Before we get started, let me point out that this is not the full review, it is my first impressions post that is meant to give you my first thoughts on this phone. It does not cover the details but rather acts like the appetizer as you wait for the full review in a couple of weeks.
If you know anything about Tecno, then you will know that the company has the Camon series whose devices are known for their advanced camera performance when compared to other devices from the company. This year, Tecno has brought the Camon CX and Camon CX Air. These are the two new smartphones from the company to be launched in Kenya. They were officially launched in Kenya a couple of weeks ago and I finally got the review unit.
Before we get started, let us look at what you get in the box when you buy the Tecno Camon CX in Kenya.
Tecno Camon CX accessories
The Phone (Tecno Camo CX)
A Pair of earphones
USB cable
Charging Adapter
Flip Cover
SIM ejector tool
Warranty information and User manual
A+ on the Build Quality
If you have used any Tecno smartphone below Ksh 18,000, you will agree with me that build quality has never been the company’s main focus. These devices always feel cheap and you may end up buying them because of the specs you see on paper. They never look the part and most of the time feel rushed. This is not the case with the Camon CX, when I took it out of the box for the first time, I was really impressed, it doesn’t feel cheap or rushed. The back cover has a full metal build that feels premium and the front sits a 2.5D glass that looks the part.
The Tecno Camon CX has a 5.5-inch display so it is not too big neither is it too small for me. I can easily use the phone with one hand. The back cover is non-removable and this means that the battery is inbuilt. To insert the SIM card (the Camon CX is a dual SIM smartphone by the way), you can do that from the sides using the SIM removal kit to access the SIM tray on the left side of the phone and MicroSD card on the right side. The MicroSD card slot can accommodate a 128GB memory card.
Below are a few photos of the Tecno Camon CX, use the arrows at the bottom left corner to move to the next photo.
With every purchase of the Camon CX, you get a free flip cover.
HiOS is Meh…
The Tecno Camon CX comes with Android 7.0 Nougat with the company’s own custom overlay, HiOS on top. I am a big fun of custom UIs on smartphones as long as they add value to the overall user experience. HiOS isn’t one of these custom UIs in my opinion. It looks cartoonish to me, it is colourful and its many animations do not appeal to me. I am sure there are people out there who would not mind this but if I were going to use this phone for at least 6 months, I wouldn’t want to interact with this UI.
Even with that said, HiOS has a number of interesting features that I will talk about in the full review.
Cameras Don’t Dissappoint
The Tecno Camon CX is all about the camera and this is one of the main features people will be looking at when buying the phone. The phone has 16MP front and rear cameras that will definitely excite those who are always taking photos with their camera. I have yet to fully test the two cameras but from the first few photos I snapped, these cameras are quite good.
The front facing camera is the star of the show. It has dual LED flash support that will ensure your photos are worth sharing even when taken when the lighting is not so good. It also has an option that makes it easier to take wide angle selfies by pressing the shutter button and moving the phone to get the areas that did not fit in the field of view. This is perfect when you want to fit more people in your selfies. I will talk more about the cameras on the Camon CX in the full review so come back in a couple of weeks for that.
You can check out more specifications of the Tecno Camon CX using the link below. The phone is currently available for Ksh 17,000.
Also Read: Tecno Camon CX Specifications
