Tecno Pova 4
Tecno Pova 4 Review: Gaming on a Budget
Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Tecno Mobile is situated in Shenzhen. It was founded in 2006 as a subsidiary of Transsion holdings. Tecno Mobile has created a reputation in the mid-range smartphone market over the last decade. Holding this legacy, the company recently launched its mid-range gaming smartphone, Tecno Pova 4. The phone was officially launched in Bangladesh on 6th October 2022. Let’s take a look at the key specs, pros, and cons of Tecno Pova 4.
Key Specifications of Tecno Pova 4
Design and Build Quality
The design of the Pova 4 is probably the most striking and eye-catching feature of the device. Even though the device is made from plastic, there’s a distinctly geometric design on the back. The brushed and polished back makes for an impressive aesthetic with the camera housing having the most unconventional and attractive design.
The two vertical camera lenses on the back side reminisce iPhone 12. But that’s a design choice we’ve seen increasingly on the budget to mid-range devices and the Pova 4 honestly pulls it off.
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Its dimensions are 170.59 mm high, 77.52mm wide, and 8.7mm thick. The build quality of the device is passable. It’s nothing sturdy and the device feels light in the hand because of the plastic build. The ports and button choices are the same as usual.
The fingerprint sensor is housed on the power button as usual. The existing sim tray also houses expandable storage. Type-C port, single loudspeaker, and 3.5 mm headphone jack are all located on the bottom of the device.
On the whole, the Pova 4 brings a breath of fresh air to stagnating design choices. But it's only visible if you use a clear case or no case at all. Techno Pove 4 is available in two colours: Uranolith Grey and Fluorite Blue.
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Display
The 6.82" HD+ display of the Pova 4 is an LCD panel with a 90 Hz refresh rate. It is quite common that in budget devices the cost-saving measure is applied on either display or processor. Since Tecno Mobile is marketing the Pova 4 as a budget gaming device, the obvious choice of LCD over AMOLED is understandable.
But what doesn’t make sense is the resolution. The Pova 4 has a 720P resolution which is good enough for only 257 PPI. The low resolution combined with LCD technology makes for a lackluster experience overall.
Considering devices like Redmi Note 11 SE or POCO F1 priced in a similar bracket comes with FHD+ AMOLED panels. Therefore, the manufacturer's choice of a 720P panel in Pova 4 isn’t really justifiable.
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The display won’t blow you away as a deeper look easily allows you to see the individual pixel. But for day-to-day usage, the panel holds up pretty well. And it's true for outdoor experience as well. But will it be a multimedia consumption device? Probably not.
Camera
One of the prime complaints with Tecno phones is their average cameras. With the prime focus on gaming, it was expected that photography would take a backseat on the Pova 4. And it did.
The dual camera on the back features a 50 MP main sensor along with a secondary sensor which is unrated. The camera work is mainly done by the main sensor here.
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Like the ancestor Pova 3, Tecno Mobile doesn’t bring any hardware improvement in the camera segment of Pova 4.
The main camera has PDAF which is its only notable feature. Tecno claims that they are using AI for the main camera pictures which can render better post-processing.
The pictures from the main camera came out decent in bright outdoor light. The camera has a dedicated HDR mode which also enhances the picture quality in both outdoor and indoor lighting.
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The main camera can shoot videos up to 1440P at 30 fps which is a welcome addition.
On the front users will get a generic 8 MP camera whose capabilities are limited to 1080P.
Overall, the camera performance pales in comparison to some of its competitors. The quality of images could’ve definitely been better on the Pova 4.
Processor and Performance
Tecno Pova 4 is powered by a MediaTek MT8781 Helio G99 processor based on the 6 Nm architecture. G99 is a well-capable processor in the budget segment. It’s an octa-core one with 2 2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 and 6 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 chips. The processor has been tweaked a bit to clock higher performance than usual.
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The G99 is complemented by the Mali-G52 MC2 GPU. This device runs on Android 12 OS. Pova 4 sports 8GB RAM combined with 128GB ROM.
Speaking of performance, the G99 absolutely breezes past everything. It perfectly handles whatever is thrown at it without a hiccup. Leading gaming titles like Asphalt 9, COD or PUBG easily runs at max settings which were otherwise not possible before.
Even though it’s a capable processor, it does tend to heat up the device quite easily. A mere 30 minutes of gaming at the highest setting will cause the device to really heat up and thermal throttle.
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Still, the performance combined with a 90 Hz smooth refresh rate makes for an impressive UI experience.
Battery and Charge Time
The battery on the Tecno Pova 4 is 6000 mAh. The device also supports fast charging up to 18W. Given the efficient chip and the HD display, users will get an amazing battery life on the device. However, with just 18 W of fast charging, the charge will be much higher, unfortunately.
Other Features
Tecno Pova 4 bears a bunch of handy sensors: G-Sensor, Electronic compass, NFC, Ambient Light Distance sensor, Gyroscope, and Fingerprint Sensor.
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It also has other necessary features like Bluetooth, GPS, FM, WiFi, OTG, etc.
Official Price of Tecno Pova 4 in Bangladesh
The price of the Tecno Pova 4 is 21,990 BDT for the 8/128 GB model. The 8/128 GB version of the device is the only available model in Bangladesh. The price is subject to change.
Final Words
The Tecno Mobile company has slowly evolved into a market dominator in Africa and South Asia. Tecno Phones have gained a reputation in Bangladesh too.
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Like its predecessor, the Pova 4, the latest addition to the Pova lineup, brings high performance at an affordable entry-level budget price. But it comes at some cut corners.
The display and the camera are probably the main downsides of the Pova 4. These segments are something that Tecno Mobile needs to work its way through. Other than that, the device brings an innovative design, a capable processor, and an amazing battery life.
So, who is this for actually? Anyone looking for a solid daily driver or an entry-level gaming smartphone can easily consider the Tecno Pova 4.
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