TECNO never stops surprising users with innovative design devices. No wonder the brand slogan is “Stop at Nothing”. First, it was the colour-changing rear design of the Camon 19 Mondrian edition and now the Spark 9 Pro sport edition.
According to the TECNO, the Sport Edition came with all the great features of the SPARK 9 Pro, including a 32MP front camera, MediaTek Helio G85 chipset and the 6.6″ 1080P Full HD large screen, bringing extraordinary fun and pleasure for passionate young users and allowing them to best express their own intrinsic and extrinsic identity.
In our review of the device, we take a deep dive into the Spark 9 Pro sport edition to see what it has to offer.
Unboxing the TECNO Spark 9 Pro Sport Edition
The Spark 9 Pro sport edition is available only in Kyanite blue colour, and our review unit is the 4/128 GB version. Before we proceed to the review, here is what you will find inside the box:
- Spark 9 Pro Sport Edition smartphone
- Screen Protector
- USB type -C cable
- 18-Watt charging brick
- Transparent silicon protective case
- Earphones
- SIM ejector pin
- Free MTN 1GB + Double Data for 6 months
- 12+1 Months Warranty Card
TECNO Spark 9 Pro Sport Edition Key Specifications
The TECNO Spark 9 Pro edition shares a similar specification to that of the Spark 9 Pro released a few months ago. The only difference between the two is in the design.
- Display: 6.6-inch, Full HD+ LCD screen, 1080 x 2460 pixels
- Processor: Octa Core MediaTek Helio G85 12nm Gaming processor
- Operating System: Android 12, HiOS 8.6
- RAM: 4GB
- Internal Storage: 128GB
- Rear Camera: 50MP + 2MP + 2MP, Dual LED flash
- Front-Facing Camera: 32MP with dual LED flash
- Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD)
- Battery Capacity: 5000 mAh battery with 18W fast charging
- Fingerprint: Side-mounted
- Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS/ GLONASS/ Beidou, USB Type-C
Iconic Design and Build Quality
The biggest talking point about the TECNO Spark 9 Pro Sport edition is its unique design.
According to TECNO, The Spark 9 Pro sports edition is designed by Designworks, a BMW Group Company responsible for the colour, material and design of the Spark 9 Pro Sport Edition, which was made for the passionate Gen Z. The amazing design at the back of the phone is a representation of a BMW sports car hence the name of the device.
It combines a blue and pure white colour scheme at the corners of the phone’s rear design, it looks crystal-like, and in the middle, it is white with a textured finish. The reflective crystal pattern at the edges is exceptional.
We have dual Nano SIM cards on the left side and a dedicated microSD card slot. On the right side is a side-mounted fingerprint reader, volume rockers and the power on button. At the bottom is a speaker grille, a 3.5mm audio jack, a noise-cancelling microphone and a USB type C charging port while the top has nothing of interest except a water drop hole for the selfie camera on the top middle area. It also has a camera bump at the back with a colourful design that houses the rear camera.
The Spark 9 Pro Sport edition has an overall better and more attractive design than the Spark 9 Pro, Spark 9T and other devices around its price range.
Display
The 6.6-inch screen has Full HD resolution, which is quite sharp in brightness and contrast, considering this is an LCD and not an AMOLED screen. The display comes with a water drop hole that houses the selfie camera.
The 1080-pixel full HD dot notch screen is smooth to touch, and I enjoyed browsing, watching movies and playing games on the device. The large screen with 1080P of the Spark 9 Pro Sport edition provides a crisp and satisfying display. Under direct sunlight, the display is still very bright.
Within the settings, TECNO’s interface allows users to customize the display options, so if the default brightness or saturation is too dull for you, it’s easy to change it.
Camera
The phone has three cameras at the back that consists of a 50MP main camera, a 2MP depth lens, and a 2MP, while at the front is a 32MP selfie camera. Both the rear and selfie cameras come with dual LED flash.
The pictures taken are pretty good in terms of sharpness, colour and dynamic range. AI features apply to both the selfie and rear camera, capturing high-quality photos in the daytime and nighttime. The phone has a night mode that works well with low-light sources.
Camera mode on the phone includes AI cam, beauty, portrait lens, super night, A shot, panorama, short video, beauty, google lens, slow motion and time-lapse.
The autofocus capabilities of the phone is awesome for vloggers and mobile photographers. Video capture is capped at 2k video for both front and rear cameras.
Review of the Camera
Here are sample photos taken with the Spark 9 Pro Sport edition:
Hardware and Software
The phone is powered by Mediatek Helio G85 processor paired with 4GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. The phone has 4GB RAM and can be extended by up to 3GB using the memory fusion feature, which it snatches from 128GB internal storage.
After 10 days of using the Spark 9 Po sport edition, we noticed that the apps open quickly, multitasking is smooth and light, and some heavy-duty games run smoothly. The phone is good for gaming, though not too good for playing some more graphically intensive or demanding new 3d games smoothly.
The G85 processor allows for fast processing speeds while achieving high levels of efficiency and less power consumption.
The phone runs on Android 12 based on HiOS 8.6. The phone interface is clean, intuitive, and very pleasant to operate. We hope there will be an Android update for the Spark 9 Pro sport edition.
HiOS 8.6 comes with a lot of improved customization, privacy and security features, including dark mode, and theme store. Some of the unwanted and pre-installed apps can be removed, and others disabled. This will reduce the excess and annoying adverts notifications that pop up on the phone.
All connectivity features, including Dual 4G VoLTE, 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/ GLONASS/ Beidou, and USB Type-C port present on the phone, work perfectly okay. The processor supports Wi-Fi and a 4G dual connection to boost internet speed and good call quality.
The side-mounted fingerprint scanner on the right side is easily accessible and responsive. Overall, the hardware and software performance of the Spark 9 Pro Sport edition is great, with no problems.
Battery
The Spark 9 Pro Sport edition ships with a 5000mAh battery and delivers excellent battery performance. The charger provided in the box is an 18 Watt charging brick and a USB type C cable. Charging the device isn’t that fast; it takes about 2 hours to charge from 0 – 100 %. Most users prefer fast charging because of its convenience, but the excellent battery life of the phone covers up for that.
In regular usage, calling, texting, multitasking, taking pictures and watching videos, the phone lasted the whole day while average usage can last up to two days comfortably.
Conclusion
The Spark 9 Pro sport edition battery life is awesome. TECNO has used a remarkable LCD screen that provides an amazing display, doesn’t lag or stutter, and offers the most intuitive software experience.
Where the device falls short, however, is the lack of fast charging feature and refresh rate. On the contrary, TECNO has done an absolutely fabulous job with the Spark 9 Pro sport edition design, and if you want a selfie phone with a distinct design that will stand out in the crowd, then we recommend the Spark 9 Pro Sport edition. It is a good device and a worthy upgrade in this price range.
Pricing and Availability
The TECNO SPARK 9 Pro Sport Edition (4GB RAM + 128 GB storage variant) retails for N113,700 naira and is available at any authorized TECNO stores across Nigeria.
Purchase any TECNO SPARK 9, Camon 19 and Phantom Series and stand a chance to win a BMW Car
TECNO will reward a lucky customer with the chance to win a BMW car and other exciting prizes in the TECNO Black Friday promo. Now is the opportunity to drive your dream car, all thanks to TECNO!
What are you waiting for?
Thinking of how you can participate in this promo, here is how.
Visit any authorized TECNO store near you, buy any SPARK 9, CAMON 19 and Phantom devices and qualify for the raffle draw where one lucky winner wins a BMW Car.
Whether online or offline, you can get more information when you follow TECNO on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram social media platforms.
Hurry now to the nearest TECNO-authorized store and win big!
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