The mobile industry teased the so-called “year of the foldable phone” a few times before, but 2023 might really be it. The definition fits, at the very least, in terms of the number of OEMs willing to try their luck competing with the dominant brand, which obviously is Samsung. And at MWC 2023, a new player entered the ring with a book-style foldable phone priced competitively.
Meet the Phantom V Fold, a new foldable device from the Chinese smartphone maker Tecno, which usually does business in South East Asia and markets like India. And India is precisely where the Tecno Phantom V Fold will try to undercut Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4. But, of course, the phone is not as packed with technology, and the OEM seemingly chose to do a lot of corner cutting in many areas.
Phantom V Fold: Decent core specs but lots of corner cutting
This new potential rival of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is equipped with a 7.85-inch LTPO AMOLED display featuring a resolution of 2000 x 2296 and 1100 nits of peak brightness. The Phantom V Fold's cover screen is of the same LTPO AMOLED variety and has the same brightness levels, and both panels support a 120Hz refresh rate. The cover panel measures 6.42 inches and has a resolution of 2550 x 1080.
In terms of raw power hardware, the Tecno Phantom V Fold features the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chipset, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB or 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage (non-expandable). Other specs include a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging capabilities and no mention of wireless charging.
No OIS and no 60fps or higher video recording
The Phantom V Fold's primary camera system comprises a 50MP wide sensor, a 13MP ultra-wide shooter, and a 50MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom capabilities. The selfie camera embedded in the foldable screen has a 16MP resolution and isn't hidden behind the panel. And the selfie cover camera has a 32MP resolution.
Tecno doesn't mention features like OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) for any of these cameras, which means they'll probably struggle in low light conditions and when capturing moving objects. At least the wide and telephoto shooters seemingly have Phase Detection Autofocus.
8K recording is missing, and video recording is seemingly limited to 30 frames per second regardless of whether the resolution is 4K or 1080p. In other words, the cameras seem mediocre at best, and the software might not be able to compensate for the lack of serious optics.
The Tecno Phantom V Fold doesn't have stylus support. And in terms of build quality, the company claims that the hinge uses “aerospace-grade materials” and should last for around 200,000 folds. But the rest of the phone looks somewhat cheap due to the patterned “renewable organic silicone leather.” And there's no mention of the materials used for the frame or an IP dust and water resistance rating, which probably means that the Phantom V Fold doesn't have an IP rating worth mentioning in marketing materials.
Tecno ranks among the lowest in Android firmware support
The Tecno foldable will ship with Android 13-based HiOS 13 Fold firmware, but long-term support will probably be lacking, as the company doesn't have the best reputation in this area. All of this corner-cutting was done in favor of a lower price, and prospective buyers in India will have to figure out whether it's better to spend extra on a higher quality product like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 or spend less and buy the lesser Tecno Phantom V Fold.
The Tecno foldable won't be released in the USA and might not come to Europe. However, in India, the Phantom V Fold will start at INR 91,000 ($1,103), and early adopters can get it cheaper at INR 80,000 ($969). So it has some appeal, in the sense that it is a very cheap book-like foldable phone. Some phone users who are on the fence about foldables but might want to try this new form factor may invest in a Tecno Phantom V Fold before deciding whether or not to buy a more expensive but far more competent Samsung foldable device. But in case you'd rather buy the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in India right now, the flagship is available for INR 154,999 ($1,879). Check out our full review for more information.
