Tecno Phantom V Flip Review: The Most Affordable Foldable Phone
For a decade, Chinese smartphone brand Tecno (along with sister brand Infinix) has dominated the African smartphone scene, selling affordable smartphones to an underserved market. But since last year, Tecno and Infinix have embarked on a rapid expansion plan that will see each brand's subsidiary expand outside Africa and sell more premium devices in high-spending markets such as Dubai, India and Malaysia.
While Infinix launched some interesting mid-range models this summer, Tecno seems to be the brand that got the green light to enter the premium segment. After launching its first flagship phone in December last year and launching a surprisingly durable large foldable phone at the Mobile World Congress in February this year, Tecno is back with its second foldable phone, a flip phone called the Phantom V Flip.
To launch two foldable phones in one year from a little-known brand that is virtually unknown in the global phone landscape is impressive. What is perhaps even more impressive is that although the Phantom V Flip is "expensive" compared to previous Tecno products, it will be the most affordable flip phone on the market.
While I don't have the final retail price as of this writing, I have reliable information that the Tecno Phantom V Flip will be launched in India and other Southeast Asian markets with an early bird price equivalent to around $650. This is the lowest price ever for a foldable phone (for example, Samsung's foldable phone sells for $999).
And after using the phone for a week and a half, I think the Tecno Phantom V Flip is way above its price range. The phone isn't perfect by any means, and it won't be able to compete head-to-head with Samsung devices anytime soon, but there's a lot to like at this much lower price point.
Premium offer
The Tecno Phantom V Flip comes in a very nice package that includes not only a 45W charger but also a well-made protective case. The case itself is decorated with patterns and textures - this phone makes a good impression from the start.
Pulling out my phone, I made a loud "hey" sound against the device's leather casing. It's obviously vegan leather, but it's well finished and the stitching creates a wonderful tactile texture. There's also a purple option with a glass finish, but I'm happy with the black leather version.
The hinge is well designed, the device can stay in place when folded. I also like that the hinge corners are rounded instead of sharp like the Samsung hinge, which makes it more comfortable to hold.
Look
Open up the phone and you'll see a 6.9-inch 120Hz OLED display with a very slight crease in the crease. The screen looks bright and looks good next to the iPhone 14 Pro Max screen.
But of course, as a clamshell, the external screen deserves more attention: the 1.9-inch panel has a circular shape, which makes it really impressive. However, compared to the latest Samsung and Motorola phones, which can run entire applications on the external display, the external display is limited and can only display widgets.
CAMERA
Although widgets look attractive with bright colors and fancy animations, I still prefer to be able to run full applications. The screen can be used as a viewfinder, allowing users to place the phone on a laptop-style table and take hands-free selfies.
The camera system is handled by a 64-megapixel main camera with RGWB sensor. It differs from the traditional RGGB sensor as the Tecno camera has an additional set of white filters. Tecno says this allows the camera to capture more light.
During my testing, I found the Phantom V Flip's main camera to be pretty good for a small foldable phone. Colors are accurate, white balance is excellent and detail is decent. But it can't beat the best flip phone cameras on the market like Samsung or Oppo. The shutter speed is slow and the night shots have a lot of glare.
I was also impressed by the camera's ability to track human eye movements. This helped the phone to take clear pictures.
There is also a 32MP selfie camera on the main display, but I found it too low as users can take selfies with the main camera using the external display. The ultra-wide camera is subpar, but I don't have too many complaints considering the price.
Guts and other little things
Inside is the MediaTek Dimensity 8050 processor, a 6nm octa-core processor with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A78 processor. It was only announced in May, so it's a new chip with a lot of features. But it won't be able to beat the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip used in other foldable phone brands. But again, considering the price and performance/price ratio, we lean towards the Techno.
It has a 4000 mAh battery, which I think is more than enough. For regular users, the phone won't last a full day, but for an average person, it's more than enough. And it comes with a fast charger.
Overall, is the Tecno Phantom V Flip the best flip phone I've tested? No. Other flip devices have a better external screen and an overall better camera system, but I think the Tecno Phantom V Flip wins in terms of price and design materials.
