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Tecno Phantom A III Hands On Review

Tecno Phantom A III is the latest Tecno smartphone released to the market and also the next phablet to succeed the Phantom A II.

Phantom AIII which has a model number of M9 is a great phablet that would appeal to a lot of folks out there, especially those that fancy big screen and nice designs. 
One thing we love is that TECNO have implemented a new packaging for the Tecno Phantom A III, giving it a more modern packaging, slim and wrapped with Nylon. This packaging gives you an added safety knowing that the device had not been peeked into before being sold.


Once you removed the nylon, you can then proceed to removing the dark blue hollow pack and  then the light blue pack which together with the dark hollow case gives the "3" insignia. Next, a transparent paper which has the image of the AIII would be removed then the device would be seen. Inside the phone you see the empty SIM, battery and Memory card compartment and a battery.

Dimensions and Weight
Tecno Phantom A III also known as Tecno M9 is the latest version of the phablet series manufactured by Tecno and the latest successor to the Phantom A II.

The dimensions of the M9 is 166.5 x 84.5 x8.4mm which shows that its slimmer, longer and wider than the Phantom A II (160 x 82 x 8.9mm).



It has a comfortable feel to the hand when its being held. The design of the plastic gives it a soft feel to the hand. As far as we can tell about the weight, it seems less heavy to the A II which is a good thing.

Also, the TECNO logo isn't splattered at the front side of the phone, only at the back would you see the name TECNO. Just at the base of the back side resides the external speaker of the phone.

Network, SIM and Band
Tecno Phantom A III is a dual SIM smartphone with Network 3.75G/3G/2G and bands GSM900/DCS1800/WCDMA2100MHz.

The dual SIM is inserted by opening up the back case, revealing the inside compartment and then inserting the Mini SIM card into the phone. The phone has a dual standby.

Display and Resolution
Tecno Phantom A III is a 6.0 inch capacitive IPS screen touchscreen phone. The screen is very responsive just as you might expect. It does not have a corning gorilla screen so scratches are almost unavoidable except with the help of a screen protector to avoid or minimising the scratch that could occur on the screen display.


Resolution of the A III is 720 x 1280 which translates to 244.77 PPI which is not too bad though but could have been better. A newer version of a product is supposed to be better.

Operating system and Processor
Tecno Phantom A III comes with Android Jelly Bean 4.2 OS which is the norm for all 2013 Android phones manufactured by TECNO so there is no surprise in this department.
furthermore, its the same near stock Android version without any form of bloatware.

As far as processor goes, Tecno  AIII is running a Quad - Core MediaTek MT6589T processor which is clocked at 1.5GHz. This is the latest and improved version of the MT6589 processor. It has a faster GPU clocked at 326MHz and would handle games and high graphic apps better than the MT6589 enabled Mediatek processor.

Consequently, as far as speed is concerned, it performed with great speed especially when playing dungeon hunter 4 on it.

Camera
The Tecno pahntom A III comes with 13.0MP AF Back camera with BSI sensor with LED flash. The front camera is 8.0MP AF front camera with BSI sensor. The camera is good and capable of bringing out good photographs.

The flash is located just below the camera and not by the side. The flash is strong enough and allows for clear  pictures when taken in the dim or low lit place.

Memory and RAM
Tecno Phantom A III comes with internal memory of 16GB which is a nice upgrade compared to the 4GB one would find in the predecessor AII. However, this time around, a memory card isn't provided. One would have to buy a memory card to insert into the memory card slot. The phone can support memory card storage up to 32GB for that extra space.

RAM stands at 1GB. Its not necessary to comment further on the RAM as we already know that all Tecno products will be 1GB RAM as far as the year 2013 goes.

Connectivity and Sensors
Tecno AIII comes with Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, WiFi Hotspot capabilities, GPS, 3.5mm earphone port and a USB port for connecting to the computer.

The usual suspects in this department are Light, Proximity and Gyro sensors. No surprises.

Battery Capacity and Performance
Tecno Phantom A III comes with 2600mAh battery capacity which can last according to Tecno 8 hours on 3G browsing. That would be tested by constant everyday usage by users. However, we believe that the Tecno Phantom A III can perform as it should.

Miscellenous
FM Radio, Gmail, Facebook, BBM, Palmchat and Whatsapp are pre installed on this device. Also other functions which you would find on most tecno smartphones are present.

Finally on this point, you get a free power bank and a pouch when you get this phablet phone and everyone is happy. 

Price
The Tecno A III comes in two colours, Black and White and can be bought from Micro Station store for N49,800, Slot for about the same price and Divine Anyi for about N45,000.

Personal Opinion
We think the Tecno Phantom A III aka M9 is a great phone for those lovers of phablets out there. 

On a scale of 1 - 10, we would rate the Tecno Phantom A III 7/10.

If you are looking for a phablet device to serve you, the Tecno Phantom A III should be among the options.

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Comments

  1. A nice phone after all, but I've got Alpha Marvel already. I think your next post should be a comparison of both.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are both devices in two different categories.

      Delete
  2. The single sim of the Alpha Marvel for me is the greatest turn-off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That means you won't like to use an iPhone or some Samsung galaxy phones

      Delete
    2. Bro, let'a just say Tecno has spoiled me with the dual option.

      Delete
  3. Love the hands on review. Once again great job Akin. When can you post the video? Am looking forward to it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I beleive this is another nice product from Tecno, infact Tecno is really satisfying most Youth esp students on campus who can't afford huge money to buy d so call big android.....Pls does ds AIII come with d usual accessories like power bank, stylus pen, pouch etc

    ReplyDelete
  5. Am also waiting for the video review,, so also i hope it came with power bank too,.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It comes with a power bank and pouch.
    The best price can be gotten from Divine Anyi Communications, Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos

    ReplyDelete
  7. Adress pls,,,... Come january next year, that baby will be mine.. and pls am urgently in need of the video review since tecno team fails to do so.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 16/17 Zeenco Plaza, computer village ikeja. Divine anyi communications is the store name

      Delete
  8. what do i do if my tecno m9 has issues with speakers or ear piece. just got it but i m unable to heat except i use speaker phone. any clue?

    ReplyDelete
  9. what do i do if my tecno m9 has issues with speakers or ear piece. just got it but i m unable to heat except i use speaker phone. any clue?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Try place music to be sure the speaker phone is working properly, then insert your earpiece inside to see if you would hear the music. If its not playing, try the earpiece on another phone to confirm its status. Finally make a call to be sure you can be heard audibly and u can also u can ahear too.

      If all these fails, I would suggest you return to the place of purchase for it to be looked into for you.

      Delete
  10. How much is Tecno Phantom A III now. Pls is anyone aware?

    ReplyDelete
  11. The price in the article give or take 1k.

    ReplyDelete
  12. My Tecno m9 is showing me low storage after installing an application while I have 8 GB free

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The app you installed is sitting on your internal memory. Consider moving some apps to SD card. Check this post for more info http://phonegist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/how-to-free-up-internal-memory-space-on.html?m=1

      Delete
  13. Kindly inform me if the M9 comes with stylus? If not cn it use stylus and would u b able 2 sell me a functioning 1?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't sell phones. See the address in the post for where you can get the phone. AIII doesn't come with a stylus. You might be able to use a st with it if you have the right stylus.

      Delete
  14. The phantom A3 system is indicating memory space is used up, deleted messages, disabled some apps but nil improment. Still indicating .98 gb used. Please advise sulution. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  15. Is this phone a quad band phone. Can it work in Brazil

    ReplyDelete
  16. I heard the tecno phantom a3 does not come with a corning gorila glass for protection. Does this mean the screen is not scratch resistant?

    ReplyDelete
  17. I heard the tecno phantom a3 does not come with a corning gorila glass for protection. Does this mean the screen is not scratch resistant?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True is not with Corning gorilla screen so its not scratch resistant> although, they come with screen protector by default so that may not be a problem

      Delete
  18. Help! I need idea on how to restore the Contacts and Phone Icon on my phone. can't make calls or view my contact.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you deleted the icons? Go to Settings, Applications, All Apps, scroll to the bottom and you would see these disabled apps. You can re-enable them from there by clicking and enabling

      Delete
  19. I have problem with the memory of this phone. Even when I have space, the phone gives me an error message eah time I try to install a new app or download a file.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Internal memory storage might be low while the other memory is good. Move apps to the other memory. If it persists, delete some apps to free up space or better still, reset your phone as a last resort

      Delete
  20. myA3 CANNOT CHARGE WHILE THE PHONE IS ON ONLY CHARGE WHEN IT IS SWITCHED OFF.

    ReplyDelete
  21. how can i download the flash share that comes with the phone?.mine has neen wiped out.

    ReplyDelete
  22. how can i download the flash share that comes with the phone?.mine has neen wiped out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Download from this link https://www.dropbox.com/s/3wa2obbftsjui2s/cn.andouya.apk

      Delete
  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I have a tecno phantom a3, my brother by mistake changed the password to secure the phone and can't seems to remember what he used in pass wording it. Please how can i bypass the password or do a rest to enable me access the phone?

    ReplyDelete
  25. Does the tecno phantom a3 has an auto redial funtionability?

    ReplyDelete

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