Tecno’s foray into the Kenyan market has been successful so far. They started with the lower end of the market and then ventured into the smartphone world with the Phantom range of devices. The Tecno Phantoms, while good, were not very affordable and had some software issues. They went back to the drawing board and from that came the idea of the Tecno Boom J7. So how is it?
Memory and processor
The J7 comes with 1GB memory and 1.3 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 processor. The two combine well and help the phone run seamlessly even with heavy use.
It is however advisable to clear cache of apps you use often especially heavy apps like Tumblr, Instagram and Twitter.
Operating system
The Tecno J7 comes with Android 4.4 Kitkat operating system. Tecno have also added an extra software layer to the OS to boost the user experience. This mostly a good idea but in some instances it creates conflicts with some apps especially Facebook.
The J7 comes pre-installed with apps like Google apps (Gmail, Maps and the like), Games like Danger Dash and Assassin’s Creed and even the OLX app.
Screen
The J7 comes with a 5 inch screen that almost fills up the front part of the phone. The screen works best on auto brightness because it adjusts to the lighting of where you are. The screen works well and is visible even when outside in sunlight.
SIM
The J7 is a dual SIM phone. One SIM is normal size and the other is a micro SIM. One has to be careful when inserting the SIMs in the ports because there is a possibility of messing the SIM port if you insert the wrong way. This is especially true for the normal size SIM.
Both SIMS work well and at the same time. However you can only use data on one SIM at a time.
Battery
The J7 comes with a 2020 mAh battery. To be honest I was expecting better battery life because that’s what Tecnos are known for but 8 hours on heavy use isn’t too bad at all. They probably needed to put a higher capacity battery on this device.
Camera
The J7 comes with an 8 Megapixel back camera with flash. The camera works well in lighted areas but struggles in dark places where one has to use the flash. It also has 2 Megapixel front camera which takes some pretty cool selfies. This one also doesn’t do well in dark places.
Storage
The J7 comes with a whooping 16GB internal storage. This is quite something for a phone that costs only Ksh. 13K. In case the storage is not enough it can be expanded to upto 32GB via MicroSD.
Internet
The J7 connects to the Internet via 2G and 3G. It handles well especially on 3G. It’s important to note that you have to turn on 3G via mobile networks in settings. This setting needs to be turned on for individual SIMS. So say you are using Airtel and Safaricom on it and you want to switch to Safaricom data from Airtel then you switch data SIM to Safaricom and then 3G also.
Music
The Tecno Boom J7, as the boom in its name suggests, has a heavy music bias. The J7 comes with a speaker at the back of the phone which is quite loud and clear when you play music. The J7 comes with a pair of excellent metal earphones that when used with the phone produce a clear and crisp sound. The earphones are also noise cancelling which are perfect for that noisy matatu ride. They fit very well in my ears and they are quite good for a phone of the J7’s price range.
The J7 has two music apps, the normal one and the Boom Player. The Boom Player has fantastic output and also interesting features and I would recommend it over the other one.
Extras
Tecno have been kind enough to offer two free outer cases to those who buy the J7. Also included is a screen protector which comes fitted on the phone.
Final thoughts
At Ksh. 13,000 and with the specs it has, the Tecno Boom J7 is a bargain. I would definitely recommend it.