Thepoweruser's Posts
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8.3MP isn't really enough for 4K video. I'd say the lowest should be 10MP. Why? Because there has to be enough headroom for high dynamic range, higher frame rate and; of course, video stabilization. Else, what you'll get is soft footage that has been upscaled. Or, even worse; an oversharpened, aliased, artefacted mess. |
Damn, this is funny . So because Camon 17 Pro is 64MP compared to Phantom X which is 50MP; therefore ''it takes better pictures''.Who ya foolin? ![]() |
Ammaizingemmy:If by 'camera quality' you mean the camera hardware and software then I must tell you the truth: top-notch camera specs in 2021 don't cut it anymore. The Google Pixel 5 is the definition of boring camera hardware. It has only two sensors: a 12.2MP 1/2.55-inch sensor with 1.4um pixels; behind a stabilized (OIS) 28mm equivalent lens and an f/1.7 aperture; and a 16MP 1/3.09-inch sensor serving as an ultrawide behind an f/2.2 lens with a 117-degree FoV. That sound exciting to you? That same main sensor has been used since the Pixel 2 in 2017. The Phantom X is clearly better, yes? A 50MP 'Tetracell' 1/1.32-inch sensor behind an f/1.9 aperture lens, very impressive for a midranger. Same sensor used in the flagship vivo X60 Pro+? Meizu 18/18 Pro? Hell; even the selfie camera on the Phantom is clearly better than the main camera of a high-end phone! That means far better photos and videos, right? Sorry, but the Pixel 5, still regarded by many as the best camera phone for sheer image quality takes the Phantom X to the cleaners all century. Google's camera synergy between hardware and software is still outstanding. How about arguably the most intriguing camera phone and perhaps the (indirect) successor to 2015's Panasonic Lumix CM1? Yes; I mean the Sharp Aquos R6. Currently bearing the world's largest camera sensor. One so big even the Mi 11 Ultra trembles in fear and panic: a 1-inch (yes, you read that right) Leica-designed 20.2MP sensor behind a Leica-branded Summicron lens; f/1,9 aperture; 24mm equivalent. Certainly the most impressive camera since the Mi 11 Ultra. Does it mean that it can take the crown as the best camera phone of the year? Well like I've said several times hardware isn't everything. Seriously, the top dogs (Xiaomi, Samsung, Google, Apple, Huawei, Oppo, vivo, even OnePlus) are so good at image processing and computational photography that I sincerely doubt even Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Fujifilm can beat them there. So I doubt anyone can catch up anytime soon, not even Sharp x Leica. The Aquos R6, from what I've seen from credible sources, has notably worse contrast, exposure, dynamic range and low light performance than the iPhone 12 Pro, S21 Ultra, Mi 11 Ultra... and yes, OnePlus 9 Pro. Where Sharp does truly stand out is in bokeh (depth of field) during video recording; especially at night, because no one can convincingly simulate bokeh during video recording with software yet. Why, you may ask? It's so simple it's almost easy to miss: these companies have far more engineering and software talent and a ton of money to spend on research and design. If it were so easy; why are Apple's ex-CPU designers so valuable? Qualcomm spent $15 billion to acquire Nuvia, even though Phoenix has mostly been on paper as far as I know. So Tecno's TAIVOS does not have an ice cube's chance in hell of beating these juggernauts of smartphone tech. Because you like their image processing doesn't mean they are better than the leaders. The amount OnePlus spent on that silly marketing partnership with Hasselblad would pay for Tecno's research and design for five years. I'M NOT A FANBOY; JUST STATING THE #FACT. |
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Norman4real:Yo @Norman4real; You got some good arguments there. Honestly I'd say the Dimensity 800u is a better match. Helio G95 is slightly better GPU wise. Snapdragon 730G is still better than both. I believe the bone of contention isn't G95 or Mediatek. I used to detest Mediatek before. Not anymore; ever since the Helio G series (G90T was their first good chipset in a long time) and now the award-winning Dimensity family. The issue is that FOR 250 GRAND; WE EXPECT A HELL OF A LOT MORE THAN JUST FANTASTIC BUILD QUALITY AND A 50MP SAMSUNG GN1 IMAGE SENSOR. IF XIAOMI AND VIVO DID IT, WHY NOT TECNO |
atheistandproud:Thanks for the compliment, my atheist brother. Someone told me the A13 Bionic is weaker than the Snapdragon 888. What do you think? Honestly I doubt it. I don't really care for Geekbench; I just use it to get an understanding of an SoC's abilities. Apple is still king of CPUs. I hate to say it, but even Intel can't beat them in performance-per-watt. If I were a betting man; I'd give the odds to Qualcomm x Nuvia. The Nuvia Phoenix is honestly the best CPU design I have ever seen in my life. Right now, custom CPU IPs are becoming a thing; just like in 2011-2016, where Nvidia, Marvell Technologies, NXP (formerly Freescale), Intel (Atom ), STMicroelectronics; Texas Instruments I'll be waitin' for 'em ![]() |
Norman4real:Dimensity 700 beats G95 in single-threaded workloads (both have 2 Cortex-A76 and 4 A55s, but G95 is 2.05GHz and D700 is 2.2GHz). In multicore, they are more or less the same. However in graphics; G95 is more powerful (Mali-G76 MP4 senior Mali G57 MP2). But where Dimensity 700 utterly destroys the Helio G95 is in efficiency. 12nm vs 7nm?! For where? Oh, and by the way @Norman4real, it's been a long time. |
skywalker240:I actually pointed out quite correctly that it is a flagship, since it is the best product they actually make. However, if one considers ALL flagships to be high end or premium or high spec; then it certainly is not. The BlackBerry KEY2 is a flagship; since it was BlackBerry's star product. But is it high-end? NOPE. The Honor 50 Pro+ is a flagship. But is it high-end? Is it top-drawer? NOPE. I think people should define smartphones the way Somegadgetguy (the most honest tech reviewer on YouTube and MY FAVOURITE BY FAR) does. |
Methinks a better simile would be a Toyota Land Cruiser with a Yaris engine. However; come to think of it; a Land Cruiser with a Corolla's in-line four cylinder would be severely underpowered. You're talking about a 7,500-pound SUV propelled by an engine with less than 200 horsepower. Acceleration would be unimpressive; and fuel economy would be... not cool. But wait o. 250-FREAKING K! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE? IS SOMEONE GOING TO TELL ME THEY WOULD BUY THIS OVER A SAMSUNG GALAXY S20 FE? OR OVER A REALME GT? |
skywalker240:NOW, IF ONLY THEY'D USED THE DIMENSITY 800U... ![]() BUT SINCE THE HELIO G95 IS MEDIATEK'S LAST 4G SOC ( IT'S FULL-ON DIMENSITY, NOW) I GUESS THEY USED THAT BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO MAKE A 5G PHONE AND SELL IT WHERE EVEN 4G IS NOT GOOD... WHY PAY FOR SOMETHING NO ONE WILL USE? Since they have a good relationship with Ming-kian Tsai's company; they should've asked for a 4G version of the 800U. BUT MEDIATEK GO LOOK ONEPLUS OWN MATTER FIRST (THE NORD 2 IS COMING WITH A CUSTOM DIMENSITY 1200). ANYWAY, IF TECNO WANTS TO GO 200K+; IT DAMNED BETTER BE A 5G PHONE. EVEN IF THEY'D USED SNAPDRAGON 730G; FOR 230K+ IT'S TOO DAMNED MUCH. MAYBE SNAPDRAGON 750G; OR EVEN BETTER SNAPDRAGON 860... |
skywalker240:The price? For 150K? Worth considering. For 230K? NO WAY. I guess now that they are making Phantom into a subbrand, they think it's pedigree will make it sell. You want my suggestion on a Tecno phone with great value for money? I LITERALLY HAVE TO SCRATCH MY HEAD TO THINK... HONESTLY, THEY ARE ALL OVERPRICED. BUT IF ANYONE TRULY WANTS TECNO, GO FOR THE POVA 2. THAT'S THE ONLY ONE I CAN RECOMMEND... IF YOU CAN FIND IT IN NIGERIA. ![]() |
My gripe with the Tecno Phantom X isn't because it is 'crap'. Because it definitely isn't. The build quality is great. I never did believe it would be glass all around with an aluminium frame. Yes, Zack; glass is glass and glass breaks, but in my opinion the only material better than glass for mobile devices is leather, vegan or otherwise. The display would've been amazing in 2019; and if it did cost 180K it would've been great. As it is it's just fine. Though maybe you should get something else if you absolutely prize colour accuracy and white balance. The battery should be great. Tecno's been quite good at this. No surprise there. Charging at 33W is a little slower than expected, but still okay. The camera? Hmmm. Impressive hardware, yes. But camera hardware; even specs no longer turn me on. Look at Sony's astonishing camera hardware. But you don't use DSLR-grade camera software in a phone. DSLRs are and will never be good at just plain point and shoot. To really make them shine; you have to know what you are doing. And editing too. So is it good? For 150K it would've been a no-brainer. But overall the Redmi Note 10 Pro, widely considered the benchmark of affordable phones is better. The Phantom does come out ahead in low light though, but not by much. Video recording (I am surprised no one talks a lot about this ) is pretty meh. Too bad.Performance is great. Mediatek's Helio G95 isn't bad at all, but it is by no means a gaming SoC. This is 2021; not 2019. It does run Genshin Impact, though. And about bloody time, they did remove those cursed ADS! YAY! There is still bloat though. But hell, even Samsung has a ton of bloat. AND FUCKING ADS! Good work, Tecno.BUT THEN YOU CAN'T MISS THE FACT THAT THIS PHONE SHOULDN'T COST THIS MUCH. FOR ALMOST 230K, WE EXPECT A HELL OF A LOT MORE. PERHAPS DISCOUNTS MIGHT FIX THAT. BUT TRUST ME, EVEN THE GALAXY S21 ULTRA IS NOT WORTH FULL PRICE. MUCH BETTER TO GET A JUICY DEAL. AND THIS IS NOT WORTH FULL PRICE EITHER. COMMENTS ARE WELCOME, YOU. ![]() |
At this point I just can't help but say something. Fast charging (even up to 700W) is not the problem per se. Heat is the bone of contention. Many of you here have laptops that can charge close to 100W. Why, then, haven't they caught fire yet or experienced extreme battery degradation? Simple: HEAT. The problem is not the high charging wattage; it is the fact that heat is being produced and that heat is not being properly dissipated to keep up with the heat being produced. Even if your device charges at 18W, if too much heat is produced, you have a risk of overheating; then an explosion and fire. What causes batteries to explode? Poor quality control; foreign object damage; extreme external pressures and operating temperatures (don't ever charge your phone in the car with the windows rolled up on a hot sunny day); overheating while charging and foolish design choices (hi, Galaxy Note 7 for trying to cram a big battery into a cramped space). Me, I'd take big batteries all day, all week, all month, year round... until true graphene batteries or solid-state batteries or lithium sulphide batteries or just any better material with superior energy density and stability at higher temperatures become viable. Anyway, that's just me being a power user. ![]() |
abatically:God bless you, brutha. I can list off the top of my head a few midrangers with fast charging above 20W and with that charger included in the box: Realme 8 Pro (50W) Realme X7 Pro (65W) Oppo Reno 6 Pro (65W) Xiaomi Redmi K40 (55W) Realme X7 Max (50W) vivo X60 Pro (30W) ZTE Axon 30 Pro (65W) Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro (30W) Honor 50 Pro+ (100W) Infinix Note 10 Pro (33W) |
Jacku:Wow. I'm stoked. I didn't even realize this. Thanks for pointing it out. What the hell are they thinking, anyway?
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dustmalik:You can't actually say this, cheri. They know most Africans don't care for specs that to them are just cool stuff but they hardly use. They ain't the best, sure. But that doesn't mean they are producing 'garbage' (at least not like before). seanwilliam:You see? It's called brand reputation and brand awareness.. All I need is large storage very strong battery and multi tasking cos I use heavy apps and I fit open 20 apps in a go. Here's something else most Nigerians care about when it comes to smartphones. Although I will never spend over 200k on android wey no be Samsung I certainly would, if I could afford it. Even if the device is woefully underappreciated (Sony Xperia 1 Mark III) |
Add a charger too, please. ![]() |
Mustiboy:Noted. Thanks. |
Now, time to explain. ![]() Look, @skywalker, I understand where you be coming from; I just want to clear the air here. Somehow, I believe the word ''flagship'' has been misused one too many times by even serious phone geeks. A flagship, by correct definition is a product made and sold by a company which happens to be their best product and therefore the one they use the most in their marketing. The term originated from the days of sailing ships. Any navy or merchant line usually has one best, most modern, most advanced and most admired vessel in their fleet. The ship that carries the flag of the merchant line during the days of sailing ships; the ship that is at the head of any naval formation of that navy/merchant line. That's where the term ''flagship'' comes from. So using this terminology, since the Phantom X is currently the best smartphone ever made by Tecno Mobile, therefore it justifies the term ''flagship'' ; since it is their flagship product. However, the correct term everyone is supposed to be using (and for the sake of semantics I use this too) is high end or high-spec or premium device. In Q1 2018, Mediatek's Helio P60 was their most capable SoC. Was it their flagship then? Hell, yes! Was it high-end even then? Heck, no. So the Phantom X is definitely a flagship product but certainly not high end. High-end, top-drawer flagships are the creme de la creme of the smartphone market, pushed heavily by their manufacturers since they pack their latest and greatest tech e.g. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, vivo X60 Pro+ Oppo Find X3 Pro, Sharp Aquos R6, Huawei Mate 40 Pro/Pro+, etc. Is Poco X3 Pro a flagship product? YES! Is it high end? NO. Is Snapdragon 870 high end? DEFINITELY. Is it a flagship product? NO WAY. Is the Phantom X a flagship product? CERTAINLY. Is it a high-end smartphone? HELL NO. Comments are welcome, as always. |
Jacku:Don't forget Chris Evans x Tecno. ![]() Brand ambassadorship is a brilliant advertisement coup. Just look at Samsung and BTS. I mean, just check the amount of comments this got them...
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edoairways:All are not valid though. I'll explain why. ![]() |
Apple iPhone 4s users in 2021 tryina feeling fly... ![]()
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masterfactor:My belle oh. ![]()
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My favourite Nigerian reviewer, certainly one of my favourite reviewers. Thanks for being the only YouTuber to teardown Tecno and Infinix mobes. Keep it up! Love the fact that you are not biased. Hope you make more videos. Infact, make I go sub to your channel... |
atheistandproud:My atheist G... YOU JUST MADE MY DAY. This is why I respect you sir. Your talk get head. I'll explain. My people, I have read a lot of articles (Anandtech, yo) about the ins and outs of smartphone SoCs. I have even viewed ARM's developer page and I've also studied AndroidAuthority's articles about Android and iOS's RAM usage, utilization and optimizations (how much RAM is enough or useful to run apps) , multicore cpus and multithread executions (basically, how Android apps are executed/run on multiple cores) and how the various parts of SoCs are used. Most of the high-tech stuff are seriously difficult to understand, but most times people just use benchmarks to determine how powerful a device is. Me, I don't trust benchmarks. You want to show how well a phone performs? Use video editing.
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Yinksy09:English. Na new thing? |
Yo, Xiaomi! Love the innovation on the upcoming Mi MIX 4 with under-display camera. Too bad it may have a 1080p display, might piss off the spec junkies out there. However, you need to listen to us, boo. Thanks for adding IP68 water and dust resistant rating to the Mi 11 Pro and Ultra, but please; give us USB Type-C 3.1. No Xiaomi phone has that, they are only using USB Type-C 2.0. Not cool for a phone that can easily exceed 1000MB/s in sequential read speeds of UFS 3.1. And give us 4K60 recording on the selfie camera, pretty please? Thankya. At least I didn't ask for the headphone jack/microSD slot back even though I love those. Here're the (rumored) pics of the Mi MIX 4? with MIUI13 and the under-display camera:
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Look, people, maybe we should cool off and stop attacking Tecno/Infinix (unnecessarily). The Phantom X really impressed me. Finally, Tecno is realizing just how hard Xiaomi is shaking the budget phone market. It has Gorilla Glass 5 (front, rear) so kinda premium it is. But of course you learn when watching product launches how to know what a product has (and what it doesn't have) by what they did not say. (ahem, OnePlus singing 'bout Hasselblad but not telling us what exactly did they tweak. Or even better, Sammy removing microSD from S21 series and all of a sudden pushing OneDrive. Cue Mr. Macaroni: warris going on here? ). Short version: the frame is plastic, not metal. Just like the good old Camon 11 Pro. So, don't expect this flagship to have the build quality of even a Realme GT.Impressive main camera. (50MP 1/1.32? Omnivision OV50A? Samsung GN1, now that will be really cool.) But me, being a poweruser and all (my moniker says it, you ) I know for DAMN sure that your phone's camera performance isn't about the specs of the hardware they write up for you to see. A lot of other things gotta match up, dawg. I can list a few: camera lens quality, smartphone ISP and chipset, and of course, the most important of all; software and image processing as well as shot-to-shot consistency. Hell, why do you think the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max still beats the Sony Xperia 1 III despite Sony's far superior camera hardware and tech? It is why I still (grudgingly) pick the iPhone for the best point-and-shoot camera experience. Ask current gen Pixel users what they are getting with their boring camera hardware. Why the heck they didn't upgrade that ultrawide 8MP sensor is still annoying me. And yes, HiOS is still the king of bloated OSes but they've toned it down some. It's definitely not MIUI 12.5 or even FuntouchOS 11 level, though. . Display OK, as expected. Not too shabby there.But here's the big one: THE PRICE. 230K for this Why, Tecno? Why not at least 180K and then you will be able to at least rub shoulders with the Redmi Note 10 Pro, which is still an overall better pick? Better display? Similar build quality? Better durability? (IP53?) Better cameras? (Omo, forget 48MP selfie camera with flash, iPhone 12 mini 12MP will still kill it), far better software, UX and software support? Just forget Android 12. We need the real deal, not developer preview a sane manufacturer will not put in a consumer and not prototype product they want to sell. At this point the Tecno's only real advantages are the bigger storage and triple-card slot. Why, Tecno? ![]() To paraphrase DJ Khaled: Ay, I'm just bein' honest. Ciao and buenas noches, people. |
Mind you, fellaz; Windows '11' is a free upgrade for Windows 10 users. Wait. Who the hell said it isn't a big upgrade? You think it is all a cosmetic refresh? ![]() It might not be as big a jump as from Windows 7 to 8, but it sure as hell is a big upgrade. PS: No more 32-bit support on Windows 11! (sorry, Core 2 Duo users) Cortana, Live Tiles and Tablet Mode is GONE! Windows 11 is a certain upgrade as long as your PC has TPM 2.0 and SecureBoot. That means; below 7th generation (i.e Core i7-6700HQ) can still get it; it's just not advisable by Microsoft (can't say I blame them; I mean, who's gonna forget RockYou2021?? [center]these things are by no means set in stone and are subject to change; see Windows FAQs for more details[/center] |
TUANKU:Me, I love Linux (hi, Kali. hola, Debian , bonjour, TAILS. ). But Windows PCs still beat ANYTHING out there for gaming. Even Xbox Series X and PS5 isn't close. 8K gaming on PS5/Xbox NOW? For where? Meanwhile, RTX 3070/RX6800 be goin' 23FPS 8K on... Minecraft. ![]() |
obembet:Ah! Na true oh. Die guy like that Aboki herdsman die! |




) is pretty meh. Too bad.
Good work, Tecno.