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The TECNO Camon 40 Premier is without doubt one of the newest telephones from an organization it’s possible you’ll not have heard of. It is the results of the corporate’s relentless pursuit to convey high-end experiences to lower cost factors and markets, and it appears to hit the mark.
The telephone makes use of a more moderen MediaTek chip primed for AI efficiency, which is sensible as a result of the Camon 40 Premier comes with a bunch of AI options to benefit from. Past the software program, the telephone has a really succesful digicam system that comes with the corporate’s newest imaging developments, and the battery life and charging specs far surpass these of many flagship telephones in North America.
The TECNO Camon 40 Premier 5G appears like a full bundle regardless of some shortcomings and questionable (but comprehensible) choices.
TECNO Camon 40 Premier: Worth, availability, and specs
The TECNO Camon 40 Premier was introduced alongside the remainder of the Camon 40 sequence throughout MWC 2025 on March 4, 2025.
The telephone contains a single configuration with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It additionally is available in black and inexperienced colorways.
As for pricing and availability, TECNO hasn’t revealed an excessive amount of in the meanwhile, however the telephone shouldn’t be offered in North America. Nevertheless, it is going to be out there in different areas, together with Africa, the Center East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
The Camon 30 Premier began at a worth of round ₹29,499, which is just below $350, so it stands to cause the Camon 40 Premier may price someplace in the identical ballpark and perhaps a bit extra.
Class | TECNO Camon 40 Premier |
|---|---|
OS | HiOS 15 (Android 15) |
Software program updates | 5 years, 3 OS variations |
Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 8520 Final |
RAM | 12GB |
Storage | 256GB (non expandable) |
Show | 6.67-inches, OLED, 1.5K (1260 x 2800), 144Hz |
Rear Digital camera 1 | 50MP vast, Sony LYT-701, OIS |
Rear Digital camera 2 | 50MP ultrawide |
Rear Digital camera 3 | 50MP periscope, 3X |
Entrance Digital camera | 50MP vast |
Battery | 5,100mAh |
Charging | 70W wired |
Safety | Gorilla Glass 7i, IP68/69 |
Dimensions | 161 x 75 x 7.7mm |
Weight | 193g |
Colours | Galaxy Black, Emerald Lake Inexperienced |
TECNO Camon 40 Premier: What I like
For a telephone that prices lower than $600, the TECNO Camon 40 Premier has so much going for it. It sits in a bizarre however compelling house of telephones that include flagship options and efficiency however sub-flagship costs. It is a house occupied by telephones just like the Pixel 9 and OnePlus 13R, and the Camon 40 Premier emulates this pretty effectively.
The {hardware} is an enormous a part of what makes this an incredible telephone. The show is a 6.67-inch AMOLED that appears nice, though it would not blow me away. It is a lot brilliant, the colour profile is properly tuned in order that it isn’t oversaturated, and the 144Hz refresh fee makes scrolling and animations easy as butter.
A part of this has to do with the MediaTek Dimensity 8530 chip powering the telephone. Whereas it is an upper-midrange chipset, I’ve no complaints about efficiency. Almost all the things you do on this telephone is executed shortly and effortlessly, which ought to come as no shock for a chip that falls just below the flagship 9000-series chips.
This extends to gaming as effectively. One in all my favourite video games to play Honkai: Star Rail, which might be fairly taxing on a telephone when performed on the greater settings. Normally a telephone will default to the settings it thinks it may deal with, and the Camon 40 Premier was already set to “Excessive” after I began up the sport.
I made a decision that wasn’t sufficient, so I turned issues as much as the very best graphics settings and at 60fps as a substitute of the default 30fps. Surprisingly (or not), the telephone is ready to sustain simply high quality, and I didn’t discover a lot in the way in which of stuttering or huge body fee drops.
The software program expertise total is fairly stable, even when HiOS is not my favourite Android pores and skin. It runs Android 15 out of the field, and you will get a number of the extra frequent Android prospers that we see in telephones today, such because the separated notification shade and fast panel.
The good panel is nice for multitasking, whereas the Dynamic Port offers you a Dynamic Island-like (albeit pretty restricted) expertise.
Nevertheless, I am unable to actually speak about a brand new telephone in 2025 with out mentioning AI, particularly as it is a huge focus for this telephone. TECNO not too long ago introduced its grand plans for TECNO AI, its suite of options that it is bringing to its smartphone portfolio to assist bridge the hole between the $1000 telephones of the world and the extra inexpensive and accessible telephones. What’s nice is that TECNO makes its AI very current for individuals who need to use it.
While you first activate the Camon 40 Premier, you are taken via the setup course of through TECNO’s AI assistant, Ella. It is an early introduction to the telephone’s relationship with AI and will get you ready for what’s to come back.
As soon as arrange, swiping to the left of the house display screen will unveil an AI hub of types referred to as Zero Display, the place you may entry a collection of TECNO AI options. Up prime is Ella Briefing. To not be confused with Samsung’s Now Temporary (though not less than a part of the thought is comparable), it is a useful “temporary” up prime to summarize and remind you of calendar occasions, notifications, and extra.
TECNO match a ton of AI instruments into the Camon 40 Premier, that are fairly helpful.
There’s additionally fairly an abundance of AI instruments you may have entry to, and whilst you’ll simply discover lots of them all through the UI, like AI Studio within the Gallery app, the Zero Display places all of them just about at your fingertips and makes it simple so that you can discover use instances for them.
This consists of creating AI-generated artwork utilizing texts or drawings, translating from pictures or whereas in a dialog, summarizing paperwork or creating them from photographs, and extra.
For probably the most half, these options are fairly well-baked, and TECNO’s AI appears like a reasonably mature providing. Accessing the settings for TECNO AI feels very corresponding to Galaxy AI on a Samsung telephone, and plenty of options are fairly related.
Going again to the thought of easy accessibility, TECNO has carried out an Motion Button of types referred to as the One-Faucet Button. Apparently, tapping it as soon as would not truly do something, however you may customise the double-tap to open any app or carry out sure features like muting the ringer.
A protracted press of the button will evoke the Ella assistant, which is a pleasant various to utilizing the ability button, one thing that different Android OEMs ( you, Samsung) have defaulted to. I like the added performance of the button, and I hope to see one thing extra like this on different Android telephones.
AI additionally makes its manner into the digicam, and the 50MP triple digicam system is surprisingly good. TECNO has tuned the digicam in order that it may take higher pictures in low-light circumstances and likewise higher reproduce extra pores and skin tones. In my expertise, I have been in a position to take loads of respectable photographs. It isn’t the perfect, nevertheless it’s fairly good for this worth vary, and I doubt anybody could be dissatisfied within the digicam.
I like that the Camon 40 Premier has a telephoto digicam with 3x optical zoom, one thing I really feel remains to be fairly unusual at this worth level. It does effectively in the course of the day, with photographs taken at 6x popping out fairly crisp, though the sensor struggles a bit at evening.
You may as well take pictures at a second’s discover with FlashSnap, which might seize photographs with a really excessive shutter pace whereas maintaining the picture crisp with diminished noise. So not solely can it hold you from lacking a second, however it may additionally seize moments mechanically based mostly on the scene, which is fairly helpful.
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Lastly, you will be pleased to know that battery life is excellent. The 5,100mAh battery retains the telephone going all day, and I have been in a position to common about 7 hours or extra of screen-on time. The 70W charging may prime up the telephone very quickly in any respect, with the telephone going from 1-100% in simply over half-hour. Take that, Samsung!
TECNO Camon 40 Premier: What I do not like
The TECNO Camon 40 Premier is a reasonably stable telephone, due to its IP68 and IP69 water and dirt resistance rankings. Sadly, it would not really feel as stable as it’s. The again panel, which has a reasonably uninspired design regardless of the brightly coloured inexperienced, feels fairly low-cost in hand. I typically simply persist with the included case, which is far grippier and nonetheless options the identical colour.
I additionally discovered myself a bit postpone by the quantity of bloatware on the telephone after setting it up. You may possible spend fairly a little bit of time uninstalling varied apps it’s possible you’ll or might not have heard of or simply don’t need in your telephone.
And talking of issues it’s possible you’ll not need in your telephone, TECNO’s AI is generally fairly well-rounded, however Ella appears like a lesser model of Gemini. Do not get me improper, I believe it is commendable that Ella even exists, as one of many largest advantages of utilizing Ella over different assistants is that it makes use of extra native languages for higher accessibility amongst creating and developed areas.
That mentioned, regardless of Ella being built-in with Gemini, it simply feels slower and would not show info in the identical coherent manner I might get with Gemini. For instance, I requested Ella and Gemini about measles signs and if I needs to be involved about contracting it because of the current outbreak. Ella slowly spat out the knowledge at me whereas Gemini relayed the knowledge in a really clear method, even creating clear lists throughout the app.
Additionally, TECNO has determined to combine DeepSeek R1 into Ella, which is a curious resolution. As a Chinese language-based firm, it is smart to make use of the most recent AI mannequin, particularly after it not too long ago went fairly viral. Nevertheless, given the privateness considerations, anybody outdoors of China might need to chorus from utilizing it.
Fortuitously, TECNO enables you to select when to make use of DeepSeek R1. When opening Ella, there is a very outstanding DeepSeek R1 button you can press to toggle the mannequin on or off. It is good that the choice is there, even when I do not plan to make use of it.
Even higher, you continue to have the choice to make use of Gemini as a substitute of Ella in the event you want. Sadly, that does not apply to the Ella One-Faucet Button shortcut, however you may nonetheless set Gemini because the double-tap choice to open the app (though it would not mechanically allow voice enter).
A extra minor problem I’ve with the TECNO Camon 40 Premier is the dearth of wi-fi charging. It isn’t a very huge deal, as wi-fi charging remains to be not generally discovered on midrange telephones. Plus, the 70W charging greater than makes up for its absence, however it’s at all times good to have the choice.
Lastly, the in-display fingerprint sensor works shortly, however just like the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 and Honor 200 Professional it is simply manner too low on the show, making it a bit awkward to make use of except you are holding the telephone in a selected manner. Not a deal breaker, however undoubtedly an annoyance.
TECNO Camon 40 Premier: Competitors
For a telephone at this worth level, there are a variety of similarly-priced low-cost Android telephones. The Pixel 9a remains to be very a lot new and solely $499 regardless of its flagship-level Tensor G4 chipset. It’s able to lots of the identical AI options because the flagship Pixel 9 sequence, simply at a fraction of the price. That mentioned, its {hardware} specs aren’t practically as sturdy, with slower charging, much less RAM, and a decrease refresh fee show. Plus, as of writing, the telephone is not on retailer cabinets but after it was delayed.
The Moto G Energy 2025 is one other contender in an identical worth bracket because the Camon 40 Premier. It presents nice worth for the worth and is a fantastically designed telephone that contains a vegan leather-based end, nice battery life, wi-fi charging, and an IP68/69 ranking for cover. Nevertheless, it has a much less spectacular MediaTek chip and is missing int he AI division, making this a a lot much less thrilling telephone than the Camon.
TECNO Camon 40 Premier: Must you purchase it?
You can purchase this if…
- You are on the lookout for an inexpensive telephone.
- You need a telephone with quick charging.
- You need a good digicam that may shortly seize moments.
You should not purchase this if…
- You reside in North America.
- You want wi-fi charging.
- You do not need to cope with bloatware.
The Camon 40 Premier 5G is feels prefer it’s TECNO’s model of a Pixel. It is a improbable midrange telephone that has all of the makings of a great flagship. The MediaTek chip is greater than sufficient for what the telephone is making an attempt to perform, and the AI suite feels very complete, even when a few of its implementation may very well be improved.
Regardless of the dearth of wi-fi charging and questionable decisions with fingerprint sensor placement and collection of AI fashions, battery life and nice digicam high quality make up for any shortcomings the telephone might have, of which there are few. And whereas it isn’t offered in North America, the TECNO Camon 40 Premier 5G is a telephone it is best to contemplate shopping for if it is in your market.
TECNO Camon 40 Premier 5G
A premier expertise
The Camon 40 Premier 5G is a superb telephone that has lots of flagship potential however at a fraction of the price. Spectacular specs and a ton of AI options make this an incredible telephone for anybody trying to avoid wasting cash.