TECNO Phantom X has launched over a month ago – in what can be described as the most stars-studded smartphone launch event in Nigeria. Phantom X is TECNO’s first-ever Flagship device ready to dominate the mid-range market. The device debuts with a curved OLED display, a silky 3D glass design, and a capable main camera with a 1/1.3-inch sensor. In this review, we will be taking an in-depth look at its main features and potential.
TECNO Phantom X Quick specs
- MediaTek Helio G95 processor
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB internal storage, expandable via microSD
- 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED curved display, 90hz refresh rate, 180hz touch response rate, Gorilla Glass 5
- 50-megapixel f/1.8 main camera with Dual Pixel AF, 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, 13-megapixel telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, Laser AF LED flash
- 48-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera
- LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, in-display fingerprint scanner
- 33W fast charging
- 4700mAh battery
- Android 11, HiOS
Premium Design
While TECNO is known for making budget smartphones, all that is changing with the launch of the Phantom X. From the moment you pick up the device, you can’t help but notice that the Phantom X has a design that surprisingly stands out from all other TECNO phones. In fact, since we’ve been reviewing TECNO phones on this website, this is the first TECNO device that catches our attention. The phone comes with a 3D silk glass back, protected by Gorilla Glass 5 which gives it a more premium look and that perfect grip when held in the hands.
Also, at the back of the phone, you have a centrally-placed camera module that houses three cameras, a Quad-LED flash, and a laser autofocus module. The main camera is a 50-megapixel shooter that uses a large 1/1.3-inch ISOCELL sensor which is the same sensor you’d find on the more expensive Vivo X60 Pro+.
At the top is where you will find the SIM slot that can accommodate dual NANO sim cards and a memory card. The Phantom X comes with two noise-cancellation mics at the top which will go a long way to improve telephone conversations.
And yes, we still have the 3.5mm audio jack placed at the bottom position followed by a noise cancellation mic, USB type C, and a single firing speaker.
On the right-hand side, we have the volume controller buttons and the power button
3D Borderless AMOLED Display
One of the device’s main features is its 6.7- inch full HD Plus 3D AMOLED curved display with 1080p resolution and 90hz refresh rate with gorilla glass 5 protection on it. Suffice to say that the Phantom X has one of the best displays on a mid-range phone. TECNO calls this a 3D borderless display.
The phone has an aggressive curved display, which does take some time to get used to especially if you’re someone coming from a non-curved display device. Since the Phantom uses an AMOLED panel, it has an in-display fingerprint scanner that unlocks the phone within a few seconds.
As far as the screen and overall visuals are concerned, you get very sharp details with rich and bright colours thanks to its AMOLED display, which definitely enhances your viewing experience.
Scrolling through apps is a breeze thanks to its 90hertz refresh rate. However, keep in mind that this does consume more battery when selected and when you opt for auto mode this can guarantee to save more energy. But for me, I prefer to keep it locked to 90hz as the experience is something you wouldn’t want to miss.
If you’re someone who enjoys watching content on your phone, the Phantom X has bottom-firing speakers that produce decent quality audio. It may be lacking a bit of bass but sound production is fair enough.
MediaTek Helio G95 Gaming Chipset
Running the show here is the MediaTek Helio G95 processor paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space. The Helio G95 is a mid-range chip that was introduced last year and is comparable to other mid-range processors such as the Snapdragon 700 series in performance.
Benchmark scores
From our test, it does a decent job to produce a smooth and seamless gaming performance for your regular everyday games and it can handle some graphically intensive games such as Mobile Legends, and even PUBG ran with smooth graphics and impressive gameplay.
The Phantom X seems to be a power-efficient phone packed with a 4700mAh battery. From our battery test, this device can last up to 18 hours of regular usage, which is more than enough to enjoy browsing through your endless feeds, without the worry of charging, as it also comes with a 33W fast charger that can juice up the battery from 0-100% in about 1hr:30mins.
HiOS 7.6 with TECNO’s Ella
From the software side of things, the Phantom X boots Android 11 out of the box with HiOS 7.6 layered on top of it. The newly released HiOS version comes with additional useful features like Ella – a dedicated voice assistant for TECNO, Live Transcribe which can transcribe voice into text, Peek-proof to hide content on your screen from prying eyes, Dark mode, Edge lighting, Always-on Display, Chat bubbles and a host of other amazing features.
Phantom X Camera
Talking about the camera, the phone is equipped with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 13-megapixel telephoto lens, and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens. While on the front, you can spot the pill-shaped camera setup that houses the 48-megapixel main selfie camera and the other is an 8-megapixel ultra-wide.
Regarding photo quality, photos from the main camera were decent enough for its price range with a fair amount of dynamic range and brightness in outdoor conditions. Occasionally, we did notice that some photos were overexposed which may be due to inadequate software optimization. Regardless, the cameras on the Phantom are fairly impressive to take some Instagram-worthy shots.
Where the Phantom X actually beat its competitors is in the lowlight. Low light images appear much sharper with a lot of details without introducing too much noise and overexposure issues were almost non-existent.
The 13-megapixel telephoto camera also does a decent job with consistent color rendition and overall detail. Here you have a lot of options to play with like profile and mono background which turns everything in the background black while retaining the colour of the subject. For profile, it completely removes the background and replaces it with white colour.
For selfies, the Phantom X’s 48-megapixel shooter produces images with excellent sharpness and detail, with the exposure being well-balanced. The camera does not offer real-time exposure control, but after taking your photos, it does a decent job to balance the exposure.
The Phantom X no doubt offers a lot of features starting from its great glass and metal build with a 3D curved high refresh rate screen, a solid and efficient battery size that can last you up to a day of normal usage and a great spec sheet to accompany your gaming needs.
So far, this phone has a lot of potentials to compete with other high-end phones in the mid-range price segment as it ticks a whole lot of boxes. Well, if you have made up your mind to get this phone, the Phantom x currently retails for N228,000 in Nigeria.
