Tecno Phantom V Fold Redefines Cost Expectations Of BookStyle Foldables
The Tecno Phantom V Fold reimagines the value of a book-style folding model. With a retail price of Rs 88,888 ($1,090) and a good early bird price of Rs 77,777 ($955), it is cheaper than the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Oppo Find N2 Flip. In the words of the beloved YouTuber Michael Fisher, "The Techno Phantom V Fold folds for a very cheap price."
I used the Phantom V Fold quite a bit and it didn't feel cheap in my hands. When you hold it in your hand, you won't notice that it's almost half the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Once you open it and start interacting with the phone, you will start to notice the difference between the Tecno and Samsung folding.
But this is possible only when using both phones. For anyone entering the foldable phone market and wanting a book-style foldable instead of a flip phone, the Tecno Phantom V Fold serves as a great entry point. But it has its quirks.
The Phantom V Fold does some things better than the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but falls behind in others
For example, the Tecno phone has a large external display measuring 6.42 inches. Acts as a wide interactive screen. It has an LTPO AMOLED panel that looks sharp and vibrant in person. Inside is a 7.85-inch 2K foldable display. It's amazing to see that even when you wipe the center of the screen, there are almost no creases. You can only see it if you look at it from a side angle.
As for the hinge, "Spring" would be the best word to describe it. It doesn't have a tilt mode, so it opens right after opening the phone. It is designed so that there is no gap between the screens when folded, which is always good for closed screens. However, I felt a jolt as I pressed the coiled trunk against my lower body. It will be interesting to see how the hinge wears.
Tecno offers a one-time screen replacement within six months and a two-year warranty to restore consumer confidence.
The company says it has upgraded 2,000 apps to take advantage of the Phantom V Fold's built-in capabilities. Its HiOS UI allows multitasking of system apps. But resizing the app takes extra time. The multitasking experience isn't as smooth as the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Some system programs also have "AI" names for some reason; AI Camera and AI Gallery are a few examples.
Tecno Phantom V Fold. Other features:
The new foldable Techno is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ SoC coupled with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. It has a triple rear camera setup consisting of a 50MP primary camera, a 50MP 2x zoom and a 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera. There is a 32 MP selfie camera on the cover screen and a 16 MP front camera on the folding screen. I haven't used the camera enough to comment on the quality.
The Phantom V Fold has a 5,000mAh battery that supports 45W fast charging. You won't get wireless charging support. According to the company, the V Fold can be charged up to 40 percent in 15 minutes and fully charged in 55 minutes, which I'll put to the test during my full review.
