I remember when TECNO first invited me to their Future Lens event in Shanghai, China last 2023.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t holding any TECNO smartphone back then to document my first ever Shanghai journey.

Fast forward two years after, I was able to re-visit the first Chinese city I fell in love with for a short yet sweet (and also sweltering) summer layover.

Admittedly, it’s a huge contrast to my winter wonderland-filled getaway.

And what better way to showcase China’s ✨ Magic City ✨ is none other than using their magical new offering, the super-slender TECNO Slim.

Off We Go

After we’ve finished the whole DXOMARK Imaging Lab launch event in Chongqing, a TECNO executive personally gave me the sealed retail box of one of the models of the TECNO Slim, the SPARK Slim.

NGL, I was both ecstatic and unprepared as I had zero planned content in mind.

One impromptu thing I did was to unbox the phone above the clouds.

@gadgetmatchUnboxing the TECNO Spark Slim! 👌🏼♬ original sound – GadgetMatch

From there, I’ve decided to document my short layover in Shanghai using the world’s slimmest entry-level smartphone on the market.

While its camera isn’t its pièce de résistance, my curiosity made me try out how its like shooting photos with an impossibly thin and light phone alongside its one and lonely 50MP rear shooter.

Arrival: Hongqiao to Hostel

Having a 22-hour layover means I need to at least have a one night stay around the city.

My connecting flight landed at Hongqiao, or Shanghai’s first airport since 1923 with the IATA Code SHA.

It wasn’t anything lavish compared to the newer airport at the other side of the city — which you’ll see in the very end of this piece.

After traversing several stations in Line 2 and approximately an hour of metro ride, I arrived at East Nanjing Rd. Station.

300 meters away from the nearest exit station, I finally reached the hostel I booked for one night.

Fortunately, I found one that’s limited to two persons in a room but still, wallet-friendly for my broke self.

Much like the warm greeting of the hotel receptionists, I was greeted by this cute manager.

I even asked diligently and they told me his / her name is just “cat.” Nothing more, nothing less.

After that much-needed rest, the hostel looked more welcoming during the day. Albeit, hot and humid.

My most favorite part of this hostel was this common area with a centerpiece where everyone can sit, relax, lounge, and even eat or drink at their own pace.

Although my severe introvert-ness hindered me from knowing the name of my roommate, I was still able to say “감사합니다” (as I figured he is Korean) for at least hearing me out about the keycard switch-up upon my noon-time check-out.

Thankfully though, the hostel allowed me to leave my storage so I can roam the city freely prior my departure.

East Nanjing: Day

East Nanjing Rd. isn’t a total stranger to me.

That said, it’s a total opposite to the gloomy memory I had during my winter visit almost two years ago.

 

But first, let me devour the food I ate at the nearest KFC. ICYMI, they still dominate China’s top fast food chain list.

That Golden Drumstick Chicken Ice Cream is worth the extra calorie.

P.S: It’s not made from real chicken as it’s a vanilla ice cream wrapped in corn flakes-like “breading” and a chocolate “bone” within.

The Bund: Day

Walking further east of the road leads you to The Bund.

The first iconic building that will appear is none other than the classic Oriental Pearl Tower.

As you walk more and cross the nearest Ped Xing, the whole Shanghai skyline greets you.

I’m never the selfie type of user but, for the sake of this write-up, I’m taking one as a memento. — just so my ~ 𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝓱𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 ~ believe I was really there.

Miniso Land + Pop Mart

ICYMI, Shanghai has newly-launched the MINISO LAND that has an entire IP-themed collection and selection.

From your usual Disney (+ Pixar) faves such as Mickey Mouse, Stitch, Lotso, Winnie the Pooh all the way to Sanrio, Hello Kitty, Toothless, Felix the Cat, Chiikawa, Mofusand, among others.

On the other hand, there’s also the flagship POP MART store several blocks away.

There were too much people going in and out of that particular branch so I decided to just visit a smaller one at Hongyi Plaza.

From Labubu to Hirono, the store has got you covered.

People’s Square

Walking westward, you’ll reach the far-end of the East Nanjing Pedestrian Street and arrive at People’s Square station.

Aside from East Nanjing Rd. station, this is another common station where most people (both locals and visitors alike) ride and alight.

Yu Garden

If you’ve been eager to see what Shanghai was like during the classical period, Yu Garden is a must-see in your itinerary.

Admittedly, it’s my first time here. Just like any first-time visitor, I’m as thrilled as how I’ve seen these marvelous oriental architecture IRL.

   

Shanghai Old Street + Wukang Building

One station after another, Laoximen Station is where you need to get off to visit the historically-preserved Shanghai Old Street since the Ming Dynasty.

These smol cat murals along the ring pedestrian footbridge are your nearest landmarks before you actually see the site itself.

Fair warning: It will take you around 20 to 30 minutes of walking going to Shanghai Old Street depending on your walking pace.

Three stations away, you’ll then reach Jiao Tong University Station.

Getting off there and walking for around five minutes leads you to the popular triangular Wukang Mansion a la Flatiron Building in New York City.

Changning District

It’s seemingly odd for a non-local like me to visit a non-touristy part of the city.

However, I had the need to pass by here before actually reaching my next itinerary.

Fortunately, this peaceful neighborhood actually gave me more than enough eye-catchy street snaps.

Capyland

It’s been a tradition of mine to search for an existing capybara café in a city I’m going to.

Luckily, there’s one here in Shanghai. And as fortunate as it was, walk-ins were allowed during the day of my visit.

It took me more than a 20-minute walk from the nearest train station (Jiangsu Rd.) towards the building where the café is located.

I was relieved that one staff knew basic, conversational English.

To break that language barrier, another café staff used her Translator app (without me asking for it) just to properly introduce me the two cute capybaras and their story.

Even though it got crowded ten minutes after I stepped into the cute café, I was still happy and grateful to see, touch, and even feed Potato and Dangdu.

After feeling fulfilled, I sadly said goodbye to the capys.

To counter that immediate sepanx, I coped up by taking mirror-fies outside of the establishment that looked cool and artsy.

I believe there was a cat café beside it. Too bad it was not open during the time of my visit.

1000 Trees

Several kilometers away from the cutesy Capyland, I headed next to 1000 Trees.

It looked like the modern-day take of the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Lujiazui

IMHO, the closeup views you get at Lujiazui (or Shanghai’s Financial District housing its tallest skyscrapers) looks best during the Golden Hour.

At its center is a circular ring / pedestrian bridge that I wasn’t able to take due to personal time constraints.

East Nanjing: Night

One station away from Lujiazui brings me back to East Nanjing Rd. station.

During this time, it still felt so hot with a little bit of wind.

The Bund: Night

As pretty as it looks when sun is up, you get more fantastic views here when it’s already night time.

The Bund being illuminated like this emphasizes its Western-style classical architecture more — which is a stark difference in contrast to China’s futuristic skyline on the opposite side.

Not only the classic Oriental Pearl Tower shines in various colors, the abundance of LED lights along the taller Shanghai Tower, Shanghai WFC, and Jin Mao Tower, as well as several smaller hotels and buildings made the Shanghai skyline alive and dazzling at night.

And just an FYI, it’s mandatory for Chinese cities to shut down all these bright night lights past 10PM to eliminate light pollution. Thus, darker than usual views if you go here by late night (or midnight).

Departure: MagLev to PVG

It’s always bittersweet when you leave the city just to depart and go to the airport.

As I was about to catch my late night flight, Shanghai’s MagLev is a true blessing.

For CNY 50.00, it’s definitely not cheap compared to the CNY 6.00 you’re gonna spend with a metro ride. But, for utmost convenience and comfort, it’s definitely worth the extra price.

Moreover, choosing this is a massive time-saver! From almost an hour journey with the conventional metro to just 8 minutes with this magnetically-levitating train set.

And here’s how it looks like during the golden hour. Again, better views than night-time.

Finally, I’ve reached the newer and more modern Shanghai Pudong International Airport (with the IATA Code PVG).

Unlike my first visit in T2, my China Eastern flight is assigned at T1. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone as they’re both firsts in my bucket list.

The interior is massive decorated with various direct and complex lighting setups.

One last hurrah! Now with Dicos’ plethora of fulfilling chicken choices joined by a piece of a tiramisu by Starbucks that I’ve been loving (and craving lately) no matter where I go.

A SPARKling encounter

At first, I was against the idea of having a super-slim smartphone as consumers like us need phones with bigger batteries that are also longer-lasting.

While the TECNO SPARK Slim concept during MWC 2025 was a good eye-opener, admittedly, I still wasn’t a total believer back then.

However, I have realized the essence of its existence now that I have the actual, consumer-ready device with me.

Technically, despite having two circular cutouts at its camera bar, the TECNO Slim only possesses a single 50MP rear camera (and obviously, one up front).

While its camera performance is non-comparable to modern-day flagship smartphones, it’s not to say its severely lackluster.

For the most part, I liked how most photos looked after the fact. I just have to be still every time in order to take shake-free mementos. Obviously, night-time photos is where it shows its ultimate weakness.

But, with the growing digicam aesthetic trend nowadays, its barely-perfect quality could be a nice substitute while still being able to acquire the full power of an Android smartphone.

However, I’m a firm believer that TECNO’s continuous push in innovation will surely make them bring better cameras in the generations to come. Hopefully, they’ll bring a more capable main camera plus an ultra-wide camera in the next iteration.

Bonus if they’ll bring in at least a powerful yet power-efficient 5G chipset paired alongside a bigger Si/C battery. But that’s for another discussion.

After all, the TECNO Slim exists for those who just want an ultra-slim and very pocketable phone with them without being too nit-picky about camera quality nor its less powerful performance in gaming.

It’s a true beauty to hold and bring this impossibly thin and ultra-light smartphone around in a bustling city like Shanghai where everyone is always on the move.

SEE ALSO: TECNO Slim review: Smexy, Antifragile Slab