Tecno Camon 18 (CH6) Price, Review And Specifications.

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Tecno Camon 18 (CH6) Quick Specs:

6.8" Full-HD+ (2460×1080) IPS-LCD 90hz Dot-in Display.

395ppi, 20.5:9 Aspect Ratio.

MediaTek Helio G88 Chipset.

Android 11 OS, HiOS 8.0.

Triple-lens (48MP+2MP+2MP) Back Camera.

Single-lens (16MP) Front Camera.

4GB of RAM.

128GB Internal Storage.

Face Unlock.

Fingerprint reader (Side-mounted).

Network Supported (4G/LTE).

5000mAh Battery (18W Fast Charging).

Price: 120,000 naira, KSh 22,800.

Tecno Camon 18 (CH6) is the successor to the last year's Tecno Camon 17 (CG6). It's also the standard variant of the recently unveiled Tecno Camon 18 series. Others in the series are Tecno Camon 18i (CG6), Tecno Camon 18P (CH7) and Tecno Camon 18 Premier (CH9); which is the most equipped variant.

And except for the Camon 18i, the other three look almost identical.

And speaking about its looks,  in relation to that of the earlier Camon 17. Though Tecno Camon 18 display sports a camera cut-out and supports 90Hz refresh rate like that of the Tecno Camon 17, but while the camera cut-out (or Dot-in) on the Camon 17 display is placed on the top left corner, the one on the Camon 18 is found on the centre top. Also compared to the 6.6-inch HD+ screen of the Camon 17, the screen on the Camon 18 has a slightly bigger size of 6.8-inch and a Full-HD+ resolution. In addition to its higher resolution, the screen is also brighter than that of the Camon 17. In fact it's brighter than that of the Tecno Camon 17P (CG7); which shares front design, screen size and resolution with the Camon 18, more on that later.

Apart from its slightly bigger, brighter and sharper display, Tecno Camon 18 also looks and feels more premium and elegant than its predecessor. Though, as a result of a similar rear camera bump, the back of the Camon 18 still resembles that of its predecessor, however, the bump on the latest Camon looks cleaner and flatter. The back cover of the phone also sports a glossy finish, compared to the matte finish of the Camon 17. The rear mounted fingerprint reader is also missing on the latest phone. Which makes the Power button of the Camon 18 to doubles as a fingerprint reader. Also compared to the microUSB port on the Camon 17, Camon 18 is fitted with a USB Type-C port.

Furthermore, Tecno Camon 18 is also equipped with a slightly better camera system than the earlier phone. Though the phone still features a 48-megapixel Triple rear camera like the Camon 17, however, the QVGA or third sensor on the back of the Camon 17 has been replaced with a Depth sensor on the latest Camon. Also the 8-megapixel front-facing camera on the Camon 17 has been replaced with a 16-megapixel camera on the Camon 18.

However, things remain almost the same under the hood. Though the latest Camon is powered by the Helio G88 processor; which sounds better than the Helio G85 of the Camon 17, unfortunately, both of them have the same processing powers. In addition to that, Camon 18 also features 4GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage like its predecessor. This phone also runs on the Android 11 OS, but with the latest version of the Tecno HiOS custom UI on top. And despite having a USB Type-C port, the latest Camon is fitted with the same 5000mAh battery as the Camon 17, and it also maintain the same 18W fast charging of the earlier phone.

Tecno Camon 18 And The Earlier Tecno Camon 17P Are Almost Identical, Though Camon 18 Has Lower RAM And Lower Rear Camera:

It's obvious from the above information that Tecno Camon 18 shares front design, screen size and resolution with the Tecno Camon 17P. It should also be recalled that this better-equipped version of the Camon 17 also has the same 16-megapixel front camera, 128GB internal storage, side-mounted fingerprint reader and a USB Type-C port as the latest phone. In fact, the two main things that distinguish Tecno Camon 17P from the Camon 18 is its higher RAM of 6GB and its better 64-megapixel quad back camera.

In other words, when it comes to RAM and camera system, Tecno Camon 17P has the edge over Camon 18. But, when it comes to appearance, Camon 18 looks more premium and elegant than the earlier phone. Therefore, and except for those few things mentioned above, both Tecno Camon 17P and Camon 18 are almost the same.

Price And Design Colours:

The current price of the Tecno Camon 18 is about 120,000 naira. And it's available in three colours options of Dusk Grey, Ceramic White and Iris Purple.

Tecno Camon 18 Is A Nice Looking Phone:

Though Tecno Camon 18 has a Dot-in display like the Camon 17, but due to the camera cut-out respositioning and slightly bigger display, the front of the phone looks slightly different from that of the Camon 17. Yet, as i said earlier, it looks like that of the Camon 17P.

Nonetheless, Tecno Camon 18 feels and looks premium than both of its predecessors. Firstly, the bezels around the Camon 18 screen are slimmer. Also compared to the curved edges of the earlier Camons, Tecno Camon 18 has flat edges; which make the phone to appear thinner and flatter than its predecessors.

And as a result of the phone's glossy back cover and prettier camera bump, combined with its lack of rear-mounted fingerprint reader, the back of the Camon 18 also looks sleeker and more elegant than those of its predecessors. And in spite of its glossy finish, the back cover of this phone attracts less fingerprints. Another thing that contributes to the looks of the Camon 18 is the absence of the huge Camon branding; which was engraved on the backs of the earlier models.

In fact the only thing i can complain about, concerning the Camon 18 design, is its slightly big hole-punch (or camera cut-out), i would've preferred a slightly smaller cut-out like that of the Camon 18 Premier. Even with that, Tecno Camon 18 is still a really nice looking phone.

Meanwhile, Camon 18 comes with a single bottom-firing speaker, and it's placed alongside the USB Type-C port, microphone and 3.5mm audio jack. On the right edge of the phone is the Volume rockers and Power buttons (which also doubled as fingerprint reader), and you have 3-in-1 SIM slot (and tray) on the left edge of the phone. Also like those of its predecessors, there is nothing on the top edge of the Tecno Camon 18.

Improved Camera System:

There is a 16-megapixel camera on the front of the Camon 18 and a 48-megapixel triple camera on its back. This means the front camera of the latest Camon is better than that of the Camon 17 which sported an 8-megapixel sensor, but it also means that the rear camera remain the same.

Still, there is a slight difference between the rear cameras of the latest Camon and that of the camon 17. Though like that of the Camon 17, the 48-megapixel triple rear camera on the Camon 18 is also made up of a 48-megapixel Primary sensor, a 2-megapixel Macro sensor (for taking detailed pictures of close-up objects), but the QVGA or AI senor (which assists the Main camera in taking brighter pictures in low-light environments) on the Camon 17, has been replaced with Depth sensor (for taking pictures with Bokeh effects or blurred backgrounds) on the latest Camon.

Still, like those of the earlier phones, the front and back cameras of the Camon 18 are also capable of shooting 2K videos (max) at 30fps (frame per second). The back camera is also capable shooting Slow-Motion videos at 240fps. Also the picture qualities of the photos taken with these cameras are not that different from the ones taken with the cameras of the Camon 17.

A Brighter Display With A Full HD+ Resolution:

Apart from its pretty looks, another selling point of the Camon 18 is its clean, crisp and clear display. Firstly, unlike the 6.6-inch display of the Camon 17 that has an HD+ resolution, the slightly bigger 6.8-inch screen of the Camon 18, like that of the Camon 17P, features a Full-HD+ or 1080p resolution of 2460x1080. Which means the latest screen has an higher pixel density (or sharpness) of 395ppi, compared to the 262ppi of the Camon17 display.

The screen of the Camon 18 also offers an higher level of brightness (Tecno says about 550nits) than those of the Camon 17 and Camon 17P. In other words, and compared to those of the two earlier phone, Tecno Camon 18 screen looks clearer and it's also easier to use in direct sunlight.

Different CPU, But Same Processing Power, RAM And Storage:

You shouldn't expect much difference in the performance of the Camon 18, when you compare it to that of the Camon 17. Not because the latest phone also features 4GB of RAM like the Camon 17, but mainly because the Helio G88 (MT6769H) CPU that powered the latest phone has the same processing power as the Helio G85 (MT6769Z) CPU that's inside Camon 17. Though the Helio G88 is newer and sounds better than the Helio G85, but both of them are 12nm octa-core processors, with the same 2x Cortex-A75 Arm and 6x Cortex-A55 Arm. Both of them also have the same maximum clock speed of 2.0GHz. Even the Mali-G52 MC2 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) of the Helio G88 and Mali-G52 MP2 GPU of the Helio G85 has the same graphics processing power.

Also like that of the Camon 17, the 128GB internal storage space of the Camon 18 can also expanded, via microSD card, up to 512GB. Though, Tecno Camon 18 also comes with Android 11 OS (Operating System) like the Camon 17, but while the earlier phone was running the Android OS alongside HiOS 7.6, Tecno Camon 18 is pre-installed with the latest Tecno HiOS 8.0 custom UI.

The noticeable feature of the latest HiOS is the looks of the Control Center and how you access it. The latest Control Centre; which resembles that of the iPhones, is accessible by swapping down from the top right side of the screen. And a swap-down from top left side will display your Notifications.

Note: Control Center is the panel that quick display Hotspot, Wi-Fi, Data etc on the top part of your phone's screen.

Same 5000mAh Battery And 18W Fast Charging As The Camon 17:

Though Tecno Camon 18 retain the 5000mAh battery and 18W fast charging of its predecessor, but as a result of the latest phone's 1080p diplay, higher level brightness and 90Hz refresh rate, don't expect the battery life of the Camon 18 to be on par with that of the earlier phone.

Still, like that of the Camon 17, and with the phone's out-of-the box 18W fast charger, it'll take you about three hours to fully charge this battery when it drops to 1 percent.

Full Specifications Of The Tecno Camon 18 (CH6):

GENERAL

Maker: Tecno Mobile.

Name: Camon 18 (CH6).

Year Announced: October, 2021.

Dimensions: 168.9x76.7x8.8mm

Weight: N/a.   

Colour: Dusk Grey, Iris Purple, & Ceramic White.

DISPLAY
Screen Type: IPS-LCD Capacitive Touchscreen.

Size and Resolution: 6.8-inch, Full-HD+, 2460x1080 pixels, 90Hz Refresh Rate.

Aspect ratio & Pixel Densities: 20.5:9, 395PPI.

Protection N/a.

PORTS:

3.5mm Audio Jack: Yes.

USB Type-C Port: Yes.

MicroUSB port: No.

Lightning Connector: No.

Google Assistant Button: No.

PERFORMANCE

Chipsept: MediaTek Helio G88 Octa-core Processor, 2.0GHz.

GPU: Mali-G52 MC2.

RAM: 4GB.

Operating System: Android 11, HiOS 8.0.

STORAGE

Internal Storage: 128GB.

Micro-SD card slot: Yes, up to 512GB.

SIM AND NETWORK

SIM: Nano, Dual SIM slots.

Network:  GSM, WCDMA, HSPA+, LTE.

CAMERA

Rear camera: Triple-lens; (48MP+2MP+2MP) With Quad-Flash.

Front camera: Single-lens, 16MP (f/2.0), Single Front Flash.

VIDEO RECORDING:

Rear Cameras: 720p, 1080p, 2K @ 30 fps.

Front Camera: 720p, 1080p, 2K @ 30 fps.

CONNECTIVITY:

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, HotSpots, NFC, USB-OTG.

BIOMETRIC, SENSORS & LOCATION: 

Security: Face Unlock, Side-mounted Fingerprint Reader..

Sensors: Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, G-sensor, Accelerometer And

Barometer sensor

Others: GPS, Location (Geo, Glonass), Radio.

BATTERY

Battery Capacity: 5,000mAh.

Qi Wireless-Charging: N/a.

Fast Charging: Yes, 18W.

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