The Tecno Camon 40 Pro enters the scene with bold claims and an even bolder design. Positioned in the mid-budget category, it aims to deliver a flagship-like experience without the flagship price tag. From its curved AMOLED screen to a slew of AI-powered features, this phone offers far more than what you’d expect at around $220.
What’s especially fascinating is Tecno’s heavy focus on camera performance. They’ve not only improved the optics but have added intelligent photography tools that claim to rival phones twice the price. This includes fast shutter speeds and AI-enhanced features aimed at making content creation smoother and sharper.
Aside from the camera hype, the Camon 40 Pro introduces new software refinements, a durable glass-and-metal build, IP68/69 certification, and a suite of AI tools previously reserved for premium-tier models. Despite being a 4G phone, it feels anything but outdated.
Whether you’re a content creator, student, or someone simply wanting a reliable daily driver, Tecno seems to be offering a compelling case here. But how well does it all hold up in real-world use?
Let’s dive into this full review of the Tecno Camon 40 Pro to see if it really lives up to the growing buzz.
- Read also
- iPad 11 vs iPad 10: Which Budget iPad Offers the Best Value?
- Moto G Power (2025) Review: Budget Power with Impressive Features
Design and Build Quality
The Tecno Camon 40 Pro immediately catches the eye with its flagship-inspired design. With a curved AMOLED display and a camera module reminiscent of Samsung’s S21 series, the phone feels more premium than its price tag suggests. The “Swan Neck” curve design around the camera housing adds a distinct elegance while offering a smooth transition into the frame, enhancing grip and aesthetics.
Built with Gorilla Glass Victus 7i on the front and a matte finish on the rear, the Camon 40 Pro feels sturdy yet sleek. It’s one of the very few budget phones boasting both IP68 and IP69 certifications—meaning it’s resistant to both water submersion and high-pressure water jets. That level of ingress protection is rare in this price segment and places the phone among the most durable options out there.
Weighing in comfortably and balanced in hand, the device doesn’t feel overly bulky despite its large 6.78-inch display. There’s no headphone jack, which may disappoint some users, but you do get dual stereo speakers enhanced with Dolby Atmos for a solid audio experience. The frame is metal-like in finish but is likely a high-quality composite material.
Another smart touch is the dedicated Flashnap button on the left. A double tap quickly launches the camera for instant snapshots, while a long press activates Tecno’s new AI voice assistant, Ella. The best part? You can remap the button to launch your preferred assistant or feature, such as turning on the flashlight.
Color options include Emerald Lake Green, Galaxy Black, and Glacier White—each one subtle, stylish, and fingerprint-resistant. The indicator light remains on board and adds charm, although it only supports a single color and limited scenarios.
Overall, the Camon 40 Pro punches above its weight in the design department. Between its durable build, aesthetic polish, and functional design upgrades, it could easily be mistaken for a device costing double its price.
Display Specs and Biometrics
The Tecno Camon 40 Pro is equipped with a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display, bringing a flagship-like look and feel to a very budget-friendly smartphone. This is one of the rare phones in its segment that offers a curved panel—something usually reserved for premium devices. The curves not only enhance the aesthetics but also make the phone feel thinner and more immersive when in hand.
With a 120Hz refresh rate, the display offers smooth animations and scrolling, making interactions feel fluid whether you’re browsing, watching videos, or gaming. Brightness levels are impressive for the price, making the display easy to view under direct sunlight, though Tecno hasn’t provided an official peak brightness figure.
Colors are rich and vivid, with deep blacks that make content pop. Thanks to AMOLED technology, contrast levels are excellent and media consumption is genuinely enjoyable. Whether you’re streaming HD content or simply swiping through Instagram, this screen is one of the highlights of the phone.
Biometrics are handled by an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is quite responsive and reliable in daily use. It unlocks quickly and accurately with a light touch. Additionally, the phone supports face unlock, though it’s more suitable for convenience than secure authentication.
While curved displays have the potential for accidental touches, Tecno has implemented decent palm rejection software, minimizing unintended inputs. It feels like the kind of polish you’d expect from a more expensive handset.
One of the more understated features is the display’s protection. Thanks to the Gorilla Glass Victus 7i, it’s one of the toughest in this segment, adding much-needed durability for everyday bumps and scrapes.
In summary, Tecno has delivered a standout display experience here. The Camon 40 Pro’s screen not only looks great but performs well across the board—offering smooth refresh rates, vivid visuals, solid brightness, and reliable biometrics.
- See also:
- ROG Phone 9 AeroActive Cooler X Pro Review: Is It Worth the Upgrade?
- ROG Phone 9 Chill Case Review: Does It Really Keep Your Phone Cool?
Software Updates
The Tecno Camon 40 Pro runs HiOS 15 based on Android 15, showcasing a major leap in Tecno’s software direction. From the moment you power it on, you’re greeted by the built-in AI assistant “Ella,” which guides you through setup with a smooth, animated interface. The UI now feels more polished, with cleaner fonts, sleeker icons, and improved responsiveness across the board.
One of the standout features is the dedicated AI hub within the settings. This centralizes all of Tecno’s AI tools—from call translation and smart reply to live transcriptions and object removal in the gallery. There’s also Circle to Search, a once flagship-only feature, now available even on the base Camon 40.
Tecno has also included Dual Space, similar to “Second Space” on Xiaomi phones, allowing users to separate work and personal profiles. Unlike some brands, this feature doesn’t disable Android’s native multi-user mode, so you get more versatility.
Bloatware is present but significantly reduced. Notification spam, which plagued past HiOS versions, has been tamed. You can now batch uninstall apps and group icons with more control than before.
The launcher now supports multi-icon drag, folder customization, and a smarter Zero Screen, which serves as an AI dashboard instead of a random news feed.
Tecno promises 3 years of major Android updates, which is rare in this segment. Combined with monthly security patches, this positions the Camon 40 Pro as a long-term mid-range device.
In day-to-day use, app switching feels snappy, animations are fluid, and AI-enhanced features like speech enhancement during calls actually deliver meaningful improvements.
Performance and Chipsets
Powering the Tecno Camon 40 Pro is the MediaTek Helio G99 Ultimate, a capable mid-range chip that balances performance and efficiency well. While it may not support 5G, it shines in delivering consistent daily performance for the price.
With 8GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS storage, multitasking is smooth and app launches are reasonably quick. Tecno has also included memory fusion, which lets you extend RAM virtually using storage.
In benchmarks, the G99U doesn’t lead the charts but scores well enough to handle social media, YouTube, light photo editing, and casual multitasking with ease. It’s ideal for average users who aren’t looking for flagship-level power.
The 11-layer cooling system ensures thermal management is under control, even when pushing the device with heavier apps or gaming.
Overall, the Camon 40 Pro isn’t built to compete with gaming beasts, but it nails reliable performance for most users.
Gaming Test
Despite being a 4G phone, the Tecno Camon 40 Pro delivers surprisingly good gaming performance for its price. Powered by the Helio G99 Ultimate, it handles most casual and mid-tier games without breaking a sweat.
Popular titles like Mobile Legends and Call of Duty: Mobile run smoothly on medium to high graphics settings. Frame drops are minimal and gameplay is stable, even during extended sessions.
Genshin Impact, being more demanding, runs best on low to medium settings. It’s playable, but don’t expect flagship-level smoothness—frame rates hover between 25-30 FPS.
What stands out is the 11-layer heat dissipation system, which keeps the phone comfortably cool even after long sessions, avoiding the usual hot spots on the back panel.
The phone also supports a game mode dashboard, which allows you to block calls, monitor performance, and record gameplay—all while playing.
The dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos enhance immersion, making explosions and background music sound fuller and more engaging.
Overall, the Camon 40 Pro won’t replace your gaming console, but for its price, it offers one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences in the budget segment.
Cameras Specs and Performance
Main Camera
The Tecno Camon 40 Pro is equipped with a 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor, which is rare to find in budget phones. It captures highly detailed images with rich colors and good dynamic range, especially in daylight. The sensor supports a fast shutter speed, ideal for capturing motion without blur—something Tecno has highlighted as one of its standout camera features. Even when subjects are moving quickly, the images remain crisp.
HDR is handled decently with improved contrast in complex lighting. In standard mode, photos are vibrant and social-media-ready without needing post-editing. Noise control is also solid, with minimal grain in brighter settings. The camera app is responsive and quick to process. You also get three focal length options when shooting portraits.
Ultrawide Lens
The ultrawide camera is an 8MP sensor, and it performs as expected for the price. Shots are usable and offer a wider field of view without excessive distortion. Color tones remain consistent with the main camera, which is a pleasant surprise. However, you will notice a loss in detail, especially towards the edges of the frame.
This sensor is best used in daylight conditions. In lower light, it struggles with sharpness, and noise becomes more apparent. The software tries to compensate with post-processing, but detail recovery is limited. Nonetheless, it’s a good option for landscapes and group shots when the lighting is favorable.
Zoom Comparison
While there’s no dedicated telephoto lens, Tecno offers digital zoom options through the main sensor. Zooming up to 2x yields fairly sharp results thanks to the large sensor size. At 3x, detail retention is still acceptable, but beyond that, it’s mostly digital guesswork. There is noticeable degradation past 5x. For budget users, it’s usable, but not a substitute for true optical zoom. Tecno smartly avoids over-promising in this area.
Selfie Camera
On the front, the Camon 40 Pro sports a 50MP selfie camera, a huge number in this price range. Selfies taken in good lighting are detailed and vibrant, with natural skin tones. Portrait mode works well with good edge detection and background separation.
At night or in low light, the sensor starts to struggle with softness and noise, but results are still decent. The front-facing camera also supports 2K video recording with EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization), making it great for vlogging or video calls. Overall, it’s one of the strongest selfie cameras in its category.
Macro
The phone includes a third camera which Tecno labels as part of a triple-camera setup, but it’s non-functional—essentially just there for aesthetic balance. There’s no true macro camera here, and macro shots are achieved by cropping from the main sensor.
While this works to some extent, details aren’t as sharp as a dedicated macro lens would deliver. Still, with the high-resolution main sensor, close-up shots are usable when taken at the right distance. It would’ve been more useful to see this spot filled with a depth or monochrome sensor instead.
Video Recording
Video recording maxes out at 2K resolution at 30fps, which is impressive considering most budget phones cap at 1080p. The footage is relatively stable at 1080p thanks to EIS, and detail levels are more than acceptable at 2K. The main sensor delivers vibrant footage with good exposure balance, although dynamic range could be improved in harsh lighting. Night video is usable, but quality drops with more grain and less clarity. On the selfie camera, 2K videos are crisp and stable, making it ideal for content creators or frequent video callers.
Where Tecno truly innovates is with auto-capture via flash detection—a clever feature for sports or action shots. Set the phone on a tripod, and it will automatically take a photo when fast motion is detected under flash. It works surprisingly well and is genuinely useful. There’s also a motion tracking mode that helps maintain focus on moving subjects while recording.
Despite lacking 4K support due to the Helio G99 chipset, Tecno extracts the maximum possible video performance, offering one of the better recording experiences in its price class. If 2K is enough for your needs, this phone is a solid choice.
Battery Life and Charging Speed
The Tecno Camon 40 Pro is equipped with a 5,200mAh battery, which easily lasts a full day and then some, even with heavy use. This includes social media, camera usage, streaming, and gaming.
Thanks to the power-efficient Helio G99 Ultimate chipset and optimized HiOS software, battery drain is well-controlled in idle mode and background tasks.
When it’s time to juice up, the 45W Super Charge speeds things along. You can expect around 65% in just 30 minutes, and a full charge in just under 1 hour.
There’s no wireless charging—which is understandable at this price—but the wired charging experience is among the best in the segment.
Price and Availability
The Tecno Camon 40 Pro (4G) is priced at around $220 USD, or a little bit more depending on region and retailer.
It comes in a single configuration: 8GB RAM + 256GB storage, which is generous for a phone in this price range. While there’s no microSD card support, 256GB should be plenty for the average user.
Color options include Emerald Lake Green, Galaxy Black, and Glacier White—all with a premium matte finish.
Availability may vary depending on market, but the Camon 40 Pro is currently on sale through Tecno’s official stores and select retail partners across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
- See also:
- Google Pixel 9a Review: A Mid-Range Contender or a Letdown?
- Samsung Galaxy A36 5G Review: A Solid Budget Option for 2025
Pros and Cons of the Tecno Camon 40 Pro
Pros:
- IP68 & IP69 rating – Class-leading water and dust resistance in the budget category.
- Premium curved AMOLED display – Vivid, immersive visuals with 120Hz refresh rate.
- Durable Gorilla Glass Victus 7i protection – Scratch and drop resistant build.
- Impressive camera features – Fast shutter speed, motion tracking, 50MP selfie & rear camera.
- AI-powered software tools – Smart assistant, Circle to Search, dual space, object eraser & more.
- Strong battery life with fast charging – 5,200mAh cell + 45W charging gives great longevity and convenience.
Cons:
- No 4K video recording – Limited to 2K at 30fps despite solid camera hardware.
- No 5G support – Limited to 4G, which might be a deal-breaker for some future-proofing users.
- Software lags occasionally – Some animations and app launches can feel slightly delayed (especially on pre-release firmware).
Conclusion
The Tecno Camon 40 Pro is proof that budget phones can still deliver a premium experience without cutting too many corners.
From its curved AMOLED display and durable IP68/IP69-rated body to a shockingly capable camera system, it manages to bring flagship vibes to an affordable segment.
Battery life is excellent, performance is reliable, and the AI-packed software is one of the best we’ve seen from Tecno yet.
Sure, there are trade-offs—no 5G, no 4K video, and some slight delays in software responsiveness—but for the price, it’s a solid, well-rounded package.
The Sony IMX 890 sensor, 2K video capture, and AI features like object eraser and dual space truly elevate the user experience.
If you’re in the market for a good-looking, tough-built, camera-first phone that won’t break the bank, the Camon 40 Pro deserves a long, hard look.
Tecno still has brand perception to battle in some markets, but with devices like this, they’re clearly raising the bar.
Q&A about the Tecno Camon 40 Pro
1: Is the Tecno Camon 40 Pro waterproof?
- A1: Yes, it has an IP68 and IP69 rating, meaning it’s water-resistant up to 2 meters and protected from high-pressure water jets.
2: Does the Tecno Camon 40 Pro support 5G?
- A2: No, this version only supports 4G LTE. If you want 5G, wait for the upcoming 40 Pro 5G or check out the Camon 30 Pro 5G.
3: What is the camera quality like on the Camon 40 Pro?
- A3: The Camon 40 Pro has a 50MP main and 50MP selfie camera. It excels in daylight and motion photography, with decent low-light performance.
4: How long does the battery last on the Tecno Camon 40 Pro?
- A4: With a 5,200mAh battery, it can easily last over a day with moderate to heavy use. It also supports 45W fast charging.
5: Does the Camon 40 Pro support memory card expansion?
- A5: No, it does not have a microSD card slot. It comes with 256GB internal storage, which should be enough for most users.
6: What are the standout features of the Tecno Camon 40 Pro?
- A6: Top features include a curved AMOLED display, IP69 rating, AI-powered camera tools, Sony IMX sensor, and immersive dual stereo speakers.
7: Is Tecno Camon 40 Pro good for gaming?
- A7: It can handle most mobile games at medium graphics settings. It uses the Helio G99 Ultimate chipset, which is optimized for efficiency and stability.
