Tecno mobile is a popular Mobile device manufacturer in Nigeria and other parts of Africa with the objective of making technology available to different people with range of products according to their purchasing power.
The company which used to be known for its dominance in the feature phone category has won the heart of many Nigerians with a wide range of Smartphones that offer smart experiences at very affordable prices. This is evident as the Tecno Phantom A+ was one of the most popular device in the year 2013.
Tecno M7 is a dual-sim phone that catches the eye especially with its sleek design; its premium look and feel can be compared to any other smartphone available in the market. Although it is not designed to compete on high end specs sheet, the phone offers great value for money and delivers an outstanding performance and user experience. No doubt, the 5-inch Android powered phone still remains the best designed Tecno phone available
DESIGN
The M7 features a 5.0- inch capacitive touch screen, operates on 2 Sim cards and weighs about 152g. It has a relative light weight with its plastic build, it is 146.7mmX76mmX10.4mm in dimension, has a substantial premium feel, comfortable to hold and the 5-inch screen is easy to operate with one hand. Physical buttons at the front of the M7 are absent because the control buttons are on the display screen.
The physical touch buttons present are the power/sleep button which is located on the right hand side and volume control which is on the left.
- tecno m7 power/sleep button
The positions of the buttons are easy to reach when using the phone with a single hand. At the top of the phone is the headphone jack and just beside it is the USB port which can also be used for charging. The rear of the phone is slightly curved, making it rest perfectly in the hand and also giving it a comfortable grip. The speaker is also located at the back of the phone.
DISPLAY
The 5- inch display has a disappointing resolution of 480 X 854 pixels (poor screen resolution), screen is bright and colours are also fair. The M7 uses the Android software buttons for navigation (Home, back and Menu) and these are located on the screen. Viewing angles is very poor but the screen delivers a fair display while playing games and watching movies.
CAMERA
The device has an 8MP camera with flash at the back and a 1.2MP front facing camera.Pictures do not look natural but quality is better when pictures are taken outdoor or taken with abundant light. Picture quality is also very poor when using the camera under low light. We advice that pictures be taken with the camera on HDR mode (not advisable when subjects are moving, this increases the chances of getting blurry images) to produced a better pictures.
The camera resolution can be tweaked from 8MP to 2MP, 3MP and 5MP for those who want to reduce picture size. Camera modes present on the Techno M7 include Panorama, face detection and HDR.
SOFTWARE AND FEATURES
The M7 runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS, powered by a 1.3GHz Dual-Core and has an embedded Graphics Processor Unit (GPU) model.The phone comes pre-installed with widgets, fm radio, various apps like BBM, Whatsapp, Flash share, which is the fastest means of transferring files between devices, Google’s own Gmail, YouTube and games for maximum entertainment.
Another feature that was unleashed is that the phone automatically goes silent when turned face down when a call comes in. Another impressive feature is the ability to move apps installed on the phone memory to the memory card thus giving space to apps that need to run on the phone.
PERFORMANCE
Users are bound to experience reasonable performance with the 1.3GHz average benchmarked Dual-Core processor and a 1GB RAM. Starting up is quick, scrolling is smooth while switching within apps is easy. Browsing on the M7 is also fast with the 3G connectivity options.
STORAGE
The M7 sits at 1 GB RAM, internal storage of 4GB and expandable up to 32GB. This makes it easy to download movies and install as many apps and games without the fear running out of memory.
BATTERY LIFE
The M7 has a 2000mAh removable battery with talk time of about 6 hours and 22 hours standby time. Battery life was tested by watching movies and using the phone on 3G data connection.We found out that the battery drains quickly with 3G connection while it drained after watching movies for about 4.5 hours. This test reveals an improvement in battery life.
CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS
Connectivity options include GPS navigation, WIFI, Bluetooth, USB port. Data Support for the Tecno M7 includes GPRS, Edge and 3G.
Conclusion
The Tecno M7 delivers average performance, great android experience and ultimately, a good value for money.
The Tecno Smart family range of devices is a proof that the company has achieved great success in translating advanced technology into superior localized products at very affordable prices.
This is our Tecno M7 review. Do you or have you used the Tecno M7, kidly share your thoughts in the comment section below.