Hands on: Tecno Camon i Sky Review and Unboxing

Tecno mobiles has added another affordable offering to its Camera-centric Camon series – the Camon i Sky. This makes it the third phone in its camera-centric Camon series that targets offline retail space, the first two being Camon i and Camon i Air.

The new option dials down on a few more features to touch a more affordable price point, but still has a lot to look forward to. For an affordable price, the handset includes the latest Android 8.1 Oreo, Dedicated SD card slot, 13MP rear camera, and an 18:9 display. We have spent some quality time with the handset to understand if this is a phone that we can recommend, let’s try and sum up or findings in the Camon i Sky review.

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Tecno Camon i Sky Specifications

Tecno Camon i Sky Box Content:

• Camon i Sky handset
• Silicon Case cover
• Basic headphones
• Sim ejector tool
• Warranty card and other documentation
• 5V/1.2A charger
• Standard micro USB(Type-A) cable

Tecno Camon i Sky Design and Build

The overall look and feel is what sets Camon i Sky apart from the budget crowd. The phone has a neat metallic finish and looks pretty elegant for its price. The material used is still plastic, and that’s quite discernible when you hold it without a case. Speaking of which, Tecno bundles a good quality one in the box.

The fascia has a 5.45-inch 18:9 display panel with moderate bezels on all sides. The i Sky is slim and compact, and comfortable to wield. The power button has a texture to it and is fairly accessible. So are the volume rocker and the fingerprint sensor on the rear.

The bottom line is that we are quite satisfied with the way Camon i Sky looks and feels.

• The Tecno Camon i sky is light, reasonably compact and handy. The neat metal-finish back makes it look good.
• The audio jack is present at the top, the regular Type-A USB port is at the bottom.
• The power button, volume keys, and fingerprint sensor are easily accessible.
• The speaker grill is present on the rear.
• A plastic screen protector is pre-installed on Camon i Sky, and a case is bundled in the box.

Tecno Camon i Sky Display

The 5.45-inch (18:9) display has 960 x 480 resolution. This is one area where Tecno could have done better, as 720p HD screens are the standard norm by now. The lack of sharpness in images and texts is certainly noticeable.

The display is protected by a factory installed scratch guard and the screen is legible under direct sunlight. The colors and white balance are decent. The software further adds options like Eye care mode (or blue light filter) and the outdoor mode that maxes the brightness for 15 minutes.

• The display quality left us wanting for more. Tecno should have gone with at least HD resolution.
• Maximum Brightness is high enough for occasional outdoor usage.
• You can not change color saturation and hue from the OS.  The phone does include an effective Eye Care mode, though.

Tecno Camon i Sky Camera

Camon i Sky has the required camera specs to put on a good show. There is a 13MP camera on the rear assisted by dual LED flash and an 8MP selfie camera on the front, also with LED flash.

However, it isn’t wise to expect much in terms of camera performance in this budget. We managed to click some good shot in ideal lighting, but in anything less than ideal situation, the performance seems to deteriorate steeply. We’d like to reserve our final verdict till a more thorough testing but don’t expect anything groundbreaking.

• The handset has a 13MP rear camera and 8MP front camera, each with LED flash.
• We will reserve our final verdict till we have tested the camera thoroughly.

Tecno Camon i Sky Performance and Software

The Camon i Sky is powered by 1.28GHz quad-core processor paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage (around 10GB free at user end). There is a dedicated SD card slot that you can use to add secondary storage without compromising on dual SIM functionality. Needless to say, this is a phone meant for first-time and basic users with basic requirements.

The software running on the phone is HiOS based on Android 8.1 Oreo. There are several pre-installed apps on the phone but you can uninstall most of them. The OS is loaded and has all the common and not-so-common features that you’d expect including gestures, one hand mode, multi-windows, picture-in-picture and face unlock.

The initial performance is mostly smooth but we did notice some stuttering while scrolling and with heavy usage. The 4G VoLTE is working fine so far. The fingerprint sensor is quite efficient and there is a basic Face Unlock mechanism integrated within.

The Camon i Sky battery backup feels convincing enough as of now. The 3050mAh battery on the phone can easily last for one day of basic to moderate usage.

• The configuration of the handset is fit only for basic usage. This isn’t a phone meant for aggressive gaming.
• The latest Android version as base software (Android 8.1 Oreo) is a bonus. The HiOS is feature rich interface.
• The 3050mAh battery on the phone can comfortably last a day.
• We didn’t face any issue with gaming.

Tecno Camon i Sky Review – Should you buy it

Tecno Camon i Sky is a very basic phone meant for offline markets. Priced at 7,499 INR, it does feel a tad expensive compared to analogous online offerings like Redmi 5 or Redmi 5A and also feels comparatively underwhelming. On the plus side, Tecno Camon i Sky looks great, runs the latest Android 8.1 Oreo-based software and makes some assuring After Sales Support promises. You get one-time screen replacement, 100-day return window, and 13-months of warranty.

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