The under Ksh. 20,000 phone category has seen a lot of competition lately as phone companies try to capture the masses in the entry level category.
In this category we have the Tecno Camon 12 which was launched globally in August 2019 and the Huawei Y7 Prime which was launched in January 2019. We have put the two phones head to head in a bid to determine which phone gives the most value for money.
Here are the Phone Specifications;
| Tecno Camon 12 | Huawei Y7 Prime | ||||
| Display | Type | LCD touchscreen | LCD touchscreen | ||
| Size | 6.52 inches, 102.6 cm2 (~81.6% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.26 inches, 97.8 cm2 (~80% screen-to-body ratio) | |||
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels, (~269 ppi density) | 720 x 1520 pixels (~269 ppi density) | |||
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Platform |
Operating System | Android 9.0 (Pie) HIOS 5.5 | Android 8.1 (Oreo), EMUI 8.2 | ||
| Chipset |
Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22 (12nm) |
Qualcomm SDM450 Snapdragon 450 (14 nm) |
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| CPU | Octa-core 2.0 GHz
Cortex-A53 |
Octa-core 1.8 GHz
Cortex-A53 |
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| GPU | PowerVR GE8320 |
Adreno 506
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Memory |
RAM | 4GB | 3GB | ||
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Internal |
64GB
|
32GB | ||
| External |
MicroSD up to 512GB
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MicroSD up to 1TB | |||
| Network | Technology | 4G LTE |
4G LTE
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SIM | Dual SIM | Dual SIM | ||
| Camera | Main Camera |
16 MP, f/1.8, PDAF
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13 MP, f/1.8, (wide), PDAF 2 MP, f/2.4, depth sensor |
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| Selfie Camera | 16 MP, f/2.0 | 16 MP, f/2.0 | |||
| Battery | Size | Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 4000 mAh battery | ||
| Charging | Micro USB Port | Micro USB Port | |||
| Colors |
Dawn Blue, Dark Jade, Sky Cyan |
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Price |
Ksh. 15, 499 | Ksh. 17,900 |
Appearance
Both phones have smooth rounded edges and have a premium look about them. They have a glass front and a plastic frame which can make it a magnet for fingerprint smudges. However, the Huawei Y7 Prime is slimmer and weighs slightly less at which makes it much easier to handle than the Tecno Camon.
The Camon 12 comes with a 6.52 inch HD (720 x 1600) LCD display while the Huawei Y7 Prime comes with a 6.26 inches HD (720 x 1520 pixels) LCD display. On this front you will get a better view on the Camon due to the bigger screen size.
Both screens delivered when it came to consumption of multimedia content such as movies, Youtube and social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook. However, the Camon had an edge due to the bigger screen size and higher pixels.
Camera
The Tecno Camon 12 comes with a triple camera setup at the back which features a f/1.8 16 MP primary sensor, 8 MP ultrawide sensor and a 2 MP depth sensor. On the other hand, Huawei Y7 Prime rocks a f/1.8 13 MP and 2 MP depth sensor. When it comes to the camera, the Camon which has a higher MegaPixel which is AI powered camera has an advantage.
Both phones rock a 16 MP front camera housed in a notch at the front. However, the Camon 12 also incorporates AI technology to make your selfies more vivid and flawless.
Performance
The Tecno Camon 12 comes packed with HiOS v5.5 on top of Android 9.0 (Pie) OS whereas Huawei Y7 Prime comes with Android 8.1 (Oreo), EMUI 8.2. On the Camon you find, MediaTek MT6762 Helio P22 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB while in the Huawei Y7 Prime you find Qualcomm SDM450 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
Both phones held their own when it came to performance but the Y7 Prime lagged a bit behind in light, moderate and heavy usage. This can be explained by a lower RAM and processor on the Huawei.
Battery
The Tecno Camon 12 comes with a 4000 mAh battery which is similar to the Huawei Y7 Prime. Both phones can be able to give you a full day usage while on moderate usage.
Both phones come with a micro-USB port which makes charging a tedious affair if you are used to a Type C.
Conclusion
Both phones give good value for money, but in this instance given the features and the pricing, I have to go with the Tecno Camon 12.