Tecno Camon 40 Pro

At Rs. 66,999 for 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, the Tecno Camon 40 Pro is good value if you buy a phone for its camera, screen and toughness, and less convincing if you want gaming power.

Main advantages:

• A 50MP Sony main camera with OIS that is one of the strongest in its price range
• A 50MP selfie camera, where most rivals offer far less
• Curved 120Hz AMOLED screen, Gorilla Glass 7i and IP68/IP69 water and dust resistance
• Slim 7.3mm body at 178 g, with stereo speakers, NFC and an IR blaster

Main compromises:

• The Helio G100 Ultimate is a familiar 4G chipset that feels underpowered for heavy gaming and video editing at this price
• 4G only, with no 5G support
• No wireless charging

Alternatives: the Infinix Note 50 performs about the same and adds wireless charging and an aluminium frame, but its rear video is shakier. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 (Rs. 68,999) uses a similar Helio G100 Ultra chip with a bigger 6000mAh battery, a memory card slot and a longer update promise, but only IP64 splash resistance.

Verdict: a smart pick for camera-focused buyers who want a tough, slim phone. Performance-first buyers should look elsewhere.

The Camon 40 Pro has a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED screen with a 1080 x 2436 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Scrolling is smooth, colours are vivid, and the curved edges make the bezels look thinner. It is one of the nicest screens in this price range.

Brightness: indoor and outdoor visibility is good for the class, on par with the Infinix Note 50.

Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 7i covers the front, and an optical in-display fingerprint scanner is built in. Face unlock is also quick.

Limitations:

• The always-on display only stays on for about 10 seconds after a tap
• A curved screen is a matter of taste. Buyers who prefer flat screens, or who worry about costly screen repairs, should keep that in mind

The phone uses the MediaTek Helio G100 Ultimate (6nm) with 8GB RAM, plus 8GB of virtual RAM that the box counts as 16GB.

Everyday use: social media, browsing and calls run smoothly, and the chipset is efficient, which helps battery life.

Gaming: PUBG Mobile runs at good frame rates on Smooth graphics and at high frame rates on HD settings. Do not expect anything beyond that: this chip belongs to the same family that has sat in this price range for several years. A vapour chamber cooling system is included.

Heat: the area around the camera gets warm under load, but performance does not drop after the phone heats up.

Limits: for heavy gaming or video editing, the Helio G100 Ultimate is underpowered for the price. Storage type is reported as UFS 2.1 or UFS 2.2, both slower than the storage in 5G rivals.

The camera is the Camon 40 Pro's biggest strength. It has a 50MP Sony LYT-700C main camera with OIS, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 50MP selfie camera.

Main camera: daylight photos are detailed, with balanced dynamic range and natural skin tones, and the main camera ranks among the best in its price range. Photos are saved at 12.5MP by default, with a separate 50MP mode for extra detail. Some shots look a little overexposed, and low-light photos show some noise.

Ultrawide: good in daylight, but it sometimes struggles to focus in low light. Often the main camera plus the AI Extend tool gives a better wide shot, though AI Extend needs an internet connection.

Portraits: three portrait focal lengths are available (23mm, 35mm and 50mm), and portraits look better than on the Infinix Note 50.

Selfies: the 50MP front camera handles bright lights behind you without the exposure jumping, and a screen ring light helps in the dark. Reports differ on front photos: the Infinix Note 50 does better in some conditions.

Video: both cameras record up to 2K at 30fps. With stabilisation turned on, video drops to 1080p at 30fps. OIS keeps rear video steady, including a stable mode at 1080p 60fps.

Extras: FlashSnap captures fast-moving subjects such as a person jumping, AI Eraser 2.0 removes objects and fills the gap, and AI Sharpness sharpens blurry shots.

The Camon 40 Pro has a 5200mAh battery with 45W wired charging, and a 45W charger and USB-A to USB-C cable come in the box.

Battery life: with normal use and always-on display off, expect around 7 to 8 hours of screen-on time, which is a full day. With continuous use, screen-on time is around 5 to 6 hours. Using the phone outdoors at high brightness cuts a few hours off.

Charging: official figures are 50% in 23 minutes and a full charge in 43 minutes, which is quick for this price.

Limitation: there is no wireless charging. The Infinix Note 50 offers it at a similar price, and the Redmi Note 15 has a larger 6000mAh battery.

The phone runs Android 15 with HiOS 15, and Tecno promises up to 3 major Android upgrades, which would take it to Android 18. The redesigned control centre and new icons make it feel modern.

AI features:

• Ella assistant, with an option to use DeepSeek R1
• Call assistant with call summaries and live call translation, including English and Urdu, but only a few languages so far
• Social assistant that also works on WhatsApp calls
• Writing and document assistants, recording summaries, and Circle to Search

One Tap button: the side button can be customised, for example double press for the FlashSnap camera and single press for mute or the flashlight. A small red indicator light near the camera blinks for calls and notifications.

Ads and bloatware: ads are few, but quite a few apps come preinstalled. Most of them can be deleted. Opinions differ on animations: app opening and closing animations can feel abrupt.

The call dialer includes automatic call recording.