The New Tecno R7 Review

Tecno R7 Review: Tecno mobile recently added another smartphone, the Tecno R7 to its Smart Family range of devices. The company has been able to impress a lot of critics (including myself who has been demanding more from them) with this affordable phone (considering its specs) that’s got some improved technology and surprising features and specifications.

Tecno R7 is a 5.5” dual SIM Android powered Phablet that has a premium body, look and feel. Its design can favorably compete with devices of other phone manufacturers. My major issue with Tecno devices used to be the Camera (picture quality) and the 1GB RAM it normally comes with but the R7 beats my imagination as it bags a 2GB RAM, a Gorilla Glass, better screen and picture quality, new camera features, BSI camera sensor, long lasting battery and a faster 6-core processor. It is already a hot piece across most online shopping websites in Nigeria like Jumia, Konga and Kaymu.

DESIGN

A first look at the phone will definitely tell you something….. Beautiful and fashionable. The R7 finds itself in between a phone and a tablet; hence we call it a PHABLET. The body is made of plastic and it’s got a very light weight. The slim body with thin bezel wrapping round the phone delivers a premium feel when in hand. The phone can considerably be operated with one hand (sometimes it requires both) despite its size.

The Menu, Home and Back Buttons are positioned on the lower part of the screen while the volume rocker and power button still maintain its position on the left and Right side respectively. The USB/charging port and Headphone jack remain at the top of the phone.

DISPLAY

The R7 has a 5.5-inch Gorilla Glass HD Touchscreen, making it the first Tecno device to come with a Gorilla glass. Screen resolution is 720×1280 pixel at 267pixels per inch (PPI) which i still think is low considering the R7 as a flagship product, one would have expected a full HD display like 1080×1280.

Display is sharper and brighter on the R7 while the Viewing angle is also very impressive. The 5.5-inch display delivers adequate real estate for playing games and watching movies.

CAMERA

As a picture loving person, I get pissed off with poor phone cameras and the first thing I did after powering the R7 was to take some pictures. Cameras of previous Tecno phones do not deliver astounding photos especially under low light conditions so I decided to check out the Tecno R7.

Surprisingly the 13MP camera did not disappoint as pictures taken looked sharp, real and natural without having excessive colours. Performance under low light was equally good with the BSI sensor.

Check out some of the pictures I took with the R7 below:

Picture quality has greatly improved, thanks to the 13MP Auto Focus BSI back camera with Flash. There is also a front facing which clocks at 5MP for making video calls and taking some nice selfies.

The camera also few new features such as object tracking which allows you track and take a shot of a moving object, face detection, voice capture, Time Watermark which automatically adds the date to every picture taken. Camera modes also include Panorama, HDR and the new multiangle mode.

FEATURES & SOFTWARE

Tecno R7 runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and powered by a 1.5GHz Hexa-Core (6-core) processor. This brings more power and speed to the device as compared to the earlier versions with lower processor power. The device is very touch responsive and navigating within apps is so easy and smooth.

One striking question is why the R7 had to run on Jelly Bean 4.2 which also powers the previous flagship (Phantom) that was released over a year ago, we expected that the new flagship will have the latest Android KitKat. Well, maybe the company will release an OTA update later to enable users upgrade to the latest version.

The R7 comes with a customized UI, the first time the company will have such on any device. The new UI is noticed when you access the Quick toggle and notification centre by pulling down the notification drawer from the top of the screen. This will show you notifications such as missed calls, messages etc while tapping ‘switch’ below the screen allows you access common settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane mode, Data connection. Powering off the phone or doing a restart also has a different interphase, holding down the power/sleep button at the RHS of the phone brings up a pop up with options for you to slide right to switch off or slide left to restart the phone.

Google apps like Gmail, Google+, Maps come pre-installed alongside messaging apps like BBM, Whatsapp, Palm chat, Facebook and file sharing app, Flash share.

MEMORY

Internal storage of the R7 sits at 16GB with a 2GB RAM. This increased RAM size now allows users download and use as many apps as they wish. The larger internal storage too also gives users the opportunity to save documents and as many media files they like on the phone memory. The internal memory can also be expanded up to 32GB with the use of a memory card.

BATTERY LIFE

The R7 has a 2,430mAh Li-Ion removable battery that can last for a full day under normal usage but if you are on 3G data network and use your phone at all times, you will have to carry an extra battery or charger. The good news is that the Tecno R7 comes with a free Power Bank which will be able to keep you going all day. Watching movies was something I enjoyed on the device because of the sharpness of the screen and the size, the R7 battery was sufficient for me to keep watching on the go. To ensure that you have adequate batteries, ensure you make some basic power saving settings on your phone.

CONNECTIVITY OPTION

Connectivity options include GPS navigation, WIFI, Bluetooth, WiFi Hotspot, USB port. Network Support includes 3.75G, 3G and 2G.

Tecno mobile does not have the tradition of producing very expensive devices, rather the company places focus on budget and pocket friendly gadgets that meet basic everyday need of the user. A successful addition of a few tweaks here and there simply makes this phone a must buy for anyone considering to purchase not just a premium device but a combination of premium, power and quality.

I have been enjoying the Tecno R7 phablet and still discovering certain new tweaks and  features embedded in it. Stay connected as I will write out a some other new features that I uncover in subsequent articles.