Tecno, the smartphone brand best known for its sales dominance across Africa, has made its next big move on South Africa's youth market, two months after launching "a flagship phone at a budget price" into this segment.
It has released the Tecno Camon 17P handset, claiming it to be the world's clearest selfie camera smartphone.
While its rise across Africa was largely premised on affordability, it is now combining value for money with cutting-edge technology – at least as far as its target market is concerned.
Along with a huge 6.8-inch full high-definition display, it has a 16MP AI selfie camera on the front and 64MP on the back, combined with 2MP bokeh, 2MP macro lens and AI lens.
The macro is sharp, bokeh works well for artistic effects, and various filters and video templates allow for great customisation of images and videos.
The phone is powered by a G85 Octa-core processor from Mediatek, which designed the chip for the premium 4G gaming smartphone segment.
They use something called HyperEngine gaming technology, which optimises the entire smartphone using four "engines" that cover networking, rapid display and touchscreen response, resource management and picture quality, enabling seamless gameplay.
More processing power means more power drainage, and the 17P addresses this challenge with a 5 000mAh 18W flash-charging battery. It allows for around two days of regular usage, but don't expect the same from powerplay.
"The eight-core CPU [central processing unit] with HyperEngine game optimisation is our fastest chip yet, giving users exceptional performance," says Danni Xu, Tecno chief marketing officer.
"Also, intelligent scheduling and balancing allows for reallocation of resources to ensure maximum power efficiency so that your battery will last longer.
"We understand the younger generation's need for superior technology to communicate and bring their ideas to the world. In developing our smartphones, we pay special attention to camera features since selfies have become such an important part of users' online identities."
A distinctive design, tall and slim, with a gold-etched logo, gives it a premium look, which ensures it stands out from its similarly priced competitors.
How much is it?
Starts at R4 999.
