Tecno Camon 19 Pro review

Competition

The Tecno Camon 19 Pro is very competitively priced. You should be able to pick a base 8GB plus 128GB one for just over EUR 200/$200, depending on the market. However, that particular budget price segment is very actively targeted by many players on the mobile market. Xiaomi, for one, has more than a few offers. The Redmi Note 11 Pro will set you back about as much. It is also based around the same Helio G96 chipset. But that's where the similarities stop. Some of its highlights include a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED 120Hz display, stereo speakers, IP53 rating, a 108MP main camera and a big 5,000 mAh battery with 67W fast charging.

You could also save a few bucks and go for the vanilla Redmi Note 11. It gets you a 90Hz AMOLED panel, Snapdragon 680 chipset, 50MP main camera, the same IP53 ingress protection and stereo speakers and a 5,000 mAh battery with 33W charging.

Alternatively, you could spend just a bit more than the Camon 19 Pro costs and go for the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, which is basically a chipset upgrade over the Redmi Note 11 Pro. Its Snapdragon 695 not only brings 5G to the table, in case that's a priority but also makes for notably better battery endurance.

If that is a bit outside your budget, there is always the Poco line. Particularly the Poco M4 Pro with its 90Hz AMOLED, stereo speakers, IP53 rating and 5,000 mAh battery with 33W charging, among other things. It is also based on the Helio G96 chip, and it's only missing a telephoto camera, which is typical with phones in this price range. It offers a very similar experience to the Camon 19 Pro.

Again, if 5G is a priority, there is an alternative in the Poco M4 Pro 5G. However, it delivers 5G at the cost of other specs compromises and wouldn't necessarily be our first recommendation.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro • Samsung Galaxy A23 • Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro • Realme 9

Samsung also has a bunch of really interesting offers around this price point. If you can spring a bit extra and get the Galaxy A33 5G, you shouldn't hesitate. Not only does it come with a 90Hz Super AMOLED display and stereo speakers, but it also has full IP67 ingress protection. That's really hard to find on a budget. A more fair price competitor to the Camon 19 Pro, however, would be the Galaxy A23. With it, however, you will have to settle for an LCD like on the Tecno, among other things.

If you can live with a slightly older model and the shorter potential software support that entails, go for the Samsung Galaxy A32 instead. It has the 90Hz Super AMOLED, a potent camera setup and arguably a better, more efficient chipset compared to the new Galaxy A33.

Realme has its "9 family" in roughly the same price range as the Camon 19 Pro. To be fair, the Realme 9 Pro is a bit over budget. But it's one of those devices that brings 5G connectivity at the expense of other specs, like settling for an LCD display. The vanilla Realme 9, however, is an excellent alternative to the Camon 19 Pro. Some of its highlights include a 90Hz Super AMOLED display, 108MP primary camera and a large 5,000 mAh battery with 33W charging.

Our verdict

The Tecno Camon 19 Pro is a well-rounded budget phone. However, it fails to impress or excel in any particular department. Seeing how it is part of the Camon line, a greater focus on camera hardware and performance is sort of implied. Indeed the Camon 19 Pro offers a telephoto camera which is a rarity at its price range. This particular one even performs quite well. Though, having said that, we are not sure that it is that superior over a 2x digital zoom with a modern high-resolution Quad-Bayer camera, which undermines its added value in practical terms quite a bit.

The unfortunate reality is that the Camon 19 Pro is faced with many appealing competitors on the current market and just fails to outshine most of them in any real way.

That being said, it all ultimately comes down to pricing. If the Camon 19 Pro is a good deal or on a great promo in your home market, then you shouldn't hesitate too much to pick one up. If that's not the case, definitely shop around more.

Pros

• Modern design, rich retail bundle.
• Snappy and consistent fingerprint reader.
• Excellent battery life, reasonably fast to charge.
• Unique camera package with lots of options.
• Dependable camera for photos and videos, if you are not picky.
• 3.5mm jack, FM radio, NFC.

Cons

• No ingress protection. Plastic front side.
• No SD card slot.
• The LCD has sluggish pixel response time.
• Single speaker, uninspiring sound.
• No ultrawide camera.
• Video recording not very well stabilized despite OIS+EIS.
• No 4K video capture (main camera maxes out at 1440p).