Tecno Phantom V Fold Vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4: Which Is The Better Buy?
Foldable phones have taken off in recent years. While the early entrants have mostly come from Samsung, other smartphone makers have been stepping up lately to compete. A new entry into the book-style foldable arena is the Tecno Phantom V Fold, which aims to bring foldable phones to the masses. It brings some solid hardware, and despite coming from a lesser-known brand, it makes for a very tempting purchase.
The Tecno Phantom V Fold goes up against the current titan that leads the market — the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. The two phones have the same book-style form factor but have some significant differences as well. However, for someone looking to buy a large foldable right now, it would be worth pondering over which one of these two foldables you should opt for. We've reviewed both these foldable phones, and here's our take on Tecno Phantom V Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Hardware compared
Foldable phones are a lot about hardware, and both these phones get the hardware right. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 gets top-of-the-line hardware. It's powered by a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. The displays are the star of the show here, of course. You get a 120Hz 6.2-inch AMOLED 2X cover display with a resolution of 904 x 2,316 pixels, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+. On the inside, the main display is a 120Hz 7.6-inch AMOLED 2X screen with a resolution of 1,812 x 2,176 pixels.
The Tecno Phantom V Fold matches up with a MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chip, which is close in performance to the 8+ Gen 1. You get a 120Hz 6.42-inch LTPO AMOLED cover display with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,550 pixels. The main display is a 120Hz 7.85-inch 2,000 x 2,296 pixels LTPO AMOLED. The Phantom V Fold has displays that offer better pixel densities and get almost as bright as the Z Fold 4.
In our Tecno Phantom V Fold review, we pointed out that it has a much less visible crease on the main display when compared to the Z Fold 4, thanks to the waterdrop-style hinge. The hinges on both phones are sturdy, but the Phantom V Fold doesn't get a flex mode, so you can't unfold it at as many angles as you can the Z Fold 4. The camera hardware and experience are also much better on the Z Fold 4, but you get an under-display camera on the main display. This is better because it makes for a seamless main display. However, the inner camera clarity is better on the Phantom V Fold because it has a display cutout instead.
Foldable software
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a matured product since it is the fourth iteration of Samsung's book-style foldable phones. You can see the improvements in software, with the Z Fold 4 getting a suite of foldable-specific software features. You get smooth multitasking, and Samsung's experience with handling larger screen interfaces over the years clearly shows in the Z Fold 4, which also comes with stylus support.
The Tecno Phantom V Fold lags behind with its software experience. Not that it doesn't do multi-tasking well — it's rather good at it, and the overall software performance isn't too bad. However, it's a little rough around the edges. For a first foldable, the Phantom V Fold has decent enough software, although one that is deterred by a few bugs and inconsistencies.
The software update promise is also another reason why Samsung wins on the software side. It promises four major Android version upgrades and five years of security updates. The Tecno Phantom V Fold comes with the promise of just two major OS upgrades. All things considered, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 promises a much better software experience, but the Tecno Phantom V Fold won't disappoint too much.
One key area where the Tecno Phantom V Fold falls behind is the camera. The final camera output has a lot to do with software optimizations and not just hardware. As we pointed out in our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review, the phone doesn't have the best cameras for the price. However, the image processing on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is better than the Tecno Phantom V Fold, which has only adequate camera performance.
Price and availability
Both the Tecno Phantom V Fold and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 are solid phones, but they cater to different markets, as well as different budgets. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is available across the globe, thanks to Samsung's market presence. On the other hand, Tecno has a limited presence, mostly in India and Africa. The Tecno Phantom V Fold is currently selling in India, with sparse availability across Europe, and pretty much none in the U.S., unless you want to import.
The price is another big thing that distinguishes these phones — and should make your decision. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 starts at $1799.99, while the Tecno Phantom V Fold undercuts it significantly at INR 88,888, which is approximately $1,088. With that huge of a price gap, even with all the offers and promotions, these two phones end up aiming for significantly different consumers.
So which one should you buy? If you don't mind spending, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the way to go. If you want to save some cash and don't mind the compromises, the Phantom V Fold is the one for you, provided you're able to buy one. Both these phones should serve you well, provided you're okay with either spending a lot, or having a slightly buggy experience at the cost of about $700 saved.