Tecno’s Spark 10 launched, priced for South Africa

Chinese smartphone brand Tecno has dropped a new batch of smartphones on South Africa. The Spark 10 lineup of devices — the Spark 10 Pro, plus a 10C and a 5G model — are set for launch in SA, though the 5G handset will see a slight delay.

The 10C and Pro are both available in the country, priced at R7,000 and R3,500 respectively. Pricing for the 10 5G will be announced closer to its launch.

Bright Spark 10

So what are you getting for your money? The Spark 10 Pro is, obviously, the headliner of today’s launch. It may lack 5G access but it makes up for it with a 6.8in IPS LCD display (90Hz), one of MediaTek’s Helio G88 chipsets, and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. These devices ship with 8GB of physical RAM but Tecno is claiming 16GB thanks to something it calls Memory Fusion Technology. This is, basically, the same as a Windows page file.

Dual rear cameras — 50MP and then a 0.08MP depth sensor — are present and there’s a 32MP front-facer to play with. The phone runs Tecno’s HiOS 13 skinned version of Android and features a 5,000mAh lithium-polymer battery.

The Spark 10C is, given its price, slightly less capable. There’s a 90Hz 6.6in IPS LCD panel (which has a resolution of 720 x 1,612), 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a Unisoc Tiger T606 processor. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of it — it’s Tecno’s R3,500-est chipset.

The phone’s running Android 12, under a HiOS 8.6 skin, and there’s a 16MP/0.08MP (depth) camera pair on the rear of the phone. Up front, selfies come via an 8MP sensor. It shares a 5,000mAh LiPo battery and 18W wired charging with its bigger sibling.

Also launching from Tecno are the Spark Go 2023 and POP 7. These are even more budget handsets, which should give you some idea of their respective capabilities. But hey, you can have one for under three grand. That counts for something.