I have been using the Tecno Camon CX for almost 2 months which gave me an opportunity to use it for a good amount of time before doing the review. I use it as my primary camera device and I often use it with a selfie stick to take those great pics that I can’t comfortably take with my hand.
The main selling point of the Camon CX is that it is a selfie phone. The phone is retailing at Ksh. 19,999 which is a pretty decent price for a camera phone in that range. I got this phone to replace my Camon C9 which was stolen in Rusinga. I was devastated because I was in love with the camera. But help was on the way.
So, let’s start the review with the camera.
Camera
The Camon CX has both a 16 mexapixel camera for both front and back. The phone has a centered front camera.
For those who like to touch up photos and get that extra boost there is an inbuilt make up kit. You can put eyeliner, eyebrows, foundation and contact lenses. It has 8 make up modes so you can use what you want.
The night mode photos are clearer because of the LED. The Camon CX struggles to take great pictures in low light but the ones it takes are not bad. Which was a surprise for me because I thought they would turn out better.
It has a high-speed focus camera that allows you to take decent photos even on the move.
The pictures are clear are clear and I love them. But the pictures are still a bit grainy. I think this is something they need to work on as this is a camera phone. I tend to use beauty mode if the people are not so many and they are close as I can get much better pictures.
I also use this phone a lot in events to take videos and pictures and I must say it has not disappointed me when it comes to taking videos. I took all the pictures and videos for Safaricom Jazz with it – Kenyan All Jazz Stars #Safaricomjazz Was Epic. It Was So Good They Need To Do Another One
I am not really feeling the selfie mode with a wide angle. It has a panorama kind of effect and I have had to switch it off when taking pictures especially with a selfie stick because it wasnt taking the pics I wanted.
There is a watermark mode where you can put stickers on your photos. Because of the limited range, I found them kind of boring so I didn’t use them. I wish they could give you an option of making your own sticker.
Flip cover
I love the free flip cover which is beautiful. It is cool because it has a semicircular cut at the front and when flipped shut you can see the clock. If you swipe to the left you will get music and if you swipe it to the right there is a torch. I have to say though that I am not very comfortable with the flip cover because the times my phone has fallen (like twice) the cover comes off and goes one way and the phone another. I actually prefer the one they had for the C9.
Body
The phone back has a smooth finish unlike the Camon C9 which had a rough sandstone back cover. The aluminium unibody design is good, with a smooth finish. This phone has on screen navigation keys which can take time to get used to and which take up unnecessary space.
Battery
The Camon CX comes with a 3200 mAh battery. The battery life is good and can last for a long time even if you are using the internet so you don’t need the power bank all the time. It also has fast charge so in an hour you will have 100% charge well if you are not using it in the meantime. I also tend to use the ultra saving mode to preserve my battery and also limit what apps are working when I am working. The battery lasts longer on Wi-Fi. Now that we use our smartphones so much I hope they can do better with the battery.
The back cover is not removable so you can’t remove the battery which is an issue if it was to hang. The last time a different phone of mine hung I had to reset it and I lost everything. So, if this might be an issue for you make sure you have backed up your photos and stuff elsewhere.
Performance
The Camon CX runs on Android 7.0 Nougat with Skinned UI, HiOS 2. The HiOS is ok but I preferr using another Launcher for a better experience. The Camon CX has 32GB internal memory and 2B of Ram. If you want more storage you can add more storage, the CX has an SD Card provision that supports 128GB.
The apps run well but I have found that there is a lag with my Whatsapp to the extent that when I am on the app is when it brings up new messages. Twitter and others run well but my twitter app has a habit of sometimes going off when I am in the middle of typing something which is very annoying. It has not also handle multitasking very well and has some sluggishness. The phone slowed down just a bit when switching between apps.
There is a notification every other day from the Hi manager saying that the device is running low which can be annoying. I do check it occasionally to remove some trash but it’s annoying because you get it all the time even when it’s in an optimal state.
The one big issue I have with this phone is Wi-Fi. Since I work from home I use Wi-Fi. When I am upstairs in the house the wifi connection is so bad I have to use my other phone or use data bundles. It has serious issues with the Wi-Fi connections and this needs to be checked out. You have to be pretty close to the router to be able to take advantage of the Wi-Fi. The Camon C9 did not have this issue. I have asked around and I am not the only one with this issue.
Other features
People have said the design is borrowed from the iPhone. I don’t know about that. The back of the phone has the camera, the four LED flash and the fingerprint sensor. The phone has a 2.5D glass. The power buttons and the volume buttons are on the right, headphone jack at the top and the charging port and speakers are at the bottom.
The smartphone also includes features such as a customized ring flash, light speed charge and a 5.5 inch FHD (Full High Definition) screen, all allowing for ease of use on the go as well as the best quality images. The Tecno Camon CX comes with 3 months’ insurance for a broken screen, 24 hours fast repair and if your phone has a manufacturer’s fault at purchase you can exchange it within 15 days.
The Tecno Camon C9 is a great phone for its price range. I don’t know what’s going on with the Wi-Fi stuff (they need to sort that out) but otherwise, it is a great phone to have. It is a great entertainment device, and you can watch movies or play games. I use it as my primary phone for events and I think it is more than just a selfie phone. There is a lot you can do with it and it is definitely the phone you need to have if you love taking selfies or generally taking pictures at events.
Tecno Launches The Tecno Camon CX In Kenya
