Tecno Camon 30 Premier review

HIOS 14 + Android 14

The Tecno Camon 30 Premier runs on a familiar HiOS 14 custom Android overlay with an underlying Android 14 OS. Tecno is promising 2 major software updates (to Android 16) and 3 years of security patches for the entire Camon 30 series.

This version of HiOS 14 is exactly the same one we saw on the Tecno Pova 6 Pro and the Tecno Spark 20 Pro+. It's very similar to HiOS 13 but has a better implementation of the so-called Dynamic Port 2.0 - Tecno's own version of Apple's Dynamic Island. It gives contextual info as well as quick and easy ways to interact with certain system apps.

HIOS 14 + Android 14

HIOS 14 + Android 14

In general, the system felt snappy and responsive, so no complaints when it comes to performance.

Benchmark performance

The Tecno Camon 30 Premier runs on the well-known Dimensity 8200 Ultimate SoC based on the 4nm manufacturing process. However, the Ultimate part remains a mystery as the specs of the Tecno-marketed Dimensity 8200 Ultimate are identical to the initially announced Dimensity 8200.

Anyway, the SoC is supposed to be a direct successor to the Dimensity 8100, but the specs sheet suggests it's an entirely new chip. Instead of a 4+4 core configuration, the 8200 adopts a more modern 1+3+4 combo. The main core clocked at 3.1 GHz is still Cortex-A78, though, while the second cluster of 3x Cortex-A78 cores is clocked at 3.0 GHz. The energy-efficient cluster of 4x Cortex-A55 cores is ticking at 2.0 GHz.

The GPU remains unchanged from the previous generation, though, as it's still the Mali-G610 MC6.

Interestingly, Tecno offers just one memory option - 12GB/512GB. We must admit, though, it's a generous one. We tested the storage speed, and it's likely a fast UFS 2.2 or a slower UFS 3.1. Tecno doesn't disclose the exact specs, so we are left in the dark here.

Here's how the Camon 30 Premier fares against the competition with its Dimensity 8200 chip.

We've discontinued GFXBench graphics benchmarking as the app is often banned/blacklisted on the phones we receive for review. The graphics performance ranking in 3D Mark is just as meaningful, so we suggest you refer to that one instead.

The benchmarks show that the Dimensity 8200 is a competitive chipset in the price bracket, falling short only to the Snapdragon 8- Gen 1, mostly in combined and GPU-heavy benchmarks. CPU-wise, the Dimensity 8200-powered Camon gives the Nothing Phone (2) and Galaxy S23 FE (both affordable flagships) a run for their money.

Sustained performance

The Dimensity 8200 sure is a demanding chip, and the device handled it relatively well. During heavy loads, the CPU maintained 73% of its performance during an hour-long test, which is better than some Dimensity 8200-equipped rivals, but we've also seen better.

CPU and GPU stress tests

The handset maintained relatively high stability during the GPU-intensive 3DMark Wild Life stress test as well.