TECNO is slated to launch the Phantom V Flip – their first clamshell-style flip smartphone that joins the Phantom V Fold launched early this year in the foldable format for TECNO.
They are also working on a rollable smartphone as well which they are calling Phantom Ultimate.
The company has now opened preorders for the flip smartphone which will soon join the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 and OPPO Find N2 Flip in the country.
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The V Flip has a 6.9″ LTPO OLED(1080p) screen spotting 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10 support and 360Hz touch sampling rate – it has a factory-supplied plastic film. For brightness, the flip has 800 nits at peak. For comparison, the Find N2 Flip and the Galaxy Z Flip sport 1040 and 1100 nits respectively.
Like its rivals, the flip has a zero-gap hinge and closes completely. However, it doesn’t open flat when unfolded, making the crease visible on the screen. The hinge can support the phone from 30 degrees to 150 degrees when opened.
The outside display is a circle screen that TECNO calls Planet Cover screen. It is a 1.32″ AMOLED screen with the main lenses covering its ring. While the main screen has Always-on-display, the cover screen lacks that feature. It does let you access quick settings toggles and clock widget with interactive pets.
The cover screen also lets you access widgets like the timer, weather, alarm, voice recorder, stopwatch, camera, fitness rings, music controls and schedule.
Like other foldables, you can use the V Flip’s cover screen for previews when shooting hands-free pictures using the main rear camera setup.
The Phantom V Flip runs on MediaTek’s Dimensity 8050 processor, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. It ships with Android 13 and HiOS 13.5 straight out of the box.
At the back surrounding the cover screen is the camera setup led by a primary 64MP camera that ships with an RGBW sensor with a secondary 13MP ultrawide lens. Sadly, there’s no OIS on the primary setup.
For selfies, we have a 32MP front-facing camera.
Video recording is capped at 4K 30fps while selfie videos are capped at 2k 30fps and 1080p 60fps. Ultra-steady modes let you shoot videos at 1080p 30fps.
The Phantom V Flip is powered by a 4500mAh battery that supports 45W wired fast charging.
The Flip’s back has an Eco-leather texture with a lychee pattern with the sides being polished aluminium and the hinge being made of steel.
Colour options include Iconic Black and Mystic Dawn(purple shade).
Other features include dual microphones, stereo speakers, side-mounted fingerprint reader.
There’s a nice case included in the box when buying the phone that comes with a ring holder fit for carrying the phone on your index finger. There’s no IP rating on the V Flip.
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Pre-order, Pricing and Launch Date Details
Pricing is expected to start from around $600 so it’s more affordable in comparison to other flip smartphones. We’ll update you with local pricing when it launches.
You can pre-order the Phantom V Flip at authorized Safaricom and TECNO-exclusive stores in select towns across the country. To reserve your unit, you deposit at least Ksh 5000 and TECNO adds preorder gifts including a Sandstorm bag and a sling bag.
The preorder period is now open and will run until 9th November which will likely be the launch date.
