash also saw an increase from dual-tone to quad tone making the light it produces much brighter. If you are not a camera freak then I guess you might want to hold on to your Spark 4, else the macro camera and extra LED flash might just be what you are looking for.
As usual, Tecno extends the camera functionalities by using software, and the Tecno Spark 5 comes with AI 3 camera software so there may be some improvements in the image quality.
Hardware Specifications
Hardware has not been the fort of entry-level gadgets though the Spark 5 still comes with the Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22 Octacore processor made with 12nm fabrication.
The processor has 4 extra chips when compared with the Spark 4 thus making it a better and probably more efficient. Though being an octa-core chip with 2.0GHz clock speed doesn’t make it a good gaming device.
The RAM option for this device is 2GB, just sufficient enough for moderate handling of apps. Heavy multitasking might see it lag. The storage space is 32GB and can take a fair amount of files and there is an SD card port for memory expansion.
OS, Connectivity, and Battery
The Tecno Spark 5 runs on HiOS 6 based on Android 10. Since HiOS is Tecno’s own OS skin, about 6GB-10GB of the 32GB will be used for OS and third-party apps and features. Some of the features you will love, others you won’t.
In Connectivity, the options available on the Tecno Spark 5 include the Wi-Fi, USB OTG, USB Type-C, and FM radio. The phone can be unlocked using the facial recognition functionality and the fingerprint sensor.
The smartphone comes with a 5000mAh battery to provide enough juice to last a few days. There is no mention of any kind of fast charge.
That’s it for the Tecno Spark 5. It improved in the camera aspect, processor cores and also brought in a new OS. But is that enough to make you dump your Tecno Spark 4? Let us know by using the comment box below.
Overall Specifications
Network
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA |
| 2G | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2 |
| 3G | HSDPA850 / 900 / 2100 |
| 4G | Information Not Released by Tecno, Not Available |
| SIM Type | Dual nano-SIM slot |
| WIFI | 2.4G |
Design and Display
| Dimensions | 164.7mm x 76.3 x 8.75 mm |
| Height | 164.7mm |
| Width | 76.3 mm |
| Thickness | 8.75 mm |
| Weight | Information Not Available |
| Display Size | 6.6 inch |
| Display Resolution | 720p HD+ (720 x 1600 pixels) |
| Display Technology | LCD |
| Build | Plastic Frame, Plastic Back, Glass Front |
| Protection | Information Not Available |
| Colors | Ice Jadeite, Spark Orange, Vacation Blue, and Misty Grey. |
Platform and Hardware
| OS | Android 10.0 Q HiOS 6 |
| Processor Name/Technology | MediaTek, Helio P22 4 x Cortex A53 clocked at 2.0 GHz large cores, 4 x Cortex A53 1.5 GHz, 12nm Fabrication |
| Number of Processor Cores | 8 |
| Processor Speed | 4 x Cortex A53 clocked at 2.0 GHz large cores, 4 x Cortex A53 1.5 GHz |
| Graphics Chipset | IMG PowerVR 8320 clocked at 650MHz. |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Internal Storage | 32GB |
| External Storage | Yes, Up to 256GB |
| Sensors | Fingerprint Sensor, G-sensor, P-Sensor, Gyro, Touch Sensor, Electronic Compass |
Camera
| Front | 8 MP, Camera 1080 Video @30 fps, Dual LED Flash |
| Rear | 13 MP main + 2MP camera for macro, + 2MP Depth Sensor + QVGA, Quad LED Flash, 1080p Video@30fps |
| Features | AI scenes detection, Macro mode, Portrait mode, HDR, AI Beautify, Quad LED flash, Face recognition, Real-time filters |
Multimedia
| Video | FLV, MP4, MKV, AVI, 3GP |
| Audio | WAV, MP3, MP2, ACC, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, MIDI, Vorbis, APE, AAC-Plus V1, AAC-Plus V2, FLAC, WMA, ADPCM (Not Confirmed Yet) |
| Image | Jpeg, Png, Gif, Bmp |
| Speaker Chipset | Nil |
| Audio Jack | Yes, 3.5mm |
Connectivity
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth® 4.2 |
| Wifi | 802.11a/b/g/n 2.4 |
| USB | Yes, Type C. |
| NFC | No |
| GPS | GPS |
Battery
| Battery Capacity | 5000 mAh |
| Battery Technology | LiPo |
| Fast Charging | No. |
| Removable | No |
Extra Features
| Security Features | Finger Print Sensor, Face Recognition |
Price
Not Available Yet
So, are you upgrading your gadget or not?
