The Tecno Phantom V Flip 2 is yet one more strong flip-style folding telephone

After discovering success with its first-generation foldables telephone producer Tecno has returned with its all-new Phantom V Flip 2. This flip-style gadget has numerous positives going for it, but it surely is not releasing in a vacuum. Sturdy competitors from the likes of Motorola, Samsung, and others is the brand new actuality of the fashionable flip telephone market.

The Phantom V Flip 2 does loads proper on the floor — however how good is the expertise in the true world? And, can the software program bundle stand its floor towards bigger and more established players? I positioned my SIM card into the foldable to seek out out.

Worth, availability, and specs

The Tecno Phantom V Flip 2 measures in at 6.72 x 2.89 x 0.30-inches (170.75 x 73.4 x 7.64mm) when unfolded, and three.46 x 2.89 x 0.63-inches (87.8 x 73.4 x 16.04mm) when folded shut. When coupled with the gadget’s 6.9oz (196g) weight, the V Flip 2 is comparatively skinny and light-weight within the hand.

The inside show is a 6.9-inch 1080 x 2560 pixel decision AMOLED affair, whereas the outer display is a 3.64-inch AMOLED panel. Each shows run at a capped refresh charge of 60Hz.

The digicam setup is typical for a flip-style foldable, with a front-facing selfie shooter and a twin rear lens setup. The previous is available in at 32-megapixel, and the latter is a pair of 50-megapixel extensive and 50-megapixel ultra-wide shooters.

As for the brains of the operation, we’re trying on the MediaTek Dimensity 8020 chip, which is a comfortably midrange providing when it comes to energy output. The battery sizes in at 4,720 mAh, with assist for 70w wired charging.

The Phantom V Flip 2 begins at $700, and is available in a single configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of inside storage. The colour selections on provide embody moondust gray and travertine inexperienced. The telephone might be bought from varied on-line storefronts, together with Amazon. Tecno does have its own retail presence, however at the moment not inside any main western market.

What I preferred concerning the Tecno Phantom V Flip 2

This feels extra refined than a second-generation product usually would

My favourite side of Tecno’s new Flip 2 foldable is its construct — it feels premium within the hand regardless of solely being a second-generation product. The hinge does not snap shut fairly as luxuriously as another gadgets available on the market, but it surely feels satisfying nonetheless.

I additionally loved the general cowl display expertise — the show is huge and shiny, with tons of customization choices to make it your personal. When unfolding the unit, you are greeted by a tackle Android that gives a strong degree of customization choices all through.

The MediaTek Dimensity 8020 is a mid-range chip through-and-through, however I personally had no gripes when utilizing the gadget. It is largely unsuitable for gaming and different intensive duties, however that goes with out saying. When examined, I acquired a Geekbench 6 rating of 752 in single-core, and a couple of,515 in multi-core.

The digicam system is respectable sufficient, however the bar is not precisely set excessive in relation to flip-style foldable telephones. I discovered the efficiency to be middling — not top-notch, however not noticeably poor in high quality both.

What I did not like concerning the Tecno Phantom V Flip 2

The software program pores and skin wants further refinement, and Tecno must assist the gadget for longer

As nice as utilizing the Phantom V Flip 2 feels from a {hardware} perspective, I discovered the software program expertise to be a weaker hyperlink. My greatest concern comes all the way down to longevity — the corporate solely presents assist for 2 further years of Android characteristic updates, which is notably lower than OEMs like Samsung. Tecno does provide three years of safety patch updates, and it provides a website with up-to-date data on that entrance.

The software program characteristic set itself is well-rounded, however the iOS-inspired theming and interface concerns aren’t to my private style. I additionally had hassle with the capacitive fingerprint sensor mounted on the sleep/wake key — it wound up being much less responsive than I might’ve preferred, and it introduced down the expertise for me by a bit.

The shortage of assist for Qi wi-fi charging is a cutback that I want Tecno hadn’t made, as I take advantage of inductive chargers to prime up different handsets day by day. The 70w quick charging brick is included within the field, which I admire, but it surely’s a proprietary system, which is not ideally suited.

Lastly, the duvet show ships with a decrease decision than I might’ve preferred — at a normal viewing distance, particular person pixels cannot fairly be discerned, however there is a slight fuzziness to the complete factor. For a telephone transport in 2024, that is in all probability probably the most disappointing side of the complete bundle.

Do you have to purchase the Tecno Phantom V Flip 2?

Tecno’s new flip telephone is a considerably compelling selection

The flip-style foldable telephone market is full of glorious choices from Android OEMs like Motorola and Samsung. Tecno’s Phantom V Flip 2 comes remarkably near matching the standard of those far more established OEMs, and does so in what is simply a second-generation product.

The {hardware} aspect of the V Flip 2 is satisfactory, and the person expertise is fairly strong. I am not a fan of the 60Hz show refresh charge, which I discovered laborious to regulate to after a lot time utilizing 120Hz shows. As for the software program, it presents an honest quantity of customization, but it surely additionally feels considerably unrefined in comparison with the competitors. The lowly two years of Android OS updates is a big letdown.

At $700, I do not discover there to be a massively compelling purpose to choose the V Flip 2 over, say, a Motorola Razr flip telephone, which presents a cleaner Android expertise and a construct that is extra premium to carry within the hand. That being stated, I believe that with one other yr or two value of refinements, Tecno may genuinely have a winner on its hand.

This gadget was supplied to Pocket-lint by Tecno.

Tecno Phantom V Flip 2 5G