TECNO Phantom V Fold Handson Impressions: Showing Spirit
TECNO has long had a reputation as a low-budget player in emerging markets, offering a wide range of low- and mid-range phones with localized customization. In recent years, the Chinese brand has been trying to enter the premium segment with devices such as the Phantom line. Now we have what is arguably the pinnacle of TECNO's flagship Phantom V Fold effort. But does TECNO have what it takes to create a premium foldable phone? It's time to experience it for yourself with the Phantom V Fold.
Rich but familiar
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At first glance, you might think that the Phantom V Fold is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. In fact, one of my interviewees at MWC 2023 thought it was a phone.
This is due to similar screen sizes and a cool polished metal frame. Flip the phone over and the V Fold showcases TECNO's strengths with a circular camera body dominated by a 50MP main camera and a back cover that looks like fancy paper art. We also have a fairly slim design, at least compared to Samsung's foldable phones. That's at least in part thanks to the company's "aerospace-grade" hinge, which helps ensure a nearly gap-free folding mechanism.
We asked TECNO if the phone is water resistant, but they have addressed the issue so far, leading us to believe that there is no official rating. This is not surprising in light of these new thin hinges, which are also seen on the HONOR Magic V, which are not waterproof, but look great.
Everything you need to know about screens
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Of course, it wouldn't be a foldable phone without a foldable display. The TECNO Phantom V Fold has an impressive 7.85" (2296 x 2000, LTPO, 120Hz) main display. The TECNO foldable display has a crease the width of my finger, but it's much smaller than the Galaxy Z Fold 4. This foldable display also has an additional uses ultra-thin glass (UTG) for durability.
However, the display has all the usual drawbacks of a foldable display. On the one hand, it is quite reflective compared to conventional screens. TECNO also has a list of warnings in the package. This includes warnings not to rotate the device at temperatures below 15°C, not to press on the center of the screen when folded, and not to touch the panel with your fingernails.
TECNO Phantom V Fold features a sleek foldable display with subtle curves and ultra-thin glass.
Perhaps the biggest drawback of the TECNO Phantom V Fold is the lack of a new hinge. Instead, it's a spring-loaded hinge that refuses to stay permanently locked in any position other than fully closed or fully open. It's a shame for those who want to use their phone as a stand for watching videos or as a camera tripod. Even more confusing is that when you try to partially fold the phone, the camera app, YouTube, etc. Various programs like Flex Mode try to switch to the style interface.
Close the Phantom V Fold and you have a 6.42-inch 2550 x 1080 OLED panel with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. It's an LTPO panel that can go down to 10Hz, just like the main screen. I also really like the subtle curve on the right side of this screen, which is especially nice when using the back gesture.
Reasonable performance
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TECNO Phantom V Fold follows OPPO Find N2 Flip as a foldable phone powered by MediaTek's 2022 Dimensity 9000 Plus processor. However, it's still a powerful piece of silicon, especially when paired with 12GB of RAM. and 256 GB or 512 GB of storage. In my experience, performance has been consistent; Navigating between home screens, switching between the smartphone and the foldable screen, and launching apps were generally smooth.
However, the phone's software slows down the superior hardware. TECNO and sister company Infinix are usually at the bottom of the list when it comes to third-party Android skins, and while things have improved a lot from previous testers, there's still a long way to go. Go to get the best Android skins.
TECNO's software continues to be the company's Achilles heel, mainly due to viruses.
The Phantom V Fold comes with HiOS based on Android 13 and you can expect some improvements here. This includes a handy shortcut to launch two apps at the same time, an app pairing feature to launch two specific apps at once, window support, and more. includes. The TECNO skin is versatile in other areas as well, offering PC integration, dual app functionality, RAM expansion support, and the ability to draw fonts on the lock screen to quickly launch apps.
However, there are some issues with the software. First, you can't pin Google Discover to the leftmost home screen (although you can remove the screen as a shelf out of the box). The collapsible taskbar is also not permanent like the Galaxy Z Fold band, it only appears on home screens.
In addition to proprietary apps (such as Gallery, Ella Voice Assistant, Hi Translate), the phone also has third-party malware installed. I have never heard of some of these programs. What is Karlkare? Who is Carl? Even some proprietary apps look a little sketchy like the TECNO Spot app. It looks like an official forum app, but it's not unusual to see multiple NSFW images in the first release. Finally, it should be noted that system performance is not always smooth. Sometimes I noticed lags when opening the notification panel, as well as a noticeable lag when switching between cameras. Speaking of photography...
Dirty cameras?
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Unfortunately, the TECNO Phantom V Fold really stumbles when it comes to the camera. The hardware specs look pretty solid, with a 50MP primary camera, a 50MP dual-lens telephoto lens, and a 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens. On paper, this should match the best camera phones. However, some of the pictures we took during our first tests look like cheap or low-end smartphones.
Images from the main camera have a high level of detail, but sometimes appear too contrasty and too sharp. It also doesn't help that TECNO insists on beautifying themes by default (thankfully, you can turn this option off). Meanwhile, the 2x telephoto lens offers more detail, but suffers from overexposure and a more saturated color profile even under ideal conditions. The ultra-wide camera predictably produces blurry corners and less detail than the 1x shot, but at least it has autofocus for macro photography.
We also have a 32-megapixel selfie camera on the outer screen and a 16-megapixel camera on the flip-down inner screen. Our initial tests show that the foldable screen camera delivers results reminiscent of the first generation under-screen cameras. In other words, expect a blurry face in scenes with some backlight. At least you can take decent quality selfies with the main camera like Samsung's foldable devices.
TECNO Phantom V Fold impressions: more than just a spectrum?
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TECNO's first foldable phone is attractive purely in terms of hardware. Between the folding screen and ultra-thin glass with minimal creases, the bright and sharp external display and decent power levels, there's a lot to like here.
Tecno Phantom V Fold: cool or not?
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Unfortunately, we were disappointed with the software experience and camera quality. With bland software and image quality more suited to budget phones, the TECNO foldable lacks the luster of the latest offerings from Samsung, OPPO and HONOR.
Still, the phone's attractive starting price of just Rs 79,999/$979 (12GB/256GB) helps offset some of these complaints. Even at a regular price of Rs 89,999/$1,099, you're looking at the cheapest folding model on the market. TECNO Phantom V Fold will come to India first, other countries will be announced later.