TECNO Camon 40 Premier 5G evaluate

The TECNO Camon 40 Premier is without doubt one of the newest telephones from an organization you could not have heard of. It is the results of the corporate’s relentless pursuit to convey high-end experiences to cheaper price factors and markets, and it appears to hit the mark.

The cellphone makes use of a more moderen MediaTek chip primed for AI efficiency, which is wise as a result of the Camon 40 Premier comes with a number of AI options to make the most of. Past the software program, the cellphone has a really succesful digital camera system that includes the corporate’s newest imaging developments, and the battery life and charging specs far surpass these of many flagship telephones in North America.

The TECNO Camon 40 Premier 5G appears like a full package deal regardless of some shortcomings and questionable (but comprehensible) selections.

TECNO Camon 40 Premier: Worth, availability, and specs

The TECNO Camon 40 Premier was introduced alongside the remainder of the Camon 40 collection throughout MWC 2025 on March 4, 2025.

The cellphone incorporates a single configuration with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It additionally is available in black and inexperienced colorways.

As for pricing and availability, TECNO hasn’t revealed an excessive amount of in the mean time, however the cellphone is just not offered in North America. Nonetheless, it is going to be out there in different areas, together with Africa, the Center East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

The Camon 30 Premier began at a value of round ₹29,499, which is just below $350, so it stands to purpose the Camon 40 Premier might price someplace in the identical ballpark and possibly a bit extra.

TECNO Camon 40 Premier: What I like

For a cellphone that prices lower than $600, the TECNO Camon 40 Premier has lots going for it. It sits in a bizarre however compelling area of telephones that include flagship options and efficiency however sub-flagship costs. It is a area occupied by telephones just like the Pixel 9 and OnePlus 13R, and the Camon 40 Premier emulates this pretty effectively.

The {hardware} is an enormous a part of what makes this an incredible cellphone. The show is a 6.67-inch AMOLED that appears nice, though it does not blow me away. It is loads vibrant, the colour profile is properly tuned in order that it is not oversaturated, and the 144Hz refresh price makes scrolling and animations easy as butter.

A part of this has to do with the MediaTek Dimensity 8530 chip powering the cellphone. Whereas it is an upper-midrange chipset, I’ve no complaints about efficiency. Almost the whole lot you do on this cellphone is executed shortly and effortlessly, which ought to come as no shock for a chip that falls just below the flagship 9000-series chips.

This extends to gaming as effectively. Certainly one of my favourite video games to play Honkai: Star Rail, which will be fairly taxing on a cellphone when performed on the greater settings. Normally a cellphone will default to the settings it thinks it may deal with, and the Camon 40 Premier was already set to “Excessive” once I began up the sport.

I made a decision that wasn’t sufficient, so I turned issues as much as the best graphics settings and at 60fps as a substitute of the default 30fps. Surprisingly (or not), the cellphone is ready to sustain simply nice, and I didn’t discover a lot in the way in which of stuttering or large body price drops.

The software program expertise general is fairly stable, even when HiOS is not my favourite Android pores and skin. It runs Android 15 out of the field, and you will get among the extra widespread Android prospers that we see in telephones as of late, such because the separated notification shade and fast panel.

The sensible panel is nice for multitasking, whereas the Dynamic Port provides you a Dynamic Island-like (albeit pretty restricted) expertise.

Nonetheless, I can not actually discuss a brand new cellphone in 2025 with out mentioning AI, particularly as it is a large focus for this cellphone. TECNO lately introduced its grand plans for TECNO AI, its suite of options that it is bringing to its smartphone portfolio to assist bridge the hole between the $1000 telephones of the world and the extra reasonably priced and accessible telephones. What’s nice is that TECNO makes its AI very current for individuals who need to use it.

While you first activate the Camon 40 Premier, you are taken by means of the setup course of through TECNO’s AI assistant, Ella. It is an early introduction to the cellphone’s relationship with AI and will get you ready for what’s to come back.

As soon as arrange, swiping to the left of the house display will unveil an AI hub of types known as Zero Display, the place you’ll be able to entry a collection of TECNO AI options. Up prime is Ella Briefing. To not be confused with Samsung’s Now Transient (though at the least a part of the thought is analogous), it is a useful “temporary” up prime to summarize and remind you of calendar occasions, notifications, and extra.

TECNO match a ton of AI instruments into the Camon 40 Premier, that are fairly helpful.

There’s additionally fairly an abundance of AI instruments you might have entry to, and when you’ll simply discover plenty of them all through the UI, like AI Studio within the Gallery app, the Zero Display places all of them just about at your fingertips and makes it simple so that you can discover use instances for them.

This consists of creating AI-generated artwork utilizing texts or drawings, translating from photos or whereas in a dialog, summarizing paperwork or creating them from photographs, and extra.

For essentially the most half, these options are fairly well-baked, and TECNO’s AI appears like a reasonably mature providing. Accessing the settings for TECNO AI feels very corresponding to Galaxy AI on a Samsung cellphone, and plenty of options are fairly related.

Going again to the thought of quick access, TECNO has applied an Motion Button of types known as the One-Faucet Button. Curiously, tapping it as soon as does not truly do something, however you’ll be able to customise the double-tap to open any app or carry out sure features like muting the ringer.

A protracted press of the button will evoke the Ella assistant, which is a pleasant different to utilizing the facility button, one thing that different Android OEMs (taking a look at you, Samsung) have defaulted to. I really like the added performance of the button, and I hope to see one thing extra like this on different Android telephones.

AI additionally makes its method into the digital camera, and the 50MP triple digital camera system is surprisingly good. TECNO has tuned the digital camera in order that it may take higher photos in low-light circumstances and in addition higher reproduce extra pores and skin tones. In my expertise, I have been in a position to take loads of respectable photographs. It is not the very best, but it surely’s fairly good for this value vary, and I doubt anybody can be disillusioned within the digital camera.

I really like that the Camon 40 Premier has a telephoto digital camera with 3x optical zoom, one thing I really feel continues to be fairly unusual at this value level. It does effectively in the course of the day, with photographs taken at 6x popping out fairly crisp, though the sensor struggles a bit at night time.

You can even take photos at a second’s discover with FlashSnap, which may seize photographs with a really excessive shutter velocity whereas protecting the picture crisp with decreased noise. So not solely can it preserve you from lacking a second, however it may additionally seize moments robotically based mostly on the scene, which is fairly helpful.

Lastly, you will be pleased to know that battery life is great. The 5,100mAh battery retains the cellphone going all day, and I have been in a position to common about 7 hours or extra of screen-on time. The 70W charging may prime up the cellphone very quickly in any respect, with the cellphone going from 1-100% in simply over half-hour. Take that, Samsung!

TECNO Camon 40 Premier: What I do not like

The TECNO Camon 40 Premier is a reasonably stable cellphone, because of its IP68 and IP69 water and mud resistance rankings. Sadly, it does not really feel as stable as it’s. The again panel, which has a reasonably uninspired design regardless of the brightly coloured inexperienced, feels fairly low cost in hand. I typically simply persist with the included case, which is far grippier and nonetheless options the identical coloration.

I additionally discovered myself a bit postpone by the quantity of bloatware on the cellphone after setting it up. You may possible spend fairly a little bit of time uninstalling varied apps you could or could not have heard of or simply don’t need in your cellphone.

And talking of issues you could not need in your cellphone, TECNO’s AI is generally fairly well-rounded, however Ella appears like a lesser model of Gemini. Do not get me flawed, I feel it is commendable that Ella even exists, as one of many largest advantages of utilizing Ella over different assistants is that it makes use of extra native languages for higher accessibility amongst growing and developed areas.

That mentioned, regardless of Ella being built-in with Gemini, it simply feels slower and does not show info in the identical coherent method I’d get with Gemini. For instance, I requested Ella and Gemini about measles signs and if I must be involved about contracting it as a result of current outbreak. Ella slowly spat out the data at me whereas Gemini relayed the data in a really clear method, even creating clear lists throughout the app.

Additionally, TECNO has determined to combine DeepSeek R1 into Ella, which is a curious determination. As a Chinese language-based firm, it is sensible to make use of the latest AI mannequin, particularly after it lately went fairly viral. Nonetheless, given the privateness issues, anybody exterior of China could need to chorus from utilizing it.

Fortuitously, TECNO permits you to select when to make use of DeepSeek R1. When opening Ella, there is a very outstanding DeepSeek R1 button which you can press to toggle the mannequin on or off. It is good that the choice is there, even when I do not plan to make use of it.

Even higher, you continue to have the choice to make use of Gemini as a substitute of Ella in the event you desire. Sadly, that does not apply to the Ella One-Faucet Button shortcut, however you’ll be able to nonetheless set Gemini because the double-tap choice to open the app (though it does not robotically allow voice enter).

A extra minor subject I’ve with the TECNO Camon 40 Premier is the dearth of wi-fi charging. It is not a very large deal, as wi-fi charging continues to be not generally discovered on midrange telephones. Plus, the 70W charging greater than makes up for its absence, however it’s at all times good to have the choice.

Lastly, the in-display fingerprint sensor works shortly, however just like the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 and Honor 200 Professional it is simply method too low on the show, making it a bit awkward to make use of except you are holding the cellphone in a selected method. Not a deal breaker, however undoubtedly an annoyance.

TECNO Camon 40 Premier: Competitors

For a cellphone at this value level, there are a variety of similarly-priced low cost Android telephones. The Pixel 9a continues to be very a lot new and solely $499 regardless of its flagship-level Tensor G4 chipset. It’s able to lots of the identical AI options because the flagship Pixel 9 collection, simply at a fraction of the fee. That mentioned, its {hardware} specs aren’t almost as strong, with slower charging, much less RAM, and a decrease refresh price show. Plus, as of writing, the cellphone is not on retailer cabinets but after it was delayed.

The Moto G Energy 2025 is one other contender in an identical value bracket because the Camon 40 Premier. It gives nice worth for the worth and is a fantastically designed cellphone that incorporates a vegan leather-based end, nice battery life, wi-fi charging, and an IP68/69 score for cover. Nonetheless, it has a much less spectacular MediaTek chip and is missing int he AI division, making this a a lot much less thrilling cellphone than the Camon.

TECNO Camon 40 Premier: Do you have to purchase it?

You should purchase this if…

• You are in search of an reasonably priced cellphone.
• You desire a cellphone with quick charging.
• You desire a good digital camera that may shortly seize moments.

You should not purchase this if…

• You reside in North America.
• You want wi-fi charging.
• You do not need to cope with bloatware.

The Camon 40 Premier 5G is feels prefer it’s TECNO’s model of a Pixel. It is a improbable midrange cellphone that has all of the makings of a great flagship. The MediaTek chip is greater than sufficient for what the cellphone is making an attempt to perform, and the AI suite feels very complete, even when a few of its implementation may very well be improved.

Regardless of the dearth of wi-fi charging and questionable selections with fingerprint sensor placement and number of AI fashions, battery life and nice digital camera high quality make up for any shortcomings the cellphone could have, of which there are few. And whereas it is not offered in North America, the TECNO Camon 40 Premier 5G is a cellphone you need to take into account shopping for if it is in your market.