The Tecno Pova Neo 2 has a 7000mAh battery and a large 6.82-inch IPS LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It brings the new HiOS 12 skin that is a little bit refined on Android 12. The Pova Neo 2 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G85 with 4 or 6GB RAM and 128GB storage space. In the camera department, we have a 16MP and an 8MP selfie camera. On paper the phone is targeted at gamers on a budget, but should you buy the Tecno Pova Neo 2? In this article, I am going to share my thoughts about the phone after using it for over a week. You can also check our Samsung Galaxy A04s review.
Tecno Pova Neo 2 Review is it Worth Buying?
Design and Build Quality
The Tecno Pova Neo 2 has a glossy plastic build that is catches on to fingerprint stains easily. I mean you have to put a case on the phone or else every contact with your hands will stain the phone. The Pova Neo 2 has a gaming aesthetic and I wished there was some type of LED light that came out of the stripes at the back. There are two cameras at the back and a flashlight by the side. More about the cameras before the end of the video.
The phone has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and it’s fast, the volume rockers are slightly ahead of the fingerprint scanner. It charges through a USB C port and there is also a headphone port and a single speaker at the bottom. The speaker on the phone is remarkable and I enjoyed how it sounded. The Pova Neo 2 supports dual 4G sim cards and a memory card. The color I have with me is virtual blue but there are other color options like Orange magma and Uranolite gray. The design of the Tecno Pova Neo 2 is refreshing my only problem is the way it catches stains.
Tecno Pova Neo 2 Display
The Pova Neo 2 comes with a large 6.82-inch IPS LCD display panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. The resolution is Full HD but I wish it was a Full HD+ resolution. It has noticeable bezels around the display, especially the chin, but it’s normal on a budget phone. The display is bright enough and I was impressed by the level of brightness even when outside. The 90Hz refresh rate on the display of the Tecno Pova Neo 2 makes scrolling enjoyable and snappy. There is a cutout for the selfie camera but it isn’t really big. It won’t disrupt you while watching content or playing games on the phone. There was no issue while using the display and it’s one of the best features of the phone.
Software & Performance on the Pova Neo 2
The Pova Neo 2 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G85 and performance was just okay. You can use the phone to run demanding games at low frame rates. I used it mostly to toggle through social media and calls it was just okay. Even though Tecno is advertising it as a budget gaming phone it won’t play games smoothly, there will be minimal lags during gameplay.
Its best use case would be for handling normal tasks like social media and casual work. There are two models and I have the one with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The phone has memory fusion and you can add 5GB of RAM using some storage space on your phone. You can also now turn off memory fusion in the special function menu in the setting.
Software-wise the Tecno Pova Neo 2 is running on Android 12 and the new HiOS 12. The phone has NFC and there are new arrangements on the home tray. You also get the regular bloatware on the phone and they push some unnecessary notifications to the notification tray. Some of the bloatware apps can be removed while others can only be stopped. Opening up apps isn’t as fast and there are lags sometimes from the animation. You can also do a lot of customizations on the phone. The software isn’t really the best but I feel the little refinements made by Tecno will make it better over time. I don’t think there will be any software updates on the phone.
Tecno Pova Neo 2 Camera Test
The Pova Neo 2 comes with a 16MP main camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The images are quite okay with HDR present. The colors aren’t popping and they look washed out in most cases. There is a super night mode in the camera app that sharpens images in low light to make them look better. You have to keep your hands steady to get the best out of the night mode.
The depth sensor also does a good job but there is a noticeable color shift when you switch to the depth sensor. There is an 8MP selfie camera up front and you need to be in a really good lightning condition to get the best out of it. The Pova Neo 2 isn’t a camera-centric device and you should go for the Tecno Camon 19 if you want better photos. Here are more pictures.
Battery Test
The Pova Neo 2 has a 7000mAh battery and it is probably the biggest highlight of the phone. I was able to get almost 48 hours of battery on the phone and I was pleased. There is an 18Watts fast charger inside the box and it takes over two hours to charge the phone from zero to a hundred. I wish Tecno Bundled in a 45Watts fast charger inside the box and it would have been better. Casual users can easily get two days of battery life from the phone.
Rounding Up
Rounding up the Tecno Pova Neo 2 does all the basic things required from a phone perfectly. I can and will recommend it to people who want a phone with a good battery and performance. The display is okay and I enjoyed every bit of using it. Software isn’t the best but I feel it’s a work in progress for Tecno. Camera isn’t its strength and if you want camera then I recommend you check out the Tecno Camon 19.
