Tecno Spark 4 Review

Tecno Spark 4 Review: The Tecno Spark series has always been my favourite series from Tecno Mobile. Tecno first launched this series in August 2017 and according to the company, this series was meant for price cautious consumers who would not want to spend more than Kshs.10,000 on a smartphone.  Since then, we have had the Spark 2, Spark 3 and now the Spark 4 that was launched a few weeks ago.

Tecno Spark 4 is already selling in the market at a starting price of Ksh 11,399. Good price if you ask me, considering the specs. For example, we’re getting a 6.52-inch touchscreen display, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The device is powered by a quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 processor and runs Android 9 Pie and is powered by a 4000mAh battery. 

For Ksh.11,399 the above specs should be enough, remember it’s a budget phone so we really should not be asking for much. That said, the market is saturated with a number of budget phones, so does the Spark 4 really stand a chance? Well, let me share a few thoughts.

We already did the unboxing video for you which you can check and read about here. We also have a separate article highlighting the specs. You can check it here. 

I made the Tecno Spark 4 my primary phone for about two weeks and there is so much I can say about my experience during this entire period. The overall design is good, easy to use and handle despite the huge 6.52-inch display. 

Powered by a MediaTek’s Helio A22 processor, the Tecno Spark 4 guarantees some great user experience and reliability. 

This display panel is quite good, accurate colour reproduction and very responsive. The design is just similar to what we have seen in nearly all the recent smartphones from Tecno. Slightly curved edges, a non-removable plastic back cover, very thin bezels, except at the bottom where they look thinner.

There’s a waterdrop notch at the top which really think looks better although I am not a fan of notches. The phone fits perfectly in your hands so you really won’t have to struggle so much using it. 

As we mentioned earlier, the Tecno Spark 4 guarantees some high performance and reliable user experience. The phones runs on a Quad-core MediaTek MT6761 just like what we saw on its predecessor, the TECNO Spark 3. There’s 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Well, this is a budget phone and is able to handle your basic day to day tasks. 

If you’re a heavy user then this phone is definitely not meant for you. Multitasking proves to be quite a task when put to heavy use. Switching in between apps is also a struggle. Other basic stuff like browsing through social media, taking photos, texting work just fine. 

Do we really need to say anything bout the HiOS? Well, as usual, we’re still getting those annoying ads that appear on the lock screen as well as preinstalled bloatware which includes third-party and in-house apps. As we keep saying, hopefully, Tecno is one day going to do something about them.  If you want to enjoy a good user experience then just get a launcher, I use Nova all the time. 

The TECNO Spark 4 supports Faiba 4G and I also love the fact that it supports Safaricom’s 4G VoLTE.

For the battery, the Tecno Spark 4 comes with an upgraded battery capacity of 4000mAh. Remember the Spark 3 had a 3500mAh.  Never had any problems with the battery throughout my experience with the phone. 

The Tecno Spark 4 was able to last me an entire on heavy usage. I counted two days when doing the basics with the phone which included just phone calls, chats, and some bit of social media usage. Although it takes time to be fully charged – about an hour and a half from 0-100%, the overall battery performance is quite impressive. 

For camera lovers, you might be a bit disappointed with the cameras on the Tecno Spark 4. The selfie camera is 8 MP Front Camera and on the rear, there’s triple camera setup – 13 MP + 2 MP camera with features like Digital Zoom, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus. Camera modes include video, AI Cam, bokeh, beauty and portraits or selfies. 

Shots taken are well, decent,  but not really perfect. Selfies, for example, appear a bit grainy.  Same with all the other photos taken by the rear camera. If you want a good camera phone then just go and get a Camon 12. Check some sample shots below:

Click on the images to expand.

Tecno Spark 4 Specs

Should you buy the Tecno Spark 4?

If you’re a price-cautious consumer then you should get this phone. Remember as we mentioned at the beginning of this Tecno Spark 4 review article, the Spark series was meant for people who are so careful on how much they spend on a phone. The phone handles basic stuff although it lags behind when it comes to performance, especially for heavy users.

Again, for Ksh.11,399 there’s really not much you can ask for. Honestly speaking though, I would just add some Ksh 1000 and get myself the Tecno Camon 12. It offers more RAM, more storage and has way better cameras.

You can, however, grab a Spark 4 during this holiday season at any Tecno retail stores or Jumia. 

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