Tecno Phantom V Fold review

Competition

A high-end large foldable with what is a bargain price for the class - who is the Tecno Phantom V Fold really competing with? Going by form factor, the Galaxy Z Fold4 is surely a handset of a different caliber, yet it's so very similar to the Phantom. The recently reviewed Honor Magic Vs is also very much the same thing in principle, with nuances only to be seen upon closer inspection.

That said, we only have pricing for the Tecno for the Indian market, starting at INR 89,999 ($1,099) for the 12/256GB model, and Galaxies are typically not overly competitive here, the Fold being no exception. Meanwhile, the Magic Vs isn't available at all for the time being. But we can still theorize some.

Phantom V Fold (left) next to Galaxy Z Fold4

Naturally, it's hard to stand up to the Samsung - essentially the reference in the segment. The Galaxy will give you niceties like water resistance and wireless charging, plus way brighter displays. Arguably, however, it's the Tecno's displays that are more appealing in terms of size and proportions. OneUI is, without a doubt the best software you can get on a foldable, and even though the Phantom does better than most here, it can't quite match Samsung's polish. Samsung's camera performance is more consistent too, and we'd prefer it over the Tecno. The Galaxy retails for some 70% more than the Tecno in India, and while we can probably reason around it, it's too hefty a premium to ignore and just say that it's worth it.

It's somewhat easier with the Honor Magic Vs. Even though direct price comparisons between the Tecno and the Honor are close to impossible, we can almost dismiss the Honor just on the merits. It's missing a lot of the good stuff the Samsung has going for it (wireless charging, IP rating, refined software), and it's hard to name one area where it's meaningfully better than the Phantom. And, circling back and throwing some educated speculation into the mix, we can't imagine the Magic Vs retailing anything close to the Phantom's price, if the two happened to share a market.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 • Honor Magic Vs

As we pointed out in the Honor's review, there are hardly any other large foldable alternatives outside of China. Sure, more adventurous souls could go for an Oppo Find N2 or a Xiaomi Mix Fold 2, though we wouldn't recommend gray imports or living with a software build tailored for the Chinese market, outside of the said market.

Obviously, you could have a wide-ranging choice of regular non-bendy high-end smartphones for Phantom V Fold money. A Galaxy S23+ maybe, for its OneUI, great OLED display, battery life and solid camera system. Or why not a vivo X80 Pro for an even more versatile camera setup, top-notch display, and speedy charging.

But, in fact, there's a compromise of a different kind - the Galaxy Z Flip4 may not be as great a cameraphone, but it's a foldable alright, and a Samsung one too, for Phantom V Fold money. So what if it's half-size?

Samsung Galaxy S23+ • vivo X80 Pro • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4

Verdict

The Phantom V Fold is the most affordable phone-turns-tablet style foldable - by a wide margin - and it's available outside of China. Those two alone should be enough to make a strong sales pitch, but by definition, budget means compromise, and there are a few to mention.

Perhaps the most important ones relate to the display. For one, while hardly a dealbreaker and perfectly usable as is, the Phantom's panels are lagging behind the competition in terms of maximum brightness. Then there's the unstable frame rate behavior in video streaming apps which makes it more or less unwatchable - we'd expect that to be fixed in a software update, but it's a major omission in the first place.

And while on the topic of displays, sort of, the hinge that makes the V Fold what it is, doesn't like to stay in any state that's not fully open or fully folded, thus robbing the phone of some potential use cases. Wireless charging wouldn't have hurt either, and with the weight already at 300-ish grams, how much of a difference would it have made.

It's an acceptable list of cons, though, particularly when you account for the price, which makes the Tecno's strong points all the more impressive. Extremes-only as it may be, the hinge does allow an almost creaseless unfolded state that no bendy Galaxy can match. You have a very feature-rich software package, competent high refresh rate handling and solid battery life. Cameras may have their flaws, but are pretty good for most things most of the time, and selfies stand out as particularly great. The speakers and the chipset are a lot better than one can expect at half-price, too.

One thing we can't be sure of, is how the Phantom will hold up over time and how Tecno will address potential mechanical issues with the folding display down the line (should they arise) - our past experience has taught us that Samsung is rather cooperative when their folding screens go bad.

In the end, the Tecno Phantom V Fold is giving you a lot of foldable for (comparatively) little money. We're on board with that. Just fix that refresh rate issue, Tecno!

Pros

• Unique finish on the back makes it both pleasing to handle and pretty to look at.
• Minimal internal display crease.
• High refresh rate displays inside and out, 120Hz available for gaming.
• Competitive battery life, fast charging.
• Loud stereo speakers.
• Feature-rich custom software, competent multi-tasking, well-utilized cover screen for image and video capture.
• Dimensity 9000+ leaves little to complain about.
• Excellent selfies no matter how you take them.
• Great video stabilization.

Cons

• Hinge doesn't support intermediate positions at all.
• Maximum brightness on both displays is not on par with the competition.
• Unstable refresh rate for video streaming.
• No wireless charging.
• Questionable choices in video processing.