Full Review about Tecno Camon 30 Pro

Introduction and specs

Tecno introduced the impressively strong Camon 30 series at the MWC in Barcelona, and we have been really looking forward to reviewing those phones since then. After the headliner - the cameraphone Camon 30 Premier - it is time to meet the Camon 30 Pro.

Tecno Camon 30 Pro is a powerful smartphone based on the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 Ultimate chipset, and it boasts a large 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with 144Hz refresh rate. The phone is available with 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB storage.

The Camon 30 Pro, just like the other Camon 30 phones, has this easily identifiable design with unique snowy texture with leather-like finish and an indicator light next to the camera and its flash.

In addition to the cool design, great screen and chipset, the Tecno Camon 30 Pro also offers a total of three 50MP cameras - the main and ultrawide at the back and the selfie cam on the front, all of them with autofocus capabilities.

The Camon 30 Pro is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 70W fast charging support. It runs on the latest Android 14 OS skinned with HiOS 14.

Tecno Camon 30 Pro specs at a glance:

• Body: 164.0x74.5x7.7mm, 189g; Glass front, glass back or silicone polymer back (eco leather).
• Display: 6.78" AMOLED, 144Hz, 1080x2436px resolution, 20.3:9 aspect ratio, 393ppi; Always-on display.
• Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 8200 Ultimate (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.1 GHz Cortex-A78 & 3x3.0 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G610 MC6.
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; Unspecified.
• OS/Software: Android 14, HIOS 14.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, PDAF; Depth: 2 MP.
• Front camera: 50 MP, (wide), AF.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@60fps, 1080p@30fps, HDR; Front camera: Yes.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 70W wired, 0-100% in 50 min (advertised).
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 5; BT 5.3; NFC; FM radio; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

The Camon 30 Pro even has Dolby Atmos-capable stereo speakers, there are neat features like IR blaster, FM radio, UD fingerprint scanner, among others.

What is missing on the Camon 30 Pro is ingress protection, even a basic level would have been better than nothing.

Unboxing the Tecno Camon 30 Pro

The Tecno Camon 30 Pro ships inside a thick paper box, which contains a lot of goodies. Besides the phone, you will also find a USB cable, a 70W power adapter, a gray case with leather-like texture, and a tempered glass protector. The phone comes with a pre-applied plastic screen protector, too.

But that is not all. Depending on the market, you may also get a pair of Tecno Buds 3 with deep bass and noise cancellation during calls.

Design, build quality, handling

Tecno's phones have always been good-looking, with interesting designs and futuristic-looking camera bumps. The new Camon 30 series is no different, though the sci-fi elements are now mixed with a pinch of traditional ingredients.

The Tecno Camon 30 Pro has flat front and rear panels, and a flat frame with rounded corners. And while the front part is trivial - a screen with thin bezels and a small punch hole, the back is quite interesting design-wise.

The rear panel is a combination of matte plastic and eco-leather with an interesting texture, achieved by merging a unique new material with a texture that Tecno compares to a lotus leaf. Let's not forget the camera island with a metal zoom dial, even though it only serves decorative purposes.

We have the Alps Snowy Silver version for this review. But there is also the Island Basaltic Dark model, with a glass back and volcanic stone-like texture.

We are not sure if we are that old, but the back of the Camon 30 Pro reminded us of devices we usually got to see in some 90's sci-fi movies. And the red notification LED light did help, too, but more on that in a bit.

The Tecno Camon 30 Pro, while looking all metal, is in fact made of all plastic, excluding the camera ring. But the matte frame and leather-like back make for one of the best grips we've experienced on a smartphone, and we do commend Tecno for that.

The Camon 30 Pro has, unfortunately, no ingress protection, not even an IP52 rating. Meanwhile, the Camon 30 Premier offers IP54 protection.

The front is home to the 6.78-inch AMOLED of 1080p resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. There is a 50MP selfie camera with autofocus inside the small cutout. Things you cannot see, but you will use, are the UD fingerprint scanner and the top speaker/earpiece.

The back has two more 50MP cameras with autofocus - the primary and the ultrawide - as well as a 2MP depth sensor. Outside the camera island sits a dual-LED flash and a red indicator light. It flashes only in red and does that for incoming calls, when using Tecno's Ella voice assistant, the IR blaster and when charging.

And here is a look around the sides of the Camon 30 Pro. You can spot the IR blaster at the top, as well as the stereo speakers.

The sides of Camon 30 Pro

Overall, we liked the Camon 30 Pro a lot - it has a distinctive design, classy and memorable, and it provides an outstanding grip. If only it were water resistant, it would have been perfect, but we guess that was not possible at this price point.

Display

The Camon 30 Pro has a mainstream OLED with an extended 1080p resolution, 8-bit color depth and 144Hz refresh rate. It's a more basic panel compared to the Camon 30 Premier's 1264p LTPO OLED. Still, the screen bezels here are nicely thin all around and you get excellent max brightness level.

Tecno doesn't quote a brightness specs for the display. We completed our display measurements and the numbers are solid. The Camon 30 Pro screen offers 534 nits of maximum brightness in manual control and up to 998 nits in Auto Brightness (Sunlight Boost) which quite a bit higher than the Camon 30 Premier.

The minimum brightness at point white is 2.2 nits.

Refresh rate

The HiOS offers four refresh rate modes - 60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz and Auto-switch. The names of these modes are self-explanatory, so we explored the automatic mode further.

Auto, 144Hz and 120Hz modes behave the same in terms of refresh rate variability; it's just that the 120Hz option caps the maximum refresh rate at 120Hz. When the screen is showing a static image, the refresh rate immediately drops down to 60Hz. Most videos are also played at 60Hz, excluding those with unusual frame rate - says 48fps or 50fps - which use the maximum refresh allowed by the operating system.

HFR gaming is supported and if the game, or benchmark, allows it, and the chipset can handle it, you will enjoy a super smooth picture.

HDR and streaming

The OS supports Widevine L1 DRM, allowing you to stream high-quality videos on platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. HDR is not supported, officially, but the screen is recognized as HDR10-capable by YouTube and some information-gathering apps. Netflix does not allow HDR streaming, though.

Battery life

The Tecno Camon 30 Pro is powered by a 5,000mAh battery. It achieved an Active Use Score of 14:29h, which is a solid performance, similar to the Camon 30 Premier's but with longer gaming and web times.

 

The Camon 30 Pro offers slightly longer battery life than most of its peers, which is great.

Charging speed

The Camon 30 Pro, just like the Camon 30 Premier, offers 70W fast charging, and its retail bundle contains the proprietary power adapter and USB cable for this to work. Tecno is advertising a full charge in 50 minutes. Naturally, we've put that to the test.

In our testing, the bundled charger refilled 41% of the dead battery in 15 minutes, while we captured 72% of battery charge at the 30min mark.

A full charge took 49 minutes, which matches what Tecno advertises.

Speakers - loudness and quality

The Tecno Camon 30 Pro features your typical hybrid stereo speaker setup, with the earpiece acting as a speaker with the help of a top-facing secondary outlet. Naturally, the bottom-firing speaker is louder and offers a bit richer output.

The stereo speakers on the Camon 30 Pro scored a Very Good mark on our loudness test. The audio quality is average, though. The high frequencies are well-presented, but the bass is minor, and the vocals are just okay.

Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies.

HIOS 14 on top of Android 14

Just like the rest of recently released Tecno devices, the Camon 30 Pro runs on the latest HIOS 14 custom overlay with Android 14 underneath. 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 Camon 30 Premier. 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

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

Benchmark performance

The Tecno Camon 30 Pro has the same SoC as its Camon 30 Premier sibling - the Dimensity 8200 Ultimate SoC, based on the 4nm manufacturing process. The Ultimate part remains a mystery as the specs of the Tecno-marketed Dimensity 8200 Ultimate appear to be 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.

Regarding memory, the Camon 30 Pro comes in two flavors - 12GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB. Both options are quite generous for this price segment.

Tecno does not reveal the type of storage used but our benchmark numbers suggest the storage is either very fast UFS 2.2 or a slower UFS 3.1. Our review unit is the 512GB model, so your results may differ if you have the 256GB version at hand.

The Dimensity 8200 SoC is a powerful mid-range solution that often overtakes its rivals. The chip helps the Camon 30 Pro maintain a comfortable lead in some scenarios over most of the similarly priced competitors.

Sustained performance

It's no surprise that the Camon 30 Pro had a similar behavior to the Camon 30 Premier, since they both share the same design and hardware. So, just like its sibling, the 30 Pro struggles to maintain near-maximum CPU clock speeds, and we observed moderate throttling from time to time, which isn't ideal.

CPU and GPU throttle tests

The GPU stability turned out to be pretty good, though, as the handset maintained 91% stability throughout the whole 3DMark Wild Life stress test.

Standard triple-camera setup

The Camon 30 Pro has largely the same camera hardware as its more expensive sibling, the Camon 30 Premier, but skips the telephoto camera altogether. The rest of the camera hardware (main and ultrawide) is identical except for the depth sensor.

• Wide (main): 50 MP Sony IMX890, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, f/1.9, 23mm, PDAF, OIS; 2160p@60fps
• Ultrawide: 50 MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1, f/2.2, 1/2.76", 0.64µm, 14mm, PDAF; 2160p@30fps
• Macro: 2 MP Galaxycore GC02M3, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 50 MP Hynix Hi5022Q, f/2.45, 24mm, 1/2.8", 0.64µm, PDAF; 2160p@30fps

It's also nice to see the same great 50MP selfie camera with autofocus - it's a rare find.

Daylight photos

Main camera

Since the Camon 30 Premier and 30 Pro share the same camera hardware, for the most part, and image processing is likely the same, we are not surprised to see similar performance throughout the day.

The Camon 30 Pro takes excellent daytime stills with lots of fine detail, good sharpness and a wide dynamic range with vibrant colors. Watch out for some focus hunting, though, as the camera can sometimes miss the focus. We observed similar behavior with the 30 Premier. You can see the second camera sample below for example.

Main camera daylight samples

Indoor photos retain the same good qualities, and noise is kept to a minimum. Excellent job!

Portraits: Photo • Portrait mode

For some reason, Tecno decided to upscale the 50MP photos to 100MP instead of keeping the native resolution, and needless to say, the results aren't great.

100MP samples

2x zoom samples

The 2x zoom samples are surprisingly clean and offer near-identical to the standard 1x mode rendition. There's minimal loss in quality, and noise is kept at bay, but the dynamic range could be better.

2x zoom daylight samples

Ultrawide camera

The ultrawide camera outputs photos with the same quality and rendering as the ultrawide unit found on the 30 Premier, so there are no surprises here either. We are once again pleased with the overall quality - sharpness, detail, colors, and noise control seem to be in check. Dynamic range is a bit limited compared to the main unit, but that's also to be expected.

Ultrawide camera daylight samples

The only issue we have with the main camera is the limited field of view. It's definitely not the widest we've seen and that's probably the reason why we can't see extreme edge softness, or barrel distortion. Bonus points for offering AF on the ultrawide, though.

Low-light photos

Main camera

The low-light samples look identical to the ones we took with the Camon 30 Premier. We like how natural they look without going overboard with sharpening. The colors could use some boosting, but detail, dynamic range and contrast are good.

Main camera low-light samples

The automatic Night mode took over most of the time, which improves dynamic range and light sources, but the overall rendition has the tendency to go for lower exposure, leaving some shadows a tad darker.

2x zoom

We didn't have high hopes for the nighttime 2x zoom photos, but they are all right. Of course, the 2x zoom mode inherits the 1x's rendition but produces softer and less detailed pictures. If you enjoy them on your phone's screen or use them for casual social media posting, they'll do the trick. But upon closer inspection, they aren't exactly ideal.

2x zoom low-light samples

Ultrawide camera

The ultrawide camera once again surprises with good overall quality after dusk. It's not as sharp as the main camera, but that's quite understandable. Dynamic range is also a tad narrower, but the Night mode does a pretty solid job at fixing that. Still, the photos are far superior than all of the 8MP ultrawide cameras competitors offer.

Ultrawide camera low-light samples

Selfies

The selfies are unrivaled in this price bracket. The Camon 30 Pro's 50MP selfie unit outputs excellent photos with plenty of fine detail, sharp rendition, wide dynamic range and accurate color reproduction. The fact that it has autofocus puts the device in an entirely different league too.

Selfies

Video recording

The handset is capable of recording 2160p60fps videos with all its cameras, including the front-facing one. The software includes an Ultimate video enhancement mode, which aims to boost video quality in various ways, though we'll discuss that more later. We believe the Ultra steady mode functions as an EIS mode, because when it's disabled, the stabilization appears to rely solely on OIS. This is merely our assumption, but since there's no resolution restriction, we recommend keeping that option on. Even so, we've seen better EIS implementations elsewhere.

The main camera's 4K footage is impressive, leaving little to criticize. The videos are clean, sharp, detailed, and the colors are vibrant without being excessive. The exposure leans slightly high, but it's not a significant issue.

Activating the Ultimate enhancement mode introduces artificial sharpness and increases brightness, which isn't ideal. We preferred the video without enhancements.

We were pleasantly surprised by the ultrawide camera's performance. It produces video quality close to the main camera's, which is rare. Despite being an ultrawide lens, the video is sharp, detailed, and has an impressive dynamic range.

The low-light videos are surprisingly good, too. We compared a standard sample with one using Ultimate Enhancement mode and preferred the former. It offers more natural color tones and retains more shadow detail without excessive noise. The "enhanced" footage is slightly sharper with a wider dynamic range and less noise, but the color reproduction and white balance seem off.

Competition

The Tecno Camon 30 Pro and the 30 Premier are two very close siblings, feature and price-wise. Of course, the 30 Pro is slightly more affordable, currently selling in Africa for the equivalent of €400/$400, but the price may differ depending on your country. Tecno promises to bring the duo to more markets in the following months.

In any case, the 30 Pro retains some of the standout features such as the slick design, big and bright HRR display (144Hz at that), the powerful Dimensity 8200 SoC, the potent camera hardware (except for the telephoto unit), the fast charging solution and the impressive battery life. In fact, the 30 Pro seems to score better than the 30 Premier in this regard.

Perhaps that's why Tecno priced the two devices so close to each other. In a way, the 30 Pro gets you 90% of where you need to be. A few extra bucks, on the other hand, would give you the 30 Premier, which has a nice telephoto camera, IP54 ingress protection, Gorilla Glass sheet on the front and HDR-enabled display. So it's really up to you to decide whether these features mean anything to you.

Tecno Camon 30 Premier • Samsung Galaxy A55 • Xiaomi 13T • Realme 12 Pro

Alternatively, you can get similarly priced mainstream alternatives from Samsung and Xiaomi. The recently released Galaxy A55 is now selling at a more adequate price and can be found in the mid-€300. However, aside from the somewhat nicer display and IP57 certification, the A55 doesn't hold any other notable advantages. The Camon 30 Pro has more powerful hardware, more RAM and storage, a better camera experience overall, charges faster and lasts a tad longer away on battery power.

The same goes for the Xiaomi 13T, although this one is slightly more expensive than the 30 Pro. Still, it makes a really good case for itself. It has an objectively better display, the same SoC, telephoto camera, faster charging, IP68 ingress protection and guaranteed 4 years of major software updates.

The Realme 12 Pro is also a viable alternative as it has a similar feature set for roughly the same asking price. Still, it falls short of the Camon 30 Pro with inferior camera hardware (especially the telephoto camera with just 2x zoom), less impressive chipset and just 128GB base storage.

Verdict

Just like the Camon 30 Premier, the Camon 30 Pro stands out from the competition with an excellent feature set for the asking price. The device has a competitive display, snappy chipset, slick design, plenty of base storage, long battery life, hard-to-match camera performance in all scenarios, including selfies, and fast enough charging solution.

All in all, the Camon 30 Pro is an excellent all-rounder that's extremely easy to recommend.

Pros

• Thin, light, standout design with premium feel.
• Excellent camera performance all-around, including selfies and videos.
• Solid battery life and fast charging.
• Potent midrange chipset.
• 12GB/256GB memory by default, IR blaster.

Cons

• Occassionally unreliable AF on the main camera.