Around June of 2017, I got myself a Tecno Y2 phone at only $43 from a certified dealer of Tecno Mobile phones in downtown Kampala, Uganda. So my Tecno Y2 and I just had our first anniversary together. At the time I was looking for a cheap smartphone that could facilitate internet access, social media, as well as other basic features that come with any mobile phone. I picked the Tecno Y2 because it could do the tasks I needed and it was also at an affordable price well below my budget.
I use the phone for making and receiving calls, sending and receiving messages, social media, internet access, listening to music and storage for my photos and other documents. It is quite conducive for making and receiving calls. I have no issues concerning network when it comes to making and receiving both local and international calls, whether normal calls or video calls. Even when I am hardly near any form of civilization, like when I am in the village or when I am out in the wild, I am always able to receive and make calls conveniently. Access to the internet and social media is relatively fine, and you can listen to music using headphones, playing it out loud or connect the phone to an external speaker via Bluetooth or a pin.
Best features
Microphone
The microphone is one of the best features of the phone, phone calls are loud enough and clear. Unless the person on the other end of the phone speaks like a drunkard, you’ll be able to hear the message he or she is conveying as it is.
Battery
The Tecno Y2 has a battery capacity of 2800mAh. It could last as much as 24 hours depending on what features of the phone you use most, social media and internet access use up more battery than any other feature of the phone. The battery also charges fast and it is long lasting. I still use the same battery that came with the mobile phone when I bought it.
Storage
It has a ROM of 8GB and a RAM of 512MB. Fortunately, you can extend the internal storage with an SD card of any volume you wish. But still, there is a limitation on the applications you can add to the phone because of the fact that the more the applications, the slower the phone works.
Dual sim card
The Tecno Y2 supports two sim cards of normal size. This is especially reliable since I have two sim cards and I use them differently. Having a phone where I can access both sim cards is very convenient.
Loudspeaker
The phone also has a high-quality loudspeaker. I can put my phone calls in loudspeaker mode and still be able to hear everything clearly.
One of my other best features of the phone is the fact that it is hard and strong. I am a clumsy individual and on average my phone falls two or three times a day. There are times this Tecno Y2 hit the ground and I thought it’s over, there’s no way it could function after that. But I would pick it up and I would just continue from where I left off like nothing happened. Everything would be intact, especially the screen, with no visible cracks. I am still amazed that it still functions properly and I am yet to register any cracks on the screen.
My other favorite function of the phone is listening to music. It has an earphone port that could be accessed by ordinary pin earphones or headphones. Plus it comes with its own earphones.
I’ve also come to really like and appreciate applications such as the radio. It is an inbuilt application and I don’t have to be online to access it.
The Tecno Y2 supports data transfer options like Bluetooth and USB. Connectivity options include wifi and 3G.
Worst features
Unfortunately, over time the phone works slower. It takes a few more seconds than necessary to load web pages which can be quite frustrating. Downloading audio files, videos and documents online is slow too, sometimes it feels like they’re taking forever even when the network is pretty good.
Maneuvering through the apps on the phone is also another pain, the touchscreen works pretty slowly.
The camera is terrible (there’s literary no other way of putting it). It has a dual camera, a 2.0-megapixel back camera with a flashlight and a 0.3-megapixel front camera, no good selfie can come out of that. But I didn’t buy it looking to take fancy selfies. It’s definitely not a phone for that.
The storage is also disappointing. You will be required to occasionally delete images, music, photos, documents, and videos you do not need. And you also have to clean up the cache once in a while. Plus downloading big files is a big no. A file as huge as a movie takes up too much space and slows down the functioning of the phone even more.
Verdict
In conclusion of this review, I would say the Tecno Y2 is an okay phone, but I would definitely not recommend it for anyone who is all about selfies because you will be disappointed. But if you are looking to stay connected and are prone to dropping your phone occasionally, this is a phone for you. It is affordable and durable. Its battery capacity still functions the same since I first bought it. I have not been required to do any repairs or add any software to it. If that isn’t value for money then I don’t know what is.
I would only recommend this phone to anyone looking for a cheap smartphone able to avail internet access and social media with of course the other basic mobile phone features like making calls and ordinary messaging. You won’t have any trouble messaging or receiving and making phone calls with this phone.
The Tecno Y2 is a product of Tecno Mobile. Tecno Mobile is a premium mobile phone brand of Trassion Holdings. For more information about the brand visit their website. http://www.tecno-mobile.com
Rating: 5