We’re live at MWC 2023, covering all the latest in mobile technology as the world’s greatest brands gather in Barcelona. In another big day of news, we’ve got the latest on the launch event for the Tecno Phantom V Fold, the upcoming foldable phone from the Chinese tech newbie.
It’s a double debut for the tech brand at MWC 2023, with the convention marking its first appearance and the launch of its first foldable device, the Tecno Phantom V Fold. With a 7.85-inch screen unfolded, a state-of-the-art mechanism that minimises that annoying crease between screens, and five lenses for top-quality photography, it’s certainly capable of keeping up with other big names on tech specs alone.
Our reporter Ben is at MWC 2023 and got an early hands-on with the Tecno Phantom V Fold. Its hinge is nice and slim, feels sturdy enough, and folds completely flat by the looks of it. It has a textured back cover which may be odd for some, with a vaguely leathery feel. The width is still a bit bigger than we like, but it’s a little smaller than the average pack of playing cards.
The screen on the outside is impressive, though using it is still a bit of a struggle if you’re used to a non-foldable phone. On the inside is where the party starts, with a big 120Hz AMOLED screen. You can feel and see the crease, but no more than on Samsung’s competitor. Using the Tecno folded out still feels exciting — the gimmick hasn’t worn off.
The camera is just fine from our quick test — it did some quite strange smoothing to facial features — but we have to get more time to conclude. The main thing is, it’s still just another folding phone, not offering some innovative leap forward on the surface. It looks like the others, feels like the others, and is a solid offering from such a fresh brand.
Tecno announced the big launch during its panel at MWC 2023. Tecno General Manager Jack Quo told the audience, “in launching Phantom V Fold, our first foldable smartphone, during our very first appearance at MWC, we re-affirm our commitment to innovation; to the continuous pursuit of the next great technologies; and to empowering people, all around global frontier markets, to live beyond the extraordinary.”
It sounds like Tecno has some real plans for the future, which it may well need with so much competition in the market. Of course, Samsung is well known for its foldable device, but with other foldables launching, such as the Honor Magic VS and an upcoming OnePlus device, the market is about to get a lot more competitive. Interestingly, we couldn’t find a price point for Phantom V Fold, so we’ll keep an eye out for how much you might be expecting to spend on the device.
There you have it, our hands-on with the Tecno Phantom V Fold from MWC 2023. For more tidbits from the event, check out what the Samsung EVP has to say about ray-tracing and Roblox games.