Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 proves you don’t have to break the bank to own a book-style foldable smartphone.
Over the past few years, I have had my hands on nearly every foldable smartphone, including prototypes that may never see a market release. Foldables excite me — both as a consumer and someone who writes about tech for a living.
However, my biggest concern has always been how inaccessible they are to average consumers, catering only to geeks or enthusiasts. I’ve often wondered who would be the first to make foldable phones, especially those that morph into a tablet, accessible enough for the mainstream market.
To my surprise, it’s Tecno (I never thought it would be this brand) that has brought the book-style foldable smartphone to a broader audience.
I’ve been using the Phantom V Fold 2 for a month, and it has made me think a lot about how a brand managed to create an affordable alternative to foldables that easily cost over one and a half lakh.
Now that I have spent considerable time with this device, I am in a better position to answer some key questions:
Are foldables practical as daily drivers? Do foldables justify their exorbitant price tags? Are the compromises compared to “regular” smartphones that make them less desirable? Here is my review.
Not The Thinnest Or Lightest Foldable But A Gorgeous Design Nonetheless
Tecno designed the V Fold 2 using the same design template as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (and there’s nothing wrong with that, unlike the OnePlus Open or the Google Pixel Fold, which are more compact).
I don’t have much to say about the looks (yes, it looks high-end, has a Hulk-like build, very masculine, and is on par with more expensive foldables, so the aesthetics and design are fantastic). I’m still scratching my head at how Tecno managed to design this foldable at such a price. However, for me, what’s more important is how it feels to use.
The phone feels sturdy and doesn’t require additional force to open. I couldn’t open it with one hand, as it takes a little more effort; essentially, it’s designed to be used with two hands. When closed, it feels slightly denser than a normal phone.
When unfolded, it feels like a lighter version of a regular tablet. There’s no way the device is difficult to hold or carry in a pocket or bag. In fact, it feels pretty light in my hand when folded. It weighs 249 grams (the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 comes in at 239 grams, and the Honor Magic V3 at 226 grams), while the Google Pixel Fold feels heavier at 258 grams. It also comes closer in thickness to other foldables.
Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 review The case comes with a stand, which can be adjusted to any angle for comfortable viewing. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The phone’s frame is made of aluminum, while the hinge is crafted from aerospace-grade, high-strength material, rated for 400,000 folds. There’s no gap inside, which means a neater fit in your pocket.
When fully opened, the hinge is virtually invisible, resulting in a seamless viewing experience. Like other foldables, there’s a slight crease in the middle of the panel, where the hinge meets. It may look a little jarring at first, but I have no crease anxiety, and it quickly becomes unnoticeable.
While I don’t particularly like the flat edges on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, it’s good to see that Tecno went with more rounded and curved edges on the Phantom V Fold 2.
It just feels right and makes it easier to hold. The camera sensors are housed in a rectangular module. The only other thing visible on the back is the Tecno logo, while the Phantom logo is prominently highlighted on the hinge.
The power and volume buttons are on the right, with the USB-C port at the bottom and the SIM slot at the top.
The Phantom V Fold 2 comes in more subdued Karst Green and Rippling Blue colours, which makes me wonder what the rationale is behind not experimenting with fun colours on ultra-high-end smartphones.
And it’s not just Tecno—every foldable on the market lacks splashy, vibrant colours. The device also has a durability rating of IP54 for water resistance, and as with most foldables, it lacks a dust ingress rating due to the hinge.
Switching from the iPhone 16 Pro to the Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 wasn’t a completely different experience (and I will tell you why, but more on that later). As I mentioned earlier, I am familiar with foldable phones and have used all types of form factors.
That does help, sure, but foldables have been available on the market for many years, and the experience using them has improved, closely mimicking how slab-based smartphones feel. Honestly, the feeling that a foldable phone might break when the inner screen opens is gone, but I still have some concerns about the long-term usage of foldables.
I think this might take years to fully sink in. For example, when I open the Phantom V Fold 2, I still hear the crackling sound each time. I think this is not unusual with foldables, and you better live with it.
Two Screens, Double Fun
One reason why I like foldables so much is that the form factor allows for two screens, with each screen tuned for a different purpose. On the Phantom V Fold 2, there are two screens.
The first is a cover screen, an external display measuring 6.42 inches diagonally. It’s an LTPO AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. This was the main screen for me and how I used the device. In fact, I used the cover screen more than the inner screen.
The good thing about the cover screen is that it works just like a regular phone touchscreen, so I didn’t have to adapt to a different screen or interface. Everything felt familiar. Typing on the external screen felt more natural when using two hands rather than one.
The cover screen works perfectly fine for all the phone tasks I need a smartphone for, and if you need more screen real estate—well, you just open it up. The 7.85-inch AMOLED main screen is fantastic for consuming content.
The screen was a joy to look at, though the bezels are a little thinner than I would like to see. I did everything I could possibly do—streamed Dune: Prophecy, fired up the Kindle app to read eBooks, and even edited a copy.
Sure, the inner screen on the Phantom V Fold 2 isn’t quite on the same level as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, but I admit there’s something special about the ridiculously big 7.85-inch screen.
In fact, typing on the large screen was also so much more comfortable using the split keyboard, and I realised this a lot later. Games, too, appeared insanely good on the Phantom V Fold 2’s inner screen.
Adding to the terrific displays is the optional stylus which is supported natively. Tecno did not send the stylus with the review unit, so I did not try it, but it’s a good addition.
Snappy Performance But I Expected More, Excellent Battery Life
The Phantom V Fold 2 ships with a MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chipset, which is a two-year-old processor, coupled with 12GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. For most tasks, this isn’t a problem — the Dimensity provides good performance and equally good power efficiency.
However, for the longer term, I am not sure if the processor will be able to support the increasing demands, especially as apps start to take advantage of AI and AI models run on the device.
That said, the performance on this phone is still not bad. I didn’t notice any real slowdown during my testing. The limited software updates are another issue with this device. Tecno promises only two Android operating system updates and three years of security patches.
The phone already runs a dated Android 14-based operating system, which means you will only get updates up to Android 16. It’s clear that Tecno has its work cut out to keep costs in check, and that’s likely why the phone costs less than the competition.
Battery life was never a major concern for me during the multiple weeks I tested the device. I was able to easily get through a full day of use, though I must admit this device is not a two-day phone. Its 5,750mAh battery is much bigger than what you get on other foldables, and that helps the phone last longer. It supports 70W fast charging and 15W fast wireless charging.
Smooth Multitasking And Clever Modifications To The Interface
The Phantom V Fold 2 shines in how Tecno has made changes to the interface from a productivity perspective. While it may be running Android 14-based HiOS 14.5, I was impressed by how easy it was to multitask on this phone.
I have never experienced UI issues going from the cover display to the internal display. Apps opened on the cover screen (for example, Gmail) can also be opened on the main screen in continuation, and each time, it worked.
Running apps side-by-side is as easy as dragging an icon from the dedicated home bar at the bottom to the side of the screen you would like. It’s good to see that Tecno has added floating windows, meaning you can float windows by dragging the icons into the middle or save app pairs for even quicker access later.
I also like the dedicated “all apps” button on the bottom right, which means you never have to swipe home as long as you’re using the big display. Another interesting feature is that recently opened apps appear as thumbnails on the bar instead of just icons.
This makes multitasking easy, and I can see the effort has been made to make the large screen more useful.
After using the Phantom V Fold 2, I can say with confidence that having two apps running side by side makes the phone much more productive, and this is where a foldable phone and its large screen truly shine.
This isn’t possible on a regular phone. On the Phantom V Fold 2, however, there is much more screen area to be productive. Just think about going through a presentation or an MS Excel document on the V Fold 2 versus on your regular smartphone, and you will immediately notice the difference.
Tecno has also added a bunch of AI features, and there are so many of them that it’s hard to remember them all.
You’ll find Circle to Search, AI-powered wallpaper generation (similar to what you get on Samsung Galaxy smartphones), AI-powered editing tools, and the ChatGPT-powered Ella assistant, which I found not only a bit slow but also inaccurate with its results.
AI (Generative AI) is highly publicised on smartphones, but I feel most of the features make no real sense, and I bet nobody really wants to use them either.
Not A Flagship-Grade Camera System
The camera on the Phantom V Fold 2 is far from what you get on a flagship smartphone. It features a total of three 50-megapixel cameras: a primary camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 50-megapixel portrait camera with 2x optical zoom, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide-angle sensor.
On the front, there are 32-megapixel selfie shooters on both the cover screen and the folding display.
The phone takes okay shots in the right conditions, with plenty of detail in most of the plant shots I took. The bad news, however, is that the camera can’t keep up with the iPhone 16 and other flagship smartphones.
It didn’t perform as well in low light, with shots I took being blurry in places. I would place the Phantom V Fold 2 in the category of average cameras, so keep your expectations in check.
Should You Buy The Phantom V Fold 2?
For me, though, it really comes down to having a tablet I can fold in half and carry in my pocket. What really works in favour of the Phantom V Fold 2 is that it is a genuinely interesting foldable smartphone, offering greater value than having both a “regular” phone and a tablet, because you always have it with you.
The Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 may not have the best processor or camera, but it does manage to make a book-style foldable smartphone accessible. And that’s what really clicks with the Tecno Phantom V Fold 2.
