Tecno Phantom V Fold review

Introduction

The democratization of foldables is now a fact. Joining a growing list of bendy-screen models now available outside of China, the Tecno Phantom V Fold presents a value-oriented alternative to the Galaxy of a similar name - the de-facto standard for a tablet in a phone's guise.

The Phantom has the better proportions of foldables that aren't the Galaxy - the cover screen is larger and so much more usable than the one on the Samsung, and the foldable display on the inside is bigger too. A large battery is then needed to power all that 120Hz OLED screen area, and you end up with a rather heavy package - a gram shy of 300g.

You do get a pretty capable camera system with a couple of 50MP units for main and tele, plus an autofocusing ultrawide - when are we ever getting AF on an UW on a Samsung foldable?

Unlike the bulk of foldables, the Tecno has a Mediatek chipset at its heart. The Dimensity 9000+ is about on par with the Snapdragon 8(+) Gen 1 though, so the Phantom V Fold is anything but underpowered. And with 12GB of RAM as standard and 256GB or 512GB of storage, you won't be pressed for memory either.

Other small niceties include 45W fast charging, stereo speakers, and an FM radio - flagship Snapdragons dropped that a while ago. It's a most welcome sight that the V Fold runs Android 13, so its software is current, too (also quite capable, it turns out).

Tecno Phantom V Fold specs at a glance:

• Body: 159.4x140.4x6.9mm unfolded, 159.4x72x14.2-14.5 mm folded, 299g; Gorilla Glass Victus front, plastic back, aluminum frame; Schott UTG on the foldable display.
• Display: 7.85" Foldable LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 1100 nits (peak), 2000x2296px resolution, 10.3:9 aspect ratio, 388ppi; Cover display: 6.42" LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 1100 nits (peak), 1080 x 2550 pixels, 431 PPI.
• Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.20 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.85 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510); Mali-G710 MC10.
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
• OS/Software: Android 13, HiOS 13 Fold.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.3", PDAF; Telephoto: 50 MP, PDAF, 2x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, 120˚.
• Selfie camera: Cover:: 32MP, f/2.5. Internal: 16MP, f/2.5.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps; Front camera: 1080p@60fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 45W wired, 40% in 15 min, 100% in 55 min (advertised).
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC; FM radio; stereo speakers.

Tecno Phantom V Fold unboxing

Tecno did come up with a fancy box for the Phantom V Fold, as befitting a foldable. As big as two regular phone boxes, and with the two strokes of a V meeting in the middle, the package opens to both sides, revealing a 'Beyond the extraordinary' cover. Only after removing that do you get to see the phone, itself in a separate tray.

Box contents • Snap-on case

Another box underneath holds a snap-on back cover with kickstand functionality. We're not entirely sure you'd want to be covering what is one of the nicest back panels in existence, but you do you. Two more separate containers have the charger and USB cable all neatly packed.