Tecno Pova Curve hands-on review

Introduction

The Pova Curve is yet another value-oriented option from Tecno. It aims to bring a stylish design along with features like a 144Hz AMOLED display and the usual assortment of AI features to the masses.

The Tecno Pova Curve shares the basic design and software with the Infinix Zero 40 that we looked at last year. If this seems surprising then it shouldn't as both brands are owned by the same parent company, Transsion Holdings.

Having said that, this isn't just a straight copy-paste effort like we sometimes see from other brands with a shared parentage. The Pova Curve comes in at a lower price point than the Zero 40, so it makes several changes to the spec sheet, including to the chipset and the cameras but manages to gain a bigger battery while somehow being thinner and lighter.

Tecno Pova Curve 5G specs at a glance:

• Body: 164.3x74.6x7.5mm, 189g; Gorilla Glass 5 front, plastic frame, plastic back; IP64 dust tight and water resistant (water splashes).
• Display: 6.78" AMOLED, 144Hz, 2304Hz PWM, 1300 nits (peak), 1080x2436px resolution, 20.3:9 aspect ratio, 393ppi.
• Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Ultimate (4 nm): Octa-core (4x2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G615 MC2.
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2.
• OS/Software: Android 15, planned upgrade to Android 16, HIOS 15.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 1/1.73", 0.8µm, PDAF; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 13 MP.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5500mAh; 45W wired, 50% in 15 min, 100% in 45 min.
• Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.4; NFC; FM radio; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers (with Dolby Atmos); Circle to Search.

At a starting price of INR 15,999, the Tecno Pova Curve is priced much more aggressively. Let's see if it manages to impress us like its older cousin.

Unboxing

The Tecno Pova Curve comes in iridescent packaging which contains the phone, a charger, and a USB cable. Tecno also throws in a clear silicon case but it's not great and the curved sides of the display mean it does not offer great protection in that area.