The Tecno M5 is a sequel of the popular Tecno M3 released in early in 2013. Tecno Mobile gave the phone a massive makeover to include the latest in hardware and software.
Through this, the phone no longer has an entry-level tag but rather has its spot secured in the mid-range category of handsets.
In the past, Tecno has raised the bar to capture the mid-tier sector of Smartphone users. You must be completely off the grid if you happened to miss the Tecno Phantom A craze.
Through that single product, the gloves were off. Tecno was serious in giving the other ‘conventional’ handset manufacturers a serious run for their money.
Onto the order of the day, here is a review of the Tecno M5.
Display
The Tecno M5 has a 4.5-inch TFT capacitive display. The display resolution maxes out at 480 x 854 pixels and has a resolution density of about 218 ppi.
I admit that the above features don’t stand out of the ordinary. In fact, it kinda feels like Tecno Mobile was mean on the resolution of the device.
However, the Tecno M5 is a mid-range device. Thus, Tecno had to be economical with the features in order to give the device a competitive price tag.
Overall, it is cool that Tecno offers a screen protector plus a branded flip cover all free of charge.
Body and Design
One of the striking features about the Tecno M5 is its svelte design. The 135.6 x 68.3 x 10.5mm frame gives the Tecno M5 a very close resemblance to its surrogate, the Tecno M7.
The Tecno M5 has an all-plastic assembly and comes in a ‘cute’ white exterior.
I really liked the compact design as it gives the Tecno M5 a premium look. In addition to that, Tecno preferred haptic feedback of the display buttons, as opposed to the use of physical buttons.
The rear cover assumes a curved shape and thus fits perfectly in your palms. Due to the average screen size, one-handed operations on the device are a cinch.
Technical Specifications
Let’s now take a look at the under the hood features of the Tecno M5. The Tecno M5 possesses a 1.3 GHz dual-core Cortex-A7 processor plus 1GB of RAM.
This is almost double to what the amount found on the Tecno M3. Therefore, you should expect a significant surge in the performance of the Tecno M5.
Apps launch extremely fast on the device, and there is seamless multitasking between running Apps.
The Tecno M5 has 4GB of internal memory of which a paltry 1GB is available to you. As a reprieve, Tecno includes a free 8GB memory card for each phone purchase.
On the OS, the phone runs Android 4.2.2 out of the box. As it is the norm, Tecno included a Power Bank to keep your handset juiced up.
I think this is a nifty concept and other manufacturers should read from the same script.
Multimedia
An 8MP snapper graces the rear section of the Tecno M5. The camera captures images at a maximum resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels.
The rear snapper captures motion at 720P resolution. The Tecno M5 also has an LED flash a few millimeters below the camera for low light shooting.
Battery Life
Lifting the hardened plastic rear cover will reveal a super 1800 Mah battery. This is impressive for a device in its price group.
However, sections of the users have complained of massive battery drain and mediocre battery stamina. Battery drain is also very common in other Smartphone brands. It is more likely due to the Android OS rather than the hardware.
Tech Trends Diary Verdict
Samsung ruled the world of entry and mid-range devices. The phones had second-rate features, but still came at a steep price.
With the Tecno M5, the ‘tyranny’ of Samsung’s entry-level market dominance will soon be all part of a ‘dark’ history. Apart from the below average display, everything else looks awesome on the Tecno M5.
I have seen the Tecno M5 with countless people around and that counts as a form of endorsement. With specs similar to the upper level Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, it would not hurt to give the Tecno M5 a second look.
Tech Trends Diary Rating
Tecno M5: [usr 7]
Rivals
Competitors of the Tecno M5 include the in-house alternative the Tecno S5, the Samsung Galaxy Trend and Huawei Ascend W1.
Pricing in Kenya
The Tecno M5 has a suggested retail price of about Ksh 14,499.
Kevin is a tech enthusiast and the lead writer at MobiTrends.co.ke. He has been writing about smartphones and tech related topics since October 2012. About Us | Contact Us
