Tecno Phantom X2 Pro Review

Since the announcement of the Phantom flagships, disputes on the Internet have not ceased about them – these smartphones turned out to be so unusual. On our review – the most interesting representative of the series. Tecno Phantom X2 Pro 5G received a custom biodegradable cover, a mighty Dimensity 9000 and a retractable camera. Expressive gadget, no doubt. And how successful?

Set

Just as a theater begins with a hanger, so when you get acquainted with a smartphone, you first evaluate the equipment. And the Phantom X2 Pro has an impressive one – in a large black box you can find not only a charging unit, but also headphones, as well as a high-quality case. It is made of opaque plastic, pleasant to the touch and thoroughly different from the cheap accessories that come with most mobile devices. Packages:

• Martian Orange. Thanks to the block of cameras with gigantic lenses, the gadget looks unconventional and is recognizable even from afar. Unlike the rest of the back panel, the module is glossy, so it is easily covered with prints. In “Martian Orange” version, the colors are perfectly matched and contrast with each other, making the smartphone even more noticeable.
• 200 grams. It is convenient to hold Tecno Phantom X2 Pro 5G due to the elongated body and rounded edges of the display. At the same time, the device is heavy – the weight exceeds 200 grams. The top and bottom bezels around the screen are symmetrical, as befits an expensive smartphone. All buttons are located on the right – this is the lock key and the volume rocker. The first one has slightly sharp edges, which is unusual, but it is groped right away.
• Type-C. The side frames are made of metal, the top and bottom edges are flat – the smartphone can be placed vertically. The connector for Type-C and the dual SIM slot are on the bottom. There are no questions about the sound of Tecno Phantom X2 Pro 5G – it is clear and loud. But the only speaker in an expensive device looks unusual.

The back cover deserves special mention.

In color, “Martian orange” is plastic, but the material is not easy – it is biodegradable. According to the manufacturer, some of the plastic is collected in the Indian Ocean, so environmentalists should be satisfied. The panel attracts with its bright color, does not slip in the hand and does not cool the fingers in the cold. She has an unusual rough texture, a bit like rough paper. In Stardust, the back panel is made of traditional glass. Tecno Phantom X2 Pro 5G may be exciting or strange, but you can't deny it originality.

Why do we need a retractable camera?

The large sensor of the photo module is good because it captures more light, minimizes noise and improves the color reproduction of the image. True, it requires a larger lens so that the lens can project the image onto the sensor. This, in turn, increases the so-called “working distance” of the lens – the necessary distance from the matrix to the lens focusing the rays on it. So as not to introduce unnecessary distortions due to the strong refraction of light in the lens. Cameras:

• Sensor. It has a large sensor – 1/2.7”, and the aperture ratio of the optics is f/1.5.
• iPhone 14 Pro. In comparison, the portrait lens of the Apple iPhone 14 Pro has a much smaller sensor – 1/3.5” with f/2.8 aperture. The large and fast camera installed in the Phantom X2 Pro 5G dictated a condition for manufacturers: it was necessary either to increase the thickness of the body, or to abandon such impressive characteristics. But the engineers chose the third option – bypassed the physical limitations due to the retractable mechanism, which moves the entire lens away from the sensor to the required distance.
• Main camera. The main camera pleases with good clarity and natural color reproduction in most scenarios. In a room with light of different tones, automatic errors occur in determining the white balance, but this is not critical. The Samsung module with a resolution of 50 megapixels is not a flagship module, but it performs impressively in almost all scenes.
• Telephoto lens. The situation with the telephoto is more complicated. The characteristics of the camera are excellent, but there is no optical stabilizer. And the closer you get, the stronger the shaking. When shooting video, you can rely on EIS, but with photography, this number will not work. On the frames, there are micro blurs in difficult lighting conditions. If the telephoto lens were equipped with optical stabilization, it would be an exceptional camera, a real example to follow. And without it, the result is not bad, but not outstanding.
• Front camera. The front camera is also worth praising. She received a separate LED flash, pleases with natural colors and a good focal length – the proportions of the face are not distorted. Moreover, available in the interface is the option to quickly crop before shooting.
• 4K. Video smartphone records in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. Focusing is fast, and electronic stabilization compensates for image shake when walking. Example below:

Big Screen

The Phantom X2 Pro 5G has a decent screen – it's an AMOLED matrix with 20:9 aspect ratio, a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The pixel density of 397 ppi is enough to make the picture look sharp even at the closest examination. The display measures 6.8 inches diagonally. More info:

• Brightness. The maximum brightness of the screen is 800 nits, but this value is only reached at the peak. With manual adjustment, you will have to limit yourself to a value of approximately 550 nits. It’s also not bad, but on a sunny day, it’s better to entrust the adjustment to automation. The protective film glued at the factory looks unusual – there are rectangles in the corners that are not protected by anything. In fact, the approach is competent: technological cutouts made it possible to apply a film on a strongly curved display, covering it up to the very side frames. At the same time, nothing bristles and does not lag.
• AMOLED. The refresh rate can be set manually, choosing between smooth animations and energy savings. Color rendition is not skewed into cold shades, which were observed in inexpensive smartphones of the brand, and if necessary, it can be adjusted in the settings. As befits AMOLED, there is an Always-On Display function – with it, it is easy to display information about the time and notifications, as well as a nice picture on the locked screen.

Processor

You can't deny the performance of the new TECNO product. A flagship-level processor is installed inside – MediaTek Dimensity 9000, manufactured using a 4 nm process technology. It consists of four Cortex-A510 cores at 1800 MHz, three Cortex-A710 cores at 2850 MHz, and one Cortex-X2 at 3050 MHz. RAM – 12 GB, but it can be increased using the function of converting part of the drive into RAM. Such hardware will effortlessly cope with any task, even the most resource-intensive one. The power reserve is huge – this is actually the level of Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

In the Antutu benchmark, the test instance scored a little less than a million points. In GeekBench 5, the results are as follows: 1236 points in single-core mode, 3910 in multicore mode. The Tecno Phantom X2 Pro 5G is great for gaming and barely drops power under load. Genshin Impact lovers, Diablo Immortal and other demanding entertainment will be satisfied.

Autonomy

The smartphone was equipped with a 5160 mAh battery. Battery life is not bad by the standards of a device with a powerful chipset and a large 120Hz screen. In daily operation, you can count on 6–7 hours of screen operation. At the same time, you won’t have to limit yourself to social networks, instant messengers and music. Are you active? Then 4-4.5 hours of active display are provided to you. The Tecno Phantom X2 Pro 5G can withstand a day of work without difficulty, and if you do not load it, it lasts 1.5 (days). Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging. The kit includes a 45 W adapter that can replenish battery resources from 0 to 53% in half an hour.

Specifications

Specifications:

• Display: 6.8”, AMOLED, 2400×1080, 120Hz;
• RAM and storage: 12 GB/256 GB;
• Camera: main — 50 MP (f/1.9) + 50 MP (f/1.5) + 13 MP (f/2.2); frontal — 32 MP (f/2.5);
• Chipset: CPU MediaTek Dimensity 9000/GPU Mali-G710;
• Dimensions: 164.6 × 72.6 × 8.9 mm;
• Battery: 5160 mAh;
• Features: retractable chamber, biodegradable cover, charging 45W, high-quality case included, under the on-screen fingerprint scanner, HiOS 12 shell.

Summary