The TECNO Spark 30C is a standout in the budget 5G category, offering an impressive combination of performance and design at an affordable price. Powered by the MediaTek G81 chipset, the device ensures smooth performance for everyday tasks, light gaming, and media consumption. The 6.67-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate offers fluid visuals, making it an ideal choice for a seamless experience at this price point
We got our hands on the Orbit White variant with 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. This review covers everything from unboxing to performance, battery life, and more, offering a comprehensive look at what TECNO’s new budget device brings to the table. The Spark 30 also stands out with its 5G connectivity, future-proofing users with fast mobile internet access. Its 5000mAh battery ensures long-lasting power, complemented by 18W fast charging for quick recharges, making it a strong contender in the budget smartphone market.
Unboxing/Accessories
The Tecno Spark 30C arrived with a Transformers-themed design on its outer sleeve, making for an exciting first impression. Once the sleeve is removed, the actual box is revealed in a striking combination of orange, yellow, and white colors, presenting a sleek and modern aesthetic. The box features a large “30” on the front, emphasizing the model number, with “Spark 30C” and the Tecno logo beneath it, creating a clean and vibrant design.
Inside, the box is neatly organized, containing the Tecno Spark 30C smartphone, a charging adapter, USB cable, SIM ejector tool, protective case, and the usual user documentation with a warranty card. The inclusion of a protective case is a thoughtful touch, allowing users to safeguard their device immediately. The unboxing experience is both straightforward and satisfying, providing all the essentials for a complete setup straight out of the box.
Build Quality/Design
The TECNO Spark 30C boasts a clean, modern design that makes it look and feel like a device in a higher price range. The phone has a plastic back panel with a matte finish, making it less prone to fingerprints while providing a smooth texture. The sides are curved for a comfortable grip, and the 7.9mm thickness keeps it relatively slim.
Available in the Orbit White variant, the Spark 30C stands out with its sleek and stylish design, offering a smooth texture that is easy to handle. While the plastic build may not give the same premium feel as metal or glass, it’s well-built and feels durable enough for daily use. The matte finish on the back not only prevents fingerprints but also offers a soft touch, adding to the overall comfort of holding the device.
The TECNO Spark 30C impresses with its IP54 certification, ensuring protection against dust and water splashes—perfect for everyday use, even in light rain or dusty environments. The build quality feels sturdy and reliable, offering a solid, durable feel that can withstand the rigors of daily life. This combination of tough construction and practical protection makes the Spark 30C a great option for those seeking a resilient phone at an affordable price.
Display
The TECNO Spark 30C features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display that delivers vibrant colors and sharp visuals. It offers a 120Hz refresh rate, which provides smoother scrolling and an enhanced experience while navigating through apps and playing games. The screen is large, offering ample space for watching videos, browsing the web, or reading content comfortably.
The display is not just about size and refresh rate; it also has a high level of brightness that ensures clear visibility even under direct sunlight. The 120Hz refresh rate is an excellent addition to the budget category, as it offers smoother interaction, especially when scrolling through social media or watching content. Overall, the TECNO Spark 30C provides an enjoyable viewing experience, which is often a standout feature in its price range.
Camera
The TECNO Spark 30C features a dual-camera setup on the back, led by a 50MP primary sensor. This setup offers decent image quality, especially in well-lit environments. The camera’s AI features enhance the photos with automatic scene detection, improving the final results. While the camera setup doesn’t compare to flagship models, it does an excellent job for a device at this price point, particularly with the sharpness and detail in daylight photos.
The 50MP main camera is coupled with a 2MP depth sensor, allowing for portrait shots with a natural background blur. Although the low-light performance may not be the best, the AI mode helps optimize photos to a certain extent. For selfies, the 8MP front camera does a good job, capturing clear and sharp images with vibrant colors for social media posts or video calls.
Sample Images
Performance
Under the hood, the TECNO Spark 30C features the MediaTek G81 chipset, paired with 4GB of RAM, providing solid performance for day-to-day tasks. Whether you’re browsing social media, multitasking, or watching videos, the device handles these tasks with ease. The combination of the chipset and RAM ensures that the Spark 30C performs well for light gaming and general use.
We conducted several benchmark tests on the TECNO Spark 30C to evaluate its performance under various conditions. Here are the results:
- Geekbench 6 CPU Benchmark Results: 443 (single-core score), 1335 (multi-core score)
- Work 3.0 Performance Score: 9397
- Work 3.0 Battery Life: 13 hours 36 minutes
- AnTuTu Benchmark Results (v10.3.6): 215,315
- Wild Life Extreme Stress Test: Best loop score 161, lowest loop score 155, and stability 96.3%
These results confirm that the TECNO Spark 30C is well-equipped to handle a variety of tasks, from basic functions to light gaming and media consumption, making it a reliable option in its price range.
For gaming, the TECNO Spark 30C performs solidly within its class, handling several popular titles with ease. We tested games like Mobile Legends, Call of Duty, and Farlight 84 and found that the device offers a smooth experience in moderate settings.
- Mobile Legends: The TECNO Spark 30C handled Mobile Legends without much lag, even during intense matches. While it isn’t the highest-end performer in terms of graphics, its performance remains stable, especially at lower to medium settings.
- Call of Duty: When playing Call of Duty, the device managed to deliver a playable experience at medium settings, though the frame rate can drop during fast action scenes. The device isn’t built for high-end gaming, but it does a good job for casual play.
- Farlight 84: For Farlight 84, a battle royale game, the TECNO Spark 30C displayed decent performance, especially at lower settings. While you may notice occasional stuttering in more intense moments.
The phone’s 120Hz refresh rate enhances the fluidity of gameplay, though its MediaTek Helio G81 processor, paired with 4GB or 8GB of RAM, is more suited to moderate gaming than intensive titles. This device is definitely more geared towards light to mid-range gaming experiences, making it suitable for users who want to enjoy games like Mobile Legends without expecting ultra-graphics performance.
TECNO’s HIOS offers a surprisingly smooth and feature-rich experience, especially considering its focus on affordability. Here’s a breakdown of what using HIOS feels like:
- User-Friendly Interface: HIOS has a clean and intuitive design, with vibrant colors and customizable themes that bring a lively feel to the home screen. The layout is easy to navigate, with well-organized app icons and smooth transitions that give a premium feel.
- Smart Features: HIOS includes smart features like Smart Panel, which provides quick access to frequently used apps and tools, and Peak Mode, which optimizes battery life during low power situations. The Social Turbo suite is especially fun for those who love customizing messaging apps with stickers, video beautification, and other effects.
- Security and Privacy: HIOS stands out with built-in security tools such as App Lock and Vault, allowing users to protect their data easily. The Anti-Theft Alarm adds an extra layer of security, notifying users if the device is moved when left unattended.
- Performance Optimization: TECNO has integrated AI-powered optimizations in HIOS, which keep the system running smoothly by intelligently managing background apps and saving battery. The Game Mode feature boosts performance while reducing distractions during gaming, making HIOS a great fit for casual gamers.
- Regular Updates and Improvements: HIOS regularly receives updates with new features and improvements, showing TECNO’s commitment to enhancing user experience over time.
Overall, HIOS offers a seamless, customizable, and enjoyable experience with plenty of useful features that punch well above its weight in the budget smartphone category. It’s ideal for users who want a fun, efficient, and secure operating system without breaking the bank.
Storage
The TECNO Spark 30C offers 128GB of internal storage, which is ample for everyday users. You can store a wide variety of apps, media, and documents without running into space limitations. Whether it’s for your favorite games, photos, or music, this storage capacity ensures that you won’t need to constantly worry about managing space for basic needs. The smooth multitasking experience is also supported by the device’s fast storage, which helps apps open quickly and data transfer without delays.
For users who require even more space, the TECNO Spark 30C supports expandable storage via a microSD card, allowing you to add up to 1TB of extra storage. This makes it ideal for users who need to store large files or frequently download content. Whether you’re capturing high-resolution photos, recording videos, or storing music collections, the added expansion support offers more than enough flexibility for your data storage needs.
Overall, the combination of 128GB of internal storage and microSD expansion makes the TECNO Spark 30C an excellent choice for users who prioritize space and smooth performance at an affordable price.
Battery
The TECNO Spark 30C is equipped with a 5000mAh battery, providing ample power to keep you going throughout the day. This battery size ensures that the device can handle everyday tasks like browsing, social media, and gaming without quickly draining. Depending on your usage, it should comfortably last a full day on a single charge.
When it comes to charging, the TECNO Spark 30C supports 18W fast charging, which significantly reduces charging time compared to standard chargers. From 0% to 100%, it takes approximately 2 hours to fully charge the device using the included charger. While it may not be as fast as some high-end devices with even faster charging speeds, it strikes a good balance for a budget-friendly phone, providing convenience without compromising battery health. This makes it a solid choice for users who need quick recharges in a pinch, especially considering the 5000mAh capacity.
In our testing, the device showed a solid 13 hours and 36 minutes of battery life on the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life benchmark. Here’s a screenshot of the results from the benchmark, demonstrating the impressive battery performance.
Overall, the battery life and fast charging capabilities ensure that the TECNO Spark 30C remains a reliable companion throughout the day, with enough juice to keep you productive and entertained.
Verdict
The TECNO Spark 30C offers a solid performance at an affordable price, making it a great choice for users looking for a budget-friendly 5G phone. The combination of the MediaTek G81 chipset, large 6.67-inch display, and 50MP camera makes it a well-rounded device for everyday use. While it may not excel in high-end gaming or professional-grade photography, it provides more than enough value for the price, especially for users who need a reliable phone for general tasks and light gaming.
With its 5000mAh battery, 18W fast charging, and 5G connectivity, the TECNO Spark 30C is an excellent option for those who want a future-proof device without breaking the bank. If you’re in the market for a budget 5G smartphone with solid performance and good overall features, the TECNO Spark 30C is definitely worth considering.
Tecno Spark 30C Specs
- 6.67-inch HD+ IPS LCD, 7.8 mm (thickness)
- 1600 x 720 pixels, 120Hz refresh
- MediaTek Helio G81
- 4GB, 8GB RAM
- 128GB, 256GB storage
- Expandable via microSD
- Dual rear cameras:
- 50MP main
- Auxiliary lens
- 8MP front camera (hole punch notch)
- Dual SIM, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
- USB Type-C, 3.5mm audio jack
- Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
- IP54 dust and splash resistance
- Infrared remote control, dual speakers
- HiOS 14 | Android 14
- 5000mAh battery
- 18W charging (wired)
- Orbit Black, Orbit White (colorways)
Price and Availability
The TECNO Spark 30C is now available for purchase on various online shopping platforms.
- Introductory Price: PHP 3,799 for the 4GB+128GB model (available on TikTok Shop 57, regular price PHP 4,599).
- 4GB+256GB: Priced at PHP 5,299, available on Shopee 31.
- 8GB+256GB: Priced at PHP 5,999, available on Lazada 49.
