Tecno launches Phantom V Fold - the most ‘affordable’ folding phone in India to date

I will confess that Tecno is not a brand I have been tracking closely in recent times. And out of nowhere, they beat a lot of more popular brands to the market with a foldable phone in India. Yes, we did hear about them showcasing a foldable device at MWC 2023, but didn’t expect it to launch here so soon. But here it is, and we would like to share all the information we have about the device with you along with some product images and our hands-on inputs. [caption id=“attachment_12447772” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi[/caption] Tecno Phantom V Fold design and display This phone has a design similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold with a large squarish 7.85-inch foldable display on the inside and a 6.42-inch screen on the outside when the phone is folded. Both are 10-bit LTPO AMOLED displays with 120 Hz refresh rate and 1100 nits peak brightness. The outer screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and has a resolution of 2550 x 1080 pixels, while the one on the inside flaunts 2296 x 2000 pixels. [caption id=“attachment_12447792” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi[/caption] Typically foldable phones have a noticeable crease on the inside where the screen folds. Techno claims that they have kept the gap to a miniscule 0.11 mm. We can confirm that it wasn’t visible to the naked eye in the demo units. Both the displays looked sharp and bright with lively colour reproduction. One thing we noticed is that the hinges on this phone don’t let you partially fold this device like its Samsung counterpart. It does stay that way for a few seconds before opening up fully.   [caption id=“attachment_12447802” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi[/caption] Again, this observation was based on the demo units available at the launch event and remains to be seen if it works better in retail units. The back of the phone is made of recycled plastic waste, and actually feels great to touch and provides a good grip. The phone is 14.5 mm thick when shut, which is a bit too thick for my liking; yes, I know it’s a foldable phone, but still. However, it is less than 7 mm thick when open which is great. The Tecno Phantom V Fold weighs close to 300 grams, and feels that heavy in hand. [caption id=“attachment_12447822” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi[/caption] Tecno Phantom V Fold cameras, battery, specifications The phone is powered by a potent Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ SoC and comes with 12 GB RAM and 512 GB internal storage. It runs HiOS 13 Fold based on Android 13. Battery capacity stands at 5000 mAh and supports 45W wired fast charging that promises to charge the phone fully in under an hour. The phone flaunts five cameras; two at the front and three at the back. You get a 16MP and 32MP shooter respectively on top of each screen.   [caption id=“attachment_12447832” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi[/caption] The rear photography department consists of a 50MP primary camera, a 50MP telephoto camera for 2X optical zoom and a 13MP ultrawide camera with 120 degrees FOV and PDAF. Neither cameras have optical image stabilisation, something I was hoping to see on at least one of the 50MP cameras. We would like to reserve our opinion on the camera quality for the Phantom V Fold review as the lighting at the event wasn’t ideal to pass judgement. [caption id=“attachment_12447842” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi[/caption] Tecno Phantom V Fold price in India and offers This is where things get interesting. The Tecno Phantom V Fold is priced in India at Rs 88,888 with a one-year warranty. You can get it for an early bird price of Rs 77,777 on Amazon India starting today. That makes it the most affordable foldable phone in India at launch. And there are a bunch of pre-launch offers too. You can get a one-year extended warranty on the device if you book it soon enough. There are other bank offers and 24 months of interest-free EMI on different platforms to choose from. [caption id=“attachment_12447852” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi[/caption] Then there’s a one-time screen replacement option too, however, that is applicable only if you happen to damage the screen in the first six months from purchase. All said and done, the Phantom V Fold looks like an interesting option for those looking for a foldable large-screen phone south of a lakh Rupees. Whether it is worth the asking price is a question we will answer in our detailed review of the phone. But no matter what, this should be enough to start a price war in the foldable phones segment in India.