Tecno Spark 40 Pro

At Rs. 54,999 for 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage, the Tecno Spark 40 Pro is one of the best-looking and best-equipped phones in its segment. Its standout features are a 1.5K 144Hz AMOLED screen and a remarkably slim 6.7 mm body.

Strengths:

• Sharp, bright 144Hz AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 7i
• Very slim and light, yet keeps a 3.5 mm jack, an IR blaster and a microSD slot
• 5200 mAh battery with 45W charging and the charger in the box
• 256 GB UFS 2.2 storage, NFC and a long list of Tecno AI features

Weaknesses:

• The Helio G100 Ultimate is not a big step up for gaming
• No ultra-wide camera, and photos lose detail when zoomed in
• Uncertain gyro and software update support

Alternatives: the Infinix Hot 60 Pro has a nearly identical screen and body, but uses the slightly stronger Helio G200 and lists up to three Android upgrades. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 at Rs. 50,999 offers a 108 MP camera, a bigger 5500 mAh battery and up to four Android upgrades, but slower 33W charging and a 120Hz screen.

Verdict: strong value for buyers who want a premium display and slim design at this price, with 256 GB of storage included.

The display is the Spark 40 Pro's biggest highlight. It is a flat 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with 1224 x 2720 (1.5K) resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate and very thin bezels.

• Sharpness: at about 440 ppi, text and images look crisper than on most phones at this price.
• Brightness: rated at 1600 nits in high-brightness mode and 4500 nits peak. Outdoor visibility is good.
• Colours: the default Original mode looks natural, and a Bright mode gives punchier AMOLED colours.
• Streaming: Widevine L1 support means streaming apps play in HD, and YouTube goes up to 1440p. 4K HDR videos on YouTube can stutter.
• Refresh rate: 144Hz has to be enabled per app in display settings.

The always-on display only shows for about 10 seconds after a tap, and system animations can feel slightly slow out of the box.

The MediaTek Helio G100 Ultimate (6 nm) is paired with 8 GB RAM (plus 8 GB virtual) and 256 GB UFS 2.2 storage. Daily performance is smooth, with good multitasking and decent app loading for the price.

• Gaming: PUBG Mobile offers up to 60fps settings, with Extreme frame rate on Smooth graphics and Ultra on HDR.
• Versus G200: in real use, the G100 Ultimate and the Helio G200 in the Infinix Hot 60 Pro perform almost the same.
• Gyroscope: reports differ on whether it is a hardware or software gyro, and GSMArena does not list a gyro, so serious PUBG gyro players should test it in-store.

It also has an IR blaster for ACs and TVs and a microSD slot alongside two SIMs.

The rear has a 50 MP main camera with an auxiliary depth lens, and the front has a 13 MP selfie camera with dual-LED flash. There is no ultra-wide lens.

• Daylight: photos look clean, with accurate and consistent colours. Zooming in shows a watercolour-like smoothing effect, so fine detail is limited.
• Low light: reports differ. Some find Super Night mode surprisingly usable even in very dark scenes, while others find the camera struggles at night.
• Selfies: the 13 MP front camera performs well in daylight and sometimes looks better than the rear.
• Video: both cameras record up to 2K (1440p) at 30fps. Video quality is decent, but keep your hands steady for the best results. Bokeh video is limited to 720p.

Portrait mode includes a 2x option, and AI Studio can extend or edit photos.

The Spark 40 Pro fits a 5200 mAh battery into a 6.7 mm body. Battery life is decent, but the bright 1.5K 144Hz AMOLED screen uses more power than the HD+ LCD screens on cheaper phones, so expect less endurance than those.

• Charging: 45W, and the 45W charger is included. A full charge takes about 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on the starting level.
• Reverse charging: 10W by cable for earbuds or another phone.
• Early drain: battery life tends to improve after the first week, as the phone learns your usage.

If maximum battery life matters more than the screen, the Redmi Note 14's 5500 mAh battery is worth a look.

The phone runs HiOS 15.1 on Android 15, and it gets many AI features that used to be limited to Tecno's Camon series:

• Ella voice assistant, AI Call Assistant with live call translation and call summaries
• AI subtitles that create live captions for videos without subtitles
• Circle to Search, AI Studio, AI writing, AI translate and AI notes
• Call noise suppression and call recording
• FreeLink for calls between Tecno phones without signal, plus NFC

The interface feels polished, but it still lacks app opening and closing animations.

On updates, reports differ: some claims mention three major Android updates and five years of security patches, but neither Tecno Pakistan nor GSMArena confirms any update policy. Treat long-term support as unconfirmed.