Tecno Pop X (4G and 5G): specs, price and full review

The Tecno Pop X is a very affordable smartphone that bets on toughness and stamina rather than raw power or photography. It comes in two quite different versions: an entry-level 4G model launched in India at around 85 euros, and a more ambitious 5G model with a Dimensity 6400 chip, a 6,500 mAh battery and 45 W charging, sold for roughly twice as much. Both share a 120 Hz screen, IP64 certification and the FreeLink feature for talking without a network. It makes sense as a first smartphone, a phone for a parent or a simple work device, provided you can actually buy one: it is not officially sold in West and Central Africa at the time of writing.

Introduction: the Pop X sits at the top of the Pop range

The Pop series is the cheapest line in Tecno’s catalogue. It targets buyers who count every franc and want a phone that lasts. The Pop X is the most polished model in that line for 2026. Tecno first unveiled it in India on 4 March 2026 in its 4G version, which went on sale on 6 March. The 5G version followed on 20 April and went on sale on 24 April, again as an Amazon India exclusive.

Watch out for the name. The plain Pop X is a small 4G phone running a Unisoc chip, very close to the Tecno Spark Go 3. The Pop X 5G is a different device that reuses almost the entire base of the 5G Tecno Spark 50, with a downgraded camera module according to several sources. This page separates the two at every step.

On price, the 4G model launched at Rs 8,499 for 4 + 64 GB, or about 85 euros or 56,000 FCFA. The 5G started at Rs 15,999 for 4 + 128 GB and Rs 17,999 for 6 + 128 GB, which works out at about 160 and 180 euros, or 105,000 and 118,000 FCFA. These conversions are approximate. The target audience: people who want a solid phone with long battery life and have no particular demands on power or photography.

Verdict at a glance

Three figures matter. The chip: the Dimensity 6400 in the 5G plays in a different league from the Unisoc T7250 in the 4G. Battery and charging: 6,500 mAh and 45 W versus 5,000 mAh and 15 W. Storage: 64 GB of eMMC on the 4G is not much in 2026, against 128 GB of UFS 2.2 on the 5G.

Design: two sizes, the same promise of toughness

The Pop X 4G is the more compact of the two: 167.7 x 77.8 mm, 8.1 mm thick according to GSMArena or 8.55 mm according to 91mobiles, and around 186 grams according to 91mobiles. It has a glass front with a plastic back and frame, and comes in Flare White and Chilly Green. The fingerprint reader sits in the side button.

The Pop X 5G is bigger: 167.9 x 79.3 x 8.18 mm and 210 grams. Its pill-shaped horizontal camera bar recalls, according to Notebookcheck, the one on Google’s Pixel 10. The camera surround is made of 6-series aluminium, and there are two colours: Midnight Blue and Ripple Green.

Toughness is the real selling point. Both versions are IP64 certified: fully protected against dust and resistant to splashes. No submersion, then. The 4G survives drops from 1.2 metres according to GSMArena. The 5G goes further, with a rating billed as “IP64 Pro” and MIL-STD-810H military certification, tested for drops of up to 1.5 metres. Against red laterite dust, the harmattan or a downpour on a motorbike taxi, that protection is worth a lot at this price.

Both models keep the headphone jack, USB-C and a dual nano-SIM tray with a dedicated microSD slot. The 4G has an infrared blaster to control a TV or air conditioner; sources do not confirm whether the 5G has one too.

Display: 120 Hz across the board, but only HD+

The Pop X 4G has a 6.74-inch IPS LCD panel (6.75 inches according to the Indian press) at 720 x 1,600 pixels, or about 260 pixels per inch. The refresh rate goes up to 120 Hz, and 91mobiles lists a peak brightness of 480 nits. The Pop X 5G moves to 6.78 inches at 720 x 1,576 pixels, still at 120 Hz, with a peak brightness of 560 nits.

The 120 Hz refresh rate is the most noticeable perk day to day: scrolling through Facebook or TikTok looks clearly smoother than at 60 Hz. The HD+ resolution, on the other hand, is the main compromise. On a screen this size, small text and photos lack a little sharpness, though it does not really get in the way of everyday use.

The expected weak spot is outdoor use. With 480 nits on the 4G and 560 nits on the 5G, you will sometimes need to find some shade under the midday sun in Douala, Abidjan or Dakar. Those figures are average for the category, and the LCD’s blacks look greyish in a dark room.

Performance: two versions worlds apart

This is where the Pop X 4G and Pop X 5G differ most. The 4G uses the Unisoc T7250, built on a 12 nm process, with two Cortex-A75 cores at 1.8 GHz, six Cortex-A55 cores at 1.6 GHz and a Mali-G57 MP1 GPU. It comes with 4 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64 GB of eMMC storage. The 5G packs the MediaTek Dimensity 6400, built on 6 nm, with two Cortex-A76 cores at 2.5 GHz, six Cortex-A55 cores at 2 GHz and a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, plus 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of UFS 2.2.

As far as we know, no full review of the Pop X 5G has been published yet, but it uses the same chip as the Spark 50 5G. On that phone, 91mobiles recorded around 580,000 points in AnTuTu and BGMI (the Indian version of PUBG Mobile) running at about 54 frames per second on medium settings. The Pop X 5G should behave in much the same way. Social media, Google Maps and banking apps run without trouble, and popular 3D games remain playable at modest settings.

The 4G version is more limited. The Unisoc T7250 is enough for calls, WhatsApp, Facebook and video, but 3D games will run at the lowest settings. The 64 GB of eMMC will be the first bottleneck: between the system and WhatsApp media, space disappears quickly, and a microSD card becomes a must. Tecno promises four years without slowdowns, a claim no independent test can confirm yet.

The “18 GB” of RAM advertised for the 5G includes virtual memory borrowed from storage. If you have your eye on this model, go for the 6 + 128 GB version.

Camera: one useful sensor, so keep expectations modest

The Pop X 4G makes do with a 13 MP main sensor at f/1.85 according to 91mobiles (f/1.9 according to GSMArena), backed by a dual LED flash. Video goes up to 1440p according to GSMArena. For the Pop X 5G, sources disagree: most of the Indian and Pakistani press also lists a 13 MP sensor, while GSMArena and 91mobiles report a 50 MP f/1.85 sensor with autofocus. Without confirmation, treat both figures with caution. Either way, there is no ultrawide and no telephoto. The selfie camera is an 8 MP f/2.0 on both models.

In daylight, a 13 MP sensor in this price range is enough for WhatsApp, Facebook or a photo of goods you want to sell. Don’t expect fine detail or wide dynamic range. Tecno adds AI Flash Snap, which is supposed to reduce blur on moving subjects.

Night is where this phone clearly hits its limit. With no optical stabilisation and a small sensor, evening shots will be noisy and soft, night mode or not. The 4G’s dual flash helps with a nearby subject, not much more. For video, the 5G records at 1080p, fine for a status update or a short clip, but nothing creative. If photography matters to you, the Spark 50, which has a genuine 50 MP sensor, or a model from the Camon series are better choices.

Battery and charging: a big gap between 15 and 45 W

The Pop X 5G has a 6,500 mAh battery with 45 W fast charging, the same combination as the Spark 50 5G. On that phone, 91mobiles measured about 17 and a half hours in the PCMark test, a very good result for the category. With the same chip, screen and battery, the Pop X 5G should deliver very similar battery life: a long day of heavy use, and often a day and a half with moderate use.

45 W charging is a real advantage where power cuts are common. When the electricity comes back for an hour, you recover a good chunk of the battery instead of a few percent. Tecno has not published a precise charging time for the Pop X 5G, and whether the 45 W charger is in the box should be checked with the retailer.

The Pop X 4G settles for 5,000 mAh and 15 W charging. Battery life should cover a full day, but recharging is slow: probably more than two hours for a full charge. This is a phone to plug in overnight, or to hook up to a power bank during outages.

A word on FreeLink, also called Network Communication 2.0. It lets you call or exchange messages with another compatible Tecno phone up to 1.5 km away, with no mobile network. Handy on a building site or out in the bush, between compatible devices.

Software: HiOS, Ella and plenty of AI, but no update promise

The Pop X 4G ships with Android 15 and HiOS 15, while the 5G, launched seven weeks later, moves to Android 16 and HiOS 16. That gap matters: the 4G is already one version behind on day one. Tecno has not announced any update policy for either model. At this price, it is safer to count on just a few security patches.

Feature-wise, the Ella assistant takes centre stage. In India it speaks Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi, a local-market adaptation that says nothing about French support. The 5G adds a set of AI tools: noise reduction during calls, a writing assistant, the AI Eraser 2.0 tool, image expansion, a WhatsApp assistant and Circle to Search with Google.

As is often the case with Tecno, HiOS comes with a batch of preinstalled apps and suggestions. Set aside a few minutes to uninstall what you don’t need, especially on the 4G with its 64 GB.

Price and availability: an Indian phone first and foremost

As of 1 October 2026, the Pop X has only been officially launched in India, where it is sold on Amazon India and in physical shops. The 4G costs Rs 8,499 for 4 + 64 GB, about 85 euros or 56,000 FCFA, with a launch offer at Rs 7,499 for some bank card holders. The 5G launched at Rs 15,999 (4 + 128 GB) and Rs 17,999 (6 + 128 GB), then was listed at Rs 14,999 and Rs 16,999. So expect to pay about 150 to 180 euros, or 100,000 to 118,000 FCFA, for the 5G version.

In West and Central Africa, we found no official announcement from Tecno for the Pop X in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire or Senegal, nor any official price in FCFA. Units imported from India may be circulating, with three risks: network bands designed for India, no local invoice and an uncertain warranty.

If it does launch officially where you live, buy it from an authorised reseller, with an invoice, so you can use Carlcare after-sales service, which operates in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal. In France it is not sold: there is no listing on Amazon.fr, Fnac, Darty or Cdiscount, and compatibility with the 700 MHz band (B28) is not confirmed.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Smooth 120 Hz screen, even on the cheapest version
• IP64 on both models, MIL-STD-810H on the 5G
• 6,500 mAh and 45 W charging on the 5G
• Efficient Dimensity 6400 and 128 GB of UFS 2.2 on the 5G
• FreeLink, headphone jack, dedicated microSD slot and dual SIM

Cons

• Basic cameras, weak at night, no ultrawide
• Limited 4G version: 64 GB of eMMC, 15 W charging, Android 15
• HD+ screens that struggle in direct sunlight
• No announced update policy
• No official launch in West and Central Africa or in France

The Tecno Spark 50 is the most obvious alternative: its 5G version shares the Pop X 5G’s chip, screen and battery but has a genuine 50 MP sensor, and its 4G version is officially sold in West and Central Africa. The Infinix Hot 70, launched at the end of May 2026, offers a 50 MP camera, 6,000 mAh and 45 W charging for a similar price. If you want much more power, the Tecno Pova 8 steps up to the Dimensity 7100, a 144 Hz Full HD+ screen and 8,000 mAh, but it costs almost twice as much.

Conclusion: should you buy the Tecno Pop X?

The Pop X 5G is a good entry-level phone for the money: a recent chip, a 120 Hz screen, a big battery, fast charging and better-than-average toughness. Its weak spot is the camera. The Pop X 4G is more modest: 64 GB of eMMC, 15 W charging and Android 15 make it a backup phone rather than a device to keep for several years.

For readers in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire or Senegal, the real problem lies elsewhere. The Pop X is not officially sold in West and Central Africa at the time of writing. An imported unit leaves you without a local warranty and may run into network issues. Until Tecno launches it in your country, the Spark 50, which is available locally with very similar specs, remains the most sensible choice.

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