Tecno Phantom V Fold Review: Democratizing The Foldable Android Phone
© Palash Volvoikar/SlashGear Tecno Phantom V Fold Unlocked.Publisher Rating: 7/10
Foldable phones have been touted as the next step in the smartphone evolution and there are some very promising ones pushing the concept forward. However, they remain largely undesirable for those on a budget. While you can get a clamshell phone around the $1,100 mark, flipbook phones generally cost around $1,500, which is closer to $2,000. Enter the Tecno Phantom V Fold.
A lesser-known brand in the US and European markets, Tecno has always been one of the best-selling smartphone brands in Africa and has also gained a foothold in the Indian market. Tecno Phantom V Fold is a bold leap for the company. It's the company's first foldable phone and the cheapest book-style foldable phone on the market. Although it hasn't, or maybe never, launched in the US, the Tecno Phantom Fold V is the first cheap foldable phone. Tecno sent us a sample of the Phantom V Fold for this test.
Basic details and functions
© Palash Volvoikar/SlashGear Tecno Phantom V foldedTecno Phantom V Fold is a foldable book with two screens. The cover display is a 6.42-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2550 pixels and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, while the main display is a 7.85-inch display on which a LTPO AMOLED display runs at up to 120Hz. . with a resolution of 2000 x 2296 pixels. Both screens reach a brightness of up to 1,100 nits. The phone features a teardrop hinge and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button.
The camera setup includes five cameras. On the back, a 50 MP main camera with f/1.9 aperture, another 50 MP f/2.0 telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom and a 13 MP f/2.2 ultra wide angle camera with 120 degree field of view. . There are two selfie cameras: 16MP on the main screen and 32MP on the deck screen, both with f/2.5 aperture.
Under the hood you'll find a MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ octa-core chip. The phone comes in two variants: 12GB RAM/256GB storage and 12GB RAM/512GB storage. A 5000mAh battery powers the phone and a 45W fast charger is included in the box with stand. It is currently being sold on Amazon India for INR 88,888 or approximately $1,088.
Design and build quality.
© Palash Volvoikar/SlashGear V-fold Tecno PhantomThe Tecno Phantom V Fold is foldable and makes some interesting design decisions that seem to generally work. For starters, you have a deck screen with an aspect ratio of 2.36:1. Despite being longer and wider than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, the phone weighs 299 grams, so it has a larger surface area and is comfortable to hold. Despite this, technology has made the phone ideal for one-handed use.
Part of this is because the outer edge of the deck shield is curved while the other edges are not. This asymmetrical approach is reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy Edge, although the curvature isn't quite as pronounced.
Another factor is the choice of texture that Tecno chose for the Phantom V Fold. The back of this pleat has a ribbed texture that doesn't look too premium but adds grip. The back of the phone isn't glass, it's soft plastic at best. Tecno says it's a silicone skin, but it doesn't look like it. However, it is very good and feels good, looks good and also adds grip.
The phone also looks great when unlocked. As you'd expect, the main screen is borderless. The hinge itself is very strong, but the magnets holding the phone are very strong. Unlocking the phone is a very difficult task, especially if you try it without your fingernails. However, if you stretch it with your fingernail, you may scratch the main screen. Overall, the phone makes a solid impression. However, it does not have an official IP rating.
Screens: Tecno is right
© Palash Volvoikar/SlashGear Foldable display Tecno Phantom VThe optical quality of the cover is comparable to other good Flexi. It's sharp, has great colors and is bright enough for outdoor use. The 120Hz refresh rate on the deck screen with LTPO technology is welcome. The curvature of the screen didn't affect visibility much, but not everyone likes that the cover screen has different curves in the corners on either side.
The main screen is a 120Hz LTPO panel and is very smooth. The camera's punch hole can be distracting, but the screen is still worth it. The Fold is a huge improvement over what we've seen from Samsung. Tecno uses a teardrop hinge, just like the Oppo Find N2 Flip. This means we have a lot less distracting scrolling on the main screen here. Never had a problem with this phone.
What hasn't really improved is the screen protector layer on the main screen. It absorbs a lot of fingerprints and grease, and dirt and dust stick to the edges. It's hard to blame Tecno for this, especially considering that the price of this foldable device is relatively cheap and these issues are common to all foldable devices.
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There is no bend mode here, so you only get 90 degrees in addition to the fully extended mode. Speaking of which, the Tecno Phantom V Fold doesn't fold completely flat. When the phone is fully unfolded, it rests under 180 degrees. However, it folds completely flat with no visible gaps.
Software: Needs some work
© Palash Volvoikar/SlashGear Multitasking capable Tecno Phantom V FoldThe screens are great, but what about the software? Tecno Android (13) is one of the company's own ventures, which it calls the Heos Fold 13, which like many others is mostly good. Some elements like the notification shade and quick link could be simpler. There is a Frankenstein monster nature for Google apps where the content is a bit flashy and none of the techno apps follow the theme colors. Thankfully, replacing Techno's default phone and messaging apps with Google was fairly easy.
The Home Launcher app is a different story. Phantom V Fold won't let me switch to another Home app for it to work properly. Therefore, you should stick with the default techno launcher for now. He's a good shot and hasn't given much cause for complaint. However, it could definitely have used a bit more tweaking.
The folding features are decent. The cover screen works like a standard Android phone, so it didn't bother the Tecno too much. The multitasking experience on the main screen is also very strong.
However, I've had my fair share of issues with the software. The notification shade almost always shows a constant notification that says "Minor Intelligence is working". The notification cannot be cleared and is visible even when muted, and there doesn't seem to be a way to get rid of it. There are some annoying issues like this that spoil the experience, but that belongs in the "How is this foldable phone so affordable?" section. The question is answered.
It's definitely worth it though, especially if you're okay with some frustrations like the price of an affordable foldable phone.
Camera: Strictly average
© SlashGear/SlashGear Tecno Phantom V Example of a foldable main cameraCamera performance is another area where the Techno Phantom V Fold is average. The cameras aren't bad, but they're nothing exceptional.
The cameras of the Tecno Phantom V Fold have problems with exposure and color accuracy. Most of the time, the cameras actually got the exposure wrong. As with the contrast, the colors always fall a little from saturated. If you can set the exposure before taking the picture, the Phantom V Fold spits out an acceptable photo.
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However, the portrait is not just for work. Edge detection was pretty good, but it often added too much contrast shadows to faces, which was far from the ideal look for portraits. However, the document mode is a nice addition and worked very well.
Selfie cameras suffer from the same exposure and color issues, but taking a good photo isn't difficult. The video recording is again average. The lack of optical image stabilization is particularly noticeable in video mode.
The bright spot of the Tecno Phantom V Fold cameras is the night mode. It offers amazing performance and rivals the Oppo Find X6 Pro, which has one of the best low-light cameras on the market today.
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Camera performance on foldable phones is one of the areas sacrificed to control the price and size of the phone. Considering that and the price of this phone, the camera performance is acceptable.
performance and battery life
© Palash Volvoikar/SlashGear Tecno Phantom V Fold FortniteSolid hardware on paper and software frustrations aside, the Tecno Phantom V Fold performs well. In everyday use the phone works well and I haven't had any major issues other than a few bugs. Opening the app is always quick and the phone doesn't stutter thanks to the solid hardware.
Multifunctionality is a key aspect of a foldable phone, especially when all the additional screens have to be used. The Phantom V Fold delivers exactly that, and perfectly. It handled everything like a champ and never felt like a budget machine, even when pushed to open as many apps as possible in split screens and floating windows.
Playing games like Fortnite and Genshin Impact was also a good experience on this phone. Performance wasn't an issue, and it ran as smoothly as you'd expect from a Dimensity 9000+ powered phone. I didn't notice any noticeable heating when playing these games, which is another point for the V-Fold.
The battery discharge was also respectable. When playing Fortnite on the main screen, a 20-minute game consumed about 6% of the battery, which is good. Alternatively, playing a locally stored 20-minute Full HD video via the VLC Media Player at a screen brightness of 60% only drains the battery by 4%.
The battery life of this phone has always been excellent. The Tecno Phantom V Fold can easily survive a whole working day, although the mileage can vary depending on the usage ratio of the cover pane and the main pane. The 45W charger charged the phone from 0 to 100 in an hour.
Verdict: Should you buy the Techno Phantom V Fold?
© Palash Volvoikar/SlashGear Tecno Phantom V semi-foldedThe Tecno Phantom V Fold is one of the cheapest foldable notebooks you can buy right now. It's a full-size flip phone at a flip phone price. The phone will not be launched in the US but will be sold in the fast-growing smartphone markets of India and Africa.
Tecno Phantom V Fold is definitely worth buying. It's a fully foldable phone that makes the right sacrifices to match the price point. In India, Tecno adds to the insurance a one-time screen replacement within the first six months with pick-up and return service and a one-year warranty extension. However, the software update guarantee is very weak as two major operating system updates are promised.
For the price, the Tecno Phantom V Fold is good value: would you buy a foldable phone for the same price as a mid-range flagship if you had to sacrifice the camera and software experience? If your answer is yes, then Tecno Phantom V Fold is your phone.
If the novelty and functionality of a flip phone doesn't mean much to you, you might want to look at another $1,100 phone. There are many great options out there, and while the Phantom V Fold is affordable for a foldable phone, $1100 is a lot of money for a phone.
The Tecno Phantom V Fold is a big draw for foldable phones, and while there are some casualties, it's good enough to inspire hope that the price of a foldable phone will drop to levels that the average person can afford
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