Last September, TECNO Philippines launched a new addition to its popular Spark series, the TECNO Spark Go 1.
This entry level smartphone is perfect for those looking for a budget-friendly phone without compromising essential features which makes it an excellent choice for a child’s first phone, young teens, or parents.
TECNO Philippines generously provided us with a review unit, allowing us to experience the phone and share its wide range of features.
The TECNO Spark Go 1 comes in two variants: a 3GB+64GB base model priced at PHP 3,499 and a 4GB+128GB model priced at PHP 4,099. Customers can now purchase the TECNO SPARK GO 1 at TECNO Shopee/TikTok/Lazada official shops and TECNO Partner Retail Stores nationwide
So, let’s dive in to the review.
Unboxing
For the packaging design of the TECNO Spark Go 1, it features a tab-locking box style made from thick cardboard material for a secure feel and to easily open the box.
Upon opening the box, the phone is the first thing you’ll see, with the additional accessories you will be receiving are neatly arranged underneath it.
Taking out all the items inside the box we have the following:
- TECNO Spark Go 1 Unit
- SIM Ejector Tool
- Clear Protective Case
- USB-A to USB-C Cable
- Power Adapter
- Warranty Card
TECNO has provided a free screen protector on the phone, allowing you to use it straight out of the box without worrying about damaging the display.
Design and Build
For the TECNO Spark Go 1 there are two available color variant both are classic shades with Glittery White and our review unit in Startrail Black.
The back panel of the phone is made from durable polycarbonate with a sleek frosted or shimmer-like finish, which helps minimizes fingerprint smudges. For additional branding, the TECNO Spark logo is positioned at the bottom left.
The cameras and LED flash are housed in a slightly raised circular camera module located in the top left corner that adds a modern touch to the design.
The phone’s frame has a slim profile and made from durable plastic material with a smooth rounded corners for a comfortable grip. The frame’s color also matches the back panel for a more cohesive and unified design.
Moving on to the ports and buttons, the power/sleep button and volume buttons are placed on the left side edge.
The left side edge holds the SIM card tray for two dual nano SIM card as well as a MicroSD for additional storage.
Found at the bottom edge you’ll find a speaker grille, USB-C port, microphone, and 3.5mm headphone jack for your wired headphones.
There’s another speaker grille placed on the top edge which is much better for a good balanced sound output.
On the front, the screen has thin bezels all around except for the bottom chin which is slightly raised. The front camera has a punch hole design placed at the center.
The TECNO Spark Go 1 is built to be more durable, boasting an IP54 rating for protection against dust and water splashes. It has also undergone rigorous tests, including a Drum Test (500 times), Slight Drop Test (25,000 times), and USB Plug Test (20,000 times), among others.
Expect the phone to offer a smoother user experience, with TECNO’s internal lab tests promising no significant lag for up to 48 months or 4 years of continuous usage.
Display
In terms of display, the TECNO Spark Go 1 gets a few minor upgrades from its previous model. It now has a 6.67-inch screen using an IPS panel for its display and a higher refresh rate up to 120Hz.
The display has a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels and a pixel density of 263PPI.
The display is sharp, good viewing angles, and decently bright which is quite good when used indoors but it struggles under direct sunlight even with the 480 nits of peak brightness.
Performance
Under the hood, the TECNO Spark Go 1 is powered by a Unisoc T615 octa-core processor and manufactured in 12nm with maximum clock speeds up to 1.82 GHz. The GPU on this chipset is an ARM Mali-G57 that can reach up to 850 MHz.
The phone is equipped with a 64GB of internal storage, if you need extra space it can be expanded up to 1TB via a MicroSD card. It also features 3GB of RAM, with the option for virtual RAM expansion by an additional 3GB, providing a total of 6GB of RAM. Additionally, users can choose from two more virtual RAM options of 1GB or 2GB for flexible memory management.
There’s another available variant that comes with a 128GB storage and 4GB RAM.
Infinity Volume Plus
The phone’s sound quality is fairly good with clear vocals and prominent midtones, with subtle hints of bass. We liked how well-balanced the output of the audio for an evenly distributed sound experience. Unlike other phones that only have bottom-firing speakers, this device has speakers placed at both the top and bottom edge.
It also has an Infinity Volume Plus feature with the volume levels can be boosted up to 300%. However, the 300% sound level may compromise the quality with too much pitch tones becoming overly sharp.
Despite this, it’s still quite functional and convenient for online meetings or video calls. It’s especially great when taking calls in noisy environments, as it can help amplify the sound.
For a more enhanced sound quality, it boasts a DTS Sound technology which you can select the preferred sound profile based on your usage from music, movies, etc.
We did some benchmark test on the phone, however the Geekbench6 app doesn’t work on this phone, here’s the result we got.
- CPDT: 172.77 MB/s Write, 151.20 MB/s Read
- 3DMark: 567 (3.40 fps)
- PCMark: 8168 Work 3.0 Performance Score
Using the TECNO Spark Go 1 for regular calls, video calls and text does its job well and with no problem at all.
Another advantage of the TECNO Spark Go 1 is its 4.5G mobile network capability that offers faster speeds and enhanced data connectivity compared to rival brands that only support 4G. This ensures a smoother, more seamless connection for users especially for gaming. There’s also support for 2G, 3G, and the standard 4G network.
Camera and Photo Sample
On the photo and video capabilities of the TECNO Spark Go 1, it has a 13MP rear camera with an aperture of f/1.8 along with an IR Blaster and LED flash.
As for your selfies, the front-facing camera is equipped with an 8MP lens.
The phone’s camera includes various shooting modes with the first five modes already available on the camera app with the Short Video, Video, AI Cam, Beauty, and Portrait. Clicking the more options will have access to the other shooting modes like the Time-lapse, Dual Video, Super Night, Panorama, AR Shot, and Pro.
For videos, it can record with resolutions up to 1080p and 720p at 30fps on both cameras.
Sharing our sample photos taken with the TECNO Spark Go 1.
1x Photo mode, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
1x Photo mode, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
1x Photo mode, Indoor, Low Lighting
2x Photo mode, Indoor, Low Lighting
Selfie using AR Shot, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
1x Photo mode, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
Portrait mode f/11 aperture setting, Indoor, Sunny Weather
Software
The TECNO Spark Go 1 runs on HiOS 14 based on Android Go Edition a stripped down version of the standard Android OS and tailored for budget phones.
It still comes with essential Google tools like Chrome, Drive, Files, Gmail, Meet, and more, ensuring you have everything you need especially for work or school.
It also has a few pre-installed software like Instagram, Facebook Lite, Shopee, and TikTok.
A new innovative feature added to the device is TECNO’s proprietary technology the Dynamic Port 2.0. Found on the area of the front camera, it’s an elongated pill-shaped notification bar with a smooth animation effect that allows the user to notify or view information such as charging notification, incoming calls, low battery alert and screen unlock.
While the information is displayed briefly, I hope there’s an option to remain on-screen longer until the user dismisses it with a click.
This feature is still offered on this phone even at its price level which you can only find it on other mid-range models.
Battery
Despite its affordable price, the TECNO Spark Go 1 doesn’t compromise on battery life as it is fitted with a large 5,000mAh battery capacity.
It is paired with the included 15W fast charging adapter to quickly juice the battery.
During our charging test, a 30-minute charge brought the battery to 16%, and after 20 minutes, it went up to 43%.
Even with the 15W fast charging power adapter, it took us almost 2 hours and 37 minutes to fully charge the phone from 0% to 100%.
Conclusion
After using the TECNO Spark Go 1 for almost two weeks, I can say it’s a reliable phone that can handle everyday tasks well from calls, texts, multimedia consumption, social media updates, and web browsing.
Playing games on the phone is smoother with light casual game apps like Candy Crush, Angry Birds, Among Us etc. However, it was able to run the popular games at default settings like Mobile Legends, Call of Duty Mobile, and PUBG.
Watching videos on the display of the TECNO Spark Go 1 offers nice visuals with good viewing angles and paired with dual speakers that feature DTS sound technology, it delivers an enjoyable experience.
The cameras are still reliable and produce decent photos when used in good lighting conditions. However, if you’re looking for better camera performance, you might want to check out the TECNO Camon series.
In general, the TECNO Spark Go 1 delivers great value for money with a well-rounded set of features that can meet the needs of everyday users. It’s an ideal choice for kids, parents, or anyone in need of a budget-friendly secondary phone.
Full Specifications – TECNO Spark Go 1
- Price: PHP3,499 (3GB+64GB), PHP4,099 (4GB+128GB)
- Colors: Startrail Black / Glittery White
- Display: 6.67-inch IPS LCD
- Resolution: 1600×720 pixels
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz
- Pixel Density: 263 PPI
- Peak Brightness: 480 nits
- Processor: Unisoc T615
- GPU: Mali-G57
- Storage: 64GB
- RAM: 3GB (Virtual RAM up to 3GB)
- Rear Camera: 13MP
- Front Camera: 8MP
- Video: 1080p @ 30fps
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Fast Charging Technology: 15W Fast Charge
- Software: Android 14 Go
- Network: 2G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G (LTE Advanced)
- Speakers: Dual Speakers, DTS Sound
- IP54 Rating
