In the actual smartphone market, you can get a complete device even if you decide to spend less than €200 or $200. At the end of August, Tecno launched the Tecno Spark 8 with an amazingly affordable price tag and soon the handset will hit the Indian market as well. Will the latest phone by Transsion be able to compete with the best buys from Xiaomi? Once it launches, the Tecno Spark 8 will have a very important best-selling rival in its same price range: the Redmi 9. It won’t be easy for it to compete, but the price of the Redmi 9 recently hiked in India along with the rest of the Redmi 9 series and a few devices from the Redmi Note 10 series. Let’s see if this hike will make the Tecno Spark 8 more interesting.

Tecno Spark 8 vs Xiaomi Redmi 9

Tecno Spark 8 Xiaomi Redmi 9
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 76 mm x 164.8 mm x 9.2 mm, 190 g 163.3 x 77 x 9.1 mm, 198 g
DISPLAY  6.52 inches, 720 x 1600p (HD+), IPS LCD  6.53 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), IPS LCD
PROCESSOR Mediatek Helio P22, octa-core 2 GHz Mediatek Helio G80, octa-core 2 GHz
MEMORY 2 GB RAM, 64 GB – micro SD dedicated slot 3 GB RAM, 32 GB – 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 4 GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot
SOFTWARE  Android 11 Go Edition, HiOS  Android 10, MIUI
CONNECTIVITY  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
CAMERA Dual 16 MP + QVGA
8 MP front camera		 Quad 13 + 8 + 5 + 2 MP f/2.2 + f/2.2 + f/2.4 + f/2.4
8 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY  5000 mAh  5020 mAh, fast charging 18W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES Dual SIM slot Dual SIM slot

Design

The Tecno Spark 8 has an original design which I consider more elegant if compared to the Redmi 9. These handsets are made with polycarbonate, but the lucid body of the Tecno Spark 8 and the slogan “Stop at nothing” printed on the rear side make it more original. The dimensions are more or less the same, so do not expect big differences in terms of one-handed use. Further, they both have a rear mounted fingerprint reader placed in the same position on the rear side. They also come with a waterdrop notch and modestly thin bezels around the display.

 

Display

If you choose the Redmi 9, you can get a better display. The main difference is the level of detail because it has a higher Full HD+ resolution with 1080 x 2340 pixels. If we exclude the resolution, these displays are pretty much the same: average LCD panels with similar diagonals and image quality. The brightness is sufficient but not so high, and the Redmi 9 adds the Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Do not expect a huge image quality as we are talking about very affordable phones. The devices come with mono speakers and a waterdrop notch housing the selfie camera.

 

Specs & Software

Redmi 9 is equipped with a stronger processor: the Helio G35 by MediaTek which comes with an octa-core architecture and a max frequency of 2 GHz. It is a decent processor not only for normal activities but for gaming too thanks to a good GPU. The Tecno Spark 8 has a lower-end MediaTek Helio P22, definitely not the best one if you are a gamer. With the Redmi 9, you can also get better memory configurations: up to 6 GB of RAM and up to 128 GB of native storage. Tecno Spark 8 has just 2 GB of RAM and just 64 GB of native storage, but it runs Android 11 Go Edition which makes the operating system smooth and lightweight. However, the Redmi 9 remains better even though it comes with Android 10 out of the box.

 

 

Camera

Tecno Spark 8 and Redmi 9 are low-end camera phones: their photos are sufficient for social networks, but nothing more. The most interesting one in terms of the camera is the Redmi 9 because it has better secondary sensors. While Tecno Spark 2 has jus a QVGA secondary sensor, the Redmi 9 offers an 8 MP ultrawide camera, a 5 MP macro camera, and a 2 MP depth sensor alongside its 13 MP main sensor. There is definitely no challenge: the Redmi 9 has better cameras on the rear side. When it comes to the front cameras, the performance should be similar as they both pack an 8 MP selfie snapper.

 

 

Battery

The battery capacities of these two devices are very similar: Tecno Spark 8 has a 5000 mAh battery, while Redmi 9 has 5020 mAh. However, Tecno Spark 8 is supposed to last more because it has a display with a lower resolution. On the other hand, Redmi 9 supports fast charging, unlike its rival.

 

Price

Tecno Spark 8 is expected to hit India with a price tag of Rs. 9,490 / $130, and Redmi 9 has more or less the same price. Despite Tecno Spark 8 offers a more recent operating system with Android Go, the Redmi 9 is currently more interesting, at least until the price of the Spark 8 drops.

 

 

Tecno Spark 8 vs Xiaomi Redmi 9: PRO and CONS

Tecno Spark 8

PRO

  • 16 MP main camera
  • Android 11 out of the box
  • Android Go
  • Very affordable

CONS

  • Inferior chipset

 

Xiaomi Redmi 9

PRO

  • Better hardware
  • More configurations
  • Fast charging
  • Full HD+ display
  • Wider availability

CONS

  • Android 10

 

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