Tecno Camon 40 Premier

At Rs. 119,999 for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, the Tecno Camon 40 Premier is good value for buyers who care most about cameras, video and gaming power. Few phones at this price offer a 3x periscope zoom camera, 4K at 60fps on every rear lens, and a chipset that handles demanding games at high settings.

Main advantages:

• Three 50MP rear cameras with strong daylight and low-light photos
• Dimensity 8350 performance with smooth gaming
• IP68 and IP69 water and dust resistance, plus an IR blaster and NFC

Main compromises:

• Battery life is weaker than the Camon 30 Premier in GSMArena's tests
• 70W charging is good, but faster charging exists at this price
• No memory card slot, so 256GB is all the storage you get

Verdict: a strong pick for photography and video lovers. Buyers who put battery life first should also look at the Vivo V70 FE, which has a much bigger battery but a weaker chipset and no zoom camera.

The Camon 40 Premier has a 6.67-inch LTPO AMOLED screen with a 1260 x 2800 resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate, so scrolling and gaming feel very smooth. Colours look rich, and HDR support helps with streaming content.

2160Hz PWM dimming is a useful extra: GSMArena notes that high-frequency PWM puts less strain on the eyes during long use, which matters for people who read or browse at night.

Outdoor visibility: the official peak brightness is 1600 nits, and some hands-on reports say the screen is easy to use in direct sunlight. GSMArena's brightness test, however, measured much lower and found it short for comfortable outdoor use. Reports differ, so outdoor brightness is the one area to check in a shop before buying.

The front is protected by Gorilla Glass 7i, and an under-display fingerprint scanner unlocks quickly.

The phone runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 8350, built on a 4nm process, with 12GB RAM in the Pakistani variant.

Everyday use: apps open quickly and the phone stays free of lag in normal use and multitasking.

Gaming: PUBG Mobile offers Ultra Extreme graphics on the Smooth setting, and Ultra when HDR graphics are selected. Higher settings were not offered. This makes it one of the stronger gaming phones around its price.

Limits: benchmark scores reported for this phone vary, so it is better judged by how games run than by a single number. Long gaming sessions also drain the 5100mAh battery faster than on phones with bigger batteries.

The camera is the main reason to buy the Camon 40 Premier. All three rear cameras use 50MP sensors: a main camera with optical image stabilisation, an ultrawide, and a 3x periscope telephoto.

Photos: daylight shots from both the front and rear cameras are sharp and detailed. After each shot, a built-in AI mode enhances the photo on the phone itself, with no internet needed, and the results are a clear step up for a Tecno phone. Low-light photos are also strong. The ultrawide is good enough that the AI frame-extend tool is rarely needed.

Video: the phone records 4K at 60fps on the main, ultrawide and zoom cameras, and Ultra Steady electronic stabilisation works even at that setting. The 50MP front camera also records 4K with Ultra Steady mode. Rear-camera video in low light looks good, but front-camera video in low light is weak.

Extras: FlashSnap mode can take photos automatically when it detects fast movement, such as running or jumping, and works on all three rear cameras. Dual video recording is also available. Online AI Studio tools such as AI Sharpness+ need an internet connection.

The Camon 40 Premier has a 5100mAh silicon-carbon battery with 70W wired charging, and a 70W charger comes in the box.

Battery life: GSMArena's tests found shorter battery life than the older Camon 30 Premier, with less time in video playback and in gaming. A 5100mAh battery is adequate, but many newer phones now carry much bigger cells.

Charging: GSMArena found that a full charge takes under an hour. The faster Hyper mode has to be picked from a notification after plugging in; otherwise the phone uses its default Smart charging. Some rivals at this price charge even faster.

There is no wireless charging.

The phone runs Android 15 with HiOS 15, and Tecno promises up to 3 major Android upgrades.

AI features are a big focus, with a full Tecno AI section in settings:

• Ella, Tecno's voice assistant, with DeepSeek integration
• Call assistant that can translate during calls
• AI Visual Enhancer, which improves videos at 720p or lower. It helps noticeably with 480p and 720p videos but does little for very low-quality clips, and it leaves 1080p videos alone

An IR blaster lets the phone work as a TV or AC remote, and NFC is included. Tecno phones in Pakistan come with a 12 + 1 month warranty.