The Tecno Spark 40 series has a $214 model that puts some iPhone 16 specs to shame

Tecno announced its latest budget smartphones and some of their specs are putting the iPhone 16, Pixel 9, and Samsung Galaxy S25 to shame. You might have never heard of Tecno before, but that’s one of the most popular smartphone brands across Africa, South America, and parts of Asia. While sometimes it dabbles in more innovative concepts, like tri-fold prototypes, Tecno’s main focus are low-budget devices.The Tecno Spark 40 series was just announced and it has three models:

Tecno Spark 40
Tecno Spark 40 Pro
Tecno Spark 40 Pro+

As you can imagine, the Spark 40 is the base model, while the Spark 40 Pro and Spark 40 Pro+ introduce improvements to the chipsets, displays, and durability.

The debut of the MediaTek Helio 200 chipset

The Spark 40 Pro+ is the first smartphone with a MediaTek Helio 200 chipset. Paired with 8GB RAM and 128/256GB storage, the 6nm chipset has slightly improved graphics over its predecessor.

What should make Apple reconsider some decisions about the iPhone 16 are the Spark 40 Pro+ display and battery. The 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display has a 1220p+ resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and under-display fingerprint sensor. The 5,200 mAh battery supports up to 45W wired charging, 30W wireless charging, and 5W reverse wireless charging.

Image Source – Tecno

The rest of the specs are:

50 MP main camera on the back
13 MP selfie camera
Android 15 with HiOS 15.1 interface
IP64 water and dust resistance rating

Tecno doesn’t share any details about the second sensor on the main camera or how many Android updates you could expect. However, phones in this price range usually come with 2-3 years of software support and an extra year of security updates. The IP64 water and dust protection rating means the device is fully protected from dust and will survive splashes and spills of clean water or rain.

The Spark 40 Pro+ comes in Aurora White, Nebula Black, Moon Titanium, and Tundra Green colors. All that is offered on pre-order in Uganda for UGX 769,000, which would be about $214 when directly converted.

Tecno Spark 40 Pro

The middle child in the series is the Tecno Spark 40 Pro. It has a flat 6.78-inch display, which shares the AMOLED panel, 1220p+ resolution and 144Hz refresh rate with the Pro+ model. Its chipset is the Helio G100, again with 8GB and 128GB or 256GB storage.

Image Source – Tecno

The rest fo the spec list is basically the same as the Spark 40 Pro+:

50MP main camera
13MP selfie camera
5,200 mAh battery
45W wired charging, 30W wireless charging
5W reverse wireless charging
IP64 water and dust resistance

Offered in Ink Black, Lake Blue, Moon Titanium, and Bamboo Green, the Spark 40 Pro starts selling July 7 for UGX 679,000 in Uganda, which is about $189 when directly converted.

Tecno Spark 40

The base Spark 40 model is also the most basic. It has a 6.67-inch IPS LCD display with HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Its cameras are an 8MP selfie shooter and a 50MP rear camera.

Under the hood, you get a Helio G81 chipset with up to 8GB RAM and 128/256GB storage. The battery is 5,200 mAh and supports 45W wired charging. It comes in four colors: Ink Black, Titanium Gray, Mirage Blue, and Vail White. All that comes at UGX 479,000, which would be about $133 when directly converted.

What’s up with the premium phones?

I am the first to confess that I wouldn’t buy a Tecno phone just for the faster charging, but I am still looking at the iPhone 16, Galaxy S25, and Pixel 9 and wonder why they don’t charge faster. In the case of the iPhone 16, I also wonder why a $799 flagship device has a lower refresh rate display than a $214 budget phone.

None of the Tecno Spark 40 models is meant for the US market, and comparing them to some of the best smartphones in the world would be unfair. However, I’d like to see Apple, Google, and Samsung more worried about specs. They don’t make a phone good, but they make me feel better about spending hundreds of dollars on those phones.