REVIEW: TECNO PHANTOM PAD N9

TECNO isn't showing signs of slowing down in the race of being the top smartphone/gadget  manufacturer in the Nigerian Market. Tecno has been known for providing cheap or budget multi-sim phones. Tecno a few months ago released a "High-end Budget phone" the Tecno F7 phantom. Budget in terms of specs and build quality and high-end because its the most expensive device TECNO has ever built. All that is about to change with the recent introduction of the TECNO Phantom Pad N9. i had the opportunity to spend some time with the tablet and i will be giving you a concise hands-on review and first impressions about the tablet.

OVERVIEW

the Tecno Phantom Pad has an uncanny resemblance to the 2nd Generation iPad am sure Tecno must have drawn inspiration from apple's design language when making this device. the Tablet itself is an 8.0" capacitive touchscreen display Android Tablet running on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. it is powered by a 4500mAh battery and a 1.2Ghz Quad-core processor. it has a  5.0megapixel camera at the back and a 2.0megapixel camera in front. Tecno has really upgraded in terms of build quality from their days of making "chinko" phones, there's nothing that suggest this tablet isn't an high end device.


HANDS-ON
 The Tablet even though its an 8.0" tablet is far from lightweight compared to other tablets in its range like the iPad Mini or the nexus 7. it has a dimension of 204*154*9.9mm. The 8.0" display has a resolution of 768*1024(XGA) which isn't too bad except that compared to other devices already with retina display and 1080p LED/AMOLED screens this automatically makes the phantom Pad a bottom scraper in this department, expect poor visibility in low light conditions. The Tablet has an internal storage capacity of 16GB expandable to 64GB and has a 1GB ram, this is highly disappointing because I believe Tecno is sacrificing specs/performance on the altar of Budget devices. 1GB ram is just too unacceptable for a tablet in this modern age. Tablets are being seen as a mobile replacement for desktop PCs and laptops these mediocre specs limits the functionality of the device. Although Android Jelly Bean can easily run on such RAM without hitches but when you download lots of applications on the device, you will begin to experience some lagging in the OS. I think

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Tecno has done a lot to increase the quality of their devices especially the build quality but the internals are still mediocre from my point of view. if they are to compete with high-end manufacturers like Samsung they need to step up their game.Nigerians should not be blinded by the price tags attached to it, I remember when people rushed to buy the Tecno N7 and were disappointed with the performance of the phone. Most manufacturers like Samsung, Apple, HTC do a lot of research before they make smartphones and tablets some of their prices can be ostentatious to some people but they usually give you value for your money.


CONCLUSION
The Tecno N9 Phantom Pad is not a totally bad idea but I believe Tecno can do better. if you are interested in purchasing this Tablet and any other gadgets, you can call our retailer TheSmartShopng on 07059925285 or follow us on twitter @Technerdng or email technerdng@gmail.com and we will place your order and deliver it to your doorstep.