Tecno Camon 50 Pro

Yes, if the camera matters more to you than speed. The Camon 50 Pro combines a real 3x telephoto with stabilisation, IP68/IP69K water and dust protection, a bright curved 1.5K AMOLED screen and a large battery, a mix no direct rival offers at this level.

In return you accept a 4G-only chip with modest performance, video limited to 2K, basic haptics and charging that takes over an hour. Opinions on the price split: some find it slightly overpriced for a 4G phone, while others point out that few box-packed phones offer this camera at all.

Verdict: a smart buy for photographers and outdoor users who rarely game; buyers who want 5G or gaming power should look at the Infinix Note 60 or the Camon 50 Ultra.

It has a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED panel with a 1.5K resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass, with very thin bezels. Tecno rates peak brightness at 4500 nits, and in hands-on use it stays readable even in direct sunlight. HDR and Widevine L1 support were listed for streaming apps, and the in-display fingerprint reader is quick.

Two limits come from the chip rather than the panel: 144Hz only works in some apps, and YouTube plays up to 1440p, not 2160p. High-resolution 4K 60fps files can also stutter in the built-in gallery player, though they play smoothly in apps such as MX Player. A screen protector comes in the box.

The Helio G200 Ultimate is a 6 nm 4G chip that performs almost exactly like the older G100, with AnTuTu scores of roughly 570,000 to 600,000. That is enough for smooth everyday use, social apps and casual games; PUBG runs at about 60fps on the smooth setting, but this is not a phone for competitive or heavy gaming.

Memory is 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM with 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage and no memory card slot. During 30 days of use, some lag and a few app crashes appeared when the camera and AI editing were used heavily at 43 to 44 degrees; Tecno's monthly updates fixed several of these. The upside of the modest chip is efficiency, which helps battery life.

This is the reason to buy it. The rear has a 50 MP Sony main camera with optical stabilisation, a 50 MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and stabilisation, and a modest 8 MP ultrawide; the front has a 32 MP wide-angle selfie camera. Photos are detailed with accurate colours, telephoto portraits look excellent, and AI zoom stretches to 60x for distant subjects.

The AI tools are genuinely useful: each photo gets suggested edits, AI HD enhancement can make blurry text such as phone numbers readable, and Flash Snap captures fast-moving subjects even on the telephoto. Aqua mode allows underwater photos and video.

The weak spot is video: both cameras record up to 2K at 30fps, with no 4K because of the chip, the steadiest stabilisation mode drops to 1080p, and the 8 MP ultrawide trails the other cameras.

All three hands-on accounts describe a 6500 mAh battery in the Pakistani unit, though some spec sheets, including ours, list 6150 mAh. Endurance settles after the first week, once the phone learns your routine: normal to medium use then lasts about 1.5 to 2 days, helped by the efficient chip. Tecno also says the battery is designed to stay healthy for five years.

A 45W charger is included. A full charge takes about 1 hour 15 minutes in an air-conditioned room and around 1.5 hours or more in summer heat. Bypass charging is supported for gaming. Several phones at this price charge faster, so this is decent rather than fast.

It runs HiOS 16 on Android 16, with widgets and lock-screen customisation, and it feels far more polished than older Tecno software. Tecno promises three major Android upgrades and five years of security updates; during a month of use, one or two updates arrived every month, though the older Camon 30 was still waiting for Android 16. Preinstalled extra apps can be deleted, and one hands-on missed app opening and closing animations.

The AI suite is broad: the Ella assistant, built-in access to ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok and Meta AI in one app, Circle to Search, writing tools, image style transfer and a symptom checker. Practical extras include automatic call recording, noise suppression on calls, NFC, an IR blaster, a customisable side button and Tap to Transfer with an iPhone. Many of the AI features are impressive, but most people will use only a few.