TECNO used Comic Con Africa as the stage to pull the wraps off two new smartphone lineups for the South African market: the POVA 7 Series and the SPARK 40 Series. And while TECNO might still be the “new kid” in South Africa compared to the likes of Samsung and Huawei, the company is clearly betting on bold design, AI smarts, and gamer-friendly hardware to carve out a space of its own.
From African Powerhouse to South African Vision
TECNO, under its parent Transsion Holdings, has become the unmistakable leader in African smartphone markets. In 2023, TECNO alone held roughly 26% of the continent’s smartphone market, and together with sister brands Infinix and iTel, accounted for nearly 48%, surpassing both Samsung and Apple in overall shipments.
In earlier years, Transsion achieved up to 48% of African smartphone share and reports affirm that Transsion now commands roughly half of all smartphone sales across Africa.This success stems from its finely tuned approach of designing phones around local needs: long battery life to handle unpredictable electricity, dual SIM support, language-localised interfaces, and even camera optimisations for darker skin tones.
What’s more, Transsion sold over 20 million phones in Africa in 2024 alone, proving just how deep its footprint is.
Why South Africa matters now:
- Youthful, digital-savvy population. South Africans, especially Gen Z, spend hours online daily via smartphones, making the country a prime growth spot.
- Strong channel presence. TECNO has already introduced several Spark and Pop models locally setting the stage for a stronger push with POVA and SPARK 40.
In essence, TECNO is leveraging its continent-wide dominance and finely honed localisation strategy to make a full throttle entrance into South Africa. It arrives with devices that combine gamer-grade specs, AI tools, and sleek design at competitive prices.
POVA 7 Series: Built for Gamers, Designed for the Future
Making its South African debut, the POVA 7 Series is TECNO’s shot at the performance-hungry, Gen Z crowd. Both models — the POVA 7 5G and the beefier POVA 7 Pro 5G are loaded with features that scream “all-day gaming rig” rather than just another midrange phone.
Under the hood, a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultimate AI processor powers the show, paired with a chunky 6000mAh battery. Fast charging is sorted with 45W wired and 30W wireless charging, and TECNO even threw in a cooling system that can drop temps by up to 3°C during intense gaming. Displays? Ultra-smooth at 144Hz with blinding 4500-nit brightness, making sure your screen stays visible whether you’re indoors or outdoors.
The design itself is just as loud: an “interstellar spaceship” inspired aesthetic with triangular accents, a futuristic LED status light, and customisable effects that double as gaming alerts. TECNO’s FreeLink feature also debuts here, letting you send messages and calls peer-to-peer across distances of up to 1km — even without a mobile signal. Think camping, music festivals, or hiking trips.
POVA 7 devices run the new HiOS 15, TECNO’s biggest software overhaul yet. Expect less bloat, neumorphism-inspired visuals, and more customisation, from fonts and icons to wallpapers. It’s TECNO making the case that personalisation should be a first-class feature, not an afterthought.
SPARK 40 Series: Style Meets Affordability
While the POVA 7 targets hardcore gamers and power users, the SPARK 40 Series is about giving everyday users a taste of premium design and AI smarts at budget-friendly prices. Four models are coming to South Africa: SPARK 40, SPARK 40C, SPARK 40S, and the flagship SPARK 40 Pro.
The SPARK 40 Pro in particular stands out with a 6.78-inch AMOLED 1.5K display running at 144Hz, Dolby Atmos dual speakers, and a slim 6.69mm body. At R6,999, it’s punching way above its weight in terms of display and audio specs.
The rest of the lineup still delivers where it counts. The SPARK 40C packs a 6000mAh battery, the SPARK 40 Pro adds 45W fast charging, and all models get IP64 water and dust resistance. TECNO also sprinkles in useful extras like NFC, IR blasters, improved GPS, and FreeLink offline file sharing.
AI is another headline feature here, with the devices integrating assistants and platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini. Circle-to-Search, real-time call transcription, photo cleanup, and document-to-text conversion make the phones feel smarter than their price tags suggest.
Pricing and Availability
The POVA 7 Series will land exclusively at Vodacom in the coming weeks at:
- POVA 7 5G – R10,999
- POVA 7 Pro 5G – R12,999
The SPARK 40 Series will hit a range of retailers including Dunns, Edgars, Game, HiFi Corp, Jet, Mr Price, TFG, and Vodacom. Prices are aggressively set to undercut the competition:
- SPARK 40C – R1,699
- SPARK 40 – R2,499
- SPARK 40S – R3,999
- SPARK 40 Pro – R6,999
Final Take
TECNO is doubling down on two things: raw performance and affordability. The POVA 7 Series looks like a statement device for gamers who don’t want to compromise, while the SPARK 40 lineup shows that “budget” no longer means boring.
It’s clear TECNO wants to shake up South Africa’s smartphone market and with decent specs and paired with Comic Con Africa hype, they might just succeed.
