The Tecno POVA (Powering Optimal Values and Ambition) is fundamentally the gaming version of the brand’s Pouvoir series and is quite a reliable gaming smartphone for its price and overall technical specifications. POVA runs HiOS 7, based on the Android 10 OS, which allows a plethora of user-based configurations and customizations.

The smartphone packs 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and is powered by the MediaTek Helio G80 octa-core processor, which is a mainstay for gaming. It also has a 6.8-inch IPS LCD display with a punch-hole design, providing a High Definition 720 x 1640p resolution, all backed up by a 6,000mAh lithium polymer battery.
Gaming Capabilities
First off, if FPS (First-Person-Shooter) games like Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile, etc. are your everyday “thing,” you’ll absolutely love this entry-level gaming device. The 6.8-inch punch-hole display makes any gameplay truly immersive (try playing a horror game with headphones to gauge the level of immersion). The maximum graphics and frame rate settings on PUBG: Mobile or Call of Duty: Mobile run smoothly without any lag, desync, or reduction in frame rate during gameplay.
As power or battery backup is important to every gamer, you’ll find the Tecno POVA’s 6,000 mAh battery really useful. It supports 18W flash charging that can juice up the device from 0% to 100% in a little over one hour. This remarkable battery promises 30 days of standby time, 64 whooping hours of voice calling, and up to 20 hours of uninterrupted gaming. But then, can this device “really” handle “20” hours of intensive gaming?
Tecno POVA’s Helio G80 gaming processor unlocks intelligent resource management in its game mode and enhanced power management for high intensity gaming, paired with its 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal data storage, with HyperEngine-Game-Technology, which offers nothing less than a dynamic, lag-free and beautiful gaming experience.
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All these combined make the Tecno POVA a worthy phone for gaming. You should, however, not compare the Tecno POVA with high-end gaming phones like the Red Magic 5G, which at the time of its launch was the world’s first gaming phone with a 144Hz refresh rate display. Neither can POVA compete with the Xiaomi Black Shark series nor the Asus ROG lineup. However, as an entry-level budget gaming phone, the Tecno POVA is worth the pennies spent on it.
So, if you are a gamer and need a good and reliable gaming smartphone that won’t hurt your wallet, this device isn’t a bad option to try your hands on. The specifications and overall design fit in just fine with the trends. As you might also know, this is the first flagship gaming phone to penetrate the Nigerian smartphone market.
The price of the Tecno POVA is between ₦77,000 and ₦80,000 (seventy seven thousand naira to eighty thousand naira), depending on where you purchase the phone from – ecommerce stores or local stores closest to you. That’s about $210 USD.