Tecno’s premium Phantom series is back with an innovative new camera and a much more powerful chipset. There are two phones, one of which carries the first vertically retractable camera, we’ll see the benefits in a minute.
The Tecno Phantom X2 and Phantom X2 Pro are both powered by the Dimension 9000 (the non-plus version). Although not the latest, it is still a 4nm chip from TSMC’s foundry using recent technology (Cortex-X2 main CPU core, three A710, four A510 and one Mali-G710 MC10 GPU), it is far ahead of the Helio G95 used in the original Phantom X. The X2 phones use LPDDR5X RAM – 8GB on vanilla and 12GB on Pro – as well as 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
The X2 series improves on the original Phantom by running the AMOLED display at 120Hz (up to 90Hz). The panel has a slightly longer diagonal, 6.8″ (compared to 6.7″), with FHD+ resolution (20:9). However, the aspect ratio is different (20:9 instead of 19.5:9), so the phones are a little narrow. Plus, the display is safer now that it’s protected by Gorilla Glass Victus.
The Dimension 9000 proved to be quite efficient and here, in the case of both phones, it is paired with a fairly large 5,160mAh battery. The larger battery is paired with faster charging, 45W (for comparison, the Phantom X had a 4,700mAh battery charging at 33W).
That said, it’s time to talk about the camera system, which is the biggest differentiator between the Phantom X2 and X2 Pro. First, how do you tell them apart? The Pro model has a decorative ring around its vertically retractable lens, which is exclusive to the Phantom X2 Pro.
The magic of the retractable lens is that it has a very bright f/1.5 aperture, which is wide enough for a 65mm smartphone lens. For example, the Galaxy S22+ has a 70mm telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The Xperia 5 IV has a 60mm lens, also with an f/2.4 aperture.
This has two benefits. First, it allows more light to reach the relatively large 50MP sensor (ISOCELL JN1, 0.64µm native pixels, 1.28µm after binning). The second is only a consequence of the large aperture and large sensor: the shallower depth of field creates natural bokeh, which will help separate the subject from the background, perfect for portraits.
While primarily a portrait camera, the 65mm lens is long enough to be used as a telephoto lens at 2.5x magnification. As for why it’s a “retractable” lens, it’s to keep the phone slim: A powered mechanism extends the lens outward when in use and retracts it afterwards.
The X2 Pro also has a better main camera, a follow-up to the original Phantom X. It uses a 1/1.3-inch ISOCELL 3.0 sensor (Samsung ISOCELL GNV) with a resolution of 50MP (native pixel size of 1.2 µm) It is joined by a 13 MP ultra wide-angle camera, which also acts as a macro cam as it has autofocus.
While the large 1/1.3-inch sensor is a brute-force way to get more light, the Phantom X2 takes a clever approach. First, it uses an RGBW sensor, the “W” standing for a white sub-pixel. This sensor captures 60% more light.In addition, instead of an all-plastic lens like on the Pro, this camera has a glass element, which increases light absorption by 30%.Combining the two approaches gives the double the light captured by the sensor compared to a traditional design.
The X2 uses the same 13MP ultra-wide camera module that has a macro mode, and adds a 2MP depth sensor for computational bokeh (since there’s no dedicated portrait lens). Both phones are equipped with single 32MP selfie cameras (the module as Camon 19 Pro).
The Phantom X2 Pro is available in Mars Orange (which is also the Ec-Friendly edition that uses recycled plastic for the back cover) and Stardust Grey. The vanilla X2 is also available in Stardust Gray and Moonlight Silver.
Phantom X2 Pro in Mars Orange and Stardust Gray • Phantom X2 in Moonlight Silver and Stardust Grey
The X2 series will go on sale in the coming weeks. We currently only have prices for Saudi Arabia, the Phantom X2 costs SAR 27,000 ($720/€685/₹59,000), while the Phantom X2 costs SAR 3,500 ($930/€885/₹76,700).
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