Want to gift someone an affordable but usable smartphone? You should add TECNO SPARK 20C and itel S23 on your list.
This holiday season, you may be looking for an amazing gift. Since tech is popular, you can gift someone a phone without breaking your shopping budget. In this article, we suggest TECNO SPARK 20C and itel S23, both daily drivers within the 5K price range.
Design and Display
TECNO SPARK 20C at a glance will immediately show buyers its punch hole cutout, more modern and neat-looking. itel S23, on the hand, still has the previous generation waterdrop cutout.
However, neither phone has a narrow cutout for the selfie camera, so it’s up for preferences. Though do note that the display bezels on these two smartphones look the same, especially the big chin.
Flipping over the phone, the rear view seems cleaner on itel S23 with a smaller camera island, compared to the squarish and larger camera island on TECNO SPARK 20C. Again, this is a matter of preference.
Going over to the display panel, these two devices have the same 6.6 inches IPS LCD display with 720p resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. The resolution isn’t that high to deliver excellent visuals but it does help extend the overall battery life throughout the day.
If you’re not bothered by the older waterdrop notch, itel S23 is suited for you. But if that uneven look of the cutout bothers you in landscape mode, you may want the TECNO SPARK 20C.
Performance and Storage
The TECNO SPARK 20C is powered by MediaTek Helio G36 while the itel S23 is powered by Unisoc T606. Although Helio G36 sounds better than Unisoc T606, don’t be fooled because performance scores show a different story.
The Unisoc T606 scored 241,008 on AnTuTu 10, significantly better than the 154,598 of Helio G36. Take note that both CPUs have a 12-nanometer process but the Unisoc model has a lower clock speed of 1.6GHz, compared to the 2.2GHz of the MediaTek chipset.
| Architecture | MediaTek Helio G36 | Unisoc T606 |
| Performance cores | 4 x 2.2 GHz | 2 x 1.6 GHz |
| Efficiency cores | 4 x 1.8 GHz | 6 x 1.6 GHz |
The lower performance of Helio G36 may be associated with efficiency. During performance tests, all cores run at the same time to determine the balance between peak performance and heat management. Since Helio G36 has a higher clock speed, there’s a chance of throttling during the test.
So, for typical daily tasks, the overall performance between these two chipsets is more or less close to each other. The throttling is more likely to occur on very demanding apps or games.
In terms of memory, TECNO SPARK 20C has an edge having a single configuration of 8GB RAM + 128GB internal storage. Meanwhile, itel S23 is offered in two configurations of 4GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage.
The itel S23 wins in having a bigger internal storage but don’t forget both phones support storage expansion via a microSD card.
Camera Setup
The cameras on both TECNO SPARK 20C and itel S23 are the same. The former has a dual-rear camera setup of 50MP + an AI sensor while the latter has the dual setup of 50MP + 0.08MP sensor. These two also have an 8MP selfie camera.
Photos and videos taken by these handsets are not superb. Though they are enough for usual social media postings and simple captures. Just don’t expect too much because they can hit or miss. Take your time before pressing the shutter button to get the perfect still.
Battery and Charging
Most phones today have a 5000mAh battery pack and that’s no different for TECNO SPARK 20C and itel S23. These two can pack a punch the whole day, thanks to their entry-level CPUs and power-saving displays.
What really matters is the charging speed. No matter how big the battery, if the charging is turtle speed, you won’t be able to use the phone often. Between these two, TECNO SPARK 20C can charge a bit faster of up to 18 watts, compared to the 10 watts on itel S23.
Final Words
So, which of these two affordable handsets is your next best buy this holiday season?
As of writing, TECNO SPARK 20C is the better choice because it currently has a promo price of ₱3,697, which is lower than the promo price of itel S23 at ₱3,999 online. The device is a newer release running the latest Android 13 and is equipped with stereo speakers.
However, itel S23 is more reasonable for its SRP of only ₱4,299 than the ₱5,799 of TECNO SPARK 20C, for the base variant. You can save some bucks for two itel S23 units if there are no sale events.
Overall, the TECNO SPARK 20C wins! Even with a slightly lower CPU, its base variant already has an 8GB RAM, 18w fast charging, dual speakers, and the latest Android 13 OS.
Check out their full specs below.
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