Tecno Camon 20 Premier review

Competition

The Camon 20 Premier is currently available in a single 8GB RAM, plus 512GB storage configuration. That retails for just over EUR 410 - a competitive price for the package. Just to be on the safe side, we'll cast a slightly wider net when looking for competitors and bump the budget up to EUR 450. However, it is worth noting that there are plenty of great options even below the EUR 400 mark.

Let's kick things off with Samsung and the popular Galaxy A54, which fits our budget nicely. A base 128GB model should run you just EUR 370 in most places, while the 256GB one is comparable in price to the 512GB Camon 20 Premier. That's one area the Tecno has it beat in value. The Samsung does, however, offer expandable storage. It also brings IP67 ingress protection to the table and a brand-name Gorilla Glass 5 protective finish on its display. Speaking of which, the A54 display is also a 120Hz AMOLED, but one that is much brighter than the Tecno's and with HDR10+ support. Adding to that, the A54 is a well-rounded phone with stereo speakers, a large 5,000 mAh battery with 25W charging, a 50MP OIS-enabled main, 12MP ultrawide and 5MP macro camera setup and a decent Exynos 1380 chipset, though not as powerful as the Dimensity 8050 inside the Camon 20 Premier.

As we usually do, we can't fail to mention the much cheaper Galaxy A34 as a viable alternative to get much of the way to the A54 experience on a much tighter budget.

Samsung Galaxy A54 • Xiaomi Poco F5 • Realme 11 Pro+ • Google Pixel 6a

Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of viable options over in camp Xiaomi. For about as much as the Tecno, you could pick up a Poco F5. Some of its highlights include IP53 ingress protection and Gorilla Glass 5, stereo speakers, a large 5,000 mAh battery with 67W charging, a 12-bit, 120Hz, HDR-capable and much brighter AMOLED display, a more potent Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chipset and a pretty versatile camera setup with a 64MP, OIS-enabled main cam.

Alternatively, you could lower the budget quite significantly and go for something like the ever-popular Redmi Note 12 Pro. Despite its lower price, it still offers much of the same Xiaomi experience, including IP53, stereo speakers, 5000 mAh battery with 67W charging and a 10-bit, 120Hz, HDR AMOLED display. The Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro is another option quite similar to the Redmi with a Snapdragon chipset and better battery life, but also some concessions, like no OIS.

Looking over to the BBK's roster, we can't help but point out the vivo V27 Pro. It hasn't been enjoying massive popularity in our database, and it might be a bit harder to find for many. Still, it is a great choice for around as much as the Camon 20 Premier costs.

That V27 Pro might not be the best value for money, though. It is hard to ignore the Realme 11 Pro+ in that category. Its starting MSRP is less than EUR 300. All the while, it offers stereo speakers, a large 5,000 mAh battery with a whopping 100W charging and pretty good battery endurance. It also has a large 6.7-inch, 10-bit, HDR10+, 120Hz OLED display, much brighter than the one on the Camon 20 Premier. The Realme 11 Pro+ has a very interesting camera setup in its own right with a 200 MP, f/1.7, OIS-enabled main snapper. Not too shabby at all, especially for the budget.

Last but definitely not least, why not consider a Google Pixel? As long as a large display isn't pretty high up on your wish list. The new Pixel 7a would naturally be our first choice with its better 90Hz OLED display, bigger 64MP main camera and bigger 12MP selfie. It, however, is a pricier device than the Camon 20 Premier and closer to the EUR 500 mark than the EUR 400 one.

The older Pixel 6a is far from outdated, though. Sure, you'll have to live with a 60Hz refresh rate and, as mentioned, a much smaller overall display size, but the panel is HDR-capable and much brighter than Tecno's. The Pixel 6a also offers IP67 ingress protection stereo speakers and better battery endurance despite having a smaller battery than the 7a. Its camera system is still world-class, mostly thanks to Google's prowess in computational photography. And all of this, plus pure Android and very long software support, can be had for just around EUR 330 at current pricing.

Our verdict

The Tecno Camon 20 Premier is a very well-rounded overall package. It manages to achieve these accolades even in a very aggressively-competitive market full of excellent devices. If we had to list some highlights from our experience with the Camon 20 Premier, the interesting camera setup would definitely be up there. It is very reliable and versatile, offering very good all-around performance. Plus, that high-resolution 108MP autofocusing ultrawide is a real treat in its own right that does its primary job pretty well and also produces some excellent macro shots if you are into that sort of thing.

The Camon 20 Premier is also a very good-looking and distinctive device, no doubt about that. It also feels sturdy and well-made. Its large display is also a treat to use indoors with competent if imperfect high refresh rate handling up to 120Hz and great color accuracy. Throw in the pretty nice stereo speaker setup, and you get a solid multimedia experience from the phone. Battery life and overall performance are nothing short of dependable as well. The Camon 20 Premier runs very smoothly, and we appreciate all of the extra options afforded by HiOS 13, especially little touches like AI Smart Charge for better battery longevity.

The list of things we didn't quite like about the Camon 20 Premier is fairly short but potentially important to many prospective buyers. We really wish the phone had some official ingress protection level. Plus, we can't shake the feeling that the display surface is not particularly tough since Tecno makes no mention of its protection. As much as we like using the display indoors, it kind of falls short outdoors, particularly in the sun. A little bit higher brightness would have gone a long way.

We enjoyed our time with the Camon 20 Premier and give it a tentative but guilt-free recommendation, especially if you manage to snag one for a good price.

Pros

• Modern and distinctive design, rich retail bundle.
• Snappy and consistent fingerprint reader.
• Great color accuracy with a little tuning.
• Good, clean stereo speaker setup.
• Unique camera package with lots of options.
• Pretty great all-around photo and video quality.
• FM radio and NFC on board.

Cons

• No rated ingress resistance.
• CPU is prone to throttling under high load.
• High refresh rate handling could use more work.
• Screen brightness could be higher.