Tecno Mobile released the L8 Plus just weeks after launching its 2016 iteration of the Tecno L series, the Tecno L8. The reason for the short interval was probably due to complaints by users about the 1GB of RAM on the smartphone, but this brought about a change to the Tecno L series, in that it became the first time a Tecno L smartphone was launched in multiple variants. And as we saw recently, this tradition was continued into this year, resulting in the Tecno L9 and L9 Plus.
In this article, we are going to examine the differences between these two Plus-named generations in the Tecno L series. Straight to the comparison!
Tecno L9 Plus vs L8 Plus Comparison Table
| Tecno L9 Plus
|
Tecno L8 Plus
|
|
| Design | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 162 * 81.8 * 7.99 mm | 154 * 77.5 * 8.85 mm |
| Weight | 180g | – |
| Build | Plastic with metallic finish | Plastic with metallic finish |
| Colour Variants | Blue, Gold & Grey | Grey |
| Display | ||
| Screen Size | 6 inches | 5.5 inches |
| Display Type | IPS LCD Capacitive Touchscreen | IPS LCD Capacitive Touchscreen |
| Resolution (Pixels) | 1280 * 720 | 1280 * 720 |
| Camera | ||
| Primary | 13MP | 8MP |
| Flash | Yes | Yes |
| Secondary | 5MP | 2MP |
| Flash | Yes | No |
| Software | ||
| Operating System | Android 7.1 Nougat | Android 5.1 Lollipop |
| User Interface | Tecno HiOS | Tecno HiOS |
| Hardware | ||
| CPU | Quad-core | Quad-core |
| Processor Speed | 1.3GHz | 1.3GHz |
| RAM | 3GB | 2GB |
| ROM | 16GB | 16GB |
| SD Card Slot | 128GB | 64GB |
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes | No |
| Connectivity | ||
| 4G | No | No |
| SIM Slot | Dual Micro-SIM | Dual Micro-SIM |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 4.2 | Yes, version 4.0 |
| USB Type | micro USB v2.0 | micro USB v2.0 |
| 3.5mm audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 5000mAh | 5050mAh |
| Technology | Li-ion | Li-ion |
| Placement | Non-removable | Non-removable |
| Quick Charging | No | No |
| Misc. | ||
| Availability | March 2017 | June 17, 2017 |
| Comparison Score | 8/10 | 7/10 |
Tecno L9 Plus vs L8 Plus – Device Comparison
Here is a table of contents to make it easier for you to breeze through the article. Click on any of them to jump to the content:
Display & Design
The design of the Tecno L8 series expands into the Tecno L9 series, which is not so impressive; the design should have been altered a bit, at the least.
The L9 Plus is bigger with a 6-inch display while the L8 Plus has a similar screen size to the L9 — a 5.5-inch display. Both pixel resolutions are the same (HD), however, which makes the L8 Plus’ display better since such a resolution is appropriate for a 5.5-inch display.
Performance & Storage
Both smartphones are powered by MediaTek processors with four processing cores and a clock speed of 1.3GHz. The L9 Plus has a RAM capacity of 3GB and an internal storage capacity of 16GB, expandable up to 128GB.
The L8 Plus, on the other hand, has a lower 2GB RAM capacity which might affect the responsiveness of its processor. It has the same 16GB internal storage capacity, but it can only be expanded up to 64GB.
Camera
The L9 Plus takes the lead here with a 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera, superior to the 8MP rear and 2MP front camera setup on the L8 Plus. Both smartphones have LED flashes at the rear, but only the L9 Plus coems with support for its front camera in low-light conditions in form of a LED flash.
Battery & Charging
This is where the real battle should lie, but there’s almost no battle. The Tecno L9 Plus comes even with a 5000mAh capacity, 50mAh lower than the battery capacity of the L8 Plus.
Both smartphones don’t come with fast charge technology to support their large battery capacities, so you have to endure log hours of charging before refilling the battery juice.
Connectivity
Sadly, both generations of the Tecno L Plus series don’t support 4G LTE network connectivity, a feature that has become a fundamental one in smartphones of today. I can recall how disappointed my brother’s friend was today when he discovered that the Infinix Note 3 he bought for around N70,000 doesn’t come with 4G LTE, so imagine how doubly disappointed someone who buys the L9 Plus with its large battery capacity and other good features would be.
Thankfully, both have USB OTG functionality, meaning you can transfer files between devices faster and charge other smartphones from your battery juice.
Software & Hardware
The Tecno L9 Plus has the advantage of running on the latest version of the Android operating system, Android 7.1 Nougat with Tecno’s HiOS layered on top of it. The Tecno L8 Plus, at its launch, ran on Android 5.1 Lollipop, and till date, no update has been received on the device.
