TECNO Spark 10 Pro Review: A Beautiful Mid-Ranger Phone

TECNO did exceptionally well at this year’s MWC event, where the company introduced its fresh new selfie champion, the TECNO Spark 10 Pro. TECNO’s success in the global emerging market has been credited to adapting its phones’ features to the local market’s needs. It is constantly committed to providing the users with the latest technology for the youth-generation consumers who are “young at heart”. The Spark 10 Pro model we’re reviewing features an excellent super clear selfie camera that will increase young people’s confidence in self-expression by allowing them to capture sharper and brighter selfies. It has more pixels and better photosensitive performance thanks to updated features such as Super Night Mode 3.0 and AI Portrait Restoration.

TECNO SPARK 10 PRO KEY FEATURES

The Tecno Spark 10 Pro is an intriguing entry-level smartphone with a high-end appearance, respectable specifications, and a large battery. It is touted as an affordable cameraphone because of its high-resolution primary and selfie cameras, as well as bright LED flashes adjacent to each.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Tecno Spark 10 Pro is its design, which is a dual-glass build with beautiful color options and an all-matt surface. The big IPS LCD panel has a 1080p resolution and a refresh rate of 90Hz. The rear appears very similar to the most current iPhones, which is presumably deliberate. Of course, appearances can be deceiving; the back has a 50MP primary camera, a depth sensor, and a dual-LED flash.

The front camera appears to be fascinating; it is a 32MP Quad-Bayer imager capable of shooting in both 8MP and 32MP levels. Oh, and there’s a dual-LED flash, so night selfie photography should be simple. The Helio G88 chipset powers the Spark 10 Pro, which has a big 5,000mAh battery and 18W fast charging capabilities. The phone runs Android 13 with Tecno’s own His 12 UI.

TECNO SPARK 10 PRO UNBOXING

The Tecno Spark 10 Pro’s retail package is jam-packed with amenities, which is unexpected given the smartphone’s low price. For starters, there’s an 18W charger and a USB cord.

Then there’s a soft, translucent case for added protection. In addition, a protective film is already coated on the phone’s screen. But there’s more! The Spark 10 bundle also contains a 3.5mm headset with a microphone, which is slightly reminiscent of Apple’s old wired EarPods. And, because the phone has an FM radio, your FM antenna will be ready to use straight out of the box.

CAMERA

This LED flash has three brightness settings: minimal, second, and third. The 32MP selfie camera with flash is useful for low-light situations. We obtained sharp shots, and the smartphone’s main selling point is the ability to take selfies. The selfie camera is nearly ideal for group shots, but it must be properly positioned to capture a large gathering with its selfie light.

The LED flash tucked into the top bezel is a feature found in a few cellphones (but common to Tecno). With three illumination levels and a 32MP sensor, this should produce some excellent evening selfies and movies. It also has some decent aluminum features.

Returning to the rear camera, it features a 50MP sensor and a brilliant f/1.6 lens (no OIS). Due to chipset constraints, the camera can only record 1080p video. The other two lenses have unclear characteristics.

They all support HDR/Super Night Mode/Panorama modes and can capture 120/240fps Slow Motion videos, 2K lapse videos, and stunning Panorama photographs.

The portrait mode offers nothing unusual; it is simply acceptable. The main topic is barely in focus, and there are times when the blur is quite intense. The 50MP sensor is useful for capturing details. However, as the images above demonstrate, the software powering the back cameras isn’t nearly up to snuff.

We shouldn’t expect the best-looking images; the TECNO Camon is better equipped for that task. The photos are enough for standard captures, such as papers and online classes.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

Tecno has created an excellent phone that has nothing to envy from smartphones in the category, including the best-sellers from Redmi and Realme. The 6.8-inch display features medium-sized bezels and a somewhat larger “chin”. The upper middle region includes a hole for the selfie camera.

The Spark 10 Pro is a contemporary smartphone with a notched design. The display itself is flat and large. Over the display, there is a wide hidden horizontal line for the earphone, which is precisely built to listen to your caller without having to center a tiny earpiece against your ear. In addition to computational improvements, the camera’s display has been updated this time. The first update is visible when you turn on the screen: Punch-hole Display. Although this type of display has been popular for a long time, many phones in the same price range still use water drop displays, thus this is also an upgrade.

The screen also supports greater refresh rates, with 90Hz being adequate for most everyday applications. I wouldn’t call the display particularly good, but it’s evident that the SPARK 10 Pro is doing its best.

The SPARK 10 Pro’s processor is the MediaTek Helio G88. While the G88 appears to be more powerful than the 9 Pro’s G85, the performance difference is insignificant. The G88 handles PUBG Mobile admirably, with HD graphics that remain consistent at 30 frames per second. If you have to play Genshin Impact on your entry phone, I have also tested it for you. It is not difficult to complete Commission Quests with the lowest graphics settings, but the gaming experience is not particularly enjoyable. For 10 minutes, 5% of the power was consumed. I believe that this entry-level phone is better suited to more casual gaming.

The SPARK 10 Pro is a pretty intriguing phone. Even in 2023, an entry-level phone focused on selfies is extremely rare. To allow more people to enjoy selfies, it not only lowers the price but also does not lag behind other phones in terms of specifications.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

TECNO SPARK 10 Pro is powered by an 8-core Helio G88 processor, which has two high-performance Cortex-A75 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz and six energy-efficient Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 1.8 GHz. ARM Mali-G52 MC2 handles graphics processing. The smartphone will be offered in two versions: 8/256 GB, as described in our review, and a junior 8/128 GB version, which should be available soon. In both circumstances, memory cards of up to 256 GB are supported. However, the older version has one advantage over the younger version: the possibility to boost the amount of RAM by another 8 GB via a flash drive, resulting in 16 GB of RAM.

We have everything we need for wireless communications, including Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and GPS. Although the processor of the SPARK 10 Pro is ordinary, they did not spare any RAM. Because of this, the smartphone operates quickly and correctly, and the 90Hz refresh rate makes it smoother and more pleasurable. It works well in multitasking mode, allowing you to play modern mobile games (particularly challenging ones – at low or medium graphics settings) and complete any task that a smartphone is used for nowadays. During testing, we experienced no power shortages, and the gadget handled all tasks without issue.

Buy it if...

• Premium build and appearance.
• Long battery life.
• Excellent video and satisfactory photo quality.
• Dual-LED flash on both sides.
• A 256GB version is more affordable.
• Standalone microSD slot, 3.5mm jack, FM radio, and NFC.

Don't buy it if…

• The performance isn’t fantastic.
• Inconsistent screen brightness control.
• Slow charging.
• Speaker quality and volume are poor.

FULL SPECIFICATION