Our Verdict
If you’re looking for a smart-looking flip phone with some AI tricks but don’t want to break the bank, the TECNO PHANTOM V Flip2 might be the best option there is. It’s not ideal for hardcore mobile gamers, with slightly underwhelming performance, but solid cameras, a smooth OS, and rapid charging make it a great option for everyday users.
- Lovely form factor
- Much improved cover display
- Rapid charging
- Some fun AI features
- Not the best for gaming
- Hard to get in the US
- Not all AI features are winners
Almost a year after the release of its predecessor, the TECNO PHANTOM V Flip2 is here, and it’s learned a few lessons in those twelve months. The cover screen is bigger, brighter, and more usable, the crease isn’t as apparent when you’re using the thing, and the cameras are capable of higher-quality shots. That sounds like a pretty solid successor to me, but as we found out, there are still some areas for this affordable clamshell to improve on.
There’s also the small matter of a more congested marketplace. In the last year, we’ve seen the arrival of a new budget option, the Nubia Flip 5G, and a new flippable flagship, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6. With this in mind, it’s more important than ever for TECNO to stand out from the crowd and make a name for itself among the best flip phones on the market. Is it capable of that? Well, let’s get into it.
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Price and availability
Unfortunately, TECNO phones aren’t freely available in the US and Europe, with the brand concentrating on markets in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and others. It goes on sale in Africa first, later this month, with a retail price of the equivalent of around $699. If you opt to import one, you shouldn’t have a problem popping a SIM card in and using it as your daily driver, but you may have to pay a little more than the going rate due to import taxes and associated costs.
In terms of colorways, you can pick between Moondust Grey and Travertine Grey. We’ve got the Moondust Grey model with 8GB of RAM, though you can boost this to 16GB with an additional 8GB of virtual memory, and 256GB of storage.
Specs
Features and software
The TECNO PHANTOM V Flip 2 comes with the brand’s own HiOS skin of the Android 14 operating system. It’s pretty middle-of-the-road in terms of Android skins, lacking some of the style of Samsung’s One UI. However, it also isn’t as fiddly as Xiaomi’s HyperOS can be, so I’ve no real complaints. As someone who’s usually an Apple user, I can see the benefit of having a simplified UI for those who might not have spent as much time with the Android software.
I’m happy to report that there’s considerably less bloatware on the device than last year’s version, saving me that annoying experience of clearing a bunch of unwanted apps when first booting up the phone. There’s still a bit of bloat, but nowhere near as much as I was anticipating, and no Booking.com, so that’s a win in my book.
As not to be left behind by the swathe of smartphone brands jumping on the AI bandwagon, the V Flip2 and its foldable brethren come with some interesting AI features. The brand’s AI tools aren’t quite as all-encompassing as Apple Intelligence or Galaxy AI, but it’s a solid start, and if anything, it might feel a little less intimidating to those who haven’t had much experience with AI.
First of all, there’s Ella, TECNO’s AI assistant. It’s a pretty useful bit of tech, with easy voice activation and multiple uses. I asked it to open Marvel Snap, explain the fall of the Berlin Wall, and give me the weather forecast for where I live, and it had no problem with any of it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to offer live information, as it wouldn’t tell me who the Premier League’s top scorer is at the time of writing, and on asking for the latest UK news headlines, I got some peculiar results, but outside of that, it’s a useful feature.
Then there’s Magic AI Eraser, TECNO’s version of Pixel’s Magic Eraser tool. It’s not quite as effective as Google’s AI software but works well if you’re trying to remove something small from an image or a passerby slightly out of shot. It just struggles with bigger objects or those that are the focus of an image. If it’s just the subject of the photo you want to use, there’s the option to long-press an image to turn the subject into a sticker, which is a lot of fun if, like me, you like to turn your friends into reaction memes.
Outside of those tools, there are another couple of AI features, but I’m not as sold on them. There’s AI Pattern, which turns a vague sketch into a fully-formed idea in a variety of styles, and AIGC Portrait, which transforms a portrait image into something entirely different with even more available style prompts. In my view, both are a little heavy-handed, and the results are mixed at best. It shows a level of ambition from TECNO, and I’m not the target demographic for these particular features, but there’s room for improvement there.
I can’t move on from this section without mentioning CutePets 2.0. As the name suggests, this returning feature from the original V Flip gives you a Nintendogs-like digital pet for your home and lock screen, with the option to pick between a hamster, alpaca, rabbit, hawk, and others. I opted for the hawk, and while it is a bit of a gimmicky feature, I’m now, for some reason, quite attached to my flying friend, and I spend longer than I should checking in on him.
Design
As is the case with most TECNO phones I’ve got my hands on, the PHANTOM V Flip2 is a snazzy-looking device. It’s nice and lightweight at 196g, just a touch heavier than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, and has a comfortable form factor both folded and unfolded.
One of the best things about the V Flip2’s design is that it’s happy to half-fold at any angle between 30-150 degrees. This is ideal for both streaming if you’re happy using just the top half of the display for your content, plus photography, as you can find the perfect angle for the shot you want to take, pop on the auto-timer, and jump in the frame. There’s no need to spend time trying to prop it up. Just fold it to the angle you’re happy with, and you’re good to go. That saves me from having to ask a stranger to take a picture for me, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that.
The only quibble I have with the V Flip2’s design is that it feels a touch too long and a bit too thin when gaming. This isn’t a problem unique to the TECNO, with Samsung and Nubia both offering similarly tall phones that make playing titles like Honkai Star Rail or PUBG Mobile feel like you’re getting a bit too much width when tilting your phone on its side. Still, I forget that phones are primarily for communication, and the long screen makes for better messaging, fitting more information on the display, and video calls.
Display
The TECNO PHANTOM V Flip2 boasts a glow-up for both the phone’s main display and cover display compared to the original. Let’s start with the foldable main display. One of our main complaints surrounding last year’s V Flip was the all-too-obvious crease in the middle of the screen. I’m glad to report that while it’s still noticeable at certain angles, as with other flip phones, it’s much less noticeable than it once was.
Outside of a less apparent crease, this 6.9-inch 120Hz AMOLED display is fantastic for streaming and everyday use, offering a level of visual quality you’d expect from something much more expensive than the FlipV2’s asking price. The bezels are a little chunky but not quite as in your face as the Google Pixel 8a’s, and they don’t feel like they’re imposing on the screen. The screen is nice and bright, too, with 2160Hz PWM dimming available if you want to avoid tired eyes.
While the main display is an improvement on last year’s V Flip, the new cover 3.64-inch AMOLED display is the star of the show. It’s more usable than last year, with a square design rather than a circle, and support for up to 2,000 apps, including some decent pre-installed minigames such as Sudoku and 2048. Like the main display, the cover screen is nice and vibrant, and I’ve taken to using it more often than I’d anticipated. This thing might make me a clamshell convert yet.
Cameras
The V Flip2’s camera setup consists of a 50MP main lens and 50MP ultra-wide on the front, with a 32MP selfie camera on the main display. The selfie camera is a little redundant in theory, as it’s easier to take selfies with the phone folded using the front cameras thanks to the cover screen preview. However, it’s capable of high-quality selfies that are more than worthy of your social media channels. When I tried the Nubia Flip 5G’s selfie camera, I found the results were pretty lifeless, but the Flip2’s front-facing lens is much more up to the job.
In terms of the 50MP main lens and 50MP ultrawide cameras, they’re not the best I’ve ever used but are an improvement on last year. As ever, I’ve used my beloved pup Floyd as a test subject for the main camera, and the V Flip2 does a pretty solid job.
You don’t get quite as much definition as you might get with a more expensive flagship, like the Xiaomi 14 or Honor Magic6 Pro, but the images are clear and the portrait mode’s bokeh effect does a grand job of isolating the subject from the fuzzy background. Low-light images are also pretty decent, and a marked improvement on what we saw from the original V Flip thanks to some new software and lens tech.
Performance
In terms of day-to-day performance, this thing has you covered, with no issues browsing the web, texting and calling, or using the funky AI features. It’s a smooth experience, and I’m seriously considering using this thing as my daily driver going forward. There is one pretty significant caveat, though.
The gaming performance on the V Flip2 isn’t quite as smooth as I’d like. This isn’t a massive surprise considering the thing’s MediaTek Dimensity 8020 chipset isn’t exactly optimized for gaming, but it’s still a little disappointing.
While you won’t have a problem with casual games like Candy Crush or Monopoly Go, and it’s competent enough to handle Marvel Snap, it struggles a little with your more demanding titles like Zenless Zone Zero or Diablo Immortal. It can run the latter, but you’ll need to turn down the settings to at least medium if you want to avoid lag, and even then it can be a little ropey.
In terms of temperature, after playing a good bit of Honkai Star Rail for an hour or so, the cover display top half of the device got a little toasty, but not nearly as hot as other phones I’ve tested. Weirdly, though I’m not complaining, the bottom half of the device didn’t seem to heat it up at all. Either way, while it’s not as nifty as a performer as other clamshell devices, it does an impressive job of keeping cool even during prolonged gaming sessions.
Battery
While the V Flip2’s performance might not be anything to write home about, the 4,720mAh battery is pretty impressive. I managed to get through around a day and a half of relatively frequent use until it was time to charge. Gaming and streaming video content drains the phone a little faster, averaging around 14% an hour in my testing, but that means even a five-hour gaming session would give you a little wiggle room for texting and calls before running out of juice.
As I’ve come to expect from a TECNO device, the V Flip2 charges in almost no time at all thanks to its 70W charging capabilities. I got a full charge in just under 45 minutes, which, while not quite as fast as this year’s Xiaomi and OnePlus flagships, is a pretty impressive time.
If you’re no mathematician, that equates to a 50% charge in just over 20 minutes. So, even if, like me, you forget to charge your phone until you’re almost ready to leave the house, you’re still getting a solid boost. This doesn’t quite match up to TECNO’s numbers, with the brand claiming a 50% charge in 15 minutes, but it’s not far off.
Should you buy the TECNO PHANTOM V Flip2?
If you’re looking for a rapid charging, sleek-looking device with some fun AI features and a gorgeous display, the TECNO PHANTOM V Flip2 ticks all those boxes. It’s not perfect; no clamshell flip phone is yet, but it shows that the brand is listening to feedback and has honed in on improving some of the flaws of the original V Flip. Considering the price, it’s probably the best option for under $700.
There are a couple of caveats to the V Flip2, though. For one, it’s not the best device for gaming, with a slightly subpar chipset for games that require significant processing power. Secondly, not all of the AI features are quite there yet, with AIGC Portrait and AI Pattern still a little unconvincing. Outside of that, there isn’t much to complain about here for how much you’re spending.
Alternatives
If you don’t have the option to import the TECNO PHANTOM V Flip 2, or we haven’t sold you on the clamshell device, check out some alternatives below.
Nubia Flip 5G
The Nubia Flip 5G is a cheap and cheerful option for someone who wants a flip phone without breaking the bank. The cameras are nowhere near as impressive as the TECNO, and the gaming performance really isn’t there for anything much more demanding than Candy Crush. Still, it’s got a lovely ergonomic design and is as rapid a charger as any other flip phone out there. For the full lowdown, see our Nubia Flip 5G review.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
The Samsung Z Flip 6 is the obvious alternative to the V Flip2, with a similar form factor and eye-catching display. Of course, it’s a lot more expensive, but for that added price, you’re getting something better equipped for gaming and access to the Samsung ecosystem. Whether you think it’s worth it is up to you.