Tecno Phantom V Fold Review: The More Affordable Foldable

Mike Viray
8 months ago

It’s pretty much safe to say that foldables have been one of the biggest advancements we’ve seen in smartphone hardware over the past few years, and the added appeal of a flexible display – both in form and function – has captivated a user base that continues to grow.

With that being said however, foldables are still on the more expensive side of the Android handset landscape, with devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 going for as high as $2000, if you get the maxed-out version – that’s the same as buying an upper mid-range to high-end laptop. It’s in moments like these where you might want to opt for a more affordable alternative.

Speaking of such, the Tecno Phantom V Fold aims to fill in that gap in affordability. If you’re unfamiliar with the brand, we can’t blame you – Tecno has more of a presence outside the USA, mostly catering to Android users in developing markets in other continents. Regardless, the brand has seen fit to enter the competitive foldable market – how did it fare? Let’s find out.

Design and Screens

It should be said that this review will revolve around a main theme, specifically the Phantom V Fold’s Price. It’s not exactly a cheap handset per se, especially since it’s being sold at around $1000-1,100 outside the US. Compared to other foldables though, it is a tad bit more affordable, and this can be seen in some of its hardware traits.

The V Fold is constructed using a combination of a plastic rear panel, a Gorilla Glass front, and an inner display that features a flexible ultra-thin glass screen. It manages to look nice though thanks to the addition of an aluminum frame that goes around the entirety of the device. Our review unit comes with a textured rear panel, although personally a matte finish would have looked a bit better.

The outer display is a solid performer – it’s a 6.42-inch LTPO AMOLED screen with a 1080 x 2550 pixel resolution, complete with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 100 nits of brightness. There’s no in-display fingerprint scanner however, as the phone instead uses a side-mounted scanner instead.

As with any other foldable though, the star of the show is the Phantom V Fold’s main inner display – open up the device, and you are greeted by a 7.85-inch display, of a similar LTPO AMOLED type to the handset’s external screen. It’s reasonably sharp with a 2000 x 2296 pixel resolution, and smooth thanks to its 120Hz refresh rate – it’s also bright with a maximum of 11oo nits of brightness. Let’s get one thing straight though – the screen is softer than regular glass, and yes there is a crease, which might be an issue for some users.

Something to take into consideration when using the device is that it doesn’t seem to be able to hold positions mid-fold, meaning you’ll have to use an additional accessory such as a stand-equipped case. There’s no IP rating unfortunately, so you’ll really have to keep an eye on your device and steer clear of risky surroundings – it’s moments like these where the Phantom V Fold’s price shows, especially in comparison to heavy-hitting competition from Samsung, for example.

Internals and Software

Beating inside the Phantom V Fold is MediaTek’s Dimensity 9000+ SoC, one of the better mobile chipsets that we’ve seen from the brand in recent years. The handset is available in two different storage configurations, which give you a choice of either 256GB of internal storage and 12GB of RAM, or 512GB of internal storage and 12GB of RAM.

The Dimensity 9000+ is trouble-free for the most part – it’s a very competent chipset, and 12GB of RAM is definitely more than enough for an Android device, which should provide users with all the speed they need for daily tasks. We’d expect that most Phantom V Fold buyers are looking forward to using the device for web content consumption, eBook or Netflix binges, but a bit of gaming won’t hurt either.

Software-wise, the device ships with Android 13 paired with Hi OS Fold 13, Tecno’s very own custom Android skin. Depending on your preferences, this can either be a deal-breaker or an added convenience – for example, there are a handful of additions to the UI that’s not found on “cleaner” versions of Android like the Pixel and such, so there’s a bit of third-party apps preinstalled onboard. I don’t really use apps like “Visha Player” or “Welife,” so their additions to the OS only take up space for me.

On the other hand, this does give you some nifty features, such as the multi-screen management method which allows you to use your apps via split-screen or picture-in-picture, or other software touches like Social Turbo which adds a bit of functionality for apps like WhatsApp. There’s even Smart Touch, which allows users to instantly extract text from pages and photos that are displayed onscreen.

The phone runs on a large 5,000 mAh battery that comes with support for 45W fast-charging. There’s a lack of wireless charging on here, an unfortunate omission given the relative thickness and weight of the device that probably could have accommodated the feature. Battery endurance is good for a day, and more moderate users might find a bit more to spare. Of course, factors such as high screen brightness, the kind of apps that you run, or gaming will play a big factor here.

Camera Performance

There are five cameras available on the Tecno Phantom V Fold, which includes a 50 MP f/1.9 main camera, a 50 MP f/2.0 telephoto lens, and a 13 MP f/2.2 ultrawide lens which do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to photos and videos. There are two selfie cameras including a 16 MP lens on the folding display, and a 32MP camera on the outer screen. Video quality meanwhile maxes out at 4K resolution at 60fps.

Perhaps one could say that camera performance is another aspect where the V Fold shows the true nature of its pricing – image quality is alright for the most part. While there’s no Pixel-esque computational photography going on around here, photos can look good although saturation does leave a lot to be desired at times. Take a shot in a well-lit environment and you can get decent quality from the camera.

However, there are weaknesses to camera quality – ultrawide shots tend to have a muddy look to them in addition to a different tint from the main camera, the same of which can be said for low-light photos shot in Night Mode with very little in the way of lighting. For front-facing photos, selfies on the front display camera definitely look better on the inner selfie camera, with sharper details in comparison. If you value your smartphone photography above all else, then you’ll have to be really patient with the Phantom V Fold, or you can just head on over to the Google side of things.

Final Thoughts

With the Phantom V Fold, it’s clear that Tecno was aiming to provide users with a more affordable foldable, which can serve as a tempting alternative to the mainstays from Samsung, and even newcomers from the likes of Google. The sharp displays, capable chipset, and decent all-around battery are some highlights of the phone, and if you’re looking to save a few hundred bucks then you’ll want to check this out.

However, there are some downsides to the handset, and elements such as the unimpressive camera performance, the somewhat limited versatility of the displays, and the lack of North American availability will serve as stumbling blocks for the Phantom V Fold. Software-wise, we’ve seen better foldable optimization from Samsung, and a more streamlined and cleaner approach from the Pixel Fold. Matters like these will no doubt need to be considered, especially for discerning buyers.

At the end of the day though, one fact still stands – the Tecno Phantom V Fold remains one of the cheaper foldable options, and if you’re willing to overlook its limitations, then you’ll have a device that can cater to what you need and want from a foldable Android phone – if you can import one, that is.