Tecno Spark 30 Pro Transformers Edition hands-on review | Infinium-tech

Tecno officially launched the Spark 30 lineup with two phones, vanilla and Pro, joining the Spark 30c in early September. There is a black and yellow Bumblebee edition of the Spark 30, while we now present you the Spark 30 Pro in Optimus Prime colors – red, blue and silver.

The phone comes with an adapter, charging cable and wired earphones, which is a nice retail package, but here’s our opinion about its performance once out of the box.

The Spark 30 series is meant for budget-conscious users who still want some excitement, but also spark, from their phone. The Pro version features a 6.78″ AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. We love that it comes with an under-display fingerprint scanner, which works quickly and reliably.

The Transformers theme brings custom wallpapers and icon designs to the Spark 30 Pro, and they’re definitely something. They may not be to everyone’s taste, but if you’re buying a phone whose back looks like Optimus Prime, you’ll definitely appreciate that the front also looks like a Transformer.

Tecno has placed a 13 MP selfie camera inside the punch hole, but the circle also acts as a hub for notifications. This is called Dynamic Port and is enabled in the Special Function menu through Settings. Like Dynamic Island on iOS, it eXtends to show you notifications for incoming calls and notifications, charging status, media player, and even some tips.

The company has come a long way in polishing its optimized interface, and despite its many extra features, it no longer feels cluttered. It has floating windows, allowing somewhat of a multi-window experience; The Smart Panel brings shortcuts to the desktop with a single swipe from the side, and there’s also a Game Mode and Kids Mode for different use-case scenarios.

UI Features

Tecno is so proud of its AI development that it announced it twice in 2024 – once in Barcelona during MWC and again in Berlin during IFA. The Spark 30 Pro is one of the first phones with HiOS that includes Tecno AI, including a Gemini-powered voice assistant called Ella.

AI Eraser: before and after

We tested the AI ​​assistant, and its performance is fine – nothing extraordinary. It can answer questions and carry on a conversation. It’s very important not to expect any magic from the Spark 30 Pro, especially offline, as the Helio G100 chipset housed inside the Gemini is somewhat limited in terms of processing power to handle the seven billion adjustable parameters.

The Tecno Spark 30 Pro has a camera island on the back that has at least four distinct circles, but only one is for a 108 MP camera, which is the only usable shooter.

tecno spark 30 pro camera sample

There’s a quad-LED flash on the back, and we have to commend Tecno for implementing a dual-LED flash on the front, which is embedded in the top bezel. Tecno Spark 30 Pro has an IR blaster installed on the camera island.

Tecno Spark 30 Pro Portrait: 1x • 3x

Tecno Spark 30 Pro Selfie: With LED Flash • Without LED Flash

We said there are wired earphones in the box, so obviously there’s a 3.5mm audio jack. The Spark 30 Pro also has FM radio, NFC, dual nano-SIM + microSD card tray, and a USB-C port for up to 33W wired charging.

All these features in one phone make the Spark 30 Pro an extremely attractive device, and that’s before considering that it packs a 5,000 mAh battery inside a 7.4 mm body.

The Spark 30 Pro is designed for markets where 5G connectivity is not so widespread; The phone has 4.5G, which is LTE Advanced. It has pre-installed AI features, which is a big selling point for Tecno and why some people may choose this phone over the Poco M6 Pro or Galaxy A15, despite these phones having more cameras or better RAW performance. Is.

We have to remember that Tecno is a strong player in Africa and Southeast Asia, and that’s where we expect the Spark 30 Pro to do well. It should arrive in markets like Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya this month, where the phone is expected to be priced around $200 for the 8/128GB version and around $220 for the 8/256GB option.