Tecno Camon iTwin first impression: Mid-range phone with AI-powered camera

Tecno Mobile seems to be on a roll in India as the company launched yet another promising new mid-range camera phone -- Camon iTwin -- on July 23 for a very competitive price of Rs 11,499.

In the last few months, the company has launched Camon i and Camon iClick. Now, the new Camon iTwin is set to give more options to consumers looking for a mid-range camera phone.

Prior to the launch, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Camon iTwin and here's my initial impression.

Design and display:

Tecno Camon iTwin exterior looks are not that unique that makes it stand out when compared to the conventional mid-range phones in the market, but as far touch and feel is concerned, it looks premium for the eyes and also when held in hand, the tapering ends around chamfered edge offer good grip to hold. It also comes with a smooth cover with the package. When put on the device, it not only offers a cushion effect to sustain the accidental fall but also doesn't easily slip through the fingers' grip.

On the front, it sports a 6.0-inch HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio, 500 nit brightness, 2.5D curved glass cover and has more than 84-percent screen-to-body ratio. I had a good time watching movies on it's big-screen without having to stress my eyes. But, I have to test how it fares in terms of readability under different lighting conditions.  Stay tuned for the full review.

Camera:

The USP of the device is the camera hardware. It houses feature-rich 13MP+2MP dual camera setup on the back with a quad-LED flash, 5P Lens, Portrait Mode, 4X Digital Zoom, AI Beauty, AI ASD (auto scene detection), AI Bokeh and a 13MP snapper on the front [complete specification in the table below]. It took few sample shots with the Tecno Camon iTwin, it was of decent quality. But, have to say, I am pretty impressed with the AI-based Portrait mode, which is really good for a mid-range phone. Even the selfie camera too takes good shots. But, I will reserve the final verdict on the camera for my full review coming next week. Until then, please check out the sample pictures taken on Tecno Camon iTwin below:

Processor, battery, RAM and storage:

Tecno Camon iTwin comes with 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 quad-core backed by Android 8.0 Oreo-based HiOS, 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. Though the processor is a bit old for the market, it does a pretty job for normal day-to-day functions such as loading the app, switching between multiple apps and launching camera apps smoothly.

Tecno Camon iTwin houses a 4,000mAh battery; in my experience, that's more than enough to keep the phone running for a one-and-half day under mixed

However, I reserve the final judgement on the performance after running the device through its paces. I spent a brief time with the device and need to test more on how it fares with the gaming. Stay tuned for my final review article next week.

Tecno Camon iTwin launch offers:

The new Tecno phones will be available across 30,000 retail outlets in black and gold colours for Rs 11,499. Prospective customers can avail a special JIO instant cashback offer worth Rs 2,200 making the effective price of the device as Rs 9,299.

The Camon iTwin also comes with a "111" brand promise of Tecno Mobile. Any consumer who buys TECNO smartphones gets an advantage of 1-time screen replacement in one year, 100 days' free replacement, and 1-month extended warranty.

Tecno Camon iTwin vs competition:

The new Camon iTwin will be up against the popular Xiaomi Redmi Y2, Moto E5 Plus and Moto G6 series, among others.

Key specifications of Tecno Camon iTwin:

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