TECNO created a new spark with SPARK 20 Pro, now equipped with an impressive camera and refreshing design and ergonomics.
If the TECNO SPARK 20 Pro is a mystery box, it surely is full of surprises. That’s what we experienced during our review.
It boasts an appealing camera system paired with a good processor. The phone is also powered by a large battery with up to 33W fast charging. Yet this lite flagship has something other brands often neglect: ergonomics.
Unboxing
The TECNO SPARK 20 Pro comes in a familiar box, similar to its predecessor. When you open it, you’ll find the sparkling phone, phone case, ejector pin, USB cable, charging brick, and usual paperwork. The paperwork includes 12+1 months of warranty!
The clear jelly case isn’t exceptional, however, it’s specially designed by TECNO for SPARK 20 Pro. It has a textured interior, correct pads for the phone’s physical keys, and proper cutouts for the camera module, power button, headphone jack, and charging port.
Yes! This smartphone sports the much-loved 3.5mm headphone jack. Music lovers will surely enjoy audio streaming on TECNO SPARK 20 Pro, thanks to DTS Sound audio engine.
Check out our unboxing video below.
Build and Design
TECNO SPARK 20 Pro has some similarities with its predecessor, but the brand applied refreshing elements that set this new phone apart from previous models.
It carried the signature design language of the SPARK series with optimized and improved curvature for better grip. TECNO SPARK 20 Pro features a luxury-grade metal gun barrel design and metallic camera module as well.
We checked the grip and the upgrade is real. The black panel is smooth to touch but feels a bit slippery. Don’t judge too quickly because the glossy-looking frame is not slippery at all.
It actually prevents the device from slipping off your grip while you enjoy the smoothness of the back panel. Also, the frame is easy to clean.
The keys and ports are placed as follows:
- Top: Grille
- Left: Card tray
- Right: Volume rockers, power button
- Bottom: Speaker grille, USB-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack
The TECNO SPARK 20 Pro’s display spans 6.7 inches with FHD+ resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate. That refresh rate gives this phone incredible smoothness from navigating the UI to playing games. We didn’t notice lags or stutters and that’s probably because of the good pairing of the chipset and memory.
TECNO SPARK 20 Pro can deliver immersive audio via dual stereo speakers with boosters. The volume can go up to 200% and increase voice calls by up to 400% under noisy settings. This call volume booster is the Super Quantum mode under the Sounds settings.
By the way, TECNO SPARK 20 Pro has water and dust resistance, thanks to IP53 certification.
Camera System
The biggest upgrade on TECNO SPARK 20 Pro is the camera system. This phone’s photography prowess is spearheaded by the 108MP main camera shooter.
It can shoot 2K video at 30 FPS, take Portraits, and even handle low-light conditions with Super Night mode. Extra modes that you can use include the Pro mode, Panorama, Time-lapse, AR shot, and Document mode.
The main camera is paired with a 2MP macro sensor and an AI-powered lens. Use the 2MP macro for close-ups of 4cm.
Here are the main features of the rear camera system:
- 3x in-sensor zoom for lossless zooming
- 10x digital zooming for higher zoom rate
- HDR multi-frame fusion for different lighting conditions
- Dual Focusing for improved focusing of subjects
- 1.92µm for higher light sensitivity
See more pics captured by TECNO SPARK 20 Pro below.
The selfie camera also received some upgrades, primarily the implementation of three dynamic modes. The Soft Aurora applies a gentle glow while the Icy Blue applies a vibrant touch. If you bet a more natural look, the Soft Blend is the perfect mode. These color enhancements work on the rear cameras as well.
With dual flash on the front-facing camera, low-light settings are easier to overcome. Just don’t forget to explore the camera app to master excellent selfies on this phone.
As mentioned, the main camera can record up to 2K at 30 FPS. Watch the clip below for the sample videos captured by TECNO SPARK 20 Pro.
Performance
A 108MP camera requires a powerful processor, so TECNO installed the MediaTek Helio G99 on SPARK 20 Pro. This is a step up compared to the G88 of its predecessor. Not only that, but the Helio G99 also surpasses these chipsets found on many other phones:
| MTK Helio G99 (SPARK 20 Pro) | MTK Helio G88 (SPARK 10 Pro) | Unisoc T616 | MTK Dimensity 700 |
| 6nm process technology | 12nm process technology | 12nm process technology | 7nm process technology |
| 416,643 AnTuTu score | 270,707 AnTuTu score | 272,261 AnTuTu score | 392,803 AnTuTu score |
| 2.2GHz clock speed | 2.0GHz clock speed | 2.0GHz clock speed | 2.2GHz clock speed |
| 108MP main cam | 64MP main cam | 50MP main cam | 64MP main cam |
With Helio G99, TECNO SPARK 20 Pro can definitely run various mobile games of different genres, many of which at high graphics and frame rates. The 8+256GB memory of the phone lets you store lots of files and keep apps active on the foreground for multitasking and quick switching.
On the software side, performance is boosted on various scenarios via the following features:
| Software Feature | Description |
| Aurora Engine 2.0 | Boosts launch rate of major games by up to 85% and popular apps by up to 95%. |
| Darwin Engine 2.0 | Raises frame rates by up to 8 times and lowers temperature by at least 4℃. |
| Game Mode | Adds a smart panel for quick access of essential apps and functions. |
| Graphic Enhancement | Adjusts the graphic style of games. |
| MemFusion | Converts a part of ROM to increase RAM. |
| Lighting Multi-Window | Puts an app to a floating window for enhanced multitasking. |
| Video Assistant | Similar to Game Mode but for video players. |
| Smart Panel | A quick access panel for apps, tools, and more. |
| Freezer | An exclusive feature that lets you put apps to sleep, freeing memory and saving battery. |
Check the TECNO SPARK 20 Pro in action below.
Battery
The TECNO SPARK 20 Pro is equipped with a 5000mAh battery pack, which supports up to 33W of fast charging. A Battery Lab under Settings has the following tools for managing battery life:
| Battery Feature | Description |
| Power Boost | Extends the battery by limiting select features. Options are configurable. |
| Ultra Power Saver | Significantly extend the battery by only allowing 6 apps. |
| Adaptive Battery | Detects power usage to improve battery efficiency. |
Suggestions to Make This Even Better
The TECNO SPARK 20 Pro delivered the much-awaited upgrades for the SPARK series. But there’s room for improvement and we’d like to see it on the next SPARK Pro. Here are some of them:
- Bypass charging: This is big for those who love AFK gaming. Though, TECNO can easily give it to SPARK 20 Pro via software update.
- AMOLED panel: AMOLED is amazing on the battery and TECNO should start launching affordable, lite flagships with OLED panels.
- 5G: 5G is starting to become common on affordable smartphones. It will definitely be a plus for TECNO to drive this trend with the SPARK series.
Verdict
TECNO SPARK 20 Pro is available in four colorways in Moonlit Black, Frost Ivory, and Sunset Blush. The fourth colorway is the Magic Skin Green that has a textured back, which resists fingerprint smudges and gives off a premium feel.
TECNO SPARK 20 Pro is now available on Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, and authorized offline retailers. The 8+256GB variant has an SRP of ₱7,699 while the 12+256GB variant is at ₱8,999.
