Last night, 21 May, Tecno introduced South Africa to the Spark 20 Series to much fanfare, with the line-up ranging from the bottom-of-the-barrel entry-level Spark 20C and Spark GO 2024 up to the far more capable (and more expensive) Spark 20 Pro 5G — set to debut in a couple of months for an RRP of R11,000.
Also joining in on the festivities was the middle child of the Spark series, also known as the Spark 20, a phone after your budget bucks at R7,000. It doesn’t quite have the pizazz of its more powerful Pro sibling, but it boasts a 5,000mAh battery, 50MP main sensor, and an immediate launch window that could make potential buyers in the range do a double-take.
The bright Spark of the Tecno family
The Spark 20 Pro 5G is Tecno’s crème de la crème of smartphones. In South Africa, at least. The company teased attendees of last night’s launch event with the company’s real top-of-the-line stuff — the Tecno Phantom V Fold and V Flip — though these were only showcased to “illustrate TECNO’s innovation, constant pushes in research and development, and technological prowess.” All we’re hearing is: ‘Never say never.’
But if we can’t have Tecno’s folding devices, the Spark 20 Pro 5G will do just fine. It packs a MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, 5,000mAh battery and 108MP main sensor into a relatively comfortable 6.78in LCD FHD+ display that’s more than happy to deliver your Ls in Call of Duty with the 120Hz refresh rate.
Sitting astride that 108MP camera is a 2MP macro lens, and a 32MP sensor embedded into the phone’s front. The 32MP front-facer is hidden in the phone’s display under what Tecno calls a ‘Dynamic Port’ (see Apple’s Dynamic Island in the iPhone 14 Pro/Max) — a rarity within the budget phone arena.
With 8GB of RAM (and the predictable promises of an extra 8GB thanks to extension shenanigans) and 256GB onboard storage, the Spark 20 Pro 5G looks to be a decent competitor in the mid-range market. Tecno hasn’t landed on an official birthday for the Spark 20 Pro 5G, though a Tecno spokesperson confirmed it is targeting a July release.
Read More: Tecno’s R3,000 Spark 20C is a budget buyer’s dream
Bringing up the rear
If your cellphone budget doesn’t stretch into five digits, the Tecno Spark 20 might be more your speed, arriving with an RRP of R7,000. It matches the Pro’s 5,000mAh battery, losing out on the top spot thanks to the 18W charger accompanying it. It differs again where the chipset is concerned, with the Spark 20 sporting a Mediatek Helio G85, though retains the same 8GB of RAM (extendable to 16GB) and 256GB of storage.
That all sits under the smaller 6.56in 90Hz HD LCD screen, which will do its best to show off the pictures taken by the leading 50MP sensor found in the rear. On the front is a decent 32MP camera, though with no Dynamic Port to hide the notch under.
The Tecno Spark 20 is available now through select Tecno partners, including Edgars, TFG (The Foschini Group) and Vodacom.