Tecno has mainly focused on the mid-range market in India. However, with the launch of the Phantom X2 and Phantom X2 Pro flagship phones, it appears that Tecno will soon rival other brands like Xiaomi, Realme, and OnePlus in the flagship category. The Phantom X2 and X2 Pro are almost identical phones, as their main differences are in the camera department. The Phantom X2 Pro, which hasn’t arrived yet in India, is equipped with an innovative retractable camera on the back. While we are unsure of the X2 Pro’s India launch, its regular version – the Phantom X2, is now up for purchase with a price tag of Rs 39,999 (~$487). Read on to what Tecno is offering on its latest flagship offering.
Tecno Phantom X2 5G – What’s in the box?
The Tecno Phantom X2 box includes the following items:
- Tecno Phantom X2 handset
- Hard case with kickstand
- SIM ejector tool
- 45W charger
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- Earphones with in-line microphone and USB-C connector
Design and Display
| Dimensions | Display | |
| Size – 164.6 x 72.65 x 8.9mm | 6.82-inch AMOLED FHD+ display | P3 wide color gamut |
| Weight – 201 grams | 1080 x 2400 pixels (FHD+) | Widevine L1 support |
| 20:5.9 aspect ratio | Under-display fingerprint scanner | |
| Color variants | Up to 120Hz refresh rate | Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Moonlight Silver | Up to 360Hz touch sampling rate | |
| Stardust Grey | 10-bit colors | |
Starting from the back, the Tecno Phantom X2 features a polycarbonate body, which feels a bit hollow. The Moonlight Silver edition that we received feels smooth and shows different shades of silver depending on the light reflection. The device is fitted with a square-shaped camera module with rounded edges. It includes two large camera rings and a third camera. There is a quad-LED flash unit with an X-logo above it. The uniquely designed camera island has a 3.5D moon crater-inspired design.
The top edge of the Phantom X2 5G features a microphone. The left side is barren, while the right houses a volume rocker and a power key with a red accent. The bottom edge has a SIM slot, a microphone, a USB-C port, and a speaker grille. It lacks a 3.5mm audio jack, a second speaker for stereo output, and a microSD card slot.
Tecno has a marvellous front, which features a curved edge display with a centred punch-hole. The top and bottom bezels are quite chin and are almost symmetrical. The side bezels appear non-existent thanks to curved edges. Thanks to the slim bezels, it boasts a 93.5 percent screen-to-body ratio, according to Tecno The very look at the phone suggests that it is a premium device. The display is shielded by Gorilla Glass Victus.
The Phantom X2’s display is quite bright and usable in bright sunlight. The adaptive brightness works as expected. There is a high brightness mode for an even clearer viewing experience under strong light. There is an eye-care mode The X2’s screen offers 60Hz, 120Hz, and auto-switch refresh rate modes.
Games like Alto’s Adventure work fine in 120Hz refresh rate mode. The two color profiles available on the device, such as Bright Colored and Original Color. The latter works fine but shows a blue tint. The X2 supports Widevine L1 for viewing HD content on OTT platforms. It supports HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG. It can smoothly run 2160p HDR content on YouTube. The position of the under-display fingerprint scanner is fine, and it works accurately.
Despite housing a massive 6.8-inch display, it is narrower than other smartphones that have a similar-sized screen. Because it measures 72.7mm in width, it feels good to hold the device. The phone measures nearly 9mm, but it does not feel that thick because of its curvy design. I am using the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which weighs 228 grams, as my regular phone. Hence, the Phantom X2 5G, which weighs 201 grams, does not feel bulky to me. The spec sheet does not say anything about the IP rating of the device. The kickstand case available with the device has a vegan leather finish. Thanks to the brand for including it in the box, it urged me to watch a lot of content on YouTube / OTT platforms. This would not have been the case had it come with a regular transparent case.
Performance and Software
| Dimensity 9000 | 5,160mAh battery |
| 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM | 45W fast charging |
| 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage | Android 12 OS with HiOS 12 UI |
The Phantom X2 5G is the only other phone in India, apart from the Vivo X80, to feature the 4nm Dimensity 9000 chipset. The X90, a flagship phone focused on photography, is priced at Rs 54,999 (~$669). Apart from the inclusion of LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, it also offers up to 5GB of “Memory Fusion,” which is Tecno’s way of saying “virtual RAM.”
The 5,160mAh battery of the X2 can easily last for more than a day on a full charge. It took around 73 minutes for the device to charge completely. I tested a couple of games, such as Garena Free Fire (Max + High setting), Shadow Fight 4, and Asphalt 9, on the X2, and the phone only became moderately warm after playing for an hour.
The official website of the Phantom X2 states that it has a vapor chamber cooling system but does not elaborate on it much. I did not encounter any heating issues on the X2. It recorded a very impressive score of 981192 on AnTuTu benchmarks, which reflects the smooth performance it promises.
The HiOS 12 and Android 12 OS feel much better on the Phantom X2 as compared to Tecno’s lower-priced models. Even though it comes with bloatware, some of which can be uninstalled, the notifications from such apps are not very obtrusive. Unwanted notifications. can simply be disabled. The OS is filled with plenty of features, such as call recording feature (without notification), Always-On Display (AOD) options, gesture navigation, app twin (clone Facebook and WhatsApp), smart panel (sidebar apps), multi-window, game mode, video assistant (prevents notifications while viewing a video), game assistant, kids mode, social turbo that offers features like WhatsApp call recording and voice changer, and so on to name a few. In addition, the OneLeap feature allows users to pair the Phantom X2 with a laptop to access features like data sharing, file management, multi-screen collaboration, and reverse network sharing.
On the lock screen, the Phantom X2 gives access to the camera (right corner) and torch (left corner). Swiping left on the homescreen gives access to frequently used apps, a steps counter, tips, important days, and a few more. The X2 comes with Tecno’s Ella assistant preinstalled, which works even if there is no data connection. The app drawer lists the apps from A to Z.
Searching for “Netflix” on the Play Store shows the following message, “This app won’t work for your device.” However, it can be downloaded from Tecno’s app store, called Palm Store, or by downloading the APK file from Netflix’s official website. Shown above is a look at the screenshots from each of the benchmark apps.
Photography and Other Features
| Rear Camera | Other features |
| Triple camera 6MP Samsung S5KGWBS main camera with OIS | Face unlock |
| 13MP Samsung S5K3L6 ultra-wide less with macro mode | Wi-Fi 6 |
| 2MP GalaxyCore GC02M1 depth sensor | GPS |
| Quad-LED flash | 11 5G bands: n1, n3, n8, n28, n38, n40, n41, n71, n78, and n79 |
| Wi-Fi 6 | |
| Front Camera | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| 32MP Samsung S5KGD2 front camera | NFC |
The camera app offers shooting modes, such as AI camera, portrait, super night, video, film, documents (scanner), AR shot, slow motion, panorama, timelapse, sky shop, dual video, and Google Lens. The Pro mode is not available. The film mode offers preset like Vintage, Performance, Street, Sport, and so on for shooting video clips of a few seconds. The Sky mode can be used to add effects like Sunny, Rainbow, Sunset, Twilight, Starry, and more to shots that have the sky in the background. The feature is interesting and works fine. However, if there is a sun or moon in the background, even that is replaced by the selected filter.
The main camera takes 16-megapixel shots by default with pixel-binning technology. In daylight, the shots come out well with good dynamic range. While the size of regular shots can be around 5MB, when images are shot in 64MP mode, the file size increases to around 17MB. The large file size also means it captures images with more details. Portrait shots also come out well with or without background blur. It supports 2x to 10x digital zoom. The image produces softer results as the zoom is increased. However, the zoom shots are passable.
The ultrawide shots of the Phantom X2 are also impressive in brighter conditions. Images appear as good as if they were taken from the main camera. The support for autofocus enables the ultra-wide to capture macro shots. The X2 can shoot some good-quality macro shots.
The main snapper performs well in low-light conditions, with realistic colors, a good dynamic range, and less noise. The Super Night Mode takes a few more seconds to capture a shot but does well at enhancing the images when there are light sources. The ultra-wide camera does not impress in dim lighting conditions, but when there is enough light, the results are better.
The Phantom X2 can capture up to 4K at 60 fps with good details and clarity. However, Ultra-Steady video and bokeh effect are available for up to Full HD 30fps video. Ultra-wide video (Full HD) can be captured with Ultra-Steady mode on. The videos captured with the main camera have more detail and better color reproduction in both bright and low-light conditions. The color reproduction in ultra-wide videos is good, but the amount of noise is easily noticeable in when there isn’t enough light.
The 32-megapixel front camera captures detailed selfie shots. It offers various features like background blur, filters, HDR, super mode, AR shot, and adjustable LED flash via a slider. In any lighting condition, the front camera captures 32-megapixel shots in portrait mode. The standard selfie has an 8-megapixel resolution.
The front camera can shoot up to 1080p at 60 fps. Ultra-Steady video stabilization is only available for videos up to 1080p at 30 fps. Skin tones appear natural, and colors appear vibrant in selfie videos. However, it slightly struggles when adding bokeh effects to videos. The front camera also supports time-lapse and up to 960 fps slow-motion videos. The front camera captures decent shots with natural skin tones in areas with less light. Overall, the X2 does not disappoint in the photography department.
Tecno should have offered another speaker on the Phantom X2 for stereo output. Nevertheless, the sound output through the bottom-firing is not bad. Speaking of sound, the device is equipped with DTS Sound support. Not many flagship phones have FM radio onboard. Well, the Phantom X2 has it. It is equipped with various sensors, such as a proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, 6-axis gyroscope, proximity sensor, and compass. I did not encounter any issues with these. The USB-C port supports USB 2.0 transfer speeds. The Wi-Fi and other connectivity features work fine. The in-screen fingerprint scanner also works well as it can unlock the X2 without any delay.
Verdict
The Tecno Phantom X2 has an eye-catching design, offers a decent photography experience, and delivers good performance. In addition, the device will be receiving two major software updates. Aside from a few missing features, such as no IP rating and no secondary speaker, the Phantom X2 remains an appealing bargain at Rs 39,999 (~$487). While many brands do not even provide a charger along with the phone, Tecno should be appreciated for adding some goodies like a kickstand case and earphones in the Phantom X2’s box. I can’t think of any brand providing such accessories with the phone these days.
In addition, the Phantom X2 buyers in India can benefit from multiple offers, such as a Rs 5,000 (~$61) additional discount on smartphone exchange, 12 months of Amazon Prime membership, and no cost EMI starting at Rs 6,667 (~$81) per month. In addition, buyers will receive a 12-month warranty and 100 days of free screen replacement. Those who pre-ordered the X2 between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8 are eligible for a free upgrade to the Phantom X3, which is expected to launch later this year.
Some of the other phones that are currently available in a similar price range include the OnePlus 10R 150W, Realme GT Neo 5 150W, iQOO 9 5G, and Asus ROG Phone 5s. The gaming-focused ROG Phone 5s (8GB+128GB) is the only phone that comes close to the Phantom X2, but it is an older phone from 2021 featuring an older Snapdragon 888 Plus chip. The OnePlus 10R and Realme GT Neo 3 have the Dimensity 8100 chip, while the iQOO phone has the Snapdragon 888+.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Tecno Phantom X2 review are solely mine based on my experience, and there has been no editorial input from Tecno.
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