Every budget smartphone is a challenge, a kind of compromise. When developing such devices, the manufacturer has a question: what can be saved on, so that in general the smartphone turns out to be worthy and balanced? Some manage to find this golden mean, others, unfortunately, do not. You can, of course, refer to “personal preferences” and say that everyone needs a different set of characteristics, however, in my opinion, a clear formula for success has long been formed in the market for inexpensive smartphones. Battery – performance – memory. It’s in that order. Tecno Spark 8C seems to tick every box, but is it really?
Design
He definitely won’t leave anyone indifferent.
Design in inexpensive smartphones is a secondary thing, but I can’t afford to bypass it. Especially since the Tecno Spark 8C has a lot to discuss. On the back of the device is an obscenely large camera unit, similar to flagship smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra. Even the fingerprint scanner could not hide from him. To some, such a solution may seem unnecessarily cumbersome, but it seems to me that this is a very bold move that looks original. Importantly, the fingerprint scanner in the Tecno Spark 8C is easy to find – it works, by the way, perfectly.
But what I frankly did not like was the slogan “STOP AT NOTHING” (Russian: stop at nothing) located along the entire back cover. Recently, more and more manufacturers have been putting such phrases directly on the cases of their devices, but at the same time, I have not seen a single person who would speak positively about such a smartphone feature.
The device itself has a relatively large body (164.6 × 76 × 9 mm), but thanks to the matte plastic and the correct shape of the edges, the likelihood of it falling out of the hands is reduced to zero. Of the pluses, I also note the presence of a jack for wired headphones. By the way, it is in the holes that one of the critical disadvantages of the Tecno Spark 8C lies – the outdated microUSB on the bottom, which in 2022 is already difficult to justify with anything.
Display
90Hz and brightness issues
On the front of the Tecno Spark 8C is a large 6.52-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1612×720 (HD+). It boasts support for 90 Hz, which adds to the apparent smoothness and speed of the interface, but the overall impression of the screen is still negative. Everything is overshadowed by the low level of maximum brightness, which makes the smartphone almost unreadable on the street, even if the sun is hidden by clouds. The cutout in the display is quite neat here, despite its teardrop shape – at least it did not interfere with me during use.
Iron
Works smoothly, but for games – definitely not
Tecno Spark 8C is powered by a Unisoc T606 processor coupled with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory. The device copes well with basic tasks – when using social networks and a browser with several tabs, there are no problems and no jamming. The smartphone practically does not heat up and does not throttle, which, however, is due to the relatively low processor power.
But with games, not everything is so smooth. Despite the numbers in synthetic tests similar to the more expensive Tecno Camon 18, the smartphone does not perform well in complex 3D graphics. So, for example, even at the minimum settings, Genshin Impact freezes and does not allow you to enjoy the process. World of Tanks, as a generally less demanding game, already shows a much better result at 50-60 FPS, but only at the lowest graphics settings set automatically.
Camera
The main one is 13 megapixels, and the additional one is 0.08 megapixels
Of course, I did not expect revelations from the camera of a smartphone of the lower price segment, but the Tecno Spark 8C frankly does not shoot very well. During the day in the pictures every now and then there are flashes, at night the situation is close to complete blindness. The last photo in the gallery was not taken in the darkest conditions – it’s just that the smartphone decided not to process it in any way and not to pull information in the shadows. In general, for something more than scanning documents and photographing a schedule, I would advise you to look at other devices. By the way, on the back cover of the smartphone there is an additional module for measuring the depth of 0.08 megapixels. Should I say that he only takes up space?
The front camera does its job much better – especially if you do not turn on the portrait mode. Its resolution is 8 megapixels, which is enough for video calls and for occasional selfies from time to time. And Tecno Spark 8C has a front flash.
Battery
Excellent test result
Trashbox.ru battery test results:
27:47
26:19
25:27
24:54
23:29
23:10
19:30
19:10
19:07
17:07
15:25
14:18
13:45
13:03
13:00
11:49
11:31
11:28
11:21
10:27
10:18
9:32
All battery test results and test methodology description
Tecno Spark 8C is equipped with a 5000 mAh battery, which allowed it to take one of the top positions in the Trashbox.ru battery test rating. The smartphone played video over Wi-Fi at medium brightness for almost 25 and a half hours, which deserves respect. In real life, you can safely talk about two days of work without an outlet with moderate use. Of course, if you try to play World of Tanks and constantly shoot videos, the device will sit down much faster.
Alas, the outdated microUSB did not allow the manufacturer to implement support for fast charging, which is why users will have to wait about three hours before the Tecno Spark 8C shows the coveted 100% when using the bundled 10W unit. Not the most pleasant surprise.
Review
After two weeks of use
Based on the results of a two-week acquaintance, I can conclude that Tecno Spark 8C, despite the obvious disadvantages, gives quite a decent user experience. It seems to me that the set of characteristics necessary for the success of a budget smartphone, announced at the very beginning of the review, is assembled and balanced here in the right way: the battery holds a charge for an insane 25 hours, the hardware copes well with its tasks, and 64 GB of memory is enough for both the necessary programs and for multiple films.
The main problems of the smartphone in the form of a bad camera, a dim display and a microUSB connector, it seems to me, will not prevent it from becoming a bestseller – an unusual catchy design that distinguishes Spark 8C from competitors can also play a role in this.
pros
- Impressive autonomy.
- Interesting and original design.
- No issues with smoothness in normal use.
- Not bad, as for this segment, front camera with flash.
- Fast fingerprint scanner on the back.
Minuses
- outdated microUSB port.
- The display brightness is too low.
- Bad main camera.
Source: Trash Box
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
