TECNO Pova 5 Pro Review: Should You Buy It?
Tecno Pova 5 Pro 5G is a blend of futuristic design and respectable performance at an affordable price. Although it has some glaring flaws, like excessive bloatware, aggressive beauty filters, and a dim screen, it's a stylish yet functional Android phone that won't break the bank.
TECNO Pova 5 Pro review. soon
- What is it: TECNO Pova 5 Pro is the latest budget Android phone from TECNO with unique aesthetics and a set of RGB lights on the back. It features a 6.78-inch display with 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It is powered by a mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 6080 chipset that delivers decent performance for basic tasks and casual games.
- How much does it cost? TECNO Pova 5 Pro price in India starts at Rs 14,999.00 (~$180).
- Where can you buy it? TECNO Pova 5 Pro is available from August 22 in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Middle East and Latin America markets.
- How did we test it? I tested the TECNO Pova 5 Pro for two weeks. TECNO has made the Pova 5 Pro available for testing.
- Is it worth it? With its attractive design, respectable performance and solid battery life, the TECNO Pova 5 Pro is a budget phone that offers good value for money, especially for gamers and those looking for a stylish yet functional smartphone.
Should you buy TECNO Pova 5 Pro?
Adam Birney / Android Authority
The design of the TECNO Pova 5 Pro is certainly one of its most notable features. The previous Pova 4 series had similar geometric patterns, but now the Pova 5 Pro expands even further with a combination of transparent panels and LED strips on the back. It gives a futuristic feel inspired by the Nothing Phone, but is attractive and stylish. However, unlike the Nothing Phone 1, you can customize the backlight in the settings among nine colors and pulse patterns. This means taking advantage of different LED effects that respond to incoming calls and messages, signal when the device is charging, or display the battery level as a convenient visual.
You can also adjust the lighting effects to sync with the music you're listening to, adding an extra fun factor to show off to your friends. However, you can listen to music using the built-in wired headphones, or better yet, wireless headphones, as the stereo speakers can start to sound harsh at high volumes. Unfortunately, the lighting effects are limited to the top half of the phone. I wish TECNO decorated the entire back with LED strips for a more dramatic effect. Additionally, the plastic back of the phone is very susceptible to fingerprints. They were clearly visible on the Dark Illusion model of the Pova 5 Pro that I tested, which is finished in a deep metallic navy blue.
The 6.78-inch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate provides a relatively smooth user experience, especially when playing mobile games. As for the screen, I found that the brightness could be improved. The Pova 5 Pro hits 580 nits, which can be difficult in bright sunlight.
Under the hood, the MediaTek Dimensity 6080 SoC ensures that most tasks can be accomplished without any problems. The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G offers a slightly larger processor and processor than the MediaTek Dimensity 700. I tried several games from the preinstalled AHA Games app, such as Racing Limits and Among Us, without any noticeable eye issues. The TECNO Pova 5 Pro adequately ran more demanding games like Genshin Impact without overheating, although it wasn't at the performance level of flagship devices.
TECNO Pova 5 Pro impresses with its super fast charging and custom LED touch, but the minimal screen brightness and dimming leave room for improvement.
Besides AHA Games, many bloatwares are installed at startup. There were almost a dozen apps and services that I would never use and had to remove manually, such as WOW FM, WPF Office, Visha Player, T-SPOT, Welife, Hi Translate, and Carlcare. Some of these may be specific to the Latin American model of the phone I tested, while others may apply to other regions.
I found that HiOS is very similar to MIUI on Xiaomi phones and has the same drop-down menu as iOS, but overall it's less clunky. The Pova 5 Pro is expected to receive biannual OS updates over its lifespan, bringing it only to Android 15. It's better than nothing, but even if the TECNO team claims to fix vulnerabilities in the code or bugs found during these two years, we would like at least a longer security update policy.
TECNO Pova 5 Pro stands out in the budget category with high charging speed. Not only does it have a powerful 5,000 mAh battery that averages about eight hours of screen time per charge, but thanks to its 68W charging power, I never have to worry about running out of battery . TECNO claims that you can charge the phone to 50% battery in 15 minutes using the included charger, and the Pova 5 Pro more or less lived up to those claims in our testing. These speeds are very convenient for charging on the go, but you will need to have your own personal charger.
TECNO also says it takes 45 minutes to fully charge, which is true, but I felt the phone heat up from drinking all the juice quickly, so I'm wary of the long-term effects. the effect on battery health. However, there is a Samsung-like charging feature to skip the battery and turn the phone on immediately. This can reduce heat when using the phone while connected to the network, especially in games.
The 50-megapixel rear camera and 16-megapixel selfie sensor take good photos in high light, but the quality can suffer in low light and appear grainy. The rear camera is limited to 12.5MP by default, but you can shoot up to 50MP if you want, although the difference is almost imperceptible unless you look at the pixels. The rear camera can digitally zoom 10x, but beyond 2x, details are lost and image noise is introduced.
The stock camera app has AI-CAM enabled by default, which automatically adjusts images to make them look better, at least in theory. I found it could improve edge detection and dynamic range in most outdoor environments, but oversaturated some colors. For the most part, I opted for a simple, no-AI grading experience.
Adam Birney / Android Authority
The front-facing selfie camera is pretty good, with natural colors and reliable brightness for most situations. The beauty filters smoothed and flattened the skin too much, but the portrait effect did a great job of blurring the background and retaining all the details for me. You can find a gallery with sample images here.
For video enthusiasts, the device's rear camera offers a maximum resolution of 1440p at 30fps, which is commendable for the price range. Most budget devices max out at 1080p, which only the Pova 5 Pro's front camera can do. The videos can be a little messy and not always clear, but that's to be expected.
Overall, the TECNO Pova 5 Pro 5G combines style, performance, and value for money without breaking the bank. Its unique design, decent cameras, incredible battery life, and fast charging make it a good choice in its price range, if you can get past the software quirks. For those who like light mobile gaming and the LED notification design of a mid-range device, the Pova 5 Pro 5G is a great choice.
Tecno Pova 5 Pro 5G
Budget phone with cyberpunk style.
Tecno Pova 5 Pro 5G LED stands out with dynamic features and impressive specifications.
What are the best alternatives to TECNO Pova 5 Pro?
Adam Birney / Android Authority
If you live in North America, the UK, or the rest of Europe, you unfortunately won't be able to purchase the TECNO Pova 5 Pro locally. However, if you're looking for something similar, these options are worth considering.
- Samsung Galaxy A14 5G ($199.99 at Samsung): Samsung's popular budget phone may not have as fast charging speeds, but it offers adequate, albeit longer, battery life. triple camera setup and longer upgrade commitment.
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- Redmi Note 12 Pro or Pro Plus ($285 at Amazon). Redmi Note 12 Pro has a similar interface and a wired charging speed of almost 67W. It also has a brighter OLED display, an ultra-wide camera, and 4K video recording capabilities. About $20 more. The 12 Pro Plus costs about $100 more, but doubles the charging speed and has a 200 MP camera.
TECNO Pova 5 Pro Specifications
| Tecno Pova 5 Pro | |
|---|---|
screen | |
- 6.78 inches FHD+ - 120Hz refresh rate - 240 Hz touch sampling rate | |
2460 x 1080 resolution | |
processor | |
Mediatek dimension 6080 | |
RAM | 8 GB |
storage | 128 GB or 256 GB |
performance | 5000mAh |
Cameras | |
with 68W cable charging | |
to come back - Width 50MP, ƒ/1.6 - 0.08 MP forward. | |
Audio: | Stereo speaker |
SIM: | Dual SIM (Nano SIM, dual standby) |
biometrics | Side fingerprint sensor |
softwares | Based on HiOS Android 13 |
Dimensions and weight | 168.5x76.5x9mm |
colors | Dark Illusion, Silver Fantasy, Free Fire edition |
in the box | - Phone |
TECNO Pova 5 Pro review. FAQ
Pova and Spark meet different user needs. The Pova is more of a gaming and work focused phone, while the Spark is more affordable and versatile. Your choice depends on your specific needs.
Yes, TECNO Pova 5 Pro 5G runs on Android, specifically HiOS based on Android 13.
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Although TECNO phones are primarily aimed at African, Asian and Latin American markets, they can work in the United States if they support the necessary GSM bands. However, it is important to check compatibility with specific operators.
The TECNO Pova 5 Pro offers a powerful feature set, including a MediaTek Dimensity 6080 SoC, 120Hz display, and 5,000mAh battery, making it a budget phone.
With moderate usage, the TECNO Pova 5 Pro's 5,000mAh battery can easily last a full day on a single charge.