Tested Tecno Spark 7

This one sparks joy

With solid internals and a rather attractive build, the Spark 7 Pro stands out in an increasingly crowded mid-range

from R3 000 / game.co.za

■ The mid-range smartphone market is enjoying a bit of a renaissance, which goes to show that you don’t need to take out a second mortgage just to enjoy a good phone. The Spark 7 Pro, Tecno’s latest entry, does everything you’d need it to, and does it better than you’d expect it to for its asking price.

■ Specs-wise, there’s little to boast about but nothing to sniff at either. The display runs at 90Hz, which is attractive, though it runs at this speed on a 720p LCD display, which is less so. It gets the job done, but don’t expect it to hold a candle to more expensive devices. The built-in speakers are good enough for calls, but you’ll want some good headphones for your favourite tunes.

■ Under the hood, the Spark 7 Pro packs an octa-core Mediatek Helio G80 chipset and starts at 4GB of RAM, which struggles on taxing games but gets everything else done rather darn well. The camera sensors are competent, at 48MP in the front and 8MP around back, provided you aren’t shooting in particularly poor lighting.

■ The only real letdown is the design. It’s nice enough to look at, if a little basic. Unfortunately, the camera bump is extended to past the middle of the phone just for the sake of branding. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but we say it’s a bit of an eyesore.

Tech specs

Screen 6.6in IPS LCD Processor MediaTek Helio G80 RAM From 4GB Cameras Rear 48MP Front 8MP Battery 5000mAh OS HiOS 7.5 Storage 128GB Dimensions 164.9 x 76.2 x 8.8 mm

Gimme the juice The Spark 7 Pro packs a 5000mAh battery, plenty capable of taking on nearly two days of usage, even during Stage 4 load shedding.

Back tracking The fingerprint scanner is mounted on the back of the phone, which is just objectively slicker than any side or front mounted scanner.

■ Say hi to your OS

The Spark runs on Tecno’s proprietary HiOS operating system, which looks a lot like an Android 11/Chrome OS fusion. That is to say, it does what it does well, and looks good while doing it. ■ Double Trouble

Tecno’s kitted this little number out with dual-SIM functionality, so you can keep one on deck for local usage and one for when you’re travelling, which is great. More is more, so the saying goes.

STUFF SAYS Plenty of bang for not-so-much buck ★★★★✩

Sometimes, all it takes is a Spark

It won’t outdo current top-end devices, but it does vaguely resemble the top-of-the-line from a few years ago. The chipset is perfectly capable, the display is attractive and speedy (if a little low on the resolution end), the cameras are good enough provided the lighting is too, and the battery will last you a full day and then some when subjected to regular use. For R3 000, what you get for the price you pay is pretty damn impressive.