Tecno and its sibling model Infinix, below the banner of Transsion Holdings, are amongst solely a handful of OEMs making an attempt to take care of a mass-market enchantment whereas additionally providing telephones that break the mould and stand out within the overcrowded sea of generic-looking choices. Aiding its trigger is the Tecno Pova Curve 5G, which was just lately launched in India, and this one isn’t any exception. That includes a starship-inspired design and promising on-paper specs, the handset seeks to impress at first look. Nonetheless, do these additions actually justify its price ticket?
The value of Tecno Pova Curve 5G in India begins at Rs. 15,999 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration. It’s also out there in an 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant, which is priced at Rs. 16,999. Learn on to seek out out whether or not the handset is value its asking value in our Tecno Pova Curve 5G evaluation.
Tecno Pova Curve 5G Design: Uniquely Refreshing
- Dimensions – 164.3 x 74.6 x 7.44mm
- Weight – 188.5g
- Sturdiness – IP64
Make no mistake, the Tecno Pova Curve 5G has a particular look. It brings a curved, tall, and slender construct with a sleeker in-hand really feel and offers off a premium vibe. Whereas the rear cowl and the body are each product of polycarbonate, the telephone nonetheless gives a superb grip. At 7.44mm, the Tecno Pova Curve 5G is without doubt one of the slimmest telephones I’ve had the pleasure of utilizing at its value level. It additionally options good weight distribution, weighing in at 188.5g.
Transferring on, the Tecno Pova Curve 5G’s futuristic again panel borrows inspiration from a starship. It’s supplied in a complete of three color choices — Geek Black, Magic Silver, and Neon Cyan. Whereas the Geek Black is just too refined and the Neon Cyan turns heads, I discovered the Magic Silver shade, that includes orange-accented components, to be essentially the most interesting of the bunch. It sports activities a frosted end that highlights the assorted components, leading to a “techy” aesthetic with out being overly flamboyant. It’s definitely nicer to the touch than most different handsets on this section with shiny plastics. This end not solely makes the Tecno Pova Curve 5G stand out but additionally helps with fingerprint resistance. The again panel additionally includes a vertically positioned twin digicam setup, which we’ll focus on within the digicam part later.
The highest of the telephone includes a speaker grille, a microphone, and an infrared (IR) blaster, which is a pleasant contact, permitting you to manage IR-compatible gadgets resembling TVs and air conditioners. In the meantime, the speaker grille, SIM tray, microphone, and USB Sort-C port are situated on the backside. The best aspect of the Tecno Pova Curve 5G options the ability button and quantity rockers, whereas the left aspect stays clear and uncluttered.
You get a speaker grille on every finish of the Tecno Pova Curve 5G
Lastly, its IP64-rated construct protects the handset from mud and water sprays, although you may need to watch out about by chance dropping it within the pool.
Tecno Pova Curve 5G Show: Packs a Punch
- Show dimension – 6.78-inch, 1,080 x 2,436 pixels
- Show sort – AMOLED, 144Hz
- Show safety – Gorilla Glass 5
The show is without doubt one of the strongest fits of Tecno Pova Curve 5G. It sports activities a 6.78-inch full HD+ (1,080 x 2,436 pixels) curved AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh charge, 1,300 nits peak brightness, and a 93.8 p.c screen-to-body ratio. I’ve all the time most well-liked curved panels to flat shows, which, although much less sensible and extra fragile, lend a extra premium really feel.
The Tecno Pova Curve 5G’s curved display doesn’t include a pre-applied protector
The color replica on the Tecno Pova Curve 5G is superb, though it will possibly seem barely oversaturated to these transitioning from telephones in a decrease section, even when set to the “Unique” setting. Courtesy of the AMOLED panel, you additionally get deeper blacks. When scrolling by apps or social media, the expertise is butter easy, primarily because of the 144Hz refresh charge, which is a uncommon however welcome addition at this value level. The display is about to 120Hz by default, however it may be manually adjusted to succeed in as much as 144Hz in sure apps, resembling WhatsApp.
Nonetheless, out of doors visibility is an space the place the Tecno Pova Curve 5G struggles. Whereas completely high-quality to make use of indoors, the tough daytime daylight, particularly in Delhi’s peak summer time circumstances, calls for a bit extra punch, which the telephone can’t ship. Additional, there is not any official HDR help for streaming apps like Netflix, although the telephone usually fools YouTube into pondering it has so, by software program.
The in-display fingerprint sensor is snappy and precisely registers fast inputs. Its display has a Gorilla Glass 5 coating however should be vulnerable to scratches as a result of its curved design. There is not any pre-applied display protector both, which I really feel is a notable omission because of the shortage of third-party protectors available in the market for handsets with curved screens.
Tecno Pova Curve 5G Efficiency: Par for the Course
- Processor – MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Final RAM – 8GB (LPDDR5)
- Storage – 128GB (UFS 2.2)
- Software program – HiOS 15
The Tecno Pova Curve 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Final chipset. You get a alternative of both 6GB or 8GB LPDDR5 RAM together with 128GB of UFS 2.2 onboard storage capability. The RAM can additional be just about expanded as much as 16GB utilizing further, unused storage. The corporate claims to supply as much as two years of OS updates on the Tecno Pova Curve 5G.
The Tecno Pova Curve 5G runs on HiOS 15 primarily based on Android 15
The SoC delivers a efficiency par for the course. In day-to-day situations, the telephone was easy and responsive to make use of, and I didn’t discover any noticeable lag in on a regular basis duties, resembling calls, messaging, or shopping by social media, even with a number of apps open in reminiscence. It will probably additionally deal with most video games, delivering between 80-85 frames per second (fps) after an hour and a half of Battlegrounds Cell India (BGMI) gameplay when set on the “Easy + Excessive+” graphics setting. Nonetheless, the telephone did heat up a bit after prolonged play.
Storage is the place I felt Tecno might positively have finished extra on the Tecno Pova Curve 5G. You solely get 128GB of onboard storage, regardless of which configuration you select. There is not any help for storage enlargement through a microSD card, both, which implies that in case you preserve quite a lot of knowledge or take a number of photos, this might turn out to be a bottleneck, and you may must delete or switch them to release the area.
HiOS 15, primarily based on Android 15, powers the telephone. It’s Tecno’s staple pores and skin, which we have already seen in different telephones from the Transsion Holdings subsidiary, with pretty snappy operation however with a good quantity of bloatware, too. Whereas the UI, together with its deep customisation choices, takes a while to get used to, the remainder of the expertise is respectable and par for the course. What is not good is the software program help. Tecno has promised just one main OS replace for the Pova Curve 5G, together with two years of safety updates.
Some benchmark scores of the telephone in your reference
With synthetic intelligence (AI) turning into the buzzword lately, Tecno has jumped on the bandwagon, too, providing a stunning quantity of AI-backed options for the digicam and productiveness on the Tecno Pova Curve 5G.
There’s AI Name Noise Cancellation, AI Auto Reply and AI Name Assistant for telephone calls, whereas the AI Gallery app will get AI Eraser 2.0 (for eradicating undesirable objects), Picture Extender (to widen picture frames), and AI Sharpness Plus (for enhancing picture readability). A lot of the options, particularly the AI Name Noise Cancellation, labored fairly properly, although they’re cloud-based and require community connectivity always.
The primary spotlight of the AI suite on the Tecno Pova Curve 5G is Ella, an AI voice assistant which affords help for Indian languages. It’s a substitute for Google Assistant and can be utilized to do a variety of duties, resembling enjoying music, setting alarms and timers, or just asking queries. At the moment, Ella solely helps conversations in Hindi and choose world languages, though Tecno claims it is going to deliver help for Bengali, Gujarati, and different regional languages by the tip of 2025.
Whereas it isn’t a direct alternative for Google Assistant by any means, Tecno’s Ella works okay so long as your requests are easy.
Additionally value mentioning is the Clever Sign Hub System. It’s claimed to allow seamless connectivity even in low or no-signal areas, but it surely solely works between Tecno Pova telephones, which limits its sensible usefulness. The audio on the Tecno Pova Curve 5G, backed by Dolby Atmos, is above common with ample quantity. So, there are not any actual complaints on this entrance.
Tecno Pova Curve 5G Cameras: First rate
- Major digicam – 64-megapixel, f/1.7
- Portrait digicam – 2-megapixel, f/2.4
- Selfie digicam – 13-megapixel
Transferring on to the digicam division, Tecno has outfitted the Pova Curve 5G with a twin rear digicam system, comprising a 64-megapixel major digicam with a Sony IMX682 sensor and an f/1.7 aperture, and a 2-megapixel portrait lens with an f/2.4 aperture. And whereas the on-paper specs matter, it’s the real-world efficiency that does the speaking.
The Tecno Pova Curve 5G has respectable cameras for its value
The first sensor, a Sony IMX682 unit, captures glorious photographs in daylight, providing loads of element, sharpness, and vibrancy. When HDR is enabled, the photographs have a great dynamic vary. Whereas the colors come out a bit an excessive amount of for somebody like me who leans in direction of extra pure tones, they are often thought of Instagram-worthy with out requiring an excessive amount of modifying work. The nighttime photographs additionally preserve element pretty properly, though some noise can creep in throughout extraordinarily low-lit conditions when the Tremendous Evening mode will not be used.
High to backside: Rear digicam samples at 1x (major), 2x (in-sensor crop) zoom (faucet to develop)
When you’re somebody who likes taking portrait pictures, then there may be higher choices for you on the market than the Tecno Pova Curve 5G.
Left to proper: 24.0mm vs 35.0mm vs 50.0mm portrait digicam pattern
Whereas portrait photographs are detailed and barely seem tender, the sting detection is hit-or-miss and lacks consistency, even with the devoted portrait mode enabled.
The 13-megapixel front-facing digicam captures respectable selfies with some quantity of element, though there’s noticeable smoothening too.
High to backside: daylight, indoor lighting, low-light selfie digicam pattern (faucet to develop)
That stated, an enormous win for the Tecno Pova Curve 5G is the video recording help. It means that you can shoot in as much as 4K decision at as much as 30 fps, which is a uncommon providing on this section. The telephone additionally will get digital picture stabilisation (EIS), although the absence of OIS is felt right here.
Tecno Pova Curve 5G Battery: Nice!
- Battery capability – 5,500mAh, lithium-ion
- Wired charging – 45W
- Wi-fi charging – No
- Charger within the field – Sure
The battery life on the Tecno Pova Curve 5G is superb. It’s outfitted with a 5,500mAh battery that helps quick charging at 45W. With reasonable utilization involving calls, messages, social media, and streaming a couple of movies, the telephone simply powers by a day and barely extra on a single cost. That is the case even with the always-on show (AoD) enabled. Heavy utilization shortens that window to barely shy of a day.
The telephone doesn’t help wi-fi charging
The corporate claims that the handset can rise up to 50 p.c charged by plugging in for simply quarter-hour, whereas a 45-minute cost can high it as much as one hundred pc. In our assessments, the Tecno Pova Curve 5G charged as much as 60 p.c in half-hour with the accompanying 45W charger. It took about 50 minutes to cost the telephone, which isn’t groundbreaking totally, but it surely will get the job finished.
Tecno Pova Curve 5G Verdict
The Tecno Pova Curve 5G presents a compelling case as a value-for-money providing within the crowded mid-range section. It’s aided by a gorgeous “starship-inspired” design and a slender construct, which supplies it a visible edge in its section. The 144Hz refresh charge, together with the curved AMOLED display, ends in snappy operation and an immersive viewing expertise. Efficiency is par for the course. A complete set of AI options enhances the general enchantment, and the principle digicam performs properly in ideally suited lighting.
Storage limits, the requirement for a community to entry AI options, out of doors visibility challenges, and the dearth of HDR help dampen the expertise considerably, however none of those are main deal breakers. So, at its price ticket of Rs. 15,999, the Tecno Pova Curve 5G emerges as an honest alternative for many who favor fashion, nifty AI options, dependable cameras, and a permanent battery life.