High-end smartphone at a mid-range price - Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G review
Hot case - cool technology.
Appearance isn't what matters. Tecno believed this and integrated a fast SoC with ample memory into the design of a mid-range smartphone. Although the phone is primarily available in Asia and Africa, it might also appeal to Western buyers at a competitive price.Florian Schmitt, 👁 Florian Schmitt, ✓ Anton Avdyushkin (translated by Ninh Duy) Published 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...
Verdict
If If you get your hands on the Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G, you can expect a smartphone that features a periscope zoom camera and a fast processor for relatively low cost.
The case is only at mid-range level, but some internal components are impressive for the price range: UFS 4.0 flash ensures high-speed data transfers and app loading times. The independent ISP significantly improves the photo quality, and 12 GB RAM ensures that almost all apps run on the device.
The Wi-Fi is fast, and the software has a solid update promise for up to 5 years.
So it's all sunshine and roses? Well, the phone's cooling is rather mediocre, resulting in significant heating and throttling under prolonged load. In addition, the screen flickers at low brightness due to PWM, and the brightness and color display are only average.
Tecno must have cut corners somewhere, but the Camon 40 Premier 5G is still an above-average phone in its price range. That is, if you can get your hands on it.
Pros
Cons
Price and availability
It is difficult to buy the Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G in Europe. Only protective cases and other accessories for the phone are sold on Amazon.de.
In other countries, the recommended retail price for the Tecno phone is less than 400 euros.
- $4.89BMPNLSZ TPU Cover for Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G, Flexible Silicone Slim fit Soft Shell Cute Back Case Bumper Rubber Protective Case for Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G - OOYLLM39
- $4.89BMPNLSZ SZ TPU Cover for Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G, Flexible Silicone Slim fit Soft Shell Cute Back Case Bumper Rubber Protective Case for Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G - BST12
Table of Contents
- Verdict
- Specifications
- Case and features - Waterproof mid-range chassis
- Communication and operation - Tecno-Phone with WiFi 6E
- Software and sustainability - 5 years of updates guaranteed
- Camera - Good camera system
- Display - Not quite as bright OLED
- Performance, emissions and battery life - Plenty of power in the mid-range phone
- Notebookcheck overall rating
- Possible alternatives comparison
Specifications
Case and features - Waterproof mid-range chassis
The manufacturer provides its upper-class phone at a mid-range price with a brushed metal frame surrounding the flat display. This is protected with Gorilla Glass 7i. There is two-tone plastic on the back: in addition to the dark grey or turquoise primary color, there is a metallic strip on the side. This is reminiscent of classic cameras; according to Tecno, this is intentional.
The bulky camera module protrudes quite far from the housing, but is stylishly framed with a metal ring that includes engraving of the technical details. The material transitions are slightly noticeable, but generally even. The housing is protected against water and dust according to IP68/69 standards.
With 12 GB RAM and 265 GB mass storage, the phone is quite well equipped, but expansion via microSD card is not possible. If desired, an infrared sensor turns the phone into a remote control, and a red LED on the back provides information about notifications when required.
Communication and operation - Tecno-Phone with WiFi 6E
Despite its relatively low price, the Tecno Camon 40 Premier supports WiFi 6E and achieves download rates of up to 1,553 MBit/s in our test with the Asus ROG Rapture AXE11000 reference router. This means that a gigabit internet connection can also be used comfortably.
The phone communicates with 4G and 5G mobile networks and offers good signal quality and enough frequency bands for use in most countries worldwide.
Thanks to a frame rate of up to 144 Hz, the screen is very responsive to touchscreen inputs. The Camon 40 Premier 5G can be unlocked using 2D facial recognition and an optical fingerprint sensor in the display. The fingerprint scanner is well-positioned and worked very reliably in the test.
Software and sustainability - 5 years of updates guaranteed
Android 15 serves as the basis for the smartphone's operating system, with Tecno's HiOS on top. Tecno promises 5 years of security updates and three new Android versions, i.e., up to Android 18. There is no bloatware on the phone.
You are greeted by the AI assistant Ella as soon as you set up the phone, a clear indication of Tecno's focus on innovation. While some AI features are already available, Ella's potential has yet to be fully realized. However, it's important to note that Ella currently has limited support for European languages.
Tecno's sustainability efforts are less pronounced, with the use of plastic film in the packaging being a notable point.
Camera - Good camera system
Sony's LYT-701 sensor is used for the main camera, which has a resolution of 50 megapixels and takes really decent photos in good light. Even in low light and high contrasts, the sensor doesn't do a bad job and achieves a reasonable dynamic range.
Videos can be recorded with 4K resolution and up to 60 fps; the quality is pleasing, and the autofocus is relatively fast and works imperceptibly.
A 50-megapixel camera with 3x periscope zoom ensures flexibility and makes even slightly zoomed shots up to 5x magnification look good.
There is also a third 50-megapixel camera with a very wide-angle lens. It takes decent pictures and even retains some details in the large field of view.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main cameraMain cameraLow LightUltra wide-angle
Display - Not quite as bright OLED
The maximum brightness of the Tecno Camon 40 Premier's OLED screen is not convincing: 650 cd/m² on average is significantly less than some of its competitors.
This is not enough for a compelling HDR display, but the phone can be used quite well outdoors on brighter days as long as the sun is not shining directly on the display.
The color reproduction is not entirely convincing either, since there is a slight blue cast and the colors are slightly distorted.
PWM flickering is visible at low brightness levels with 60 Hz. Sensitive people should therefore try out the screen before buying.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 95 %
Center on Battery: 654 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.07 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 4.5 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
100% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.244
| Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G OLED, 2800x1260, 6.7" | Tecno Camon 30 Premier 5G AMOLED, 2780x1264, 6.8" | Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G AMOLED, 2712x1220, 6.7" | Motorola Edge 60 Fusion P-OLED, 2712x1200, 6.7" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 37% | 58% | 60% | |
| Brightness middle | 654 | 789 21% | 1138 74% | 1281 96% |
| Brightness | 650 | 792 22% | 1137 75% | 1281 97% |
| Brightness Distribution | 95 | 98 3% | 97 2% | 94 -1% |
| Black Level * | ||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.07 | 1.2 71% | 1.1 73% | 1.47 64% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.8 | 3.1 54% | 2.6 62% | 3.14 54% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.5 | 2.1 53% | 1.6 64% | 2.2 51% |
| Gamma | 2.244 98% | 2.21 100% | 2.23 99% | 2.062 107% |
| CCT | 7568 86% | 6634 98% | 6284 103% | 6628 98% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 60.7 Hz Amplitude: 25 % |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 60.7 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 60.7 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8439 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Measurement series with fixed zoom level and different brightness settings (The amplitude curve at minimum brightness looks flat, but this is due to the scaling. The info box shows the enlarged version of the amplitude at minimum brightness)
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.6 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 4 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 1.3 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.6 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.7 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 4 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.4 ms). | ||
Performance, emissions and battery life - Plenty of power in the mid-range phone
With the Dimensity 8350, the Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G has a very powerful SoC, which is superior to many other devices in its price range. Tecno even uses the Ultimate version of the SoC, which has a dedicated unit for image processing.
In terms of graphics power, it is even sufficient for somewhat more demanding games in the display's native resolution.
The UFS 4.0 memory proves to be extremely fast and enables quick loading of apps.
However, the manufacturer seems to have skimped on the cooling: under high load, the temperatures come alarmingly close to the 50°C mark. Although this is not yet a drama, it is clearly noticeable and can be unpleasant on hot days. Throttling is also visible in the 3DMark stress tests.
The Tecno Camon 40 Premier even comes with real stereo speakers. They sound very balanced, but not quite as loud. Many Bluetooth audio codecs are available to connect your headphones or speakers without any problems and with good quality.
At 5,100 mAh, the battery has a slightly higher capacity than its predecessor and also offers a few more minutes of battery life in our Wi-Fi test. With regular use, this should make it possible to go 2 days without charging. If the phone does need to be plugged in, it can be charged with up to 70 watts and takes around an hour from 0 to 100 %.
| Geekbench AI | |
| Single Precision TensorFlow NNAPI 1.3 | |
| Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 8350 (n=1) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (231 - 1106, n=4, last 2 years) | |
| Motorola Edge 60 Fusion | |
| Half Precision TensorFlow NNAPI 1.3 | |
| Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 8350 (n=1) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (231 - 4555, n=5, last 2 years) | |
| Motorola Edge 60 Fusion | |
| Quantized TensorFlow NNAPI 1.3 | |
| Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G | |
| Average MediaTek Dimensity 8350 (n=1) | |
| Motorola Edge 60 Fusion | |
| Average of class Smartphone (536 - 4549, n=5, last 2 years) | |
| Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G | Tecno Camon 30 Premier 5G | Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G | Motorola Edge 60 Fusion | Average 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -30% | -57% | -54% | -9% | -39% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 3973 | 1850.76 -53% | 1009.67 -75% | 967.4 -76% | 3691 ? -7% | 2054 ? -48% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 3275 | 1727.3 -47% | 833.64 -75% | 908.8 -72% | 2713 ? -17% | 1667 ? -49% |
| Random Read 4KB | 337 | 354.51 5% | 248.81 -26% | 272.1 -19% | 385 ? 14% | 286 ? -15% |
| Random Write 4KB | 565 | 420.96 -25% | 266.92 -53% | 286.9 -49% | 415 ? -27% | 327 ? -42% |
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 48.8 °C / 120 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 46.2 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.8 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
3DMark Steel Nomad Stress Test
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Motorola Edge 60 Fusion | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G | |
| Tecno Camon 30 Premier 5G | |
| Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G | |
| Motorola Edge 60 Fusion | |
| Tecno Camon 30 Premier 5G | |
| Solar Bay Stress Test Stability | |
| Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G | |
| Steel Nomad Light Stress Test Stability | |
| Motorola Edge 60 Fusion | |
| Tecno Camon 30 Premier 5G | |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G | |
| Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G | |
Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 23.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.9% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (9.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 62% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 31% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 77% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 18% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Motorola Edge 60 Fusion audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 6% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 12% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 79% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 34% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 58% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
| Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G 5100 mAh | Tecno Camon 30 Premier 5G 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G 5110 mAh | Motorola Edge 60 Fusion 5200 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -2% | 26% | 7% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 955 | 937 -2% | 1206 26% | 1023 7% |
| Reader / Idle | 1754 | 1966 | ||
| H.264 | 1423 | 1161 | ||
| Load | 236 | 329 |
Notebookcheck overall rating
With the Tecno Camon 40 Premier, you get a phone with a good camera system and plenty of power for little money.
However, you can tell that savings had to be made on the chassis and cooling.
Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G
- 04/27/2025 v8
Florian Schmitt
Total Sustainability Score: Possible alternatives comparison
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Drive | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 79.8%  | Tecno Camon 40 Premier 5G MediaTek Dimensity 8350 ⎘ ARM Mali-G615 MP6 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 256 GB | Amazon: 1. $7.99 Lucyliy (3 Pack) Compatible ... 2. $4.89 BMPNLSZ TPU Cover for Tecno ... 3. $4.89 BMPNLSZ SZ TPU Cover for Tec... List Price: 399€ | 194 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.67" 2800x1260 460 PPI OLED |
2. 81.1%  | Tecno Camon 30 Premier 5G MediaTek Dimensity 8200-Ultra ⎘ ARM Mali-G610 MP6 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 512 GB | Amazon: 1. $7.99 Lucyliy (3 Pack) Compatible ... 2. $5.99 BMPNLSZ TPU Cover for Tecno ... 3. $6.99 BMPNLSZ TPU Cover for Tecno ... | 215 g | 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.77" 2780x1264 451 PPI AMOLED |
3. 77.8%  | Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G MediaTek Dimensity 7300 ⎘ ARM Mali-G615 MP2 ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB UFS 2.1 | Amazon: 1. $6.99 Natbok 2+2 Pack 3D Screen Pr... 2. $7.99 Natbok 2+2 Pack 3D Screen Pr... 3. $4.73 Aiziki 2 Pack for Redmi Note... List Price: 400€ | 190 g | 256 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.67" 2712x1220 446 PPI AMOLED |
4. 77.1%  | Motorola Edge 60 Fusion MediaTek Dimensity 7300 ⎘ ARM Mali-G615 MP2 ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB UFS 2.1 | Amazon: 1. $7.99 Anoowkoa 2 pack for Moto Edg... 2. $9.88 LXEEOLX [2 Pack Hydrogel Scr... 3. $8.99 QWFORQW [2+2 Pack for Motoro... List Price: 329€ | 178 g | 256 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.67" 2712x1200 445 PPI P-OLED |
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was given to the author by the manufacturer free of charge for the purposes of review. There was no third-party influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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