Just like any other technology leader, Tecno has also braced the path of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the overall experience for its users. The company on Friday at its flagship store at Arena Mall in Nsambya launched an AI-powered ecosystem consisting of a series of flagship devices including smartphones, laptops, wearables, earbuds, gaming devices, and Dyanmic 1 (a robot dog).
“Tecno’s ethos has always been to create an exceptional range of products and services that meaningfully improve people’s lives. With the advent of AI we are committed to becoming a leader in this field, ” said Timmy Shen, Tecno Brand Manager.
As the company celebrated its 16th anniversary in Africa, a heritage they say “they’re so proud of” —Shen noted that much of their product innovation stems from listening to their customers. “We are excited to hear what our customers think of our latest AI-powered devices and services —and we will stop at nothing in our ambition to be the brand people trust to deliver true innovation.”
Among the devices the company launched today —powered by artificial intelligence include the Phantom V Series; which was the headliner of the launch, Tecno Spark 30S; an addition to the Spark series, MEGABOOK T16 series laptops; which according to the company offers top-tier performance with AI tools to boost productivity, MEGAPAD 10 tablet, MEGA MINI Gaming G1 water-cooled mini PC, Pocket Go; a mimic of VR-gaming, Sonic 2 noise-canceling earbuds, and Dynamic 1; german shepherd-inspired robotic dog.
Without a doubt, the product lineup was impressive —showcasing Tecno’s comprehensive innovation across hardware and software, with breakthroughs in areas such as productivity, creativity, connectivity, photography, performance, and design, delivering smarter, more connected experiences for users. They come with the company’s AI Assistant, Ella which is built on Google Gemini —which offers text generation and creative tools —and other key AI features including Smart Q&A, AI photo editing, AI writing, AI search, AI artboard, and AI video production, etc., all designed to streamline tasks and enrich everyday experiences.
Tecno gave a chance to all attendees to try out all these products —and effective Friday, they are available for purchase except for Dynamic 1.
The Phantom V Series
Tecno began by launching the Phantom V series as the event’s main headliner. The new phones; the Phantom V Flip2 and the Phantom V Fold2 are the second in the series and they come with some minor upgrades and improvements compared to their predecessors that were launched last year in September —the biggest upgrade is that both phones come with the maker’s own AI Suite —making them the first devices to have the features straight out of the box.
The Phantom V Fold2 evolves from its predecessor while keeping some key specs, like the Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ —good for gaming “somewhat”, the 7.85-inch inner screen, and the 6.42-inch cover AMOLED display. The big change is the body, which is about 6.1 mm thin when unfolded and under 12 mm when folded. Despite the increased battery size, the phone has lost a lot of weight —from 299g to 249g — as we know weight is a strong factor when it comes to a phone.
Under the hood, the Fold2 comes with Android 14 coupled with HiOS 14, an Octa-core processor, 12GB RAM; which can be expanded virtually, and onboard storage of 512GB. The phone comes with a 5,750mAh battery and supports 70W wired and 15W wireless charging.
The Phantom V Fold2 has an Ella AI assistant, powered by Google Gemini. The AI features Smart Q&A (a chatbot for real-time answers), AI Summary to use in PDFs and webpages, AI Translation with live translation during calls, and AI Writing for text summary, creative writing, proofreading, and rewriting capabilities. Some other features that will utilize the big screen are AI Artboard, which turns scribbles into drawings, and AI Wallpaper, which allows users to create a wallpaper from a simple text prompt. Tecno is also using AI to boost its Universal Tone Technology, which accurately captures diverse skin tones in photos.
For the imaging and optics, the camera island on Fold2 has been completely redesigned. The island is much neater and clearer replacing the trypophobia-inducing look of last year’s Fold. On the island sits a trio camera setup with a 50MP sensor for three cameras; the main wide, an ultra-wide shooter, and a portrait lens. On the front, there are two 32 MP selfie cameras behind punch holes —one on the cover screen and the other on the inner screen. This makes the Phantom V Fold2 boast a 5-lens camera system with ultra-clear low-light shooting and professional portrait features like Universal Tone for accurate skin tones.
For the availability, price, and color; the phone is available for purchase in all Tecno stores countrywide, and at authorized phone dealers and comes in two color options; Karst Green and Rippling Blue. The phone is priced at UGX4,300,000.
The Phantom V Flip2 on the other side also comes with some upgrades —one being a big cover screen with a resolution of 1,056 x 1,056 instead of the small circle first seen in the Phantom V Flip. The 3.64″ square panel uses most of the cover and wraps around the cameras. Bruce Dickson, Tecno’s Product Consultant in his presentation noted that the cover screen can support over 200 apps to “make life easy for users who often don’t even need to open up the main screen. The main screen is 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED with Full HD+ resolution.
Unlike the Fold, the Flip did not see any significant changes in weight or size—it is still a sub-200 gr foldable—7.6 mm thin when unfolded and 16 mm thin when folded.
Under the hood, the Flip2 comes with Android 14 coupled with HIOS 14, a Mediatek Dimensity 8020 chipset, an Octa-core processor, 8GB RAM which can be virtually expanded, and 256GB onboard storage. The phone comes with a 4,720 mAh battery, which is one of the biggest cells among flip foldables. Tecno claims the 70W charging provides 50% charge in 15 minutes and a full battery in 50 minutes.
The Flip2 comes with dual cameras on the back, and both have 50 MP sensors. Tecno also placed one selfie camera on the inner screen with a 32 MP sensor and autofocus.
The Phantom V Flip2 has all the AI features in the Fold2; AI Translation, AI Writing, the voice assistant Ella, and others.
For the availability, price, and color; the phone is available for purchase in all Tecno stores countrywide, and at authorized phone dealers and comes in two color options; Travertine Green and Moondust Grey. The phone is priced at UGX2,600,000.
Tecno Camon 30S
Tecno also unveiled two new additions to the Spark series; the Camon 30S and Camone 30S Pro. The new variants are an addition to the 5 models that the company unveiled in September —which now brings the total of the Spark 30 series to 7 devices. There was no comment as to why they were launched separately.
The devices don’t differ that much by specs. In similarity, both devices are powered by Tecno’s AI; Ella, Dual SIM, IP53 certified; dust and splash resistant, AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 12oHz, and a screen resolution of 1080 x 2436 pixels. Both have a screen size of 6.78 inches and have Corning Gorilla Glass protection.
Under the hood, they both come with Mediatek Helio G100 (6 nm) chipset; which is good enough for high performance (for a phone in its bracket), an Octa-core processor, Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, and runs on the Android 14 operating system which is coupled with HIOS 14. They are powered by a 5,000mAh battery and unlike the which supports 33W wired charging, the Pro version supports 45W wired charging and 20W wireless charging. As advertised by the company, the wired charging on both devices can fill up the phone from 0-100% in 45 minutes.
The cameras are the same as well; a duo rear setup, 50MP (wide) + 2MP (depth), and as for the front-facing camera, a 13MP sensor.
There’s no earphone jack.
In terms of storage, unlike the Pro version that comes with 8GB and 256GB onboard storage, the 30S comes with the same version as the Pro but with two more storage options; 6GB RAM + 128GB, and 8GB RAM + 128GB 8GB.
For pricing, colors, and availability, the phones are available for purchase starting at UGX798,000 for the Camon 30 and UGX978,000 for the Camon 30S Pro. The Camon 30S comes in Nebula Violet, and Blue color options while the Pro version comes in Interstellar Grey, Pearl Gold, and Shim Silver Green colors.
