Pictures: Supplied
Tecno has been making inroads across the African continent for the past decade with affordable phones that still contain high-end specs. Now that approach is standard among handset makers targeting the youth, and the brand has had to up its game.
The new Tecno Spark 8C, launched in South Africa this month, spreads the target among three sets of consumers with diverse needs, but similar budgetary limitations: university-age youths, entry-level workers and budding entrepreneurs. The one thing they all have in common is youth, but the use case for the device is different for all three.
It is an entertainment-oriented device, with a large 6.6-inch display, and 90Hz screen refresh rate, along with a long-lasting 5000 mAh battery. This means it is great for gaming and watching videos, two of the most common mobile activities of young users.
For the entrepreneur, on the other hand, multitasking is given a boost with the device’s new Memory Fusion technology. This makes use of unused read-only memory (ROM) and channels it for RAM operations. Allocating more storage to RAM enhances multi-tasking, by allowing for seamless switching between applications running concurrently in the background. This, in turn, makes for longer battery life.
The Spark 8 is the first in the affordable Spark series to get the technology, which extends its 4GB RAM to 7GB RAM, in line with higher-cost mid-range phones. It makes decent photos and videos, with an 8MP front camera with flash, and a 13MP AI-enhanced dual camera on the back. Along with AI scene recognition and HDR mode, it uses multiple algorithms to bring images up to the standard of phones double its price. That also translates, for young users, into opportunities for experimentation. If it’s pure specs you want, the Samsung Galaxy A13 offers far more camera for a similar price. However, the Spark 8C offers double the storage and RAM.
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R3 299 at most retail outlets.
The youth market is attractive to handset manufacturers, not because of profit margins or revenue potential, but for attracting users to a brand at a stage when brand loyalty is in transition. By targeting a range of needs in that market, Tecno is likely to be introduced to a broader spread of this segment.
Camera specs are well below those of similarly priced devices.
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