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ICYMI: Tecno will Launch the Camon 30 Series in the Philippines on May 10!

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Tecno is joining the round camera island bandwagon!

Two months ago in MWC, Tecno joined the big leagues. In their booth, they have presented their most sophisticated photography-centric smartphone yet, the Camon 30 series! The phone was launched earlier in some countries like India and Indian creators got their hands on one of the phones, mostly the Premier and the Pro. They were actually surprised how well-tuned the cameras are for a company that’s only getting global recognition now. That’s a great sign Tecno and by extension, Transsion, is highly improving and are being competitive!

One of their biggest markets is the Philippines. Transsion currently leads the smartphone race here thanks to their consumer-focused identity. Of course, they are not going to miss out on the Camon 30 series. They brought the POVA 6 and the Infinix Note 40 series, it just makes sense they bring their most anticipated camera contender yet.

There are five phones in the series, each with a similar design but distinct features fit for their price range. These phones include the Camon 30 Premier, Camon 30 Pro, Camon 30 5G, and Camon 30 4G.

Speaking of design. Without that extrusion at the back and distinct texture, we could have easily mistaken it for a OnePlus because of the rounded camera island and similar color schemes. One big difference is that the display on the Camon 30 series is flat unlike OnePlus’ number series where it is curved.

TECNO CAMON 30 PREMIER

In the highest end of the spectrum is the Camon 30 Premier. Four cameras including the front. All functional, all 50MP. Yep, Tecno is bringing a real “Quad 50MP camera” experience right at the board.

Since the phone is all about cameras, it is essential we discuss that first. The back features the primary Sony IMX890 flagship camera, then the ultrawide, then finally, the telephoto camera with 3x optical periscopic zoom. You can tell because it’s the only one that is square-shaped. According to Tecno, there are specialized chips inside of each cameras supplied by Sony which helps its AI algorithms find the most suitable areas to improve on the image post-process. This type of post-processing happened with our Vivo V30 Pro as well, so we believe Tecno is using some kind of similar algorithm. This makes night shots, in theory, look bright and colorful even when the environment has zero lighting.

Only the periscope and primary cameras get Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). The ultrawide is once again left in the dust. However, this means you can shoot in full 50MP with all four cameras, if you prefer stuffing your phone with space that is, or you want to set up a billboard. Theoretically, under “auto” mode, each image is 4-in-1 binned, so the resulting image should have at least 12.5MP resolution.

How about that red dot at the top left corner? Do you know how cameras have red indicators for videos? That red dot is supposed to simulate that feeling. Aside from this, it’s also a stylized notification LED so it can tell whether the phone has a dying battery and also functions as an IR indicator, hinting the very existence of an IR Blaster.

Now, how about the others? Well, pretty standard for a midrange but way out of the water if it’s priced aggressively. If this phone is priced at a sub-25K price point, then yes, Transsion will kill the competition again and makes phones of a similar contender, like our Vivo V30 Pro, up for a challenge, even if that has Zeiss optimization and lenses.

The display has been improved since the Camon 20 Premier and no longer the phones have this “gamey” look to it. It just doesn’t feel right for a phone intended for photography. However, we also saw the circular soft light not make an appearance this time. The display is LTPO 4.0 with 120Hz refresh rate. It also has 1.5K resolution and 2160Hz PWM Dimming that resists flickers. Standard affair for a phone with this much value.

Next, it uses a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 chipset. Not just any type, it’s the Ultimate variant. What’s so “ultimate” about it? The name and possibly the custom Sony ISP chip inside. If the specs look familiar to you, that’s because the Vivo V30 Pro feature almost the same exact spec sheet! The Camon 30 Premier even comes with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. Same as the Vivo V30 Pro.

The phone has a 5000mAh battery with a complementary 70W fast charging, only ten Watts away from the Vivo V30 Pro. Of course, it has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, 5G services, and an in-display fingerprint scanner. We heard this phone also has an IR Blaster. That’s a first for Transsion.

There is no word for the price. Better wait until May 10. Its colors include Hawaii Lava Black and Alps Snowy Silver. Going full OnePlus doesn’t also mean creeping up the price so drastically and we don’t think Tecno will ever do that.

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TECNO CAMON 30 PRO

It’s good to know that the Camon 30 Pro actually feels distinct from the Premier. The biggest change are the camera arrangements. It’s far more spaced out this time but still retains the “zoom ring” camera island design as Tecno would put it.

This time around, Tecno is more straightforward with the listing on its website. It retains similar features as the Premier, such as the 50MP Sony IMX890 primary, Dimensity 8200 Ultra chipset with 12GB RAM and 512GB ROM, and AMOLED screen. There are still some noticeable differences though.

Starting with the display. The refresh rate is faster now at 144Hz but at the cost of its resolution. It is dropped to FullHD+ (1920x1080px) and the AMOLED used here probably is not LTPO since now Tecno has no mention of it on the Pro. However, regular users, those who are not as tech-savvy, might not be able to find a difference.

In place of a telephoto, there is the boring, should-not-have-been-there 2MP depth camera. The front retains the same 50MP selfie camera as on the Premier

Among other things, the phone remains identical. From its connectivity, to the battery and charging, and ports. Same colors too.

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TECNO CAMON 30 5G:

The Camon 30 5G once again uses the camera arrangement of the Premier. Transsion isn’t really known for its consistency but still, they are at least more consistent than Xiaomi or realme ever will. The main difference now between this and the Premier is the inclusion of a third color called Emerald Lake Green.

Again, the same 50MP Sony IMX890 camera was kept but this done is drastically watered down, a lot. It uses a weaker chipset, a MediaTek Dimensity 7020 (same as Infinix Note 40 Pro Plus) and the cameras that the Premier is known for has been removed for a disappointing 2MP fillers. That’s a DRASTIC change. Thankfully, the 50MP selfie isn’t affected.

The storage is also cut in half but it has the same amount of RAM (12/256). The display used is the same as the Pro but the refresh rate is toned down to 120Hz. Its battery is still supplemented with 70W fast charging and the stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos still remains.

In general, it is a highly watered-down Camon 30 Premier. Only the Emerald Lake Green uses Vegan Leather. Its two other colours include Iceland Basaltic Dark and Uyuni Salt White. Transsion isn’t also the best at naming colors but at least they sound unique, like the first Google Pixel’s Really Blue.

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TECNO CAMON 30 4G:

The last phone in the series, the weakest one at that, and with a new Sahara Sand Brown colour, the 4G version of the Camon 30, is here! If the 5G is already pretty much dumbed down, what can the Camon 30 offer apart from its trendy-looking design?

So, the phone retains almost every feature of the 5G version. These include the 50MP Sony IMX890, IR Blaster, 70W fast charging, FullHD+ 120Hz AMOLED, and 50MP selfie camera. If you guessed “MediaTek Helio G99” inside, then you could not have been anymore right! It’s quite predictable nowadays, especially for Transsion, a company that no longer use any Qualcomm chipset.

That’s basically about it for the Camon 30 4G. See you in the next article.

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