Foldable smartphones have gone mainstream in the country. The just-launched TECNO Phantom V Flip joins the OPPO Find N2 Flip and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 in the country to bring some competition in the clamshell-style foldable space.
The Phantom V Flip is TECNO’s second foldable in the country sitting next to its book-style foldable – the Phantom V Fold which launched early this year.
The V Flip’s box comes with a 45W wall charger, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, two back cases with a ring to hold the phone and paperwork.
TECNO gets its good points here by being generous with what you get in the box and the accessories so you don’t have to go buy after purchasing the phone.
The V Flip comes in weighing 194g with TECNO opting for an eco-leather back. It also has an aluminium frame. While the V Flip isn’t rated for ingress protection, the hinge closes completely with zero gap which prevents any sand/dust from getting inside.
The Phantom V Flip has a 6.9-inch AMOLED screen with 1080 by 2640 pixel resolution which gives it a slight edge. It has 1000 nits brightness and 120Hz refresh rate.
The V Flip’s cover screen sits at 1.32 inches with a 466 by 1466 pixel resolution at 800 nits peak brightness. TECNO is calling it the Planet Cover screen. 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.
You can use the V Flip’s cover screen for previews when shooting hands-free pictures using the main rear camera setup.
While the V Flip’s inner screen can close completely, 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.
Colour options for the V Flip include Iconic Black and Mystic Dawn(purple shade)
The V Flip comes with dual microphones, stereo speakers, side-mounted fingerprint reader.
The V Flip has a Dimensity 8050 processor with 16GB of RAM(8GB onboard and 8GB virtual) and 256GB of onboard storage. It ships with Android 13 and HiOS 13.5 straight out of the box.
The V Flip has its camera setup led by a primary 64MP camera that ships with an RGBW sensor with a secondary 13MP ultrawide lens.
We get a 32MP front-facing camera for selfies. 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 goes for Ksh 95,000 and is available at authorized Safaricom and TECNO-exclusive stores in select towns across the country.
