Chinese company Tecno launched its first-ever foldable at MWC 2023, with claims of a fold that is “almost invisible”.
But seeing the Phantom V Fold in person, it’s easy to see why. You can still see roughly where the internal 7.85-inch screen folds in half, but it’s much less noticeable than other book-style foldables.
The other big selling point of the device is its price. Starting at $1,099, it significantly undercuts rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Huawei Mate Xs 2.
However, although this figure is in US dollars, the Phantom V Fold will not come to Europe or North America. It will be India-exclusive (starting at ₹89,999) initially, before “other markets coming soon.” But Tecno only sells its hardware in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, and that doesn’t change here.
It’s a real shame, because it looks like a compelling device. This 7.85 2K internal display works in tandem with a 6.42-inch Full HD cover panel to deliver an excellent detailed viewing experience. Both are 120Hz AMOLED panels, while LTPO technology means the refresh rate can dynamically adjust between 10 and 120Hz depending on what you’re doing.
As you’d expect, cameras are a major focus. The Phantom V Fold has five in total, split between the front, back and interior of the device. This includes a 50Mp rear lens that Tecno describes as “Super Night”, with dedicated low-light modes for portraits and 4K video. It’s joined by a 50Mp telephoto (with 2x optical zoom) and 13Mp ultrawide.
You can use the powerful rear cameras to take selfies, using the cover screen as a large preview window. It also means you can clearly see what you look like when someone else takes a photo of you.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
But if you prefer to take selfies the more traditional way, there’s also a 16Mp lens above the cover screen. The 32Mp front camera inside is designed for video calling.
Power comes from the Dimensity 9000+, MediaTek’s flagship processor from last year. It’s supported by 12GB of RAM on both models, so performance should be excellent. Although you can choose between 256 and 512 GB of internal storage, there is no slot for microSD expansion.
Finding apps designed to work on both screens can be a challenge, but Tecno says more than 2,000 of them have been optimized for the Phantom V Fold. They include many of the world’s most popular apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp.
This is a key selling point of Tecno’s HiOS 13 Fold software, which is based on Android 13 and includes many folding-focused features. Picture-in-picture, parallel windows (two windows of the same app next to each other), and drag-and-drop all work well and feel really intuitive.
Although the phone is not sold in the West, Google Play Services are also fully supported. HiOS isn’t as smooth as “stock” Android, but seems to work better on foldables.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The black leather finish on display at MWC looks and feels great, although there’s also a white silicone leather option if you prefer. You also get dual stereo speakers and a fingerprint sensor built into the power button.
With a wide range of features and a very competitive price, the Tecno Phantom V Fold could be a force to be reckoned with among foldable phones. But until it arrives in Europe and North America, Samsung and others will continue to dominate.
