Not too long ago, I reviewed the Tecno Spark 20 5G. After reviewing more premium phones from the company like the fantastic Tecno Camon 30 Pro, the Spark 20 was a pretty rapid change of pace with its less premium design, weaker processor, less impressive display, and overall more budget-friendly focus. Well, I was given its successor, the Tecno Spark 30 Pro, to review.
One thing I found was that I had the same feeling about the Tecno Pova 50 from last year. It was a good phone, but it was a letdown compared to the Camon 20 that I reviewed just before that phone. But, you know what? The Pova 60 managed to basically flip the script and completely reinvent the Pova line and give a completely different experience.
Fast forward to today; I’m sitting here wondering if Tecno managed to do the same with the Spark line. I’m also wondering if the awesome Transformers design and software theme will be enough to justify picking it up. Well, there are some notable differences between the Spark 20 5G and the Spark 30 Pro. Are they enough to differentiate the two phones, or has this series lost its spark? Let’s find out in this review.
Tecno Spark 30 Pro Review: Design
Since this is a special edition phone, the design is a rather important part of the experience. But before I talk about the branding, let’s talk about the physical design. One thing I admire about Tecno is the fact that it tends to bring new designs to its phones each year, a practice that we no longer see from companies like Samsung, Apple, and even OnePlus nowadays.
The Spark 20 5G series had a rather significant camera bump on the back. It was this large rounded rectangle on the back that I wasn’t in love with. Be that as it may, it still added some distinction to the design and set it apart from the competition. This time around, Tecno revamped the design, but I think that it stepped backward in terms of aesthetics. It’s not because the design is bad at all. It’s just that the circular camera bumps seems to be rather tired and overused. That being said, I can’t deny that I, personally, am not a huge fan of the circular camera in general. The bump is a bit smaller than the circular camera bumps on some of the other phones I’ve seen. I honestly like that fact.
The bump is offset to the left, which reminds me a bit of the Tecno Camon 30 Pro, but there’s no denying that this design inspiration stemmed from the later OnePlus phones. The cameras are arranged in a square orientation, which is something that we see rather often.
Branding
When it comes to the Transformers branding, I have to give Tecno credit for designing a beautiful phone. I got the Optimus Prime version of the phone; there was also a yellow BumbleBee version. The Optimus Prime version of the phone looks absolutely stunning.
Tecno went all out to adorn just about every centimeter of the phone in red, blue, and silver accents. The back of the phones has the three main colors with the blue color acting as a border hugging the edge of the phone. All of The blue and red panels on the back are smooth and glossy, but the silver panel, which is the biggest, has a brushed metal look to it. It also has the text “Tecno Spark | Transformers” etched into it.
The camera bump has that same silver color, while the main camera has a blue border around it and the accompanying depth sensor has a red border.
There are other small details on the back of the phone that add to the overall aesthetic. I’m just in awe of how detailed this design is. It’s obvious that Tecno took the time to properly make this an actual Transformers phone. It went above and beyond, and I think that it was to a great effect.
I think that the color scheme makes up for the rather uninspired circular camera bump. Actually, I think that it goes along with the whole Transformers theme in a way.
Overall
This is a damn good-looking phone. The color scheme that Tecno went with is spectacular, and it does make up for the rather standard-looking circular camera bump. It’s a fun design that I absolutely love.
Tecno Spark 30 Pro Review: Build Quality
The Tecno Spark 30 Pro is another example of a phone that looks like a million bucks but feels like 200 bucks. I didn’t really expect anything different, as I’ve used devices like the Spark 20 5G, Pova 56, and the Infinix Note 40 Pro. All of these are phones that look hefty but feel wimpy. The Spark 30 doesn’t really rock the boat on this convention. As awesome as it looks, it’s still in Tecno’s line of more affordable devices. As such, when you pick up this phone, your hands will be greeted by the warm and cheap feeling of plastic.
I’m sorry to say this, but it doesn’t only feel cheap. It suffers the same downfall that plagues the Pova 60. It’s a notably light phone, being made from cheaper materials. Be that as it may, it also has a little bit of thickness to it. That’s not a great combination for the feeling in the hand. This gives it an unsettling feeling of hollowness.
It almost feels like the phone is bloated and full of wasted space. I know that the Spark 30 Pro isn’t exactly meant to go head-to-head with an iPhone, but the feeling in the hand is substantially cheap.
The entirety of the body, including the frame and the back plate are both plastic. One thing I have to mention is just how cheap the back plate is. I’ve used phones with plastic backs, but the companies that made those phones put forth an effort to make them sturdy. However, the Spark 30 Pro’s back plate feels extremely flimsy and cheap. I think that the company could have used some thicker plastic.
When I see the reflections on the back plate, I see them warping as the plastic bends. Also, when I press my finger into it, I see the plastic bend easily. The company might as well used plastic wrap.
Bend test
I did my typical bend test on the phone to see just how much force it takes to see some flex. I didn’t bend it with the intent of breaking it, however.
Usually, when I do this test, even on cheaper devices, it takes a bit of force to see it bend. However, I have to say that it was relatively easy to see some flex with the Spark 30 Pro. I applied a moderate amount of force to both the front and the back of the phone, and I saw a good amount of flex. Honestly, I feel like I could have snapped the phone in half if I really tried to.
I’m not surprised by this, as the frame is made from plastic and the back plate doesn’t add any rigidity at all. It’s a little disappointing, to be honest. If you’re going to use this phone, you’ll need to be careful with it. Avoid putting it in any place where it could be bent.
Other aspects of the build quality are pretty par for the course. The buttons are nicely clicky and everything seems to be well put together.
Overall
I understand that this is an affordable phone, so the durability is on the list of compromises. However, this phone feels especially flimsy compared to other phones around this price point. As nice as it looks, it would have been nice if Tecno added a sturdier backplate
Tecno Spark 30 Pro Review: Display
I used phones like the Tecno Camon 20 Pro/Premier, Camon 30 Premier, Pova 60, and Phantom V Flip. What do these phones have in common? Their displays are absolutely breathtaking! I can honestly say that Tecno’s displays are some of my absolute favorites on the market…. and then there was the Tecno Spark 20 5G.
I was pretty underwhelmed by this phone’s display. Tecno’s AMOLED panels are gorgeous, but its LCDs are pretty standard. They have some nice colors, but they’re nothing special.
I was expecting the company to fit its Spark 30 with an LCD as well. However, it seems that Tecno is looking to fit more of its phones with AMOLED screens. Last year’s Pova 50 used an LCD, but its successor uses an AMOLED. Well, this is the same story with the Spark 20 5G and Spark 30. This time around, Tecno opted to put an AMOLED screen in its Spark phones. As such, it’ll share some qualities with the other phones I mentioned.
Brightness
The Pro edition Spark 30 comes with some additional features that you won’t find on the standard edition. One of them is boosted screen brightness. The regular Spark 30 has a paltry 800nit display. The Spark 30 Pro more than doubles that and brings a 1700nit display. That’s more than bright enough to see clearly in the bright sunlight. When out in the daytime, everything just looks nice and crisp.
My only complaint is something that several other phones do. When I have auto brightness enabled, and I’m in a dark environment, the phone tends to crank the brightness down too much. I often find myself having to turn it up a bit just to see the screen clearly. I’d be in environments that have a little light, but it would behave as though I’m in pitch black.
Colors
One of the things that I admire the most about Tecno phone screens is their color production. The company did a great job of calibrating the screen to produce some of the most satisfying screens on the market in my opinion. The screen on the Spark 30 Pro is no different.
There are two color modes that you can assign in the screen settings. One is the standard mode and the other one is called the Bright Color mode. This is the mode I’m using while reviewing the phone. The colors are all vibrant and amazing to look at. One thing I love about the colors is the balance. Everything gets a nice boost. The blues and greens are lush while the reds and yellows are warm.
The colors make this phone great for watching content like movies and TV shows.
Other aspects
The brightness isn’t the only way the screen on the Pro edition differs from the screen on the base edition. The Spark 30 Pro also has a 120Hz refresh rate while the vanilla Spark 30 has a 90Hz refresh rate. This means that the screen is noticeably more fluid. It adds to the overall viewing experience.
Overall
The moment I saw that this phone used an AMOLED display, I knew that it was going to knock it out of the park. Tecno manages to wow me with all of its AMOLED displays, and the Spark 30 Pro’s display lived up to the hype. This is a beautiful screen, and you’ll love viewing it.
Tecno Spark 30 Pro Review: Speakers
Now, it’s time to contrast the glowing review of the display with the review of the speakers. One thing I never liked about Tecnos phones is the speaker performance. I’ve reviewed several of their phones from different series, and all of them managed to underperform in the speaker department. Well, I’m reviewing the more affordable phone from the company, so there’s not much hope that it will blow me away with its speaker performance.
Loudness
Starting off with the general loudness, I’d say that the Spark 30 Pro has some powerful speakers. They’re louder than some of the other phones I’ve reviewed, and that can come in handy when trying to listen to music or a video when outside or in a loud environment.
The only issue is that, while the speakers are nice and loud, there’s a ton of distortion at those higher volume levels. It gets pretty bad, so you won’t really want to listen to them at those levels. I’ve heard other Tecno phones that do a better job at reducing the distortion than this phone.
Bass
Yet again, I have to review the bass on a Tecno device. It’s like a recurring theme (or a running gag at this point) that phones from Tecno need to have some of the weakest bass on the market. The sound just lacks any sort of depth. When listening to music or other content, the sound is super tinny and thin.
It’s one of the things that I complain the most about when it comes to Tecno’s speakers. It’s gotten a little bit better since last year’s Camon 20 Pro, but that’s not saying much. I’d have to listen to the Camon 20 Pro and Spark 30 Pro side-by-side in order to hear any sort of difference.
There’s just no depth to the sound, and I really wish that Tecno would pay a bit more attention to that aspect of the speakers.
Treble
One thing I can say about the speakers on Tecno’s phones is that the treble is pretty good. Some of the higher-pitched sounds are rather satisfying to listen to. This is something I noticed with Tecno’s other phones, but I think that something happened with the speakers in the Spark 30 Pro.
Where the higher-pitched sounds would sound satisfying, they now sound shrill. The treble sounds more distorted and brazen to listen to. I’m not sure why the company took this step backward, but it makes for a rather unpleasant listening experience at times. They’re not terrible, but the overall lack of depth just makes this even worse. It gives the speakers a quality that’s tinny and tough to listen to.
Vocals
The exaggerated quality of the treble makes the vocals stand out more, I have to say. Voices can cut through the rest of the audio, which is good if you’re trying to listen to a video or podcast when in a louder environment.
Overall
I have to say that I wasn’t expecting much from these speakers, but Tecno managed to take a step back in terms of quality. While I didn’t have a very high opinion of the speaker quality of its previous phones, I think that the speakers on the Tecno Spark 30 Pro are a step backward.
Tecno Spark 30 Pro Review: Performance
The Tecno Spark 30 Pro has a more powerful processor than the base Spark 30. At the end of the day, however, it doesn’t grant this phone much of a performance gain. All of the Tecno phones I’ve reviewed use chips from the company’s Dimensity line, but this phone is using the Helio G100. Tecno is good at optimizing its phones’ software to run on MediaTek chips, but I can still see the cracks in the armor.
Using this phone on a day-to-day basis, I can feel the sluggishness throughout the experience. It takes apps a second or two to load, animations sometimes stutter, and the phone hesitates to perform some tasks. For example, there are times when I’d tap on the home button and watch it hesitate for a second before the animation even plays.
I wouldn’t say that it’s consistent, but the stutters happen often enough for me to take notice. There are times when the phone is snappy, but it’s choppy often enough for it to slow down the overall experience. Just expect the occasional stutters when you’re using this phone.
By the numbers
Looking at some benchmarks, we see some rather unimpressive numbers. It’s obvious that benchmarks aren’t an end-all-be-all indicator of a phone’s performance. However, it’s always nice seeing some numbers. Starting off with Geekbench, The Tecno Spark 30 Pro got a single-core score of 729. That’s about 26% lower than what the Samsung Galaxy A54 scored (980). That’s a pretty wide gap in numbers.
Moving onto the multi-core score, it’s not looking much better for this chip. Scoring a 1966, it’s about 30% lower than the Galaxy A54’s score. So, these scores aren’t all that impressive. Benchmark scores don’t directly transfer into real-world usage, but a set of low scores can hint at sluggish performance.
Overall
I’ve used Tecno phones that had mild scores but performed smoothly. In the case of the Spark 30 Pro, it feels like real-world usage and the benchmark scores go hand in hand. I’m noticing stutters and dropped frames more than I would like to see. If you’re using this phone, and you start to ramp up the usage, then you’re going to see some slowdown throughout the software.
Tecno Spark 30 Pro Review: Gaming
So, with the scores being what they are, you’d expect the gaming to be pretty piss-poor. It’s just about what you’d expect, but that’s not to say that there weren’t any surprises. Starting off with the 3D Mark scores, things didn’t look good. I used the Extreme Wildlife Stress Test and the frame rate didn’t go above 3fps. It got a Best Loop score of 381 and a Lowest loop score of 378. So, there’s no denying that more graphically intensive games will be trouble for the Spark 30 Pro.
However, moving on to some actual gaming, it’s not as bad as you’d think. Starting with Sky: Children of The Light, the gameplay was surprisingly smooth. I didn’t see any dropped frames or slowdown. I even cranked the graphic settings up to their maximum setting. That game has some pretty good graphics and open spaces, so it could slow down weaker hardware.
Hoyo heavy hitters
Next, let’s talk about the games that have the ability to melt some phones. Of course, I have to add games like Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero.
Starting off with the former, Genshin Impact played better than I thought. I turned all of the graphics to full, and I got generally smooth gameplay. I’d say that I got up to 30fps with the occasional dip below that. This would get choppy at some points, but the game is perfectly playable.
Mind you, this is with the graphics set to their maximum settings. All you have to do is disable the motion blur or turn the graphics down a bit to get better performance.
As for Zenless Zone Zero, the story is a bit different. With the graphics set to their highest setting, the gameplay is much more stuttery. I’m seeing many more dropped frames than I see with Genshin Impact. There are stutters when my character is running through the city and in battle. So, you’ll want to crank the graphics setting down if you want to get smoother gameplay.
Overall
The Tecno Spark 30 Pro is not a gaming phone. The limited hardware means that there are games on the market that it just can’t run. The gameplay isn’t terrible, but it’s not great.
Tecno Spark 30 Pro Review: Camera
The camera performance is pretty commendable, and it shows how far Tecno has come since the Camon 20 Pro. That phone had the worst camera that I’ve reviewed, hands down. However, the camera on the Spark 30 Pro was able to produce some nice shots.
For starters, the contrast is rather nice. Looking at the image of the fire hydrant, you can see some nice shadows and highlights. Another good example is the image of the bushes below. Honestly, I think it’s some of the best contrast I’ve seen on a Tecno phone. The phone is able to produce some nice dark shadows without crushing them.
As for the colors, one thing that I notice about images from Tecno phones is that they tend to come out rather warm. That’s not a bad thing, and it adds some nice life to the images. This is the case for the Spark 30 Pro. The images have a pleasant dash of warmth to them. Also, the colors are pretty balanced. While they’re pretty warm, the blues and greens still look nice. I really like the color of the sky in these images.
The details are also on point. They’re not spectacular, but I can zoom into the images a fair bit before I see any sort of pixelation.
When it comes to low light, it’s just about what you’d expect. When the lights dip down low, the images lose color and details. I wouldn’t say that the images are particularly good for the price of this phone. You’re going to want to avoid using this phone in the dark.
Overall
The camera on the Tecno Spark 30 Pro is a nice performer. The images it produces are nice. They have some pretty warm and pleasant colors, good contrast, and decent details. You shouldn’t really have an issue using this as your main camera if you don’t have a more expensive phone. Just know that the low-light performance isn’t the best.
Tecno Spark 30 Pro Review: Battery
The only phones from Tecno that didn’t give me good battery life are the Phantom V Flip and the Spark 20 5G. I can understand the Phantom V Flip having an issue because of the fact it had to use a smaller battery. However, I had no idea why the Spark 20 5G’s battery life was so bad. That battery drained pretty fast.
I’m happy to report that the battery life on the Spark 30 Pro is much better. It’s pretty much on par with the other Tecno phones that I’ve used. I can get about a day and a half with light to moderate usage. During my testing, I watched a decent amount of videos, played games, used the camera, and did a bunch of other tasks. On my heavier days, I was still able to make it to the end of the day with between 20% and 30% left in the tank.
With 33W charging, it’s not the fastest on the market, but that’s still plenty fast. The phone charges in just north of an hour, and you should get about a day’s worth of battery in just 30 – 40 minutes. What’s great is that this phone comes with a charger in the box.
Tecno Spark 30 Pro Review: Transformers software branding
I already talked about the physical aspect of the partnership, but it goes much deeper than that. The Tecno Spark 30 Pro has a Transformers theme complete with four wallpapers (two with Optimus Prime and two with Bumblebee) and an icon pack. Just like with the hardware, Tecno was extremely detailed with theming the software.
The first-party and system apps like the camera, phone, Hola Browser, etc. have dedicated themed app icons. As for the third-party apps and folders, their icons have these neat-looking metal borders that still give them a Transformers aesthetic.
All of the themed icons have Optimus Prime’s color palette, but it’d be neat if there was also a Bumblebee-themed icon pack to match the wallpapers. However, that’s only a small thing.
As for the rest of the software, it’s the same HIOS that we’ve seen over the past few years. It has the iPhone-style split notification shade, nice animations, and a bunch of customizations and gestures. If you’re used to using Tecno phones, then you’ll be familiar with this software.
Tecno Spark 30 Pro Review: Final verdict
The Tecno Spark series of phones are meant to give you a core mid-range experience. These phones aren’t meant to fool you into thinking that you’re using a flagship. No, they’re unapologetically mid-range. This is the feeling I got while using the Spark 30 Pro.
When I pick it up, I’m feeling plastic and when I use it, I’m seeing occasional stutters. It reminds me of most mid-rangers from back in the mid-2010s. Be that as it may, I find myself liking this phone more than I thought I would. The performance isn’t terrible, the camera is good, the design is gorgeous, and the screen is amazing.
For the price of about $200, you’re getting a pretty decent device, and the Transformers branding is the icing on the cake. It adds an extra layer of fun. If you’re a fan of Tecno’s handsets, and you don’t quite have the money to buy a Camon or Pova, then you should consider picking up the Tecno Spark 30 Pro.
