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This entry-level phone arrives with a rather decent design. | Image by PhoneArena
One of the most intriguing devices to get live-demoed at the grounds at this year's IFA show in Berlin was the Tecno Camon Slim 5G, a concept device with zero screen bezels. I have to admit, that one looked pretty sleek and is what I had imagined phones would look like in 2026.
While nonexistent bezels are nice to see, this Tecno remains a concept. You know what's not a concept but a real phone you can get your hands on right now?
It's the eponymously named Tecno Camon Slim 5G, which is a more grounded mid-range phone that combines standard bezels with some pretty intriguing specs.
One sleek phone that takes thinness seriously
The Camon Slim certainly leans on its design language a lot. | Images by PhoneArena
Just like pretty much any other phone these days, the Camon Slim 5G utilizes the flat design language that iPhones have used for the past six or so years. The frame forms completely right angles with the backplate and the display, while the corners are slightly rounded, as is the common design trope as well.
The highlight of this Tecno device is its rather sleek exterior and that exceptionally thin 6.4 mm body. It's not the thinnest phone I've handled, but the thickness here makes this phone exceptionally manageable and it definitely feels outstanding in the hand.
But what's the most impactful aspect of this device is the weight of just 171 grams. Yes, that's just as much as a Galaxy S26 and a little more than an iPhone Air. The kicker is that the Tecno packs a massive 6.78-inch screen and a 6,000 mAh battery, so credit for cramming all that hardware inside.
A thin and lightweight phone that feels superb in the hand. | Images by PhoneArena
The Tecno Camon Slim 5G comes with an AI button on the left side, which is thankfully quite customizable. There's also an infrared port, a common sight on such devices, Oh, and there's a blast from the past in the back, a small notification LED light that can alert you of different events.
The screen up front is a 6.78-inch AMOLED with up a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz and with a decent peak brightness. Embedded into the screen is an optical fingerprint scanner that's positioned a bit too low and is slightly slower than ultrasonic fingerprint scanners. Picture-based face unlock is also a go.
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The screen is decent for any use case. | Images by PhoneArena
The phone comes in Matisse Black, Van Gogh Blue, and Burgundy Red, and the latter obviously reminds me of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, where it acts as a hero color. I'm a fan of Tecno's take on the Burgundy Red shade, it's a deep color finish that's pleasant to gawk at, yet a bit more unique personality and not fully aping the iPhone would have been nice to see.
One other thing I'd like to share is just how much value you get with the Tecno Camon Slim 5G. Inside the box, aside from the phone itself, you'll also find a 45W wall adapter, a hard-shell case with MagSafe support, a USB cable, a SIM ejector, and even a tempered glass screen protector that you can apply yourself. I've never seen another manufacturer throw in that many accessories along with their devices. Good stuff, Tecno!
So much stuff in the box! | Image by PhoneArena
Humble performance but awesome audio
No beating around the bush: as far as performance goes, the Tecno Camon Slim 5G is on the lower tiers of the mid-range market. Powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 7300e, which is built on a 6 nm manufacturing node, this phone isn't a raw performance monster. There's a single 256 GB storage option with 8 GB of RAM.
The Camon Slim 5G doesn't shine in synthetic benchmarks or heavier mobile games, like CoD: Mobile. But in real life? Sure, for general phone usage like social media, web browsing, and short-form media consumption, this phone offers sufficient performance.
3DMark Extreme(High)Higher is better
Tecno Camon Slim 5G695
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G811
3DMark Extreme(Low)Higher is better
Tecno Camon Slim 5G691
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G807
Wild Life Extreme is a heavy graphics workload used to measure a device's sustained GPU performance and thermal throttling. It uses older mobile rendering techniques and is friendly to older or lower-end mobile devices.
One aspect of the Tecno Camon Slim 5G that pleasantly surprised me is the audio. The phone has dual Dolby Atmos-compatible speakers that get really loud and provide a wide soundstage with thumpy bass and clear highs. Surprisingly decent for any type of multimedia, I'd say.
Sadly, I can't say the same about the haptics––the haptics are muddy and low-pitched, completely unacceptable.
Modern Android software and great battery backup
Software-wise, the phone comes with a custom Android skin over Android 16, with a style that certainly reminds me of Oppo's ColorOS and Vivo's Origin OS, and, yes, Apple's iOS. The interface is full of useful additions over stock Android and has a ton of personalization options. There are a bunch of bloatware apps, but nothing you can't do away with in a couple of minutes.
HiOS looks instantly familiar. | Images by PhoneArena
Tecno has also included its own AI assistant, Ella, along with a host of other AI features on board, but none of these are anything we haven't really seen before. You can choose which AI assistant to engage with the power button, Ella or Google's Gemini, and the latter's Circle to Search is also on board.
The age of thick phones with small batteries is over. | Image by PhoneArena
In terms of battery life, the phone comes with a 6,000 mAh battery, most certainly a silicon-carbon one. With my usage pattern, this device comfortably lasts me a day, a day and a half of mixed use. Think social media, multimedia, some video calls, and a bit of doomscrolling. Definitely lasts a long time for such a sleek and thin device.
Charging is plenty fast thanks to the 45 W wired charging support. Have in mind that there's no wireless charging here despite what the MagSafe-equipped case included with the box might suggest.
Okay camera performance
Three camera cutouts, yet only two cameras in the back, a 50 MP main and an 8 MP ultrawide, is what you get with the Tecno Camon Slim 5G. The main camera uses a Sony LYT-700C sensor.
The main camera is mostly adequate, though it suffers from the same shortcomings that most entry-level and mid-range phones have. Think of fuzzy details, lackluster sharpness and some color noise, all of which are certainly a byproduct of the lowly MediaTek chip on board.
That's because Sony's LYT-700 sensors heavily rely on a decent enough chip for AI denoise and HDR processing. The ultrawide is also a bit too narrow for my liking, aside from being average in every other aspect.
Tecno Camon Slim 5G camera samples | Images by PhoneArena
The Tecno Camon Slim 5G doesn't support 4K video-recording, it maxes out at 2K@30fps and 1080p video at 60 fps. Videos aren't anything to write home about, they are decent enough for regular use but this phone is not something you'd want to film your kids with, I know I wouldn't.
The Tecno Camon Slim 5G is a generally decent entry-level phone that has a few obvious corners shaved off in order to achieve its affordable price tag that, depending on the region, can vary between $250 and $350.
Performance is weak and the camera will do the job but doesn't really shine with anything, but this phone comes with a pretty appealing and slim design language, awesome audio, and a ton of extra accessories in the box that definitely amp up the overall value here.
I've certainly handled worse phones that cost more, so this one is definitely a mostly pleasant surprise rolling out from Tecno's conveyor belt.
Peter is a skilled writer with over 13 years of experience at PhoneArena. He has published nearly 300 phone reviews and comparisons. This vast experience helps him navigate the mobile tech landscape with ease. He enjoys everything Android but relies on a MacBook Pro daily.
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