Over the past week, I got the chance to try out Tecno’s new Pova Slim 5G—the phone the company called the world’s slimmest smartphone. It launched just ahead of the buzz surrounding Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Air, and honestly, the timing made it even more interesting to test.
Before this, ultra-thin phones were mostly a Samsung thing, and Apple was only rumored to be joining the race. But Tecno stepped in confidently with the Pova Slim 5G, and after using it, I understood why they were making noise about it.
The first thing that struck me was the thickness—or the lack of it. At just 5.95 mm, the phone felt unbelievably slim in my hand. The curved 6.7-inch AMOLED display gave it this smooth, polished look that made it feel more premium than I expected. Tecno protected the screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, and the phone carried a MIL-STD 810H durability rating, which gave me some peace of mind despite the thin build.
The Performance
The Pova Slim 5G ran on the MediaTek Dimensity 6400 chipset, and in daily use the experience felt smooth. The 144Hz refresh rate made scrolling feel almost weightless, and the 1.5K resolution at 1224×2720 looked sharp—especially when streaming videos.
Cameras
The rear camera setup had a 50MP main sensor and a secondary 2MP lens. In good lighting, photos looked surprisingly crisp for a phone this thin. Selfies from the 13MP front camera were decent too—nothing dramatic, but clear enough for video calls and social posts.
Battery Life
What really impressed me was the battery. Even though the phone was ultra-slim, Tecno managed to fit a 5160 mAh battery with 45 W fast charging. During my tests, the phone consistently lasted through the day, and topping it up was quick.
(Though the article claimed the phone weighed 56 grams, my unit definitely weighed more—still lightweight, but not feather-light. I suspect that figure was a typo.)
Software and AI Tools
The Pova Slim 5G ran Android 15, and Tecno added a few AI tools that I found pretty useful: an AI call assistant, AI writing features, circle-to-search-style interactions, and a privacy blur option. They weren’t gimmicky—they actually blended well into daily tasks.
Price and Availability
Tecno priced the single 8GB RAM + 128GB model at 804,059 UGX, which felt reasonable for what the phone offered. It launched in partnership with Jumia Uganda and officially went on sale on September 8, available in Sky Blue, Slim White, and Cool Black. I used the Cool Black model—it looked clean and minimal.