Like the Dab trend, sometimes a terrible idea takes hold of the zeitgeist, relegating common sense in the process. In the Phone technology world, that trend is the Notch screen. We are in the Notch era and it doesn’t seem like this infection is getting a cure anytime soon. Tecno Mobile, one of Africa’s leading mobile brands whose products are geared towards emerging markets has unveiled its first smartphones with notch screen. There of these devices were unveiled and they are the Camon iAir 2, Camon i2 and the Camon i2X. Weird naming style but we are in the Notch screen era, weird has been thrown out the window.

As usual, even among budget devices, there is a hierarchy and the TECNO Camon i2X is the most premium of the three devices. It boasts of a massive 6.2-inch super view display with a notch at the front. It runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with TECNO’s latest HiOS 4.1 interphase. The rest of the specs are listed below –

TECNO Camon i2X Key Specs

• 2-inch HD+ IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 720 x 1500 pixels
• Android 8.1 Oreo with 4GB RAM
• Octa-core MediaTek M6762 (Helio P22)
• 64GB built-in storage
• 13MP + 5MP rear camera and 16MP front camera
• 3750mAh non-removable Li-Po Battery

Let’s take a closer look at the CAmon i2X

Design and Display

The Camon i2X is one of the first smartphones from TECNO with a Notch. It is, however, currently only for the Indian Market. Design-wise, it looks like most of the phones in the TECNO Camon series. It is made from a polycarbonate plastic material which makes it very lightweight and easy to hold.

The fingerprint scanner is in its usual position, while the dual rear shooters sit comfortably at the top left corner. I’ve gotta say, there is something admirable about the uniformity in the basic designs of phones in the Camon series. It measures 8.5mm in thickness as well. TECNO Camon i2X sports a fuller 19:9 aspect ratio screen and the top and bottom bezels are now slimmer compared to other Camon devices.

The front is built around a 6.2-inch HD+ IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen. This boasts of 720 x 1500 pixels in resolution for clear visuals. It stretches up t0 80.16% screen-to-body ratio. This is a phone you are going to really enjoy watching widescreen HD movies on.

Hardware and Software

Under the fairly attractive exterior, the Camon i2X is powered by the MediaTek M6762 (Helio P22). It is an Octo-core processor built on the 12nm FinFET node. This is backed by the new IMG Power GE8320 GPU running up to a speedy 650MHz, and a powerful octa-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU operating up to 2.0GHz.

It comes loaded with 4GB of RAM for multitasking. In the storage department, there is a 32GB inbuilt storage which can be upgraded up to 128GB using a memory card. It runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with HiOS 4.1

Point of the technical jargon is, this is a fast device. You will enjoy playing games and using multiple apps simultaneously on this phone without having to trade efficiency of speed and smoothness for it.

Camera, Network, and Connectivity

Dual cameras have been a thing for a while now, so it is no surprise that the Camon i2X is equipped with dual 13MP + 5MP shooter at the rear, this supports the fun Portrait Mode and lets you take photographs with Bokeh Effect. The main 13-megapixel camera comes with f/1.8 aperture while the secondary 5-megapixel has f/2.4 with a quad LED flash. The 16MP selfie camera has AI Beauty mode, supports Face ID, dedicated flash and f/2.0 aperture lens. Simply put, you will be getting some premium features in this premium device.

The TECNO Camon i2X supports 4G LTE Connectivity and accommodates dual Nano SIMs. It also has support for Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm jack, USB Port, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Hotspot and A-GPS, GLONASS. Pretty standard for phones in this range.

TECNO Camon i2X Complete Specifications

Network Connectivity

• 2G: GSM, GPRS, EDGE 900 / 1800 MHz
• 3G: UMTS, WCDMA, HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100 MHz
• 4G: LTE bands 1(2300) / 3(1800) / 5(850) / 40(2300) / 41(2500)
• SIM Type: Dual-SIM, Nano-SIM
• Bluetooth: v5.0
• WiFi: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot
• GPS: Yes
• USB: micro USB v2.0

Design and Display

• Dimensions:  mm
• Weight: N/A
• Display: 6.2-inch, 720 x 1520 pixels, 19:9 aspect ratio, IPS display
• Sensors: Fingerprint, Ambient light, Accelerometer, Proximity
• Build: Plastic
• Colours: Aqua Blue, Midnight Black, and Champagne Gold.

Hardware and Software

• Processor Type: 64-bit Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53
• Processor Name: Mediatek M6762 (Helio P22)
• Graphics Processor: ARM Mali G71 MP2
• OS: Android 8.1 Oreo with HiOS 4.1
• RAM: 4 GB
• Internal Storage: 64 GB
• External Storage: microSD, up to 128 GB

Camera

• Rear Camera: 13MP + 5MP dual rear cameras, auto-focus, LED flash
• Video recording: 1080 @ 30fps
• Front-facing Camera: 16 megapixels, flash

Multimedia

• Music Support: MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player
• Audio:
• Loudspeaker: Mono
• Video Support: MP4/MPEG4 player
• FM Radio: Yes

Miscellaneous Features

• Charging: MediaTek Pump Express (fast battery charging)
• Battery Type and Capacity: Non-Removable Lithium-Polymer 3750mAh
• Announced: September 2018
• Availability: September 2018

TECNO Camon i2X Price and Availability

The TECNO Camon i2X price in India which is the target market for this device is about Rs 12,499. That is about $127 or NGN62,000 in Nigeria. The device will only be available in India but I imagine if you love this device, you can find your way to get it down to your country. It would certainly be worth the effort.