In today’s cutthroat midrange segment, where every manufacturer is seemingly clawing for attention, TECNO is stepping into the ring with a different strategy.
The TECNO CAMON 40 Series has officially landed in the Philippines, hitting virtual shelves on TikTok Shop, Shopee, and Lazada, with the CAMON 40 and the beefier CAMON 40 Premier 5G also making their way to physical stores nationwide. The star of our show today, the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G, will set you back P12,999, roughly $230 converted, for the 8GB RAM variant and P14,999 ($266) for the 12GB model, both packing 256GB of onboard storage.
The company’s latest contender from the popular CAMON lineup, the CAMON 40 Pro 5G, isn’t just about ticking spec-sheet boxes. It’s leaning hard into the promise of intelligent and practical AI features, a camera that aims to punch above its weight, and, crucially, a price tag that won’t leave your wallet gasping for air.
We’ve spent some quality time putting this new handset through its paces, pushing its limits to see if it can truly carve out its own territory in this fiercely contested space. Can this device live up to the buzz and build upon the CAMON series’ established reputation, or will it falter right out of the gate? Let’s get into it.
The preview video we at Revü posted more than a week ago
Black beauty
TECNO continues its design prowess with the CAMON 40 Pro 5G. Keeping with the trend of classy, attractive smartphones with slim profiles, this model sports curved glass on the front, now protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. Corning claims this glass can withstand drops from up to one meter on rough surfaces and offers up to two times more scratch resistance than similar products.
Mirroring its predecessor, the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G still features the distinctive Swan Neck design that accentuates the vertical camera array and extends across the rear panel. The return of the protruded Swan Neck line also means the handset won’t sit flat on a table, though this is easily remedied by using the included case. Speaking of which, the included plastic case appears thoughtfully designed and even complements TECNO’s Swan Neck aesthetic. It also features a dotted finish, improving grip on the phone’s back.
Our unit, in the sleek Galaxy Black finish, features a nicely textured surface that effectively resists fingerprints. Adding a familiar touch, TECNO has once again added a small red indicator light next to the rear camera array. This blinks when video recording is active, offering a subtle visual signal to those being filmed, though its functional impact remains minimal.
Adding to the smartphone’s unique design is a dedicated AI physical button located on the upper-left side. Its red coating and ridged surface make it visually distinct and easy to locate by touch. A long press on this button activates TECNO’s Ella voice assistant, powered by the DeepSeek R1 language model.
Meanwhile, a double press opens the camera in the company’s FlashSnap shooting mode, ideal for capturing quick action involving pets and children, for example. Beyond this default setting, the button’s functionality is highly customizable, allowing users to assign actions such as screen or audio recording, torch activation, text translation, volume muting, launching the Quick Note app, or any other application, for that matter. You can also set the long-press action to a different voice assistant.
Up front, the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G features a striking 6.78-inch AMOLED FHD+ curved display with HDR support and a surprisingly fluid 144Hz refresh rate, promising smooth animations and responsive scrolling. Interestingly, though, the frame rate in games is capped at 60 FPS, based on our testing. This limitation in games appears to stem from the chipset, preventing the display to reach its full refresh-rate potential. As a result, even with the capable panel, the highest frame rate you’ll see is 60 FPS, which — don’t get us wrong — is still decent in this price range.
These cameras meet the hype
Yes, they do. TECNO promised a camera powerhouse that won’t blow a hole in your budget, and it seems to have delivered for the most part. But promising a camera experience that punches above its weight without emptying your wallet is one thing; earning the “best performing camera” title for smartphones under $600 from the notoriously rigorous Dxomark — along with its 2025 Smart Choice label — speaks volumes. That overall photography score of 146 from Dxomark further underscores the point that TECNO might have genuinely cracked the code for budget-friendly mobile photography.
The TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G arrives with what appears to be a triple-lens rear camera, but peel back the marketing, and you’ll find a more straightforward dual-camera setup doing the heavy lifting. The main shooter is a 50-megapixel Sony LYT-700C sensor paired with an f/1.9 lens, while the supporting act is an 8-megapixel ultrawide for capturing those sweeping landscapes, cityscapes, and group shots.
In practice, the primary camera here feels like a genuine step up from the brand’s previous efforts, delivering surprisingly capable results that often punch above the phone’s weight class. The same can’t quite be said for the ultrawide, unfortunately, which feels more in line with expectations for this segment.
Out in good light, the 50-megapixel main camera shines. Colors are vibrant without veering into oversaturation, and sharpness is well-balanced. Importantly, the images avoid that overly processed look that can plague budget shooters. Dynamic range is also commendable, preserving a decent amount of detail in both bright highlights and shadowy areas.
Sample shots
Portrait mode, too, manages to impress. The bokeh effect avoids looking artificial, offering a pleasing separation between the subject and the background. Even in low-light scenarios, the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G holds its own surprisingly well, keeping noise levels manageable and maintaining a respectable dynamic range.
And selfie lovers won’t be disappointed, as the CAMON 40 Pro 5G flips the script with a high-resolution 50-megapixel front camera coupled with a wide-angle lens. This means you can comfortably squeeze in an extra friend or two for those group selfies without that awkward, fish-eye distortion often seen on ultrawide smartphone cameras. It likewise supports auto-focus and eye tracking, so your selfies should consistently be sharp, with the focus locked onto your eyes, even if you’re not holding the phone perfectly still.
Finally, TECNO highlights FlashSnap, a camera mode on the latest CAMON series that’s specifically tailored for capturing action shots with clarity using the main or ultrawide camera. This mode helps take clear photos of things that are moving fast, thanks to features like AI BestMoment Capture, where the back cameras quickly save 15 pictures every second, and then smart AI chooses the best one. There’s also AutoSnap, which uses advanced algorithms to automatically take a burst of pictures without you even pressing the button. It works as intended, and makes capturing fast-paced scenes, like passing vehicles or active pets, quick and easy, provided there is sufficient lighting.
Capturing action shots? Easy-peasy with the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G’s FlashSnap camera mode
FlashSnap in action
Midrange power
Powering the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G is MediaTek’s efficient Dimensity 7300 5G chipset, built on a 4nm process. The processor is paired with up to 12GB of physical RAM and 256GB of internal storage, providing ample space for your apps and files. The absence of a microSD card slot means you’re limited to the onboard storage, so keep that in mind.
Performance-wise, the Dimensity 7300 processor is roughly comparable to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, achieving a respectable score of 690,645 points in the Antutu Benchmark and 1,032 and 3,213 in Geekbench’s single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. Everyday tasks such as browsing and streaming are handled smoothly, and even demanding titles like Genshin Impact are reasonably playable at medium settings.
Resource-heavy games with console-quality graphics are definitely playable on this handset. We also fired up Torchlight Infinite, a free Diablo-like action RPG for mobile devices and PCs. While not as graphically demanding as Genshin Impact, Torchlight Infinite maintained a smooth 60 FPS even with all graphical settings maxed out.
Perhaps more importantly, the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G managed to keep its cool under pressure. Internal temperatures consistently stayed below 40 degrees Celsius, and we observed no signs of severe thermal throttling after almost an hour of playing Torchlight Infinite. According to the CPU Throttling Test app, the CPU only throttled to 85% of its peak performance, a notably impressive result.
TECNO has equipped this CAMON model with a pretty sizable 5,200mAh battery. Unfortunately, we couldn’t complete a single run of PCMark’s battery-rundown test, despite numerous attempts. To provide some context, the battery depleted from 80% to 19% over a period of 6 hours and 6 minutes with the display brightness at 50% and the refresh rate set to auto.
When it comes to charging, this new CAMON model supports 45-watt fast wired charging out of the box. We clocked 65% in half an hour and a full charge in about 70 minutes. This allows for quick battery top-ups, minimizing downtime. Imagine getting a full charge — or close to it — in the same time it takes for you to finish an episode or two of your favorite show.
The TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G supports bypass charging, too, which is a great addition for gamers looking to get the best performance out of their device. This feature allows the phone to draw power directly from the charger, bypassing the battery and thus minimizing heat. This is crucial for preventing thermal throttling, allowing for consistent frame rates and extended gaming sessions without noticeable performance degradation.
Embracing the AI buzz
The TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G enhances its Android 15 user experience with the integration of Ella, the in-house voice assistant powered by DeepSeek R1, as mentioned earlier, and generative AI technology. This combination aims to create a more intuitive and proactive user experience.
You can, for example, leverage Ella to transcribe recordings and export summaries, as well as organize key information. Additionally, holding down the dedicated AI button on the left side lets you easily pull contextual on-screen information. This can prove useful for tasks such as identifying elements in a wallpaper or a recent photo, or quickly obtaining more information about a product you’re viewing on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, or your go-to online-shopping app.
When it comes to how the device handles photos, all the usual suspects are here. You can use AI to erase objects and people from photos, as well as extend images using generative AI. Selfies and portraits get a creative boost with the camera app’s AIGC mode, allowing you to apply artistic transformations to your photos or any image in your gallery — all with a simple tap.
You’re looking at the Revü team. 😀 Selfies and portraits get a creative boost with the camera app’s AIGC mode
You can also call upon Ella to access a range of tools designed to make communication and content creation more efficient. Among these is an AI writer feature that can assist with drafting messages and social media posts. In our experience, the responses generated by Ella have been consistently accurate and practical for real-world scenarios.
After weeks of use, we feel that the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G really does make a case for a smarter smartphone experience. Its deep integration of Ella and generative tech throughout the Android 15-based custom overlay, feels less like a gimmick and more like a genuine attempt to make your life easier.
Final thoughts
From a market saturated with similar-looking and similarly performing mid-tier options, the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G arrives with a distinct focus: intelligent features, impressive imaging capabilities, and a price point that respects your budget. After testing it for weeks, navigating the daily grind and pushing its AI and camera systems, it’s clear that TECNO has largely delivered on its promises.
For those seeking an all-arounder that offers a genuinely smart experience and a surprisingly capable camera without breaking the bank, the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G, which starts at P12,999 ($230) in the Philippines, comes highly recommended.
TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G specs
- 6.78-inch AMOLED curved display, 1.5K resolution, 144Hz refresh rate
- 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G chipset
- Mali-G615 GPU
- 8GB/12GB RAM
- 256GB storage
- Dual 50-megapixel main, 8-megapixel ultrawide rear cameras
- 50-megapixel front camera with autofocus
- Under-display fingerprint reader
- HiOS 15 based on Android 15
- 5,200mAh battery with 45-watt fast charging
- Stereo speakers
- Color options: Emerald Lake Green, Galaxy Black, Glacier White
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