A few weeks ago, TECNO introduced two new flagships into the market while going global at the same time by expanding to South America and the Middle East. For a company that has largely focused on Africa, this was a major move.
The two devices were known as the TECNO Phantom 6 (also known as Beauty) and the TECNO Phantom 6 Plus (known as Phantom 6S in some markets and referred to as the Beast). Both devices were given the premium treatment with metal finishing, latest Android OS iteration, high-end specs amongst others.
TechAfri.ca got a review unit of the TECNO Phantom 6 Plus and below is my experience over the course of a few weeks afterwards.
Specs
- 2.0 GHz Deca-core Processor
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- 6.0″ Full HD Screen
- 64GB ROM (expandable)
- 4GB RAM
- Dual SIM capability.
- 21MP Autofocus rear camera with dual flash
- 8MP front camera with Flash
- 4,050mAh non-removable battery
- Fingerprint Identification
- Retina Scan Identification
- USB Type-C Port
Design
With a sleek metal fascia and champagne gold colour, this is a device that commanded attention everywhere, the size of course, added to that. It is intended to look like a premium device and it didn’t fail in that regard. Every inch of the device oozes class. The fingerprint is located at the back, under the flash and the 21MP camera which is not so bulgy.
The unit came with a smart jacket which was designed specifically for the 6Plus which I didn’t really enjoy because it made the 6″ device bulkier and it also made a circular mark on the thin screen protector. The USB-C port was awesome for the fast charging as touted but it posed a few problems because if I didn’t have my charger with me, I couldn’t get anyone to borrow from. In a way, this also makes the charger more secure as fewer people use that kind of device.
Performance
Given that this phone came pretty hyped, I was determined to push it hard and that I did. Irrespective of whatever I did on the device , it didn’t lag, not for half a second. At some point I shuttled between three graphics-heavy and resource-intense games while running other apps in the back and there was no form of lag. In fact, with the games, they just paused while I was on the other games rather become inactive and have to restart the entire game.
Somewhere along the line, I had over 70 different applications open and that is minus various background services.
Features
From the fingerprint which saved me on a few occasions to the retina scan which I somehow couldn’t get working, this flagship is packed full of delightful features. It would be remiss not to mention the Full HD screen which became my first choice for watching my HD movies. 64GB of ROM made it possible to simply pack it full of the latest movies and catch up on my favourite TV series. I don’t compromise on such nuances. The HiManager tries its best and several times, I felt like I was using the Infinix’s X Manager but it was one feature short – the App Lock.
Sound
The Phantom 6 Plus comes with two bottom speakers that are very impressive. I am an audiophile so believe me when I say this is a device yo want to have for music and impressive gaming sounds. The speakers are stereo speakers so there is no surprise there. The Boom Player and its accompanying Boom Maxx app did not fail to deliver at any point, whether I am using earphones, headphones or just playing directly from the device’s speakers.
Camera
With rear 21MP and 8MP front-facing camera, the pictures had to come out decent, at the very least. I am used to high-specced cameras disappointing so I usually install third party camera apps to achieve whatever I want. I use one in particular – DSLR. Eventually, I never had to use DSLR until I tried testing the quality of the pictures taken from both apps. The TECNO Phantom 6 Plus was not touted to be the best camera phone – that honour is for their Camon series but it performs nonetheless which is a great plus. However, the 80MP superfine mode is amazing to say the least.
Outdoor, Daytime Picture. In the 80MP Superfine Mode.
Indoor, Night Panoramic Shot
Battery
With 4050mAh, this is a device with a lot of firepower. It helps that it comes with fast charge from the USB type C charging port that comes with the new flagships. With a full charge and heavy usage (read gaming, movies, music, calls(I definitely don’t always pick), loads of messaging, browsing, social networking, reading and more), it took me through a full day. It will probably take regular users through more than that.
Price
The price range for this device is between N128k and N133 k at major outlets and even though that is nothing to sneeze at, for a device this powerful, it feels very affordable when compared to other devices in the same category in terms of packing the same or similar specs. This can definitely not be seen as a disadvantage.
Verdict
Having used this device for the past month, will I recommend this for someone else? Definitely! Why? If you want a powerful Android device at the fraction of the cost of more established brands, this is the phone you want. It feels premium and it is indeed a premium device and we couldn’t be more glad that this is TECNO’s 2016 flagship. We can’t wait to see what they come up next year, especially now that they are competing on an even bigger scale than before. You may decide not to take my word for it, it is sold out on Jumia.
