Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 Review

Tecno announced the Phantom V Fold 2 at IFA in September 2024 and put it on sale the next month at $1,099, Tecno's own global sticker with no US launch behind it; India got it in December at Rs 79,999, about $950. That is eight hundred dollars less than a Galaxy Z Fold 6 asked that year, and the hardware is not eight hundred dollars worse. The 7.85-inch 2000 x 2296 LTPO inner panel and the 6.42-inch 1080 x 2550 cover panel both run at 120Hz, the cover reaches 1600 nits, and the crease is there but shallow.

The 5750 mAh battery is larger than any Samsung fold of the year and charges at 70W wired and 15W wireless. At 249g and 12mm folded it is thinner and lighter than the first Fold. The three 50MP cameras, a stabilized main, a 2x portrait and an ultrawide, take pleasant daylight pictures and fall apart at night. The compromises are the chip and the software: the Dimensity 9000+ is a 2022 flagship part, quick enough but a generation behind the phones it undercuts, and HiOS 14 Fold on Android 14 came with a promise of only two OS upgrades, which is thin for a $1,099 device.

Water resistance stops at IP54, and Tecno's service network outside Africa and India is thin. It is a lot of foldable for the money, and the money is the whole argument.