Tecno believes that adding a second display will woo buyers to its Pova 8. We find out if it's worthwhile in our review
The Pova 8 is priced from Rs. 29,999 in India
Price tags for smartphones have only been going up since the AI-driven memory crisis began. Not only are smartphone manufacturers launching devices at ridiculous price points, but those prices also get revised a few months after launch. This has left many buyers confused and debating whether it's even worth upgrading to a new smartphone in 2026. The new Pova 8 (from Tecno) is now attempting to do the impossible, which is to sell a device which was launched as a budget smartphone last year (Rs. 12,999 for the 8GB + 128GB option) at a staggering Rs. 29,999, which is basically mid-range territory.
The brand believes it is justifying this higher price by adding a dot-matrix display to the back and adopting a new design. But as with every new non-premium smartphone launched this year, companies have trimmed things elsewhere. While the Pova 8 gets a bolder design and an extra display, its core hardware remains the same. But can it compete with the new devices from OnePlus and Motorola this year? Read on to find out!
The Pova 8 gets a refreshing and new design direction compared to the Pova 7, which the brand claims is now inspired by the youth. There is a cyber theme going on, on the back of the 16 Bit White finish we received. It gives the impression of layers with a circuit board-like semi-industrial design. This is all laid out in the centre with tiny orange accents and shiny white dots that resemble a land grid array socket on a processor, bordering the edges of the rear panel.
The Pova 8 has an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance
Despite its new design theme, the phone remains chunky and quite heavy. This is possibly down to the brand's use of a standard lithium-ion battery tech versus modern silicon-carbon (anode) technology. Given the extensive use of polycarbonate in its frame and rear panel, the phone somehow manages to achieve an official IP64 rating. This isn't as good as competing devices, which offer an IP69 rating, but it seems sufficient. As with other brands, damage from water ingress will not be covered under warranty by the company.
The new Alive Matrix Display is displaying a notification for a WhatsApp message
What has remained the same is the cornered (or triangular) rear camera module, but it has a new, mini dot-matrix style LED panel nestled in one of the camera cutouts, which Tecno has branded as the Alive Matrix Display.
The new Alive Matrix Display comes with a ton of customisations
The tiny (as big as a fingernail) LED panel can respond to music, show random animations, react to certain gestures (flip to flash the time), and show incoming calls, notifications (by flashing app icons) and even a timer countdown. There are even two mini games (rotating microphone and lucky number), which can be controlled using the volume control buttons. One can also create custom light styles by drawing them out in the Custom Light Effects tool. Indeed, it is quite obvious where the inspiration for the Alive Matrix Display comes from, given that Pova 7 also had flashing lights around its camera module last year.
While this mini display is quite customisable, I found it a bit too small or cramped (it fits inside a camera cutout after all). It could have been more useful if it tapped into Google's Live Updates API, but even in its current implementation, it is useful for flashing notification icons from different apps. Regardless, the mini-games are amusing and feature fun sound effects to accompany the on-screen animations.
The display is quite basic, even though the brand claims that it offers a very high 144Hz refresh rate. Unlike some brands that claim to have a 144Hz refresh rate, this one can actually hit it. But the 144Hz refresh rate is only available in the Messages, Phone and Settings apps. And it will only touch 144Hz when the brightness is maxed out. With games, you will be limited to 120Hz, which isn't bad at all, but given that it rarely functions at 144Hz, it ends up becoming a gimmick.
The Pova 8 has a noticeably thick border at the bottom
While the display seems sufficiently sharp and the colours appear natural (there are no screen colour modes to choose from), it has a couple of unavoidable problems. For beginners, it's not bright enough. While it's sufficiently bright indoors, it is quite dim and appears washed out outdoors or under direct sunlight. In fact, I had trouble figuring out what I was shooting with the camera app under the afternoon sun, here in Mumbai. Secondly, it's an LCD panel. In an age when most manufacturers at this price point offer AMOLED displays, it is odd to see an LCD panel here. Viewing angles were fine (because of IPS), but the blacks appear greyish (in dark scenes), and contrast is nowhere in the vicinity of an AMOLED screen. Lastly, there's a very obvious chin, the result of using an LCD panel, which gives the front of this phone a slightly dated appearance.
If you are looking for Liquid Glass experience on Android, HiOS should be high up on your list. The custom skin by Tecno has been available on previously launched models like the Pova Curve 2 as well, and I really enjoyed using it. While the software is clearly inspired by Apple, HiOS does have some fun and unique additions like a depth effect on the homescreen (where select wallpapers) appear layered with icons smartly placed behind certain elements. It does look pretty cool when a character in your wallpaper sticks it head out in front of the icons. I did receive a few spammy notifications (from App Centre), but these can be turned off in Settings. You will also find a bunch of preinstalled third-party apps that you can uninstall.
HiOS is fun and quite customisable
An FM Radio app is available, provided you have a pair of wired Type-C earphones to plug in. There is also a host of built-in AI integrations powered by the brand's own Tecno AI. Gemini is also available in Google's suite of apps.
Due to the ongoing embargo, which prevents us from showing any performance comparisons with competing devices, we cannot post our usual comparison table. But we can tell you about the Pova 8's performance. The Pova 8 is offered in a 6GB RAM base variant, which is understandable given its budget roots, but makes no sense on a device that costs around Rs. 30,000. As expected, we were provided the 8GB RAM variant with 128GB storage for review.
| Benchmarks | Pova 8 |
|---|---|
| Display resolution | FHD+ |
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 7100 (6nm) |
| AnTuTu v10 | 7,64,685 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 11,075 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 995 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 2,916 |
| Geekbench AI CPU (Quantized) | 2,075 |
| Geekbench AI GPU (Quantized) | 622 |
| 3DM Wild Life | 2,518 |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 2,528 |
| 3DM Steel Nomad Light | 279 |
HiOS is optimised very well by default; its display's refresh rate sticks to 90Hz for all apps and games to save battery life. The software experience is smooth, but I noticed stuttering and lag when viewing shorts in the YouTube app. Multitasking was not an issue, and apps remained in memory as well.
I tried out Genshin Impact for gaming, and the title defaults to the lowest graphics settings at 30 fps. Given the game's expansive landscape and rich visuals, I managed to get a maximum of 45 fps with the 60 fps setting enabled. The gameplay does not run smoothly, and the frame rate keeps dropping to 35 or below during basic exploration. Switching gears to a more visually appealing Medium graphics setting, the phone started to heat up, and the frame rate dropped to 35 fps, with further drops depending on the scene or during battles. Switching to Performance mode in the slide-out console can get you an additional 5 fps, but it's not worth it as the phone heats up quite a bit and then slows down. Indeed, the Pova 8 is better suited for playing casual games and not for serious gaming.
The Pova 8 is strangely 'Dolby Atmos' certified
While software performance is decent overall, the underlying hardware isn't on par with the 2026 competition and is far from last year's models, which still offer better value.
The single bottom-firing speaker is a surprise given the phone's price tag. It is loud enough for watching content on OTT apps and while playing games. However, it lacks bass, and since there's only one driver, the audio sounds one-sided and not immersive, despite the bold ‘Dolby Atmos' branding.
The Pova 8 has a single user-accessible rear-facing camera
The triple rear camera module is just cosmetic, as there's only one user-accessible rear-facing camera. The second is the AI camera used to gather depth data. The available hardware is very basic, which has been the trend among smartphones launched at this price point (with some exceptions), but this primary camera does not even offer optical image stabilisation (OIS) for better low-light imaging. Meanwhile, video capture is limited to 2K at 30 fps. The brand did tell us that it has reworked its imaging algorithms for the Pova 8. So, we should expect improvements over the Pova Curve 2 I reviewed previously.
Pova 8 primary camera samples (tap images to expand)
Photos from the primary camera come out fine in daylight. They are a bit overexposed, and so the details in the shadows are properly visible, but there is some purple fringing in the brighter areas. Resolved detail is a bit low, and the camera's imaging algorithms have trouble processing complex/intricate patterns or textures. I also noticed some ghosting in photos where there was movement. 2X digitally zoomed samples are naturally a bit low on resolved detail and can appear a bit soft at times. Portrait photos come out sharp and have decent edge detection, but the software bokeh tends to falter if the lighting isn't favourable.
Pova 8 primary camera low-light samples (tap images to expand)
Low-light images come out surprisingly well, given that this camera lacks OIS. There is a bit of oversharpening, and the resolved detail could have been better (given that I was using the dedicated Night mode). In dimly lit scenes, the photos (second image above) come out soft.
Pova 8 selfie camera sample (tap image to expand)
The selfie camera does a fine job in daylight with good detail and dynamic range, but I noticed that the skin tones were a bit off. In low light, details take a hit and appear a bit soft. Edge detection is also a bit hit-or-miss.
As for video, the phone manages the best recording quality at 1080p at 60 fps in daylight. The colours are natural, and the noise is under control, but the lack of stabilisation is evident, as the footage appears very shaky. There's also a lot of clipped highlights, be it the background or white objects in the foreground. 2K recording offers better detail, but the video, apart from being shaky, does not have a stable frame rate. Low-light video recordings aren't good and look quite noisy, with blotchy, soft textures.
The combination of a 6nm processor, an LCD panel, and a massive battery would result in mixed battery statistics, and we weren't disappointed. Despite the 8,000mAh capacity, PCMark's Work Battery Life test returned 21 hours and 4 minutes, similar to what we got from the Tecno Pova Curve 2, which had the same chipset but an AMOLED panel. If you are wondering why an LCD panel managed to drain the same amount of battery as an AMOLED panel, well, that's because this LCD panel does not get very bright and thus ends up consuming the same amount of power as the brighter AMOLED panel.
Buyers will also get a transparent hard case in the box
21 hours in the PCMark test isn't bad, and real-world usage (given that you won't be using this to play demanding games or record high-quality videos) is fine as well. With social media apps, messaging and more, the phone easily lasts 1.5 days of casual use. Charging speeds were good with the bundled charger managing a 37 percent charge in 30 minutes and a 73 percent charge in an hour, reaching a fully charged state in 1 hour and 32 minutes.
The Pova 8, in its new avatar, sure makes a good first impression with its youth-centric and industrial design language. The new and inspired Alive Matrix Display is useful for glanceable, icon-based notifications. While it isn't a necessity, it could be on someone's checklist, one who is looking for something unique at this price point.
The Pova 8's display falls short of expectations in terms of brightness and contrast. There's only one bottom-firing speaker, and the phone does not offer the raw performance available on competing devices, which makes it less ideal for gaming. Its big battery is the only real feature or upgrade over the previous model that stands out.
Unfortunately, you can get similar battery life, better performance and better cameras from competing smartphones launched in 2026, like the Motorola Edge 70 Fusion and the OnePlus Nord CE 6. And this also means that there are a bunch of devices from competing brands that were launched last year, like the Motorola Edge 60 Pro, which will perform even better than the Pova 8 in every possible way (provided stocks haven't depleted). And this makes the Pova 8 hard to recommend unless you really like the Alive Matrix Display, or if the phone gets a big price cut.
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