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If you have not heard of TECNO, then you definitely’re lacking out. The corporate nails affordability in nearly each smartphone class, with a big deal with rising markets. The brand new TECNO Phantom V Flip 2 actually hits the mark on some key factors, bringing a foldable to markets the place customers could not be capable to spend over $1000 on the likes of a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
The Phantom V Flip 2 is a neatly designed telephone that sits comfortably within the midrange foldable class, providing well-rounded specs, a design that makes the telephone look way more premium than it’s, surprisingly good cameras, and a price ticket that you just will not should suppose twice about. TECNO achieves this whereas seemingly pulling some inspiration from some higher-end flip telephones, including a splash of AI into the combo for good measure.
TECNO Phantom V Flip 2: Worth & availability
The TECNO Phantom V Flip 2 was introduced on September 13 and can go on sale on September 23 in numerous areas, together with Africa, Southeast Asia, the Center East, Latin America, and extra. The telephone will probably be accessible in a single configuration and retail for round $699 USD, though the worth will fluctuate by nation. It must also be famous that telephones is not going to be launched in america.
The telephone is on the market in two colorways: Travertine Inexperienced and Moondust Gray.
| Class | TECNO Phantom V Flip 2 |
|---|---|
| OS | Android 14 (Hello OS) |
| Show (inner) | 6.9-inch, AMOLED, FHD+ (2640 x 1080), 120Hz LTPO |
| Row 2 – Cell 0 | 1000 nit peak, 2160 PWM dimming |
| Show (exterior) | 3.6-inch, OLED |
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 8020 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB |
| Cameras | 50MP large, 50MP ultrawide, 32MP selfie |
| Audio | Stereo audio system, Dolby Atmos |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC |
| Safety | Fingerprint sensor, Face unlock |
| Safety | Gorilla Class |
| Battery | 4720mAh, 70W wired charging |
| Dimensions (open) | 73.4 x 178.8 x 7.6mm |
| Dimensions (closed) | 73.4 x 87.8 x 16mm |
| Weight | 196g |
| Colours | Travertine Inexperienced, Moondust Gray |
TECNO Phantom V Flip 2: What I like
Instantly when first getting my palms on this telephone, I used to be stunned by the design. The telephone will not be a premium or flagship gadget, nevertheless it’s actually designed to seem like one. The entrance cowl panel is all black, which is accented with a gold body and gold rims across the digicam sensors. It is a bit shiny, which I am not a fan of because it picks up fingerprint sensors extra, nevertheless it appears very good.
Moreover, the again panel of my Travertine Inexperienced colorway appears nearly like Jade and provides the telephone a really elegant look, particularly with the “Designed by PHANTOM” engraving. Total, I am fairly impressed with the design of the telephone, which options curves on each panels and makes the telephone fairly snug to carry. Curiously, the telephone is a bit heavier than another flip telephones in and even above its value level, such because the Motorola Razr 2024, nevertheless it’s not the heaviest, and I am inclined to provide it a move, given its giant battery (extra on that later).
In the event you open the telephone up, you are met with a 6.9-inch OLED show. With a 120Hz refresh price and full HD+ decision, I’ve no complaints about it. Shade copy is nice and even the crease is pretty minimal, though it does not really feel significantly clean when operating your finger throughout it. Regardless of that, the hinge feels sturdy and holds the telephone fairly effectively it is open at numerous angles.
One factor I used to be pleasantly shocked by is the digicam high quality. The telephone has two 50MP cameras for large and ultrawide pictures, and each churn our surprisingly first rate photos. Colours are sometimes well-balanced and never too boring or saturated, though typically it might probably punch issues up a bit greater than I would like, relying on the scene. Low-light is managed pretty effectively.
That stated, I might describe photos from this telephone like a portray by Claude Monet; as they’re on the telephone, they give the impression of being nice. Nonetheless, issues form of begin to unravel slightly whenever you zoom in on a picture, as you will see that issues begin to get a bit muddy and noisy, however the impact is not horrible, and it actually is not the case with each picture. That stated, general, I am fairly happy with the pictures from the Phantom V Flip 2.
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The telephone additionally handles darker pores and skin tones effectively, which I admire as a melanin-rich particular person. Bokeh feels fairly pure when in portrait mode, and the telephone comes with numerous imaging options like DV mode, which emulates a camcorder and even has numerous video filters and results to make your video look extra stylized. And whereas you should use the rear cameras for selfies with the duvet display, the telephone additionally comes with an inner flash unit for anybody wanting to make use of the entrance 32MP digicam.
Video caps out at 4K 30fps, which is completely effective. Movies look crisp and there is first rate stabilization, however it’s also possible to kick issues up a notch with the video enhancement characteristic, which brightens darker areas and punches up the colours.
TECNO Phantom V Flip 2: Cowl display
The duvet display expertise is far totally different from that of the unique Phantom V Flip. As a substitute of a round show that was principally good for notifications, time, and a few restricted interactions, the sq. 3.6-inch OLED takes after the Motorola Razr 2024 and the Razr Plus 2023 earlier than it, however with a special tackle the app expertise.
Not like Motorola’s telephones, the cameras are stacked vertically on the show, altering how the software program is introduced. More often than not, you will work together with the whole lot to the left of the cameras, such because the time, shortcuts, notifications, and extra. With most issues, the part above the cameras will probably be reserved for the time and different standing bar icons.
The result’s an expertise that is slightly extra harking back to the OPPO Discover N3 Flip, which contains a vertical show on one facet of the duvet panel. Nonetheless, the added display actual property makes it a bit extra helpful.
Surprisingly, TECNO makes cowl display apps simply accessible when establishing the exterior show. This is not too widespread with flip telephones, and Motorola might be the one one that allows you to entry almost any app from the duvet display out of the field. That is sadly not the case with the TECNO Phantom V Flip 2, however you continue to get an honest number of suitable apps, resembling Google Messages, YouTube/YouTube Music, Instagram, and extra.
As a result of your most important space of interplay is restricted to the world of the show left of the cameras, apps seem roughly as they usually would with the vertical presentation however smaller and barely wider. The draw back is that since not all apps are supported on the duvet display, you may be prompted to open the telephone for those who faucet a notification from an unsupported app on the duvet display.
There’s additionally some continuity with the supported apps when switching from the duvet display to the principle display, as it should open straight to the place you have been within the app. It does not work as easily when going from the principle show to the duvet display; for instance, I will have a video open on Instagram and shut the telephone. I will then should navigate to Instagram and manually open it to return to the place I used to be. This differs from the Razr, which is able to robotically open the app or ask on your permission.
Customization is pretty restricted, however you do get the choice to create AI wallpapers for the duvet display, and you’ll set shortcuts to your favourite apps on the principle web page.
Sadly, issues get slightly complicated in relation to navigation. Oddly, swiping proper on the duvet display will not do something however change between cowl display wallpapers that you have arrange, which is a bizarre approach to implement this perform. Swiping left will current you with the AI Wallpaper Generator and NFC Tag reader, whereas swiping down will deliver up notifications from the fast settings menu, relying on the facet of the show you swipe from.
To entry your apps, you swipe up from the duvet display after which swipe left or proper to entry extra. Nonetheless, from right here, there does not appear to be a approach to get again to the principle cowl display house web page except you lock and unlock the telephone once more, which appears unintuitive.
Lastly, when you’ve got notifications, I discovered them to be considerably unreliable from the duvet display, which is able to typically present them briefly till they disappear and I find yourself having to open the telephone to see my notifications.
Total, I am fairly combined on the duvet display expertise, which to me, is a very powerful a part of a flip telephone, however a lot of this may very well be addressed with software program tweaks if TECNO was inclined to rejig its UI.
TECNO Phantom V Flip 2: What may use some work
The TECNO Phantom V Flip 2 is a ravishing telephone with a premium-looking design, however that does not essentially translate to the way it feels. It is snug to carry in hand, however the again panel feels fairly low-cost, like arduous plastic. For a telephone at this value level, this isn’t too shocking, nevertheless it’s value mentioning so you are not fooled by its beauty.
Whereas the show is a lot seen indoors, additionally it is not exceptionally brilliant, so you could have some hassle open air, particularly in direct daylight.
The TECNO Phantom V Flip 2 has one of many largest batteries in a flip telephone, however I would not understand it from my expertise with the telephone. Mileage could fluctuate, however the telephone does not appear to final all day as claimed, and I will get about six hours of screen-on time at most.
Happily, the charging pace helps, as it is also among the many quickest within the class. The 70W charger can prime up the telephone pretty shortly, getting you to 50% in simply quarter-hour or 100% in lower than an hour. In truth, it is shocking how shortly the telephone will cost up, with it reaching 20% in simply 5 minutes. It form of makes up for the battery life, however I nonetheless want that have been higher. There’s additionally no wi-fi charging, which is form of a bummer however not a dealbreaker.
Total efficiency is okay, due to the MediaTek Dimensity 8020 chip, which is pretty middle-of-the-road. It will not win any efficiency awards, although, and I do discover that the telephone will get fairly sizzling within the prime half, even when I have never actually been utilizing it. It appears there could also be some thermal administration points, and I’m wondering if my battery life woes are associated.
Gaming is not significantly robust, with the telephone defaulting to medium settings on video games like Honkai: Star Rail. It performs effective at these settings, however the telephone could get fairly heat for those who play for lengthy durations of time. Video games will nonetheless carry out okay for those who bump issues as much as the very best settings, however there will probably be some choppiness.
The general software program expertise is… first rate, and TECNO has some attention-grabbing options that really feel helpful however will not be totally fleshed out. The Dynamic Port, for instance, is a duplicate of Apple’s Dynamic Island however a lot much less purposeful. There’s additionally a Share Hub that allows you to drag photos and different content material into a short lived space for storing and drop them into different apps. It is cool, and it jogs my memory of Motorola’s Share Hub, however I wish to see this expanded to incorporate sharing content material throughout units like a PC.
To my dismay, there isn’t any choice for Google Uncover on the house display, and also you’re as an alternative left with TECNO’s Zero Display, which might show your steps, RAM, app utilization, and few different issues. That stated, I do not discover it significantly helpful.Â
Total, the software program, whereas effective, is usually a little complicated, and it could be troublesome to seek out the options you wish to use for those who’re not aware of TECNO’s taste of Android.
TECNO’s AI choices on the Phantom V Flip 2 are a little bit of a combined bag. Some options work pretty effectively, such because the AI translations for texts and the AI artboard for producing photos, and even the AI wallpapers are fairly cool. There’s additionally an Picture Clipper-like characteristic that cuts topics out of photos and allows you to drag them into the Good Hub to drop them elsewhere.
There’s additionally Ella, TECNO’s home-grown sensible assistant that allows you to management features on the telephone and carry out different AI-related actions. It might do issues like present recommendations on holidays, provide help to draft responses, and carry out different features. Nonetheless, I discover Ella’s voice a bit too robotic, which is usually a bit off-putting when it is offering lengthy solutions to questions. I additionally do not discover Ella to be fairly as helpful as I would really like, however now that it is built-in with Gemini, I can see that there is loads of alternative to develop.
Different AI features like AI writing work okay however really feel equally restricted. The Magic AI Eraser does not appear to do an excellent job with eradicating object, usually leaving loads of artifacts of their place.
Happily, for those who’re not a fan of TECNO’s in-house AI, you continue to have the choice to make use of Google’s options as an alternative, such because the Gemini app, Magic Eraser, Magic Editor, and extra. That is the beauty of choices: Android provides you a lot.
Lastly, it is value noting that whereas this telephone is not made for the U.S. market, it should nonetheless work on the networks, however it’s possible you’ll discover that compatibility could also be considerably restricted. I used the TECNO Phantom V Flip 2 on T-Cell, however the telephone solely supported among the community’s bands. That stated, I used to be nonetheless capable of get 5G protection more often than not, with the telephone often displaying 4G+ in sure areas. It did not trouble me, and speeds did not appear to undergo a lot, however it’s value nothing for those who plan to someway decide this telephone up within the U.S.
TECNO Phantom V Flip 2: Competitors
Relating to reasonably priced flip telephones, there are just a few within the world market that you may contemplate, together with these from Motorola and Nubia.
The Razr 2024, recognized globally because the Razr 50, might be among the finest flip telephones you should buy. It has an equally giant cowl display and is designed with vegan leather-based, which feels snug in hand. It additionally has nice efficiency, battery life, and wi-fi charging. At $699 USD, it prices roughly the identical because the Phantom V Flip 2, relying in the marketplace. That stated, the cameras aren’t too nice, and Motorola has but to launch a lot of its teased AI options.
The Nubia Flip 5G is among the least expensive flip telephones you should buy, which is already fairly engaging. Even at its low value level, you continue to get first rate efficiency and a well-designed telephone with 50MP digicam and minimal show crease. Sadly, you’ll have to cope with loads of bloatware and outdated software program, plus a a lot smaller cowl display that is actually solely good for notifications and selfies.
TECNO Phantom V Flip 2: Do you have to purchase it?
You can purchase this if…
- You are searching for an reasonably priced flip telephone.
- You desire a telephone with digicam.
- You need to have the ability to use apps on the duvet display.
You should not purchase this if…
- You desire a telephone with good battery life.
- Wi-fi charging is a should for you.
- You reside in america.
TECNO is a shocking model, as a result of it manages to launch comparatively good telephones at a fraction of the price of comparable units. Whereas firms like Samsung and Honor are targeted on the high-end, premium market, TECNO makes telephones for the remainder of the world that will not be capable to get there palms on such units.
The TECNO Phantom V Flip 2 is such a tool, and I am happy with what the corporate has developed. Certain, it isn’t excellent, and among the software program/AI may use some fine-tuning, however the truth that TECNO is making such a well-made foldable at an reasonably priced value level is commendable. No matter shortcomings the telephone has can and ought to be missed when the main focus right here is extra on accessibility in often-overlooked markets than attaining excessive revenue margins.
It is clear that this is not meant to be one of the best flip telephone in the marketplace, however it could be one of the best reasonably priced flip telephone within the markets that matter.
A hidden gem
The TECNO Phantom V Flip 2 is a surprisingly good flip telephone at an reasonably priced value, with an excellent design, an expansive cowl display, and an honest set of cameras. You may as well reap the benefits of Google and TECNO AI to boost your productiveness and creativity.
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derrek.lee@futurenet.com (Derrek Lee)
2024-09-13 08:00:44
Source hyperlink:https://www.androidcentral.com/telephones/tecno-phanton-v-flip-2-review