Tecno Phantom V Flip

Tecno Phantom V Flip Review

The Phantom V Fold, a really intriguing foldable smartphone from Tecno, was already available, thus the Phantom V Flip’s introduction was hardly shocking. It’s a new entry in the V series with a distinctive approach to the cover display.

The Tecno Phantom V Flip has the conventional features of a contemporary flip phone, including an edge-to-edge foldable OLED, a stylish metal hinge, and a tiny cover display for widgets and alerts.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

Vegan leather covers the V Flip’s surface, but what sets it apart is the circular cover OLED, which is encircled by a circular black bezel that houses the cameras and the flash. This unique configuration will make the V Flip stand out among its competitors.

Inside the Phantom V Flip is a 6.9-inch foldable LTPO OLED premium display with HDR10 compatibility, a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate, and 360Hz touch sampling. A 1.32-inch AMOLED with a 352ppi density serves as the cover screen.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The Dimensity 8050 5G chipset, an upper mid-range chipset with strong gaming potential, powers the V Flip. One memory setup for the V Flip will be available for purchase: 8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 256GB UFS3.1 storage.

A 64MP primary camera with an RGBW sensor and a 13MP secondary camera for ultrawide photographs with support for autofocus and the ability to take macro photos are just a few of the pleasures offered by Tecno, which is well recognised for its high-end photography expertise. The selfie camera has an autofocus feature and a 32MP Tetracell sensor!

Tecno Phantom V Flip

Stereo speakers, a 4,000mAh battery with 45W wired charging, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner are additional noteworthy features.

Tecno Phantom V Flip specs:

  • Body: 171.7×74.1×6.9mm, 194g; Plastic front (opened), leather back, steel hinge, aluminum frame;.
  • Display: 6.90″ Foldable LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, 1000 nits (peak), 1080x2640px resolution, 22:9 aspect ratio, 413ppi; Cover display: AMOLED, 1.32 inches, 360 x 360 px, 352ppi, 800 nits.
  • Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 8050 (6 nm): Octa-core (1×3.0 GHz Cortex-A78 & 3×2.6 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G77 MC9.
  • Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
  • OS/Software: Android 13, HiOS 13.5.
  • Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.7, 25mm, 1/1.73″, 1.6µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, 1.12µm, f/2.2, PDAF.
  • Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.45, 24mm (wide), 0.8µm, PDAF.
  • Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, HDR; Front camera: 1440p@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps.
  • Battery: 4000mAh; 45W wired, 50% in 15min (advertised).
  • Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.2; NFC.
  • Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); stereo speakers;

The only significant feature lacking from this new flip phone is likely any kind of ingress protection. This is presumably only applicable to flagship foldables, especially those made in Korea.

Unboxing the Tecno Phantom V Flip

The Tecno Phantom V Flip comes packaged in a big box with many items. Of course, you get the phone first. After that, a USB-C to A cable and a 45W power converter are included.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

A really nice case with a metal ring is also included in the retail package. The two distinct covers on this case are joined by a piece of vegan leather, despite the fact that it shares a lot of similarities with the Z Flip5 cases that Samsung sells. The large metal ring that you can use to hold the phone on your finger or possibly hook it on something else is also attached to the same ribbon.

Design

The Tecno Phantom V Flip immediately catches your eye when you first see it. If you snap the packaged case, it will appear as though it just left a jewellery store.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

Flagship standards were followed in the design of the Phantom V Flip. The internal screen has a thin plastic layer and a noticeable plastic bezel around it, same like the Galaxy Z Flips, while the two rear panels are coated in vegan leather, the frame is made of aluminium, and the hinge is made of steel.

The attention to detail put forward by Tecno in both the Mystic Dawn and Iconic Black models is outstanding.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The leather components of the Mystic Dawn edition are painted in this lovely purple colour. A metal V logo is incorporated into the bottom panel between the light and dark purple transitions. It has a soft, alluring accent.

The Iconic Black variant includes false stitching that resemble those on haute couture suits and is, well, black.

The leather components have lychee patterns, which are frequently employed as fashionable accents on many opulent goods and automobiles.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

Tecno refers to the spherical screen and the cameras surrounding him as Planet Cover Screen, perhaps because the set-up resembles a star and a number of orbiting planets. And we must confess, it’s rather nice and appropriate.

We are happy that the Flip bunch is distinct from the rear design because it is entirely Tecno.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The steel hinge was self-developed, is thin, and has a lifespan of more than 200,000 cycles. It supports semi-folded states between 30° and 150° and enables the phone to fold entirely without any gaps. However, it prevents the phone from opening totally flat.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The Phantom V Flip is not perfectly flat when fully extended, but let’s suppose it is at an angle of roughly 178 degrees.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

This is unfortunate because it creates a very noticeable wrinkle on the internal foldable screen. Even worse, we can feel the hollow underneath in addition to seeing and touching it. It still feels shaky even if we are well aware that we won’t pierce this screen with our fingers.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

Now let’s examine the Phantom V Flip in more detail.

The screen that folds is excellent. It is not advised to take off the thin film that covers it. It safeguards the screen. A tiny punch hole in the surface itself houses the 32MP selfie camera with autofocus.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

There’s more, too! There is one of the dual-LED front flashes that Tecno is famous for. Near the earpiece, it is barely visible and embedded in the top plastic bezel.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The earpiece of the phone serves as one of the dual speakers, and the other is located at the bottom, close to the USB connector.

The Phantom V Flip is capable of standing in a semi-folded position, and there are no gaps around the hinge that may let sand or dust in and eventually endanger the screen from below. This is unquestionably advantageous.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

We’ve already noticed that the V Flip’s opening posture isn’t completely straight, which accentuates the screen wrinkle and gives the device a peculiar appearance. Even if it isn’t as significant as it may seem, especially for a mid-ranger, it is still something to take note of.

The back has stunning aesthetics. The 1.32″ AMOLED screen, 64MP primary camera, and 13MP ultrawide camera are all located in the top portion. There is also the ring-LED flash present.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

A thin metal ring surrounds this entire system, which protrudes slightly from the wall.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The V logo is engraved in a metal circle on the bottom panel.

The Tecno Phantom V Flip sports a light, shiny aluminium frame with a slight curve.

At the top, there is a lone microphone.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

One of the speakers, the USB-C port, and the main microphone are all located on the bottom.

The dual-SIM card slot is located on the left side.

On the right, there are keys for volume and power/lock. The fingerprint scanner, which is always on, quick, and very accurate, is actually a part of the power key.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

We have no problems with how easily the Phantom V Flip opens and closes. The leather is pretty pleasant to the touch, and you can feel how sturdy the metal frame is when holding the phone. It feels as high-end as it appears to be.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The grip is adequate but not excellent. The gripping leather panels are quite helpful and smudge-proof, but the glossy frame is the complete opposite. Nevertheless, the grip was stable enough for us to not notice it during our week of phone use.

We do suggest using the case that comes with the phone because it is excellent. It is made entirely of matte plastic that is incredibly gripping and the same colour as the phone. We’ll be honest: wearing this phone on our finger was comfortable for us.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

Overall, we would have given this V Flip an amazing rating for design if it weren’t for the odd angle when opened. much though this is a mid-range foldable phone, we still believe Tecno did a good job. However, we believe it might have been much better. Or perhaps we are simply being picky. We’ll let you make that choice.

Display

Two screens are present on the Phantom V Flip: a tiny cover screen and a huge, foldable inside display.

The 1.32-inch external AMOLED has not much to be discussed. It sports a circular panel with a maximum brightness of 800 nits, a maximum pixel density of 466 x 466 or 352ppi, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 120Hz touch sampling rate. The main functions of this device are to display alerts and act as a selfie viewfinder; it does not support full-fledged apps.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

6.9-inch LTPO OLED with 2,640 x 1,080 pixels resolution (426 ppi, 22:9 aspect ratio) serves as the internal display. It supports a dynamic refresh rate of 120Hz (10Hz-120Hz), 360Hz touch sampling, and a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits. Additionally, 1440Hz PWM dimming is supported for superior panel performance in low-light environments.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

We’ve finished testing the display, and the findings match what we’ve seen on the most recent Galaxy Z Flips. The Z Flip4 was comparable to the 505 nits of highest manual brightness we observed at the end of the slider.

The Phantom V Flip has a High Brightness Mode that raises the maximum brightness up to 818 nits in both manual and automatic settings. Note that the V Flip will not receive a brightness boost in Auto brightness if HBM has not been enabled from the Display Settings.

At point white, we recorded 3.7 nits of minimal brightness, which is a respectable performance.

Color accuracy

The V Flip has two colour settings, Bright Colour and Original Colour, which both fall within the DCI-P3 colour space. The colour temperature in each can be adjusted. Except for the somewhat bluish white and grey tones, the accuracy of the default setting, Natural, is genuine.

Although far from precise, the Bright Colour preset increases saturation and delivers vibrant colours.

Refresh rate

You have a total of four settings in the refresh rate menu: 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz, as well as an Auto-switch mode. If you’re not touching the Tecno, it will wind down to 10Hz across the UI, regardless of the setting.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The V Flip, in contrast to the V Fold, does a good job with the dynamic refresh rate.

Now, the behaviour of the Auto Switch and the 120Hz options is frequently the same. In web browsers, streaming services, and games that enable high frame rates, they will typically give you the maximum refresh rate. In video playback and streaming, as well as in some programmes that are incompatible with HRR, we noticed 60Hz and 30Hz.

The 90Hz and 60Hz options can both be compared in this way. When they hit the chosen cap, they dial down to 10Hz for static displays and 30Hz for movies.

We had no trouble streaming YouTube or Netflix on the V Flip, in contrast to the V Fold.

HDR and streaming

Like the V Fold, the Phantom V Flip makes no claims about having HDR capabilities. Even if hardware detection apps list it as supporting HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG, that more closely resembles software decoding than genuine HDR playback. YouTube does offer HDR streaming, but the brightness, contrast, and colour were only slightly improved. DRM-protected content can be played back in Full Hd thanks to the Widevine L1 certification.

Battery life

A 4,000mAh battery powers the Phantom V Flip, which is 200mAh less than the Razr 40’s battery but 300mAh more than the Z Flip 4 and Z Flip 5.

On our battery life test, the Tecno Phantom V Flip received a rating of 88 hours for overall endurance. The V Flip performed admirably in the on-screen testing, clocking more than 16 hours of video playback and north of 13 hours of web browsing. Calls can go on for almost a full day.

Charging speed

Up to 45W of fast wired charging is supported by the Tecno Phantom V Flip, and a power adapter for this purpose is included with the phone. The phone should be able to charge to 50% in 15 minutes and 100% in 45 minutes, per the press materials.Up to 45W of fast wired charging is supported by the Tecno Phantom V Flip, and a power adapter for this purpose is included with the phone. The phone should be able to charge to 50% in 15 minutes and 100% in 45 minutes, per the press materials.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

We didn’t quite match the Tecno statistics in our testing. 34% of the battery was recharged in 15 minutes with the included power adapter, and 58% in 30 minutes. We received 82% of the advertised full charge after 45 minutes. Finally, it took 55 minutes to charge fully.

Wireless charging is not supported by the Phantom V Flip.

Adaptive battery for apps, standby optimisation, and more sophisticated customisation on an app-by-app basis like screen off and scheduled push are just a few of the power-saving choices available. Additionally, there are specific Power Saver and Ultra Power Saving modes.

It is possible to use AI Smart Charge, which starts the recharge process at a set percentage and finishes it in the morning before you awaken.

Speakers

The stereo speaker arrangement of the Tecno Phantom V Flip is a well-known hybrid design. The other one has a dedicated driver at the bottom of the phone near the USB-C connector, while the earpiece serves as a speaker.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The positioning of the speakers makes the arrangement sound balanced even though the earpiece isn’t as loud as the other speaker.

In our loudness test, the V Flip’s speakers received an Excellent rating. The voices are good, the high notes are rich, and the bass is barely audible but still present. Their sound quality is good.

Software

In-house HiOS, version 13.5 on the Flip, is running on top of Android 13 on the Phantom V Flip.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The HiOS 12 interface we saw on the Phantom X2 and X2 Pro has been very little improved to create the generic V Flip interface.

For the foldable screen, there is an always-on display that comes in a variety of designs. It can be disabled, scheduled, on demand, or always on.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Always-on display
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Always-on display
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Always-on display
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Always-on display

On the bottom of the lockscreen, there are two shortcuts: one for the torch and one for the camera.

You reach a typical home screen UI once you’ve passed the lockscreen. The leftmost pane, referred to as the Zero screen, contains cards with suggested widgets for news, weather, quotations, and app usage. ‘Desktop settings’ is where you may turn off the Zero screen. A default app drawer is present.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Lockscreen
Tecno Phantom V Flip
• Home Screen •
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Zero screen •
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Folder view •
Tecno Phantom V Flip
App drawer •
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Task switcher

You can use split screen and/or pop-up windows for supported programmes to multitask as usual.

You may enter the Phantom V Flip using both fingerprint and facial recognition, just like any other non-foldable. Face recognition may be configured to bypass the lockscreen directly or demand a swipe in place of it, and the fingerprint reader can be configured to unlock with simply a tap or require a push as well.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Biometrics and security
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Biometrics and security
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Biometrics and security
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Biometrics and security
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Biometrics and security
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Biometrics and security

Long-standing advanced features from Tecno models are typically carried over to newer versions. That comprises the entire set of options, metrics, and parental controls in the game mode. The Smart panel with slide-from-the-side shortcuts is an additional option.

The Social Turbo toolkit is quite intriguing—it functions as a kind of WhatsApp enhancement—it lets you alter your voice, improve your face during video chats, record WhatsApp conversations, and read messages without marking them as read.

The virtual RAM used by Tecno is known as MemFusion. With an additional 8GB of virtual memory, the Phantom V Flip’s 8GB of onboard RAM chips can be increased to a total of 16GB. MemFusion is set to 5GB by default.

Peek Proof grays out important stuff on your screen.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Special function menu •
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Game mode •
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Social Turbo •
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Smart Panel •
Tecno Phantom V Flip
MemFusion •
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Peek Proof

There are some pre-installed programmes and utilities, but overall it’s a relatively restricted bundle, with a lot less garbage than the X2 and X2 Pro we had previously, which were a huge step in the right way. You get a built-in gallery and movie player, but no proprietary app stores or Hi browser. There is no Hi Themes software, and just a number of themes are pre-installed.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Visha Player •
Tecno Phantom V Flip
File Manager
Tecno Phantom V Flip
• Themes

There are only a few software provisions for a semi-folded state – the Gallery, the video player, and the camera app. YouTube shifts to its own foldable-specific half-screen split UI as well.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Semi-folded YouTube •
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Video
Tecno Phantom V Flip
• Camera app

Finally, let us discuss the cover screen.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

To begin, you cannot have the cover screen always on; it must be shown on tap or on pickup.To begin, you cannot have the cover screen always on; it must be shown on tap or on pickup.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

Swipes in each of the four directions on the cover screen have various effects. Swiping up brings up the tiny notification area, while swiping down shows quick toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mobile Data, Aeroplane, Vibrate, DND, Hotspot, and NFC.

You can also customise your clock widget with one of five different creatures.

Swiping to the right reveals a menu of up to nine widgets, including weather, schedule, camera, vitality (fitness) rings, alarm, weather alerts, voice recorder, stopwatch, and timer.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The music controls are accessible by swiping to the left.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Cover screen settings
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Cover screen settings
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Cover screen settings
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Cover screen settings

And that concludes the software side of things.

Performance

On paper, the Tecno Phantom V Flip uses the Mediatek Dimensity 8050, which is a fresh new 6nm chip. However, accumulating further information reveals that the Dimensity 8050 is nearly identical to the Dimensity 1300, which in turn is nearly identical to the Dimensity 1200.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The Dimensity 8050 is equipped with four quick Cortex-A78 cores and four efficient Cortex-A55 cores. The Cortex-A78 units are separated into one Super Core that runs at up to 3GHz and three Performance Cores that run at up to 2.6GHz. Inside the chip is a Mali-G77 MC9 GPU. It comes with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of non-expandable UFS 3.1 storage.

Let’s run some tests now.

The CPU results are comparable to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 in the Motorola Razr 40, as well as the SD888 in the Huawei P50 Pocket and the Dimensity 9000 in the Oppo Find N2 Flip.

Overall, the Phantom V Flip provides adequate performance for its budget and class, with fluid performance across multiple apps, games, and the Android UI.

We also performed our standard stress testing. This is the first flip phone with an ultra-thin VC liquid cooling system improved with a graphite layer, according to Tecno. And the results are stunning.

The V Flip scored 63% for CPU stability, which is higher than most current Flips.

The V Flip also achieved an outstanding 94% GPU stability, which is a new high for a foldable. But…

The V Flip’s frame grew blazing hot during the GPU stress test, despite remaining heated during the CPU test. We grabbed the Flip to take a screenshot after 20 minutes of running at peak GPU performance and dropped it with a yell. We almost got burned since the aluminium frame surrounding the top half was really hot.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
CPU test
Tecno Phantom V Flip
• GPU test
Tecno Phantom V Flip
• GPU test

We ran a game for about an hour for the purposes of this evaluation, and it never made the frame this hot. However, you should be aware that Tecno permits the GPU to operate at maximum performance without taking any safeguards to protect your hands safe.

At the end of the day, we’d grade the Phantom V Flip’s performance as very good, more than acceptable for this device, and capable of handling gaming on the go without issue. But if it gets too hot, you should stop and let it cool down.

Camera

The Tecno Phantom V Flip sports two cameras on the back and one on the inside of the foldable screen through a punch hole for selfies and video calls.

The rear camera configuration includes a 64MP main and a 13MP ultrawide with PDAF. The internal camera has 32MP resolution and PDAF capabilities.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The primary camera on the V Flip is based on a 64MP Samsung ISOCELL GWB (S5KGWB) sensor. It has a 1/1.73″ optical format, 0.8m pixels, and a Tetrapixel colour filter array (Quad Bayer, as Sony calls it). According to the hardware scanning applications, the lens has an aperture of f/1.7 and an equivalent focal length in the 24-25mm range.

The ultrawide camera employs a 13MP (S5K)3L6 sensor with a 1/3″ optical size, 1.12m pixels, and a standard RGB filter array from Samsung. This ultrawide camera includes an f/2.2 aperture lens and, most crucially, autofocus functionality.

For selfies, you have a 32MP (S5K)GD2 sensor with a 24mm-equivalent f/2.5 lens and a 1/2.8″ 0.8m, Tetrapixel) filter. And, surprise, surprise, it has autofocus!

The V Flip sports a ring-like four-LED flash at the back and a dual-LED front light built into the screen bezel.

The Tecno does not pass up the possibility to provide cover screen UI for operating the back cameras with the device in either folded or unfolded condition. In either situation, you may snap selfie images and videos using the rear camera. When capturing portraits, you may also use the back screen as a preview.

When using the cover screen, you get a little shutter key and swipes to move between Video, Photo, and Portrait modes. However, you cannot switch to ultrawide in this manner.

When utilising the camera app on the inner display, you’ll notice a cover screen preview switch, and if it’s turned on, you can go to the ultrawide camera and take a selfie.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Tecno Phantom V Flip

Aside from these foldable-related aspects, the camera app is basic – well, maybe save for the AI Cam full-auto photo mode. Portrait, Super Night, Super Macro, Pro, and Sky Shop (alter the sky) modes are available. The Pro is compatible with both back cameras.

Daylight Photo

By default, the main camera saves 16MP photographs, which are typically excellent. The resolved detail is abundant, and the images are not over-sharpened; the foliage is natural; the noise is kept low; the dynamic range is adequate, if not wide; and the contrast is adequate.

The white balance and colour rendition should be improved; the images are a little warmer than they should be, and the colours can be a little too saturated at times. Overall, the photographs are extremely appealing.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Main camera, 16MP
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Main camera, 16MP
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Main camera, 16MP
2x Zoom photos

The 2x zoom toggle gives a rudimentary digital zoom over the main camera, and the zoomed photographs are soft and lack information.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
2x zoom main camera, 16MP
Tecno Phantom V Flip
2x zoom main camera, 16MP

64MP photos

The 64MP photographs, on the other hand, were unexpectedly detailed, with extremely well-rendered high-frequency detail such as foliage and building facade detailing. The noise level is noticeably low, while everything else matches the default output. These 64MP pictures can be used for more detailed 2x cropping.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Main camera, 64MP
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Main camera, 64MP
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Main camera, 64MP

Ultra-wide camera

The output from the primary camera is designed to be combined by the ultrawide camera in order to achieve a clearer and more developed centre section.

And, without a doubt, the photographs we produced with this camera have the sharpest central part we’ve seen in a long time, with exceptional quality, sharpness, dynamic range, and vibrant colours.

Based on the pretty ordinary edges and corners, it appears that the processing has actually compressed the 16MP image from the main camera into the centre of the ultrawide snap. The transition from sharp to soft is gradual, and we liked what Tecno did here overall.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Ultrawide camera, 13MP
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Ultrawide camera, 13MP

Macro camera

Because the ultrawide camera enables autofocus, it can take photographs from as close as 2-3cm away. And they’re quite great – sufficiently detailed, with a wide dynamic range and vivid colour rendering.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Macro with ultrawide, 13MP
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Macro with ultrawide, 13MP

Sky Shop photos

Sky Shop, which literally means Sky Photoshop, is an extremely cool option available on the Phantom V Flip. You select a preset sky effect, and the camera software photoshops it onto your (ideally daylight) images. For example:

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Sky Shop
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Sky Shop

Selfie camera

You can trust that the selfies taken with the main camera are of exceptional quality; they’re very detailed, with vibrant colours and a wide dynamic range. The face is slightly over-sharpened, but these are some great photos.

The 32MP internal camera saves 32MP photographs, which are upscaled from the standard 8MP output. They would have been excellent if they had been 8MP, with exceptional resolution, a wide dynamic range, correct colours, and no noise.

However, in their 32MP upscaled counterpart, they retain all of the positive aspects except sharpness and detail – the upscaled photographs are rather soft.

Protrate Mode

Portrait mode has 1x and 2x zoom choices. The 1x images are great; the subject is detailed and always well exposed, the dynamic range is mostly wide, the colours are vibrant despite being slightly oversaturated, and there is no noise.

Low-light photos

Now for some low-light shots. There is no Auto Night Mode, although the camera app and its “AI” will display Night sceneries on occasion. This indicates that the app has identified the scene and is adjusting the camera settings accordingly.

The RGBW sensor could improve the main camera significantly, and according to Tecno, it should save some outstanding nighttime images. Yes, it does!

The default photographs are precise and sharp, with a reasonable dynamic range (which is wider than we expected), vibrant colours, and high contrast. The noise level is fairly low.

Even without Night Mode, these photos are just stunning, especially considering the camera lacks OIS.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Main camera, Auto
Tecno Phantom V
Main camera, Auto
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Main camera, Auto

When it comes to Night Mode, it takes around a second to shoot and another to save the photo. It broadens the dynamic range, brightens the image slightly, and removes noise. However, it reduces detail and sharpness, and its aggressive noise reduction is responsible for the oil-painting appearance.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Main camera, Night Mode
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Main camera, Night Mode
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Main camera, Night Mode

Tripod Mode

The main camera features Tripod Night Mode, which employs up to 30 seconds of exposure to obtain the perfect shot.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Tripod mode

Ultra-wide camera

The ultrawide camera performs the same function at night as it does during the day: it adds the output from the primary camera to its centre. And the photographs are fantastic: detailed and sharp, with little noise, a wide dynamic range, and true colours.

Of course, outside of the massive centre part, there is a considerable reduction in detail, smeared objects, and what appears to be compression effects at times.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Ultrawide camera, Auto
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Ultrawide camera, Auto
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Ultrawide camera, Auto

You shouldn’t use Night Mode with the ultrawide camera because it usually degrades the image because it doesn’t benefit from the combined output of two cameras. Even while the photographs have a larger dynamic range and restored highlights, they are significantly less detailed.

Tecno Phantom V Flip
Ultrawide camera, Night Mode
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Ultrawide camera, Night Mode
Tecno Phantom V Flip
Ultrawide camera, Night Mode

Video recording

There is no way to encode videos using the h.265 codec; the older, less efficient, but more broadly compatible h.264 is the only choice.

Ultra Steady is an extra stabilisation feature available for all cameras in 1080p30 mode. If you disable it, you can shoot in any resolution you want, including 1080p30, but there will be no stabilisation. Bummer!

The bitrate for 4K videos is 50Mbps, whereas 1080p30 videos are around 20Mbp.s. The audio is always stereo, the bitrate is 250Kbps, and the sound quality is excellent.

Our verdict

The Tecno Phantom V Flip is a low-cost foldable smartphone with a slew of premium features. We liked the leather style, both screens were of decent quality, the performance and stability of the Dimensity 8050 chipset were adequate for gaming, and the camera quality was excellent across all three cameras.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

The V Flip comes with a beautiful protective case and a rapid charger, and its two colour options are stunning.

Finally, the HiOS 13.5 proved to be rather decent, with minimal bloatware and a plethora of helpful features, gestures, and customization choices.

We had a couple problems with the Phantom V Flip. The first flaw is its difficulty to fully open flat. This is one of those requirements that no one should get wrong, yet Tecno did. Sure, it doesn’t interfere with the operation of the V Flip, but it’s there, and you can not only feel it, but also see it.

Then there’s the incredibly hot frame while using graphics intensively. There is no sugarcoating it: at peak GPU demands, the upper section of the frame becomes extremely hot after only 15 minutes.

Finally, video capture requires true stabilisation, not just an extra setting that provides heavily cropped 1080p footage.

Tecno Phantom V Flip

To be honest, the Tecno Phantom V Flip isn’t the ideal foldable smartphone. However, its $650/€650 price tag is reasonable in comparison to similar devices, and its features list is well-balanced. The Phantom V delivered on the majority of its promises, and we had a great handling, working, gaming, and imaging experience with it throughout our time with it.

The Phantom V Flip isn’t a great phone, but it’s a fantastic price. One that makes you consider it a tempting ticket to the folding class, one that will show you what all the excitement is about and possibly get you hooked as well. And even if you didn’t, you’d still have one amazingly small phone that’s light in both your pocket and your wallet.

Pros & Con’s

Pro’s

  • Attractive design, nice case.
  • Bright and mostly color-accurate foldable OLED.
  • Interesting cover OLED, ideal for viewfinder, too.
  • Decent battery life.
  • Loud stereo speakers.
  • Adequate performance and stability, gaming included.
  • Very good photo and video quality across the board.
  • Minimal bloatware.

Con’s

  • No ingress protection.
  • The phone does not open flat.No official HDR10 support.
  • No EIS for 4K videos.
  • The frame gets scorching hot during heavy GPU loads.

Leave a Comment

Scroll to Top