The Tecno Phantom V Fold was launched sometime in April and is the first foldable device in the Tecno lineup. It is also the latest device in the Phantom series of phones with the Phantom X2 Pro having been launched in January.
We took the phone out for a spin, and these are our thoughts.
Design
The Tecno Phantom V Fold measures 159.4 x 140.4 x 6.9 mm when unfolded, 159.4 x 72 x 14.2 mm when folded and weighs about 299 grams, which makes it easy to hold in the hand though I found it to be on the heavier side. It comes with a polycarbonate back which has a fibre like texture that is quite unique and giving the phone a premium look while ensuring that there are no fingerprint smudges.
The most striking feature of the Phantom V Fold is a 7.85 inch LTPO AMOLED main screen with a screen-to-body ratio of approximately 88 per cent making it a treat for the eyes. It has a high definition 2000 x 2296 pixels resolution and 388 pixels per inch density. This coupled with a 120 Hertz refresh rate gives a crisp display that you will definitely enjoy.
The secondary screen is 6.42 inches LTPO AMOLED and has 1080 x 2550 pixels resolution, 431 pixels per inch density. It is also has a 120Hz Refresh Rate which means that scrolling on it is a breeze. The bezels are decently thin, and the punch-hole for the selfie camera is tiny creating more space for play. It has a Gorilla Glass Victus display cover for protection which means that the screen is not likely to break at the slightest fall.
The 120Hz Refresh rate on the screens means that scrolling through the phone is a breeze with the beauty being that one can set it to be adaptive depending on usage which enables one to save on battery life.
The hinge of the Fold feels quite sturdy, and one does not have to worry that it will fall apart, Tecno has indicated that it is made of aerospace grade materials with tests showing that it can be folded over 200,000 times without failing. When unfolded, the crease on the screen is relatively smooth and non-intrusive.
The right edge of the phone features the volume up and down rocker and a power button which also doubles up as the fingerprint sensor. The top part houses the stereo speaker while bottom of the phone holds a stereo speaker, Type C charging port and a microphone. The phone does not come with an earphone jack.
Performance
The Tecno Phantom V Fold runs on the Android 13 operating system straight out of the box and a Hios 13 Fold interface. Being a Fold, the Hios offers various options to make it easier to use the phone including an option that enables you to choose a split screen or a full screen among other. What I loved about this particular device is that it does not come with any bloatware whatsoever.
Under the hood, the Phantom V Fold rocks a high end MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ which is comparable to the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 Soc performance wise. The chipset’s robust performance ensures that there are no lags even when performing heavy tasks such as gaming. It has 12 GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage which can be upgraded to 512GB at a cost.
Camera
The Tecno Phantom series being a premium brand has been known to come with good cameras and the Fold did not disappoint. It comes with a triple camera setup at the back, which consists of 50MP wide+ 50MP zoom+13MP ultrawide lens. At the front, it has a dual camera setup which consists of 32MP and 16MP selfie cameras to create some visually appealing photographs.
With shooting modes such as Film, Video, AI Cam, Portrait and Night, smartphone photography enthusiasts are spoilt for choice. What’s more, both sets of cameras can shoot videos in 1080 pixels up to 30 frames per second. The cameras are pretty good with the pictures being sharp and detailed.
Check out the photos.
Battery
The Phantom V Fold features a 5000 mAh non-removable battery supported by an 45Watt flash charging power brick. This means that it can fully charge the device in just under one hour minutes which can be convenient on a busy day.
A user gets a full day’s heavy use from a fully charged battery, so everything from listening to music, to reading and browsing as well as gaming is possible.
Conclusion
The Tecno Phantom V Fold holds its own when it comes to cameras and performance and has proven to be a worthy competitor to the Samsung Fold. So, if you are in the market for an affordable foldable device look no further than the Tecno Phantom V Fold.