I've just fallen in love with a new budget Android phone — and I'm gutted I'll never be able to buy it

If there's a type of Android phone I absolutely love, it's mid-range ones.

These handsets are always the most competitive at bringing top-end features to modest price points. I love seeing how companies try to one-up each other by offering value for money.

I cut my teeth reviewing this kind of device, and the gadgets I remember fondly (Xiaomi Mi Note 10, original Motorola Edge) were tantamount to top-end devices, but at price points you and I could afford.

When I took a hiatus from tech and bought my own phone, the Xiaomi was the device I spent my own money on.

With mixed emotions, I recently discovered another such device; a phone with all the trappings of a wonderful mid-priced Android, but one that'll never go on sale in the West.

At MWC 2026, I visited the Tecno stall to see its modular concept phone, but stayed for the new Camon 50, 50 Pro and 50 Ultra, and the latter two in particular are devices I wish I could buy.

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By  Andy Boxall

How much the Tecno Camon 50 cost?

What price would you put on this Tecno?

Tecno doesn't sell its phones in the US (or where I live, the UK), and its list of supported countries includes mostly African and Asian nations.

It does sell in a few Central American countries, but importing phones is tricky and rife with risks, so I wouldn't recommend it.

The base model is the Tecno Camon 50, going for about $350, but it missed some of the criteria I'll explore below. My eyes were drawn to the Camon 50 Pro, only a little pricier at about $380 and with a curved-edge display.

There's also a more advanced model in the Camon 50 Ultra, which sells for roughly $580. It has a few improved specs over both and, from what I can tell, is the only 5G model of the bunch.

Because of its low price, premium design and impressive specs, it's the Pro that really spoke to me, but the Ultra seems great too.

A design I loved to hold

First impressions from first touch

I fell for the Tecno Camon 50 Pro as soon as I picked it up, because it has a divisive design feature I love: a curved-edge display.

Not everyone is a fan of these, but I refuse to use a phone as a daily driver if it doesn't have one. I'm constantly saddened that the heyday of curved-edge devices is in the rear view mirror.

I find curved-edge-display phones far more comfortable to hold in the hand, with these tapered panels nestling gently into my palm, instead of digging in like the angular iPhone-alikes cluttering up Android store shelves.

Detractors often complain about accidental touches, but in my experience these are diminishingly uncommon.

Suffice to say, the Camon 50 Pro ticked my box straight away by having such a screen. As far as I can recall, it and the Ultra were the only such phones I saw at MWC.

I immediately loved how snug the device felt in my hand; light and cozy, and I was struck with envy from having a bricky Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra in my pocket.

It's not all about 'hand-feel' though, and I appreciated the Camon's understated look. The curves extend through its pebble-esque design language. The back wasn't patterned, the cameras didn't stick out much. Nice and simple.

I love colorful phones, and Tecno obliged. Amongst the Pro and Ultra options were a classy dark green, punchy sea green, striking orange, and soft lilac.

All the cameras you need, none you don't

The budget camera phone I'd want

I'm a simple smartphone cameraman. All I need is a main, zoom and ultrawide camera, and I'm happy; double points for multiple telephotos.

Tecno stole a look at my wish-list and complied. Both the Camon 50 Pro and 50 Ultra have the same triple-camera rear combo: 50MP main, 50MP 3x telephoto and 8MP ultrawide.

That's everything I want, and nothing I don't, but it's a little unexpected.

We rarely see the full shebang on budget phones, with many companies ditching the most useful lens (telephoto).

There aren't enough triple-camera affordable mobiles right now, with Nothing and Motorola two of the few providers, and I appreciate Tecno giving users all the tools they need.

Apparently the phone is designed for underwater photos. The company displayed one of the Camons in a tub of water, and it seemed to work fine. The above picture is me taking a selfie on the submerged mobile.

No-frills software is what I want

Hi, HiOS

I'm going to have to share an opinion I know could get me canceled. I like the look of the Chinese phone company Android forks. You might know what I mean if you've used one: MIUI, Realme UI, OxygenOS, ColorOS.

None of these have the aesthetic cohesion of stock Android's Material You or One UI, but I don't mind. I like the no-frills, rough-and-ready appearance that begs you not to settle for its out-the-box look, but to personalize it to your heart's content.

I don't mind that they're arguably not as attractive. I find them more functional and convenient, and a constant reminder that a phone is just a means to an end. I've used them endlessly, and I know how to make them just how I like them.

That's all a necessary briefing to justify why I'm defending Tecno's HiOS, by all accounts a by-the-numbers Chinese-company Android fork.

I've never reviewed a Tecno phone before, and I already feel that I know it inside out. I'd happily test a phone using HiOS, before fighting my way through One UI or trying to wrangle stock Android into something vaguely functional.

What might give me pause

Camon, Tecno

The slight chink in the Tecno Camon 50 Pro's armor (other than being impossible for me to buy) is its performance.

It has a MediaTek Helio G200 Ultimate processor, with the Ultra getting a slight upgrade to the Dimensity 7400 Ultimate. That latter pick is a fine mid-range processor, but the G200 really isn't.

I like my gaming, and I don't know if the Helio would keep me placated in the long term.

For some people, the lack of 5G connectivity on the Pro might also be a problem, but I live in a capital city and am more commonly on 4G than 5G, so I don't mind.

One other spec I'm getting snooty at? The Pro and Ultra both have big batteries but only charge at 45W, which in the modern world of fast charging, feels a little sluggish.

Many would argue that faster charging beats a bigger battery and Tecno apparently missed the memo.