Tecno Spark 10 Pro Review: Still far from igniting the Spark!

Tecno is a dominating brand in the African region. While its presence in the Indian and Nepali markets has also become quite noticeable in the budget segment with the Spark series. And the Tecno Spark 10 Pro is one of the latest addition to the lineup with an iPhone-styled camera module and Helio G88 SoC. To note, the device is yet to launch in Nepal while its Indian pricing starts from INR 12,499. Today, I'll be sharing my experience regarding the design, display, performance, camera, and battery in this Tecno Spark 10 Pro review article. Before that, let's get into its specs.

Tecno Spark 10 Pro Specifications:

• Dimensions: 168.41 x 76.21 x 8.46mm
• Display: 6.8″ IPS LCD, 90Hz, FHD+ resolution
• Chipset: MediaTek Helio G88 4G (12nm)
• Memory: 8GB RAM, 256GB storage (expandable)
• OS: Android 13 with HiOS 12.6 on top
• Rear Cameras: Dual (with LED flash) – 50MP, f/1.6 primary – Unspecified secondary sensor – Up to 1080p 30 fps videos
• Front Camera: 32MP, dual LED flash (Up to 1080p 30 fps videos)
• Battery: 5000mAh with 18W Fast Charging
• Sensors: G-Sensor, E-compass, Ambient light, Proximity
• Biometrics: Side-mounted fingerprint reader
• Wireless Connectivity: WiFi, Dual-band, Bluetooth
• 3.5mm Jack: Yes

Tecno Spark 10 Pro Review:

Design

Starting off with the design, the Spark 10 Pro comes with a flat frame design with a boxy form factor. Tecno has also used a glass panel for the first time in the Spark series. Hence, the in-hand feel of this Starry Black color variant is good, it doesn't feel cheap to be precise. Looking at the back though, you get this iPhone-inspired camera module which I personally do not like. But, imitating the design of flagship phones is pretty common and looks are subjective, so others might like it.

Other than that, the phone houses a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a single firing speaker. Talking of the bottom placements, the volume rockers and power keys are located on the typical right side. And you get a side-mounted fingerprint sensor here which is pretty fast and accurate.

Display

• 6.8-inches IPS LCD
• 90Hz refresh rate

On the front side, you are greeted with a 6.8-inch IPS LCD panel with a hole punch cutout. It is not AMOLED here sadly, but the phone does support a 90Hz refresh rate. The screen does feel smooth and snappy but you might encounter slight hiccups here and there which is apparent for a phone of this caliber.

Speaking of the screen quality, I found it to be on the saturated side. You do get three screen tones options but the default one is on the punch side already. If you are someone who likes vibrant colors, the display will appease you, despite being an IPS panel. Content watching feels decent but the sunlight readability and the single-firing speaker are a bit on the underwhelming side.

Performance

• Octa-core Mediatek Helio G88 4G SoC (6nm)
• 8GB AM, 256GB internal storage
• Android 13 with HiOS 12.6 on top

Now, let's get into the performance side of things. The phone packs a Mediatek Helio G88 SoC under the hood which is based on a 12nm fabrication process. This 4G octa-core processor can handle your day-to-day tasks like checking social media, switching through apps, and texting, pretty decently. When it comes to gaming, you get 40 fps and 30 fps on popular titles like PUBG and Call of Duty Mobile respectively. The gameplay was just average as frame drops and lags were noticeable time and again. So, I would recommend you to stick on light games like Subway Surfers, Stumble Guys, Temple Run, and such for a smooth experience.

A not-so-appealing UI

Like every other Tecno device, the Spark 10 Pro boots on HiOS skin built on top of Android 13 but with free bloatware. Yes, you heard it right, the device packs a bunch of preinstalled apps that are just there to send you annoying recommendations. You cannot even uninstall most of them which ruins the UI experience big time. If that was not enough, I also found ads here and there. Tecno seriously needs to address these issues.

Camera

• Dual camera setup
• 50MP Main, 0.08MP AI camera
• 32MP front camera

Moving on, you get a dual camera setup on the rear side. Well, to be clear, it's a single 50MP camera as the 0.08 auxiliary sensor is there for nothing, practically useless in other terms. While the selfies are handled by a 32MP snapper upfront.

Daylight Photos

I didn't expect much from its camera but the outputs were eye-pleasing most of the time. The colors are on the saturated sides mostly while turning on the HDR. And the dynamic range is also decent for capturing landscapes and stills.

Portraits

Well, talking of portraits, the Tecno Spark 10 Pro struggles to maintain the dynamic range. You'll find the background colors blown out. While the edge detection is okay for a midrange phone, can't expect much here.

Front Camera

The 32MP selfie snapper captures good-looking images with nice skin tones and details. Also, the dynamic range is better on portraits than on the main camera.

Night

The night-time images are average. Turning on the 'Super Night' mode does contribute to creating better-looking images though.

Videos

The phone features an unusual 2K at 30 fps resolution options for both main and selfie cameras. The footages are decent in daylighting conditions, especially the front cam videos. But you miss out on stabilization as there is no EIS.

Battery

• 5000mAh Battery
• 18W Fast charging

Moving on, the battery life endurance of the smartphone is quite impressive. The phone gets going for a day with around 6+ hours of screen-on-time on average. Filling the juice of the cell is an 18W charger which roughly takes around 2 hours for a full charge. A 33W charger would have been much appreciable here.

Tecno Spark 10 Pro Review: Conclusion

Okay, so the Tecno Spark 10 Pro tries its best to be a capable choice in the midrange category. But its UI and camera don't say so. The HiOS needs to cut down on the bloatware and ads which are creating such a bad experience. Also, the camera needs refinement for portrait imageries. And the single-firing speaker is also not very appealing. Besides that, the Helio G88 is a capable performer in its caliber and the glass back panel is commendable, except for the camera module (You know what I mean).

Tecno Spark 10 Pro Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Glass back design
• Good performance
• Android 13 out of the box
• Good battery life

Cons

• Bloatware and Ads on HiOS
• Single speaker
• Average back camera

• Meanwhile, you can check our Samsung Galaxy A24 Review.