The Spark 20 Pro 5G is the latest iteration of the Spark Lineup from Chinese manufacturer TECNO. A beautifully designed refresh of the popular budget-friendly Spark lineup, the Spark 20 Pro 5G sees some improvements over its predecessor, the Spark 20 Pro. The most notable focus is on an updated CPU for better 5G and wireless support, improved AI for camera and filming and a slightly smaller form factor.
Measuring 6.63” L x 3” W x 0.33” D, the Spark 20 Pro is slightly larger than the latest iPhone 15. Likewise, the Spark 20 Pro weighs in at 200g, 31g heavier than the iPhone 15. This puts it squarely in the larger phone lineup. Despite this, it is still fairly light, considering that it houses a 5000 mAh battery.
As with many modern phone designs, the Spark 20 Pro features an exceptionally clean face, with the only real visible marking being the front camera that is tucked in the center top of the display. Volume and power buttons are located on the right edge of the phone, leaving a single USB Type C as the only other port on the phone. Unlike the previous generation, Spark 20 Pro, this model does not include a 3.55 mm audio jack but instead comes with a set of USB Type-C earbuds.
The back side of the Spark 20 Pro deviates from modern design trends by including a vegan leather cover for the backplate. It does help the Spark 20 Pro stand out against other phones on the market and gives the phone a warm, unique aesthetic. The leather is quite durable, with scratch tests not revealing any lasting damage to the back. While it might not be for everyone, the leatherback does offer a nice textured back to the phone, making it less slippery in the hand while in use.
The left top corner of the back houses the three-camera system (more on this later). A visual improvement over the previous generation, these cameras are better integrated into the housing creating a single, clean square in the corner of the phone. The overall look and feel of the Spark 20 Pro 5G is clean, sleek and functional.
“Two other impressive hardware/software systems that are packed into the Spark 20 Pro include the face detection unlock and the fingerprint scanner.”
The Spark 20 Pro 5G houses pretty standard specs for its price point. Featuring a MediaTek Dimensity 6080 CPU, 8 GB of RAM with the option for an additional 8 GB on demand as needed, and a 256 GB Storage capacity, the Spark 20 Pro can easily handle everyday tasks. The MediaTek Dimensity 6080 does offer some slight improvement over the previous generation MTK G99 CPU. It comes most notably in the handling of wireless and 5G, which sees a pretty impressive boost over its predecessor.
As for the processing power of the MediaTek Dimensity 6080, it benchmarks with a single-core performance of 770 and a multi-core score of 2065. This lands it squarely in the entry-level category for processors. However, thanks to the flexible 8 GB + 8 GB of RAM, the Spark 20 Pro handles everyday tasks and usage fairly well.
Productivity tasks such as checking email, texting and phone calls all work well with no notable slowdowns of sluggish animations while swapping apps. Social media apps like X, TikTok, and Instagram all function well, and streaming 1440p content on YouTube is buttery smooth. There were no noticeable lag times when loading up video content for streaming, which was impressive considering the lower benchmark scores.
Gaming on the Spark 20 Pro is where the processor’s lower power starts to show. Diablo Immortal, while quite playable, had to be scaled back to lower settings to maintain a consistent 30 FPS. Genshin Impact ran well enough, maintaining consistent framerates throughout the playthrough with some random stuttering when loading into new areas. It did require lower graphics settings but was functional. Call of Duty Mobile likewise was quite playable with no major issues. The Spark 20 Pro does include, as part of the HiOS 14 OS (more on this later), a Game Profile mode that helps boost the overall performance of some games.
The Spark 20 Pro 5G also features a 6.78” FHD 120 Hz display. This is one of the more standout hardware pieces on the Spark. It presents a beautifully crisp, bright image and has wonderful colour reproduction. Another notable aspect of the display is that the aforementioned 120Hz display is adaptable. Practically, this means that the Spark 20 Pro will adjust the refresh based on the task being performed. It will boost refresh for high-demand tasks like streaming HD content and gaming and then scale the refresh back when performing everyday tasks, helping to extend battery life.
In our use case, the testing video looks beautiful. Streaming content specifically was a delight with the image quality presenting as clear, crisp and bright. While there is no official nit count on the specs sheet, the display gets quite bright, making viewing even in daylight fairly easy. Overall, the display was an impressive aspect of the Spark 20 Pro.
Audio is another element of the Spark 20 Pro that stands out. While the Spark supports Dolby Atmos through supported headphones, what was more impressive was how loud the Stereo speakers are. In testing, the audio came through loud and clear, making it easy to hear videos and games. As for the audio mix, vocal frequencies came through nice and clear making watching shows or movies an enjoyable experience. Music, likewise, sounds solid on the Spark 20 Pro, with the mix coming through clearly.
The Spark 20 Pro comes standard with a 5000mAh battery built to easily get you through your day. For reference, the iPhone 15 Pro Max only houses a 4441mAh battery. This allows the Spark 20 Pro to easily handle a day of busy productivity. In testing, I was able to get through a day of work which included a lot of emailing, messaging, Spotify streaming and YouTube tutorials.
Even after a 10-hour work day I was able to still watch a couple of hours of Star Trek Discovery (still playing catch up) and had over 35% left when I charged it for the night. The lower power processor and variable refresh display both help with this, of course, but the sheer size of the battery means you’ll have no issue getting through your day.
Two other impressive hardware/software systems that are packed into the Spark 20 Pro include the face detection unlock and the fingerprint scanner. The former simply leverages the front camera to do a quick scan to unlock the device. It’s exceptionally responsive and has no issues detecting my face, both with and without my glasses. It’s also nice that there is an option to, upon unlock, go to your home page or stay on the lock screen.
The finger printer scanner works just as well. Built into the power button, the scanner had no issues during setup, allowing for multiple finger scans and once setup worked every time during testing. While some prefer the on-screen scanner, the power button option feels much more natural to reach for while holding the phone.
Shifting now to the camera system, this is another area where the Spark 20 Pro is both excellent and also struggles. Photography on the Spark 20 Pro is, for the most part, a delight. Thanks to the 108MP main camera, 2MP Macro Camera and the MP front camera, users will have lots of options for shooting. In fact, shooting on the Spark 20 Pro is all about options.
With a host of features and settings to work with, the camera system on the Spark 20 Pro is one of the most robust systems I’ve tested in the past couple of years. When coupled with a powerful AI corrective toolset, there are a lot of things to love about the Spark 20 Pro and its cameras.
Some of the standout features include Super Night Mode, Pro Mode and Super Macro Mode. Super Night Mode pulls every little bit of light it can into the shot and then leverages the power of AI to help construct a beautiful-looking picture seamlessly. It works exceptionally well and allows for some fun night shots without the work of adjusting settings.
For those wanting the challenge of setting up the perfect shot Pro Mode gives you access to all of the settings available and allows you to adjust each one with ease. Finally, Super Macro mode was much more impressive than I suspected it would be. While it does require good lighting to leverage its full potential, the Macro camera does a solid job of capturing minute details.
The only critique of the camera for image capture is the framing options. While full-frame, 1:1 and 4:3 are all options, there is no 16:9 option to work with. When shooting photos, there are many times when a 16:9 frame option is preferred. Of course, this can be cropped in post-production but it requires framing the image accordingly during the shot to still manage to capture your intended picture. It’s an odd thing that seems out of place with an otherwise robust system.
“With so many other phones today easily handling 4K60FPS, the Spark 20 Pro lags behind others in one of the most fundamental elements of modern phones.”
Shifting to video capture, this is much more of a mixed bag with the Spark 20 Pro. While there are some great options for filming with both a short film and dual capture mode being the two major highlights, the camera lacks a couple of standard features I’d expect from a cell phone camera in 2024. The first is stabilization. There is no stabilization present on the Spark 20 Pro that I could find during testing. The result is that video capture always suffers from shaky camera effects.
The other critique has to do with capture resolutions. The Spark 20 Pro can only handle capture up to 2K30FPS. This seems out of sorts, with the impressive 108MP lens and all of the other features present in the camera system. With so many other phones today easily handling 4K60FPS, the Spark 20 Pro lags behind others in one of the most fundamental elements of modern phones.
The final area of note is the inclusion of TECNOs HiOS 14. Built on the backbone of Android 14, the HiOS 14 adds its own elements and quality-of-life features to the Android experience. Some of the more notable elements include their Dynamic Port system, which is essentially TECHNO’s take on a notifications hub. It works quite well and offers a glance option for notifications. Other features like a quick app drawer, built-in Cashe cleaner, and TECNO’s own backup software options round out the experience. While some overlays can cause slowdowns I’ve not noted anything of concern with the HiOS overlay. For the most part, it’s been a nice addition to the user experience.
The Spark 20 Pro 5G is a solid entry-level phone. It handles productivity like a champ, provides plenty of battery life to get you through your day and can take on most tasks with ease. While it is a bit underpowered for hardcore mobile gaming, it can still manage to provide a playable experience with modern titles. While the Cameras on the Spark produce some beautiful image capture, the lack of resolution options or stabilization makes it less than ideal for video. Despite these critiques, however, the Spark 20 Pro 5G is a solid offering for those looking for a good productivity phone. Pricing for the TECNO Spark 20 Pro 5G starts at $190 USD.
