We have the newest device from TECNO that arrived in our studio. This is the TECNO Camon 40 Pro 5G, the company’s latest entry in the lower-midrange devices.
So, how is the Camon 40 Pro? How different is it from its predecessor? What new features does it provide? We’re gonna talk about all that here in this review. Let’s get this started!
Design and Construction
Right off the bat, you can see a big change in how the TECNO Camon 40 Pro 5G was designed compared to its predecessor. Gone is the large circular camera enclosure, replaced by three sensors lined up vertically. Weirdly enough, this phone only has two working cameras on the rear, but we’ll cover how they perform later.
Users will also notice a flash right beside the top sensor. This is accompanied by another light which indicates whether or not the phone is recording or charging.
Our review unit comes in the Galaxy Black colorway, but it’s also available in Glacier White and Emerald Lake Green should you prefer a more popping color.
The phone also has a two-tone design with a metal frame and matte-like finish. This was said to be inspired by the aesthetics of a swan’s neck, which we’re having trouble seeing honestly.
For ergonomics, the device is thin and light, measuring only 7.29mm and weighing 179 grams. You’ll also find that it has curved front and back panels.
It’s sleek, nice, and feels premium. The display is even protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i should you need the peace of mind against accidental drops. Plus, it also has an IP68 and IP69 rating for dust and water resistance that keeps it safe from submersion, temperature, and high pressure.
For I/O, TECNO just introduced a new button for this iteration of the device found on the left side. It’s called the One-Tap FlashSnap, which is essentially an action button.
It’s good for when you want to take photos or start a recording. You can even long press it to get access to Ella, the CAMON 40 Pro’s AI assistant. Of course, you can map the One-Tap FlashSnap button for other purposes of your choosing too.
On the right side, you have the volume rocker and power button. At the top, there’s a mic, IR blaster, and one of two stereo speakers hidden in a slit. As for the bottom, you’ll find a USB Type-C port, its main microphone, SIM card slot, and the other loudspeaker.
Display, Biometrics, Multimedia
Going back to its display, the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro has a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED screen. It supports up to FHD+ resolution and caps at a refresh rate of 144Hz.
In my opinion, the display panel is one of its best features. It delivers vibrant colors and offers a smooth experience for when you’re scrolling. The high refresh rate just adds to an already premium feel when you’re navigating the interface.
However, the curved edges do sometimes work as a double-edged sword. I mean, it’s nice, but sometimes it distorts the image at the periphery when I’m watching videos. This is also apparent when you play games or hold the phone horizontally.
Generally speaking though, it provides an immersive experience. Meanwhile, the stereo speakers are good. Just good. It gets the job done, but I can’t help but feel like it lacks bass and loudness. My daily driver is a Xiaomi 11T launched in 2021, which I set as a benchmark for comparison.
To work around this, I recommend users to just hook the phone up with a pair of Bluetooth earbuds. This way, you can make better use of its Dolby Atmos feature.
For biometrics, it comes with an optical fingerprint sensor found at the bottom of the display. It also has a face unlock feature should users find this more convenient. Both work well to register quick and easy, and function just as well as intended.
Cameras
For optics, the CAMON 40 Pro 5G has a dual-rear camera setup—a 50-megapixel main paired with an 8-megapixel ultrawide. For those wondering if this is legit, it sadly is.
It downgrades from its predecessors 50-megapixel ultrawide and this iteration even cut its basic macro lens. At the very least, it still has a 50-megapixel selfie shooter with autofocus. This is fairly uncommon for front-facing cameras, especially under this phone’s price range.
Similar to our previous segment in display, the CAMON 40 Pro stands out with its camera performance as a midrange device. The main 50-megapixel sensor produces crisp photos with great detail and clarity.
Color reproduction is also noteworthy, leaning towards natural tones rather than the usual oversaturated looks that people get from devices under this price segment. Meanwhile, the ultrawide delivers good enough results with decent lighting but needs some work otherwise.
Selfies are pretty good too. It works similarly to its main sensor, offering shots with natural tones and decent quality. We liked how TECNO worked on being consistent here despite the effective downgrade.
For video recording, the phone can shoot at 4K at 30 fps using its rear camera and 1080p at 30 frames with its front camera. Here are some of our sample videos from the rear, front, and this neat dual-video feature.
Front camera:
Rear camera:
Dual-video feature:
Performance and Benchmarks
The TECNO Camon 40 Pro 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chip. It comes with 256GB of internal storage and two RAM options: 8GB and 12GB. This can be extended through MemFusion.
It was able to hit around the 690K mark in our AnTuTu score which is pretty decent for gaming. Entering Zenless Zone Zero’s New Eridu through the Camon 40 Pro is an okay experience. However, I could only bump the quality up to Medium graphics to not experience any stutters.
Attempting to go any further than that results in obvious lag, making me not enjoy the animations from the latest update especially from Vivian, Zenless Zone Zero’s newest Ether Anomaly Agent.
This also applies to Wuthering Waves where the best settings I could reach is Low graphic quality while having 60 FPS. Stutters may occur especially in the newest Calamity Class Boss, Fleurdelys.
When it comes to MoBa and casual games, however, the TECNO Camon 40 Pro 5G will handle them just fine.
You can check out benchmark scores right here to get a better grasp:
- Antutu v10.4.8 – 697,869
- Antutu Storage Test v10.3.9 – 71,567
- S.Read – 9,441
- Speed: 949.3MB/s
- S.Write – 9,072
- Speed: 790.7MB/s
- R.Access – 46,975
- R.Speed: 480.0MB/s
- W.Speed: 568.0MB/s
- AI Read – 6,080
- Speed: 152.0MB/s
- 3D Mark: Wild Life – 3,293
- Average frame rate – 19.72 FPS
- Single: 1,028
- Multi: 3,240
- GPU OpenCL: 2,510
- GPU Vulcan: 2,503
- PCMark Work 3.0 Performance – 14,484
OS, Apps, UI
The TECNO Camon 40 Pro 5G runs on HiOS 15 which is based on Android 15. It’s got a minimalistic and clean UI with minimal bloatware installed.
One core feature of the Camon 40 Pro is Ella, TECNO’s AI assistant. Ella provides features such as Smart Touch where it can recognize content on the screen and extract text and follow the user’s voice commands. You can also access Ella by long pressing the One-Tap FlashSnap button.
There’s also different kinds of assistants for various uses like Call, Translation, Document, and Writing. You can even convert your sketches through AI Note and transcribe recordings to text and create summaries of said recordings.
You also get the new Circle to Search, AI Wallpaper Generator, and Suggestions Widget.
Connectivity and Battery
For connectivity, the phone offers dual nano-SIM, 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and an IR Blaster for your smart home needs. Call quality on the device is alright and works as intended with no gripes on our end. This works fine either over Wi-Fi or via your mobile network provider.
Moving on, it packs a 5,200mAh battery with support for 45W of fast charging via USB Type-C. From experience, it takes about 46 minutes to charge it to 100% from 0.
Now for those wondering how its general battery life is, it was able to pump 14 hours and 26 minutes of uptime via our PCMark Battery Test.
It’s not the best score we’ve seen under this segment, but it should be good enough to get users through most of the day. After all, the silver lining here is that it charges fairly quick too.
Conclusion
Wrapping up, we feel like the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G is a good pickup under the midrange segment.
For how much it costs, its design, display, and cameras feel like it can throw punches above its weight class. Just, you know, don’t aim too high. Under these segments, it feels like it can go to bat versus phones that cost 20K? At best, 25K.
And for those curious, the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G actually costs PHP 12,999 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It’s also available for PHP 14,999 with 12GB of RAM instead.
So, if you’re looking for a decent, affordable daily driver—then this phone just might be for you. I mean, it gives you a well-rounded experience without having to break the bank. Not to mention, smartphones are getting pricier each year.
What we liked about it:
* Nice, premium design
* High ingress protection rating
* Good battery life
* Competitive price point
What we did not like:
* Downgraded camera system from predecessor
* Not ideal for gaming
TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G specs:
6.78-inch FHD+ (2436 x 1080) AMOLED display (~393 ppi)
144Hz refresh rate
Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection
MediaTek Dimensity 7300
4x Cortex-A78 @ 2.5GHz
4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0GHz
Mali-G615 MC2 GPU
8GB, 12GB RAM
256GB internal storage
50MP main (f/1.9, 23mm, 1/1.56-inch sensor, OIS)
8MP ultrawide
4K at 30 fps video recording
LED flash
50MP front camera (f/2.4, 24mm, 1/2.48-inch sensor)
1080p at 30 fps video recording
IP68/IP69 rating
Dual stereo speakers
Dolby Atmos
Dual nano-SIM
5G, 4G LTE, HSPA+
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.3
GPS
NFC
IR Blaster
FM Radio
USB Type-C
HiOS 15 (Android 15)
Fingerprint sensor (in-display, optical)
Face unlock
5,200mAh battery, 45W fast charging
164.32 x 74.56 x 7.29mm (dimensions)
179 grams (weight)
Emerald Lake Green, Galaxy Black, Glacier White (colors)
