Tecno Pova 2 Review – Budget Gaming Champ with Giant Battery

It’s not every day that you hear of a smartphone with a battery capable of competing with a typical power bank. That is precisely what you get with the Tecno POVA 2, which comes with a massive 7,000mAh battery. The Helio G85 CPU, up to 6GB of RAM, and a 48MP quad-camera arrangement are among the key features of this new offering by Tecno in India.

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It starts at Rs 10,499, and I’ve written a detailed review of Tecno Pova 2 to see if it’s worth your consideration.

Tecno Pova 2 is available to purchase from August 5 exclusively on Amazon. It is available in two storage configurations, 4GB RAM + 64GB storage priced at Rs. 10,999, and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage priced at Rs. 12,999. 

Tecno is offering the smartphone in Dazzle Black, Energy Blue, and Polar Silver colour options.

The box contents of Tecno Pova 2 just include:

• Tecno Pova 2 device
• Documentation – Warranty card, user manual
• Fast Charger- 18W Fast Charger
• Cable- USB Type-C cable
• Transparent plastic cover

Before we talk in detail about Tecno Pova 2, let’s have a quick look at the key specifications. 

• Display: 6.9-inch FHD+ IPS LCD panel
• Processor: MediaTek Helio G85
• Storage: 4GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB
• Software: Android 11
• Rear cameras: 48 MP, f/1.9 (wide), 2 MP, (macro), 2 MP, (depth), 2 MP, (depth)
• Selfie camera: 8MP
• Battery: 7000 mAh
• Weight: 231g
• Dimensions: 173.3 x 78.8 x 9.6 mm

Tecno Pova 2 does not come with a design that you can actually boast of. Pova 2 is made of a plastic unibody, which is quite common on budget smartphones so I don’t have a complaint. It has a slightly rough textured finish on the rear side which feels good to touch. The camera hump is substantial, like literally, too big, although it does not protrude much from the back.

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Another thing about the design that some might feel interesting is the unique Pova branding Tecno ensured to include here. Overall it is a big and tall phone and does not really come with that comfortable grip. If you have small hands, it might be tough for you to hold and use the Pova 2 with one hand.

A 6.9-inch IPS LCD panel with FHD+ (1,080 x 2,460) resolution and a standard 60Hz refresh rate can be found on the front of the Tecno Pova 2. The display isn’t as bright as I’d hoped, and the off-axis colour shift is far greater than I’d anticipate from a budget phone. The top punch-hole is ridiculously huge, with a lot of backlight leakage visible around it. But there’s something which compensates for it, the thin bezels around the corners. 

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Only a toggle for Eyecare and dark mode are available in the screen customization options. The POVA 2 can only stream SD content on its massive display because it lacks WideVine L1 certification but I think I will live with it for now.

Tecno Pova 2 is near to perfect for those who enjoy multimedia on huge display sizes but don’t want a tablet to carry around.

I feel Tecno did a fantastic job when opted for the MediaTek Helio G85 chipset for its processing demands in terms of performance. The Narzo 30A smartphone uses the same processor as the more costly Narzo 30. Tecno Pova 2 earns a good Antutu benchmarking score of 217,659 for a budget phone. The device’s everyday performance was good, but BGMI gaming should be avoided unless you want to deal with frequent frame drops and overheating. The standard model comes with 4GB of RAM, but there is also a 6GB variant if you choose the other option.

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We tested out a few games and the results were really good. We played BGMI for around one hour and didn’t notice any major lag or frame drop. You can easily enjoy the game in a smooth graphic setting and ultra FPS. Though the device heated up around 42° Celsius, which is normal while gaming. During the gameplay, we noticed that the brightness was a bit low and would be better if the screen had more brightness. On the other hand, COD Mobile faced some FPS drops but overall gameplay was smooth.

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After these two, it was time for some Asphalt 9: Legends. The game ran pretty smooth with no frame drops or whatsoever. There was some lag before the race started in the loading bootup duration. The performance of this phone easily beats other smartphones in the same price range.

Summing up everything, Tecno Pova 2 stands out of the competition and offers amazing gaming performance for its price tag. 

In terms of user experience, Tecno’s HiOS 7.6 skin based on Android 11 is pretty average. Its alphabetical format makes the app drawer easier to navigate, but the volume of bloatware in Tecno Pova 2 is difficult to overlook. It’s also possible that getting regular software updates could be a problem.

There are some interesting features in the OS like a voice changer which you can use during calls and even while playing games. There is also a peak mode in the OS that will enhance your privacy, a kids mode in which kids can only open selected apps and cannot access other apps. It has a unique feature of 360° LED flash in which both back and front LEDs light up to offer 360-degree lighting.

For photography, Tecno Pova 2 comes packed with a quad-camera array with a 48MP f/1.79 primary camera, a 2MP macro shooter, a 2MP depth sensor and an AI lens for image enhancements. The photos from the Pova 2 camera came out to be average, nothing fancy.

Talking about camera features in Tecno Pova 2, it offers time-lapse recording in 2K resolution. Along with 2K time-lapse support, it also offers 2K video recording. It has quad LED lights on the back and dual LED lights on the front for taking pictures.

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Shooting modes include QHD time-lapse, eye AF, video bokeh, slow motion, portraits, etc.

On the front, you get an 8MP camera for selfies and video calls. The selfies came out to be soft. Overall colours were nice in normal lighting conditions.

Tecno Pova 2’s battery is the most talked-about feature. It is the highest-capacity battery in this category, with a capacity of 7,000mAh. On a single charge, it is said to provide up to 46 days of standby time, 31 hours of video consumption, 49 hours of calling, 20 hours of web browsing, and 233 hours of music playback. It supports 18W fast charging through USB Type-C, and a full charge is expected to take roughly 140 minutes.

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While we were testing the gaming performance of the device, we also took note of the battery usage in each game. After playing BGMI for one complete hour, the battery dropped by just 15 per cent. After laying COD Mobile for another one hour, we noticed that the battery came down by 13 per cent which is really good.

On the other hand, after playing Asphalt 9 for half an hour, the battery dropped by just 5 per cent. There is no comparison to its battery performance. The battery life of this smartphone is excellent and would easily give one whole day of hardcore gaming.

About the audio experience in Tecno Pova 2, it was not fantastic. Surprisingly, the earpiece also serves as the phone’s speaker, which I believe is a poor option. The single speaker is not very loud and could have been better if there was a dual speaker.

When it comes to connectivity, Tecno Pova 2 features dual 4G VOLTE, Wifi calling compatibility, dual-band wifi, and Bluetooth 5.0. GPS, USB OTG, USB Type-C, FM radio, and 3G are among the other connectivity options on the Tecno Pova 2. There’s an off-centred headphone jack on the bottom that doesn’t line up with the USB C port.

The power button of Tecno Pova 2 has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and the device’s build is incredibly sturdy.

Pros 

• 7000 mAh battery
• Hyper engine gaming technology
• Android 11 out of the box
• 6GB RAM + 128GB storage

Cons 

• No ultra-wide lens
• Normal refresh rate
• Loads of bloatware