Despite the resurgence of WIDE-bodied slabs and folds trying to dominate the smartphone space again, slender smartphones aren’t done just yet.

From last year’s SPARK Slim and POVA Slim, TECNO brings in the CAMON Slim to the table.

As we transition into an era where smartphones rock beyond the 5000mAh battery mark, the Chinese brand aims to hit two birds with one stone in the latest TECNO CAMON Slim 5G.

Slim and clean that isn’t mean

At just 6.39mm, there’s no denying that the TECNO CAMON Slim 5G is a true skinny legend.

For the record, it’s not the slimmest phone around nor is it the most striking smartphone design to ever exist.

Last year’s SPARK Slim still holds the slimmest phone title — at least when it comes to TECNO’s product portfolio alongside other smartphones with curved displays.

Honestly, the existence of SPARK Slim still bedazzles me. It’s one of the best-looking smartphones out there that also happened to nail its slimness from within. That added razor-sharp illusion from the side still amazes me.

While the CAMON Slim 5G isn’t as iconic as the “Baymax phone,” its clean look is commendable, nonetheless.

Its understated back design with CAMON’s signature “swan-neck” curve give it some sophistication — and distinctly CAMON in nature.

More so, its CMF (color, materials, finish) don’t immediately scream “cheap” despite the category it belongs to.

Now, if you’ve read some of my reviews, you’d know that even though I love wearing anything black, I (still) despise rocking black phones.

Somehow, the Matisse Black I hold is an exception. Surprisingly, it doesn’t show off much of my fingerprint smears all over its vast black back.

Moreover, those subdued green accents found on its oval camera rim alongside a stylish new “CAMON” wordmark truly adds an elegant touch.

If this isn’t your cup of tea, there are also the hero Burgundy Red shade alongside Gossamer White, Rebel Pink, and an even flashier Neo-Mondrian colorway.

Even if it has flat edges, the phone is still easy to hold for longer periods. That slimness and a weight of only 171 grams contribute to that overall handfeel.

Being thin doesn’t mean being overly fragile either. TECNO gives the CAMON Slim 5G triple IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings for that much-needed water and dust resistance.

So while its looks aren’t necessarily groundbreaking, its clean design, slim profile, and solid build quality all made the cut.

Bright sight with a sound delight

Easily another favorite part of the TECNO CAMON Slim 5G is none other than its audiovisual supremacy.

Up front is a large 6.78-inch 1.5K flat AMOLED display.

When I watched IU’s latest Dear my crazy soulmate live clip (dedicated to her long-time celebrity best friend Yoo In-na), I was immediately mesmerized by both her vocals and charm.

It just so happened that next in my YouTube’s autoplay list is fromis_9’s Jiwon in her WORKDOL era.

Just like the slimness of both idols I truly and dearly admire, the same can be said with TECNO’s CAMON Slim 5G.

Despite their form, they actually provide power-range vocals and irresistible visuals altogether.

Colors are vibrant, text and images look crisp, and the buttery smooth 144Hz refresh rate makes scrolling through apps and navigating HiOS feel incredibly fluid.

Pair that with its sound output and the CAMON Slim 5G becomes an enjoyable device for banging loudspeaker sessions.

Personally, it’s my first time to see the Infinity Volume Plus feature which boosts the audio output by up to 300% more.

Ryu Sujeong’s latest redemption arc release against her bubbly and innocent visuals during her prime with Lovelyz is the best sample I can think of to enjoy CAMON Slim 5G’s audio fidelity.

Needless to say, its Dolby Atmos stereo speakers already sound loud when out and about.

Whether I was watching long-form videos, scrolling through my Instagram Reels algorithm full of pets, idols, dank and even dark memes. Or simply just streaming my latest K-Pop music faves, TECNO’s focus on these two made a lot of sense for a slim smartphone ready to be someone’s content companion.

New chip with an efficiency dip

Powering the TECNO CAMON Slim 5G is MediaTek’s latest Dimensity 7300e chip announced as early as April 2026.

While I firmly believe that the “e” stands for “efficiency,” my experience proves otherwise.

Firing up HoYoverse’s Zenless Zone Zero gave some false hopes with its “Medium” graphic settings by default.

The only way to play the game without stutters is by lowering rendering and graphics to low, frame rate at 30fps. Also, by enabling Performance Mode hidden in the High Boost sidebar.

Racing Master? It’s playable with its out of the box graphics but I still recommend doing the same thing just to avoid that unwanted stutter.

Those being said, the CAMON Slim 5G don’t necessarily mean it’s awfully slow.

In a surprising turn of events, Neverness to Everness performs smoother and better even under Balanced graphics.

Call of Duty: Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, like most phones in the league, run without frills.

However, that slim form factor meant getting toasty hot when used for gaming and other intensive tasks in the long run — or at least by the time you hit the 15- to 30-minute mark.

Not that this phone is totally meant for gaming. Still, the huge trade-off of its utmost slimness is simply the lack of space for a better cooling chamber.

This leads to ineffective heat dissipation resulting to performance bottleneck. A huge reason why the “e”fficiency is barely felt in this 5-month old processor.

Now when it comes to doomscrolling, streaming, split-screen multitasking and other everyday tasks, they all run without a hitch.

In the grand scheme of things, a 5G-enabled chip is still better right now when internet speeds matter a lot.

Thus, this is still a better option than the CAMON Slim 4G with a slower chip inside it.

Big cell that lasts (almost) well

We’ve seen manufacturers shave millimeters off their devices before. But doing so usually means making compromises somewhere else — most commonly in battery capacity.

While the CAMON’s chipset isn’t quite the midrange chip champ I was expecting, thankfully, TECNO compensates for some of that inefficiency with sheer battery capacity.

Inside its oh-so-thin chassis is a large 6000mAh battery. For some context, its 4G variant has a slight smaller 5600mAh tank. Last year’s POVA Slim 5G? Only at 5160mAh.

Even if the Dimensity 7300e had some performance reservations, the battery is still enough to get me throughout the day — as long as I don’t fully exhaust it.

That said, I made this phone as my one-stop hotspot for a day. From 5AM, it only lasted me around 7PM until it ultimately died down.

Standby time further proves how power-hungry it is. The CAMON Slim 5G still consumes battery even when resting on a desk for hours.

The POVA 8 Pro with a slightly better chip and 500mAh more battery was able to last more than 12 hours the next day without being touched after I placed it on my desk with only 11% remaining in it.

Considering the many TECNO phones I’ve used with big batteries in the recent months, I honestly expected better optimization for a slimmer device equipped with an “e” chip.

Now, when the juice completely runs out, the phone supports TECNO’s not-so-fast yet still reliable 45W wired charging.

Two attempts in the GadgetMatch Charge Test prove that it can be filled at least below 1.5 hours.

	Attempt #1	Attempt #2
START TIME (from 0%)	3:25AM	10:37PM
3 minutes	2%	4%
5 minutes	8%	7%
10 minutes	11%	12%
15 minutes	22%	17%
30 minutes	40%	38%
45 minutes	59%	56%
1 hour	79%	77%
1 hour 15 minutes	94%	93%
END TIME (100%)	4:47AM 1 hour 22 minutes	12:00AM 1 hour 23 minutes

For better measure, I have to insert this part as well.

	POVA 8 Pro 6500mAh 45W HyperCharge Max	CAMON Slim 5G 6000mAh 45W HyperCharge Max
START TIME (from 0%)	5:00AM	3:25AM
3 minutes	5%	2%
5 minutes	8%	8%
10 minutes	19%	11%
15 minutes	27%	22%
30 minutes	53%	40%
45 minutes	78%	59%
1 hour	97%	79%
1 hour 15 minutes	–	94%
END TIME (100%)	6:04AM 1 hour 4 minutes	4:47AM 1 hour 22 minutes

The POVA 8 Pro Tonino Lamborghini I handled clearly has the same charging speed and bigger battery. Yet, it was still able to finish first. A smartphone’s chipset choice clearly has an effect.

Are the cameras CAMON-like?

The CAMON line has always put a fair amount of emphasis on photography. Hardware-wise, their Slim model isn’t any different.

Don’t be fooled by that triple camera lens setup though as it only features two rear shooters: a 50MP Sony LYTIA-700C main sensor accompanied by the widely conventional 8MP UWA camera.

I’ll keep this part simple. The cameras are just right. Photos from the main camera are enough for everyday shooting.

Honestly, most photos seem like they were captured by a SPARK, not a CAMON. While there were hits, there were quite misses as well.

In certain occasions, color reproduction somehow looked less punchy and flat. AWB (Auto White Balance) sometimes get confused too — especially indoors.

You also have to be very still when taking photos of moving subjects. Otherwise, they will all just be blurry.

Again, putting the POVA 8 Pro I recently reviewed into perspective, that one snapped faster and produced overall better photos. That’s despite the fact that the CAMON Slim 5G features FlashSnap and that one doesn’t.

Also, ICYMI, both of them rock the same LYT-700C sensor as their main shooter. Both of them also lacked long-range telephoto modules which meant heavy reliance in sensor cropping.

For 2x shots, its main sensor simply gets the job done.

However, the CAMON Slim 5G instantly loses when going beyond the digital 2x zoom.

For the type of phone the CAMON Slim 5G is, its cameras get the job done. Just don’t expect a CAMON 50 series-like output.

Cute badge to match

Alongside the new phone comes with TECNO’s MagBadge, an all-new accessory that attaches to the CAMON Slim 5G through its bundled magnetic clear case.

It’s basically a tiny circular display that doubles as a rear-camera monitor. While its front houses a 32MP selfie shooter, this add-on makes Gen Z selfies a lot less hassle to frame and take.

It can also act as a remote shutter, making it useful when shooting yourself from farther away or recording videos alone.

You can even put your own image or add custom texts on the MagBadge and use it as your unique phone accessory.

Unfortunately, the software still needs some polishing.

For instance, even though focal length switches appear in the interface, it was stuck at the regular 1x mode during my testing.

That’s frustrating because the hardware itself is clever.

If you plan on purchasing this accessory alone, it currently only works for the CAMON Slim 5G.

It’s not compatible with other smartphones  — both Android and iPhones. The MagBadge app is only available in TECNO’s proprietary Palm Store (or App Center).

With that in mind, I tried installing it in my CAMON 50 Ultra to take advantage of the better camera system.

While I was able to download the MagBadge app, connect it, and even run a firmware update, it wasn’t able to do its job. Whether opening the camera app via MagBadge or manually opening the camera app in the phone, none of them worked.

Hopefully, TECNO makes the MagBadge compatible to most if not all of their smartphones.

Beyond the novelty, I see a potential that this can become a hit — as long as they fix their software quirks.

Is the TECNO CAMON Slim 5G your GadgetMatch?

If it wasn’t emphasized enough, its slim body meant lack better cooling. That resulted to a less than ideal heat management plus a loss in overall chip and battery efficiency.

If those concern you, you might want to look elsewhere.

However, those shortcomings don’t completely ruin the experience. It’s still a Swipe Right for a handful of reasons.

The combination of an impressive slim build alongside a clean design, superb display and speakers, plus a large battery and cute MagBadge accessory all make up for some of its performance-heavy drawbacks.

The TECNO CAMON Slim 5G is easy enough to appreciate for what it is.

While most don’t get the hype around slim smartphones, I still see this as an engineering breakthrough. Something brands and people behind all of these were able to achieve through years of research and hard work, all packed in an ultra-thin, consumer-ready product.

The TECNO CAMON Slim 5G is clearly thin. While not perfect, there’s still plenty to like within.

Chargers aren’t just tiny bricks we plug into the wall anymore.

As our everyday gadgets become hungrier in power, chargers have gotten mightier, too.

More wattage, more ports, and apparently, more brains. The UGREEN Nexode Pro 160W takes all of those in one thicc body.

A heavy charger with plenty of power

Let’s address the elephant in the room — literally and figuratively. The UGREEN Nexode Pro 160W is one CHONKY charger.

The US version weighs 310 grams, which is heavier than usual charging bricks you’d bring with you.

Visual comparison alone, this is how it tries to dwarf its 100W Uno cousin.

Then again, UGREEN’s Nexode Pro isn’t your conventional charger. And by that, it boasts a total output of 160W — though not saying every port gives a 160W output.

The first USB-C port (C1) is capable of delivering up to 140W. Meanwhile, USB-C2 supports up to 100W, while the lonesome USB-A port can supply up to 22.5W.

To make it even crazier, it also has a retractable USB-C cable — more on that later.

These all mean I can plug in my MacBook Pro, high-end Android flagship, iPhone, and other accessories without ever bringing separate charging bricks for each one.

And honestly, when there’s so much power inside one brick, I’ll generously accept that added heft.

Watt you see is watt you get

One trick up in Nexode Pro 160W’s sleeves is that, it has a front display.

With a touch capacitive button above the USB-C1 port, the display can show not just the general (or combined) charging wattage. It can also show real-time speeds in watts (W), voltage (V), and even ampere (A).

For regular users, it’s probably something you’ll glance at occasionally. For stats nerds? It’s eye candy. For a gadget reviewer like me? A charge test companion.

Seeing real-time charging data gives me a better idea if I have the best charging cable possible for each device. More so, if those devices actually get the charging speeds they require.

And, if something suddenly starts charging slower than usual, those numbers can help me determine whether the device, charger, or cable might be the culprit.

I can only have my sigh of relief when I see it’s pulling the amount of power I expect.

Even if I always say numbers aren’t everything, the real-time charging data I see with my two eyes is more believable than just relying on that “Fast Charging” indicator.

So, watt did I even get?

Of course, I couldn’t just take that 160W figure just at its face value.

In a not-so-typical GadgetMatch Charge Test, I tried and tested the charger by occupying all ports with the devices I regularly use and watched the numbers fly.

Mind you, I tried my best to make them as equal as possible by draining every device down to 0%. Just so the actual charge test starts at the very base.

From a lengthy documentations in my Notes app, I tried simplifying the results into these table instead:

Port	Device	Cable Type	10-minute charge	30-minute charge	1-hour charge
USB-C1	14” M2 Max MacBook Pro	Apple MagSafe 3 to USB-C	15%	45%	84%
USB-C2	Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max	USB-C to Lightning	7%	21%	42%
Retractable USB-C	vivo X300 Ultra* *wireless charging	USB-C to UGREEN MagFlow 2-in-1 Foldable Magnetic Wireless Charger	2%	3%	7%
USB-A	HONOR Watch 5 Ultra	USB-A to wireless charging base	18%	58%	76%

Aside from the charger itself, there are more factors that contribute to a device’s charging output.

One is basically how many devices are connected. Another would be the type of cable used (standard 3A cable or faster yet thicker 5A or 6A cord).

More so, if the best charging mode is used. Even actual room and device temperatures matter, too.

In easier words, a charger boasting 160W power doesn’t mean every device gets its maximum charging speeds simultaneously.

The charger still has to distribute its available power between everything connected.

Pull it, use it, and never lose it

Perhaps its most “secretive” trick is hidden within.

UGREEN has managed to fit a 70cm retractable USB-C cable in its squarish body. Pull it whenever you need it and retract it back inside once you’re done.

It’s incredibly handy when I don’t want to dig through my big and messy backpack.

Worst case scenario? Whenever I forget to bring a cable — which already happened numerous times as an aging young adult who keeps being unnecessarily forgetful.

Vincenz’s two cents? He would NOT always rely on using it.

For one, there’s the matter of longevity.

A regular USB-C cable eventually breaks? Replace it. A retractable cable permanently attached to your charger? That’s a different story.

Another would be all about its actual charging speed output. Not every device behaves the same way with that built-in cable.

Device	Max Charging	Observed Power	30-minute charge	1-hour charge
14” M2 Max MacBook Pro	96W	68.6W	53%	87%
vivo X500 Pro Max	90W	20.2W~23.6W	34%	62%
vivo X300 Ultra	100W	9.6W~12.9W	26%	52%
HONOR 600 Pro	80W	16.5W	35%	64%
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8	45W	17.8W	41%	74%

For instance, my vivo X300 Ultra supports 90W FlashCharge speeds. Yet, I observed only around below a 13W output during one test. Thus, only achieving 26% in thirty minutes.

Even the shiny new vivo X500 Pro Max wasn’t exempted in the list with only being able to achieve 34% in the same time frame.

For added context, using their bundled FlashCharge adapters would have already filled the phones way past the 60% mark.

This doesn’t necessarily mean the built-in cable is bad. It just means you shouldn’t expect every proprietary charging standard to hit its advertised maximum just with the cable alone.

So while it’s one of my favorite conveniences here, I still see it as a handy backup rather than the only cable one would ever need.

Connect to inspect

I can’t believe I’m saying this. A charger can now be connected via an app.

Just like me, you’re probably scratching your head the moment you are reading this. Well, after much use, it actually made sense to me.

With their new and very own UgreenConnect app, not only you can see and capture charging stats, UGREEN lets you switch between charging modes as well depending on your charging needs.

Heck! You can even turn off ports individually without affecting other devices being charged.

Furthermore, you can also change the display’s brightness and sleep time, customize wallpapers. The Nexode Pro 160W also supports OTA updates.

Again, it’s mostly nerdy. But that’s precisely why I like this charger more than what I already have and use.

Feel the heat, keep it neat

The Nexode Pro gets warm. Quite warm, actually.

But, with a charger this large and powerful, that’s hardly surprising given all the charging components packed inside.

Thankfully, the temperature remained manageable throughout my use. UGREEN also lists Thermal Guard Temperature Control alongside GaN Infinity technology and SmartCharge power distribution.

The different charging modes can also help manage and lessen that heat further.

If I don’t need something charged immediately, I can opt for smarter or lower-temperature Thermal-safe charging instead of constantly pushing as much power as possible. Power when I need it. Less heat when I don’t.

Although for my day-to-day use-case, Priority Charging makes the most sense.

Case in point: I tested this with the vivo X300 Ultra I’m dilly dallying.

vivo X300 Ultra	Adaptive Charging	Priority Charging
Charging Output	9.6W ~ 12.9W 8.1V / 1.6A	26.8W ~ 27.2W 7.9V / 3.5A
START TIME (from 0%)	9:11PM	12:31AM
3 minutes	4%	6%
5 minutes	5%	8%
10 minutes	9%	16%
15 minutes	13%	21%
30 minutes	26%	42%
45 minutes	39%	61%
1 hour	52%	80%

Adaptive Charging obviously charged it slower than ever. But when I enabled Priority Charging, it initially pulled around 30.8W to 31.2W for the first two minutes before settling around 26.8W to 27.2W. That’s still higher than the output through Adaptive Mode.

More so, it was able to reach 42% after 30 minutes and 80% after an hour in contrast to the 26% and 52% level of the former.

My MacBook Pro and flagship Android phones need significantly more power than smaller accessories. So, instead of letting everything fight equally for those watts, I can prioritize whichever device actually needs the extra juice.

Is the UGREEN Nexode Pro 160W your GadgetMatch?

At PhP 4999 / SG$ 140 / MYR 419, the UGREEN Nexode Pro 160W might sound like an overkill if all you need is something to charge your phone every night.

But, if you’re someone like me who owns lots of gadgets and constantly switches between a laptop, several smartphones, at least one tablet, a smartwatch, wireless headphones, and many other gadget ever imaginable, owning this charger quickly makes sense.

That’s most especially for the ultimate convenience it brings by only using one socket and fits right inside your bag’s tight pocket. I can fully rely on one brick instead of carrying multiple clunky chargers around.

Additives include its display that lets me see stats while doubling as a useful review tool to legitimize the charge tests in the reviews I do.

Charging modes lets me decide which power-hungry device deserves more juice. Priority when I see one getting slow. Thermal-charging if I sense that it’s getting warmer than the usual.

That retractable cable? It’s a real wonder as it will truly save me whenever I forget one in another unintentional scenario.

The UGREEN Nexode Pro 160W now has a permanent spot in my charging arsenal. It is a Swipe Right, Super Swipe, and definitely a worthy recipient of the GadgetMatch Seal of Approval.

It’s been over two weeks since the Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max hit the shelves. And after daily real-world testing, the hype around the new variable aperture camera is only half the story.

In this iPhone 18 Pro review, we go beyond the spec sheet to test the massive battery life upgrades. More so, the A20 Pro chip’s improved thermal cooling and the game-changing iOS 27 Pro camera controls.

While others are obsessing over the new black titanium and the mechanical six-blade aperture that creates real starbursts, the actual reason your photos will look better is much simpler.

We put the new lens to the test in low light, bright sun, and high-motion video using Cinematic Mode and the new Focus Lock.

Should you upgrade from the iPhone 17 Pro, wait for the rumored spring iPhone 18, or save up for the foldable iPhone Duo?

We’ll help you decide if the iPhone 18 Pro is your GadgetMatch.