Foldable phones are cool but expensive. Tecno is working towards democratizing the technology with its Phantom V series. After the Phantom V Fold, the V Flip is here to turn your heads with its price. The new Tecno flip phone costs 49,999 Indian Rupees (INR), which is approximately $600. For reference, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Motorola Razr Plus cost $999. Moreover, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is double the price of the Phantom V Flip in India at INR 99,999. I went hands-on with the Tecno foldable, and here’s what you need to know about the device.
The Tecno Phantom V Flip is seven grams heavier than the Galaxy Z Flip 5 at 194g. It still feels lightweight and solid in the hand. The phone flips shut without leaving any gap between the two halves – a move Samsung only embraced with its latest generation of foldables. It helps protect the inside display from in-pocket debris.
Tecno’s first flip phone stands out with the design of the 1.32-inch cover screen. It’s weird but wildly different – and that’s exactly why I love it. While not as functional as its Motorola or Samsung counterparts, it gets the basics right. You get the usual notifications, quick settings, a few widgets like alarm and calender to interact with.
There’s a 3D interactive pet that changes what its doing each time you tap on the screen. After using Moo Time on the Motorola Razr Plus, this implementation feels a little half-baked because the pet isn’t interacting with you and just changing between small videos with each tap, whereas Moo is more intuitive. You can also click selfies with a small viewfinder on the cover display.
Coming to the hinge, it’s better than Motorola’s but not as solid as Samsung’s flip phone. It’s rated to last more than 200,000 folds. For reference, the Razr Plus’ hinge broke after almost 120,000 folds in a test from YouTuber Mrkeybrd, while the Flip 5 is claimed to last up to 400,000 folds and didn’t break in the said test with more than 401,000 folds. It can fold half the way, so you get features like One UI where the camera controls are on half the screen and the other half shows the viewfinder.
On the inside lies a 6.9-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that can go up to 1,000 nits brightness and supports a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s vibrant to look at but could be an issue to view in direct sunlight but it seems good for the price. By contrast, the Flip 5 can go up to 1,750 nits and the Razr Plus is rated for 1,400 nits brightness. As for the crease, it’s minimal like the Razr.
The Tecno Phantom V Flip is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8050 chipset, which is a mid-segment SoC. It can be found on phones that are priced around $300 / INR 25,000 like the Camon 20 series.
From my experience, it performs well in day-to-day use but I’ll limit my verdict because I haven’t tested it yet on this phone. You get 8GB RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. It packs a 4,000mAh battery with support for 45W fast charging. It’s bigger than Samsung’s 3,700mAh cell with 25W fast charging support.
On the camera front, the Tecno Phantom V Flip sports a dual rear camera setup with 64MP primary camera and a 13MP ultrawide camera. Plus, there’s a 32MP selfie shooter. I’m not yet sure about the photos quality but I’ll get into it in my review soon. The phone runs HiOS based on Android 13.
At INR 49,999, the Tecno Phantom V Flip seems like a good offering for the price. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 remains a premium offering with better hinge, UI and probably cameras. But Tecno brings the flip foldable form factor for a price that’s unbeatable. I still need to evaluate it for a verdict but my initial impressions are positive.
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