The number one question that I have been asked recently is “between the Infinix S2 Pro and the Tecno Camon CX which one should I buy”… Well, having reviewed both devices and spent some time with them, I will tell you that this can be a very difficult question to answer.
Most people look at the camera, battery life, RAM and design of a phone when looking to buy one. Well, seeing that both the S2 Pro and the Camon CX are being marketed as “selfie smartphones”, that will be my focus for this comparison. Ofcourse, I will mention the difference when it comes to RAM, battery life and even the design but we will dwell more on the cameras.
The Main Camera
The Infinix S2 Pro comes with a 13MP main camera while the Tecno Camon CX comes with a 16MP camera. Despite the difference in Mega Pixel count the images produced look fairly similar. The images from the Camon CX are bigger than the ones from the S2 Pro and when it comes to quality, the dynamic range (look at the sky) of the S2 is much much better than that of the CX.
Note, Tecno Camon CX images are the ones on the left side while the Infinix S2 Pro images are on the right side. You can also click the images to expand them.
If you hadn’t noticed, the S2 has a much wider lens thus it fits more in the frame compared to the Camon CX. Also colors on the S2 are also more accurate compared to the CX, however, this will vary depending on personal taste. Looking at the grass in the images below will show you what I am trying to say. The green on the CX image is sort of unrealistic due to the over exposure and a lot of saturation.
For those who like experimenting with those close up shots, both the CX and S2 Pro do it very well, but I have to say the CX does have better bokeh effect. Just have a look:
As you may have noticed from the image samples above, the Camon CX produces images that are brighter, which may seem more attractive and colorful as opposed to the slightly dull images of the S2 Pro. However, there are instances when it is difficult to see the difference between the two, like these indoor shots:
When the sun goes down and for some reason you need to snap some night shots, well, you won’t be overly impressed but if you tinker around with HDR you could end up with decent images, especially if you are shooting in a well lit room:
As you can see from the images above, the S2 Pro wins when it comes to color reproduction and low noise at night. The Camon CX has a lot of color noise and as much as it looks good, the color reproduction is slightly off. I can’t help but notice that the CX also has a blueish hue over the night images, probably a result of over processing and a lot of softening.
The Selfie Camera
Definitely a big deal when it comes to choosing between these two devices. The Tecno Camon CX has a 16MP front facing camera and the Infinix S2 Pro has two cameras, one which is 13MP and an 8MP wide-angle camera for your wefies.
Here are samples taken on both phones and the difference is negligible, apart from that wide-angle lens which I fell in love with:
Night selfies anyone? I almost cried. No, seriously. These two companies need to work on their low light selfies.
The night selfies were a disaster. Especially for the Camon CX. It could hardly focus and the blurriness was made even worse due to the amount of softening the software does. Mind you, the beauty mode was off on both phones.
There was also lack of detail from both phones and they both didn’t get the colors right. Just look at my face.
The Verdict
I do understand if you are still not sure which device you should buy. Honestly, both devices have their short-comings when it comes to photography but they can also give out impressive images.
The Infinix S2 Pro has the advantage of more RAM at 3GB compared to the 2GB of the Tecno Camon CX. Both devices run Android 7.0 Nougat and retail at almost the same price.
The downside of the S2 Pro is the smaller size and somewhat inferior design. The Camon CX has a bigger 5.5″ display maxed at 1080p compared to the 5.2″ 720p display of the S2 Pro. Even if both have aluminum unibodies, the S2 Pro just can’t beat the beautiful seamless looks of the Camon CX.
When we base our comparison on the camera tests alone, the Infinix S2 Pro is the better option. The software processing and the fact that it has a manual mode (the Camon CX doesn’t) just does it for me.
