Transsion Holdings subsidiary Tecno Mobile launched the new Camon i 2X in India, late September. The highlight of the new phone is the AI camera features and it comes with high capacity battery, a decent system configuration for its price—Rs 12,499.
I have been using the Camon i 2X as my secondary phone for a week and here's my take on the new Tecno phone.
Design, display and build quality:
Tecno Camon i2X flaunts a familiar uni-brow display design seen in Apple iPhone X (review). On top, it houses 16MP front-camera, a speaker and LED flash along with standard sensors. For some, the notch may come off as unsightly, so the company has a solution to that. User can go to Settings >> Display >> Display mode of notch screen >> select full screen mode.
At the base, it features slightly thicker chin and on the sides, they are slim presenting visually pleasing full view 6.2-inch HD+ display. I watched videos via media streaming apps and it was a delightful experience and the screen legibility in the direct sunlight is also praiseworthy.
On the back, it flaunts a glossy cover on top of the polycarbonate shell. My review unit, as you could see, comes in the blue shade and it's gorgeous. It is smooth and light, yet offers good grip for hands to hold. I also appreciate the company for offering shell cover with the retail box. It is transparent and enables owners to show-off their device's shiny back and most importantly protects the phone from cracking during accidental falls.
Tecno Camon i 2X comes with visually appealing glossy shell on the back.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Tecno Camon i 2X comes with volume rockers and a power button placed one above the other on the right side.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Tecno Camon i 2X comes with SIM tray slot on the left side. It has three dedicated slots-- two for SIMs and one microSD card.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Tecno Camon i 2X sports a smooth contour with no physical buttons on the top.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Tecno Camon i 2X come with single loud speaker grille (from left), a microUSB port, microphone and the 3.5mm audio jack at the base.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India
Performance:
Tecno Camon i 2X comes with 64-bit class MediaTek MTK 6762 octa-core processor and can clock up to 2.0GHz CPU speed. It is backed by Android 8.1 Oreo OS, impressive 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, which can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD card.
During the testing period, it never showed lag-ness in terms of app switching, performing day to day functions such as browsing the web and other stuff. It also performed well without getting overheated while playing games (non-graphics intensive ones) and during the photo session.
I have to mention that the Face ID feature works like charm; it is fast and has very less False Rejection Rate. Even the fingerprint sensor is very sensitive and was quick to recognise the finger impression and unlock the screen.
Camera:
The highlight of the device is the photography hardware. Have to say, it did live up to the hype. I am particularly in awe of the Camon i 2X's low-light photo capture capability. Check out the first image of the slide (below).
It was taken late evening with fading light. The details including the water drops and the natural colour of the flower retained by the camera are very impressive for a phone in the mid-range segment.
Even the front camera takes pretty good selfies. It also comes with a good set of editing tools to adjust skin tones and brightness of the surrounding light. With LED flash, you are assured of good snaps in any light conditions.
For those unaware, Tecno Camon i 2X comes with 13MP (with F1.8 aperture) and secondary 5MP for depth information capture with Artificial Intelligence photography software. On the front, it houses a feature-rich 16MP sensor with F2.0 aperture and a dedicated LED flash.
Tecno Camon i 2X camera sample shot in the late evening.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Tecno Camon i 2X camera sample shot in the morning.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Tecno Camon i 2X camera sample shot in the late evening.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Tecno Camon i 2X camera sample shot in the afternoon with bright sunlight condition.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Tecno Camon i 2X camera sample shot in the morning.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Tecno Camon i 2X camera sample shot in the evening.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India 
Tecno Camon i 2X camera sample shot in the late evening.KVN Rohit/IBTimes India
Battery:
Tecno Camon i 2X comes with a 3,750mAh battery. During the test period, it was more than enough to last a whole day (active hours 5:30 am to 10:30 pm). It had more than 30 percent of battery life before I could head to the bed. This is one big value addition of the phone apart from the feature-rich camera.
Pros:
- Gorgeous design language with the glossy back
- Decent camera
- Face ID works fine
- Long lasting battery
Cons:
- The customized HiOS interface bit complicated for a first time smartphone user to find the appropriate function in the settings and also there are lots of pre-loaded un-necessary apps which just consumes space, leaving very less storage for photos in the long term.
Tecno Camon i 2X is one of the best value-for-money phones under Rs 15,000 price segment. It has got all the right features to take on the popular brands such as Xiaomi, Motorola and Honor, which have long dominated highly competitive mid-range segment.
