Tecno Phantom X2 5G (AD8) Price, Review And Specifications.

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Tecno Phantom X2 5G (AD8) Quick Specs:

6.8" Full-HD+ (2400×1080) 120hz AMOLED Curved Display.

387ppi, 20:9 Aspect Ratio.

Android 12 OS, HiOS 12.

MediaTek Dimensity 9000 Chipset.

8GB of RAM (Up to 13GB through Virtual RAM).

256GB Internal Storage.

Dual-lens (64MP+13MP+2MP) Rear Camera.

Single-lens (32MP) Front Camera.

Face Unlock.

Fingerprint reader (Optical In-screen).

USB Type-C Port:

5G Network.

5,160mAh Battery (45W Wire Quick Charging).

Starting Price:

₦355,000, GH₵ 6,423.00, KSh 68,999, UGX 2,190,000.

The first selling point of the Tecno Phantom X2 (AD8) is its classic and premium looks. This is followed by its unusually fast and highly power-efficient 5G processor. This phone is also equipped with an impressive camera and a remarkable quick charging. Although Phantom X2 also has a good build quality, it's neither dust nor water resistant certified. But despite that other essential features of the phone such as display, amount of RAM, and storage capacity are also noteworthy, yet, most of them can be found on other phones at this price point (some phones even offer those features at less price).

By the way, Phantom X2 is the latest model of the Tecno Phantom series; the Tecno Mobile flagship phone model. And it is also the successor of the Tecno Phantom X (AC8); released about two years ago. However, unlike the earlier model, the new Tecno Phantom is available in two variants. You have the standard variant Phantom X2 and the better equipped variant Phantom X2 Pro (AD9). Both of them have the same looks, same display, same 5G-enabled CPU, same Android OS, same inbuilt storage and battery capacity and so on. In short, the only difference between the two phones lies in their rear camera set-ups and amount of RAMs. 

While the standard Phantom X2 features 8GB of RAM, Phantom X2 Pro is equipped with an higher RAM of 12GB. Also while the Pro variant is fitted with a 50-megapixel triple rear camera, the standard Phantom X2 is fitted with a 64-megapixel triple rear camera. But the second rear sensor on the Phantom X2 Pro is made-up of an impressive retractable (mechanical) portrait lens. Also, it's only the Pro variant that present the buyers with a pretty and popular Orange colour option. 

 

And talking about its looks, Tecno Phantom X2 shares design with the previous Tecno Phantom X. The phone has a similar edge-to-edge (curved) display and almost the same form factor. However, the latest phone spots a few modifications. Firstly, the dual or pill-shape camera cut-out on the earlier phone's screen has been replaced with a single camera cut-out. Also while the earlier phone's camera cut-out is placed on the top left corner of the screen, the one on the latest phone is found on the top centre. These little changes make the front of the Phantom X2 to look simpler than that of the Phantom X.

Secondly, the tall rectangular-shape camera bump on the back of the Phantom X has also been replaced with a big square-shape one. Though like the one on the earlier phone, the bump is still placed on the upper part of the back. So, despite having the same shape and similar edge-to-edge screen as the earlier model, those two modifications give Phantom X2 to look slightly different from its predecessor.

Apart from the two that i mentioned, Phantom X2 also spots a few other cosmetics tweaks, but they are less glaring. For instance, despite that the phone also has an aluminum frame and its front is also protected with Gorilla Glass, the type of Gorilla Glass on the latest phone is called Invictus, and it's more tougher than the one on the earlier phone. However, the glass back cover on the earlier model has been replaced with plastic back cover on the Phantom X2.

Furthermore, Tecno Phantom X2 also features a minute bigger 6.8-inch screen, compared to the 6.7-inch screen of the Phantom X. The 90hz high screen refresh rate of the earlier phone has also been increased to 120hz on the latest one. Nonetheless, the latest phone's display still features a 1080p resolution and has an AMOLED panel like the earlier one. The screen also maintain the clarity, good contrast and nice colours of the earlier display. Even, the latest screen is brighter than the earlier one. Yet, the peak brightness of the Phantom X2 display is not among the highest in this class. 

On the camera. Tecno Phantom X2 also features an upgraded main rear camera, but the front-facing camera of the phone has been downgraded. In details, Phantom X2 has a 32-megapixel front camera; a downgrade from the 48-megapixel dual front-facing camera of the Phantom X. But the earlier phone's 50-megapixel triple rear camera has been upgraded to 64-megapixel triple rear camera on the Phantom X2.

Though, photos from the earlier phone's cameras look really nice, yet the ones from the Phantom X2 cameras look more impressive. Photos are slightly clearer, brighter and a little more detailed. Colour representation is also more accurate.

Under the hood, Tecno Phantom X2 packed an awesome processing power. Though the phone features 8GB of RAM and 258GB internal storage space like its predecessor, but the earlier phone's MediaTek Helio G96 CPU has been upgraded to a more powerful and more power-efficient MediaTek Dimensity 9000 CPU. Which is also a 5G enabled processor. Phantom X2 is also pre-installed with the recent Android 12 OS with the latest version of Tecno HiOS custom UI on top. Tecno also promises two Android OS update for the Phantom X2.

Performance-wise. Tecno Phantom X2 is quite a fast phone, thanks to its Dimensity 9000 chipset. The phone was able to multitask swiftly and handle heavier loads with ease. Even when it comes to popular graphics-demanding games, the phone delivered an impressive performance. Also, unlike the its predecessor, Phantom X2 supports RAM Virtualization or MemFusion. This feature enables you to boost the performance of this phone by converting certain amount, out of the phone's inbuilt storage, to Virtual RAM. Which bring about a more smoother or lag-free performance.

Also bigger than the the 4,700mAh battery of its predecessor, Tecno Phantom X2 is also equipped with a 5,160mAh battery. Though, it's obvious that the latest phone's battery is just slightly bigger than the typical 5,000mAh battery that often accompanied most of the recent phones. But thanks to its energy saving CPU, this phone is more power efficient than its predecessor, and most of other phones that have similar battery capacities. Tecno Phantom X2 also features an higher 45W fast charging; which enables you to charge the phone's battery from zero to fifty percent in about 26 minutes.

Another notable feature of the earlier model that is also present on the Phantom X2 is Optical In-screen (Under display) fingerprint sensor.

However, in spite of all those remarkable features, Tecno Phantom X2 still has some demerits. Firstly, being a flagship phone, i wasn't expecting Phantom X2 to still features a single bottom firing speaker like its predecessor. And for a flagship phone, the audio quality is not really that impressive. The traditional 3.5mm audio jack, which was present on the earlier model, is also missing on the Phantom X2. Unlike the earlier model also, the internal storage capacity of the Phantom X2 can not be expanded because the phone doesn't have a microSD card slot.

Meanwhile, other features of the Phantom X2 remain as those of the earlier model. For instance, the latest phone also has a dual microphone, and USB Type-C port.

Price And Design Colour:

Tecno Phantom X2 is available in two colour options of Stardust Gray and Moonlight Silver. And currently, the price of the phone is about 355,000 Naira.

DESIGN: The Same Classic Look, Even Less Premium Feel:

If not for the major cosmetics tweaks that i mentioned earlier, i.e., the single hole-punch camera and big square shaped rear camera bump, Tecno Phantom X2 would've looked exactly like the two years old Phantom X. Even in spite of its slightly taller (20:9) aspect ratio, Phantom X2 still resembles its predecessor. All because the edge-to-edge or curved display of the new phone looks like the one on the earlier phone.

Though the latest phone also has a similar shape, yet, the earlier Phantom X has a slightly higher screen-to-body ratio and thinner or more curved (rounded) edges. Also despite that both of them have a similar metallic frames, the earlier phone seems to have a better build quality and it also looks more premium. May be the latest phone less-premium looks and feel is as a result of its plastic back, compared to the glass back of the earlier phone.

In addition to those subtle differences, the SIM card slot (which was located on the top edge of the earlier phone) has been moved to the bottom edge on the latest phone. So, you only have secondary mic and two antenna line on the top edge of the latest Phantom X2. On the other hand, and in addition to the Dual Nano SIM card slot (and tray), you also have speaker grille, USB Type-C port, primary mic and two antenna line on the bottom edge of the latest phone.

As i stated before, the dual nano SIM card tray of the Phantom X2 doesn't have a space for microSD card. Also the traditional 3.5mm audio jack is missing on the Phantom X2. Nonetheless, like those of its predecessor, the volume keys and power button of the Tecno Phantom X2 are still placed on the right edge. And there's no button on the left side of this phone too.

Upgraded Rear Camera, Impressive Photos:

The 64-megapixel triple-rear camera of the Tecno Phantom X2 is made up of a 64-megapixel main sensor, a 13-megapixel Ultra-wide sensor (for taking wider shots or capturing more of what's in front of you without moving backwards); and it also doubles as Macro sensor (for taking detailed pictures of close-up objects). The third camera on the back of the latest phone is fitted with a Depth sensor (for taking portrait photos or photos with blur background or Bokeh effects)

Photos from the 64-megapixel main rear camera of the Phantom X2 are sharp and impressively detailed. Colour representation is good too. Though sometimes, photos, especially human subjects, appear to be in need of a little more saturation (slightly more colours). But generally, colours representation is quite okay. The photos also have good contrast; which make them to appear really clear and vivid. Dynamic Range also look fine.

And despite that the photos from the 13-megapixel Ultra-wide camera of the Phantom X2 are not as detailed as the ones from the main rear sensor, they are impressively clear and sharp. They also have good colour representation. Also because the Ultra-wide camera features Auto-focus, the close-up objects (macro) shots are also clear and detailed. Portrait shots from the Depth sensing camera also look clear and sharp, against the background objects.

Photos taken at night (or in low-light environments) with the main sensor also look good too. But sometimes, the photos have noise and they can appear a little over-processed. Though with Night mode and Super Night Mode On, the shots look a little more clearer, crisper and have better colours. The noise also cleared up a bit.

And, due to its lower megapixel sensor, the night shots from the Ultra-Wide camera are less sharper (compared to the ones from the Main sensor), yet other photos qualities of the night shots remain as those of the Main sensor.

Selfies from the 32-megapixel front-facing camera of the Phantom X2 are unusually detailed and clear. Colour representation and skin tone also look nice. yet, sometimes, i feel that the selfies could use a little contrast. But generally, like the shots from the rear cameras, selfies also look quite okay.

The Main rear camera is capable of shooting 4K videos at 60fps. With OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) On, it can only shoot the same 4K videos at 30fps. Even, in Ultra-steady Mode, video shooting can only go as high as 1080p at 30fps.

Meanwhile, both the 32-megapixel front-facing camera and the 13-megapixel Ultra-wide rear camera of the phone are capable of shooting 1080p videos at 60fps. But with Ultra-steady Mode on, the selfie lens can only shoot 1080p videos at 30fps.

120Hz 1080p AMOLED Display:

Apart from being slightly bigger, the 6.8-inch edge-to-edge AMOLED display of the Tecno Phantom X2 also has a slightly taller 20:9 aspect ratio, compared to the 19.5:9 of the previous one. And despite that the screen also features a 1080p resolution, as a result of the slightly taller aspect ratio, it packed a slightly different pixels of 2400-by-1080 (387ppi). Also due to its higher (120Hz) screen refresh rate, the screen of the Phantom X2 has a more smoother page scrolling and swiping experience than the earlier one.

Being an AMOLED panel, the display of the Phantom X2 is good for media consumption. It's sharp and has good contrast and deep blacks. It also has rich and vivid colours. However, compared to those of its competitions, the only thing that set Phantom X2 display apart is its edge-to-edge shape. Otherwise, the screen is not among the best looking in this class. Firstly, unlike those of many flagship phones, the white balance of the Phantom X2 screen is not properly calibrated. This screen has two colour profile, Bright Colours and Original Colours. In Bright Colours profile, the white balance is on the bluish side. Though the Original Colour profile removes the bluish white point, but not completely.

Also, the screen of the Phantom X2 doesn't seem to support HDR. Yet, there are few less expensive phones such Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 5G and Redmi Note 12 4G that feature similar AMOLED display and still support HDR. Nonetheless, like many other AMOLED panels, the screen of the Phantom X2 has decent peak brightness of over 500nits (manually). Which is higher than the 400nits of the earlier Phantom X display. Even, the brightness level on the latest phone's display can still go as high as 700nits in Auto mode; which makes the screen to be usable under direct sunlight.

Impressive Processing Power: 

Despite that Phantom X2 is pre-loaded with Android 12 OS (while some phones are already pre-installed with Android 13), yet as i mentioned earlier, Tecno promises two major OS updates (Android 13 and Android 14 OS) for this phone. And running on top of the Android OS is the latest Tecno HiOS 12 Skin. As usual, there are many pre-installed Aps and bloatwares with push notifications, but you can silence or disabled many of them on the Phantom X2. Even, few of them can be uninstalled.

Meanwhile, while many phones in this segment, even the less expensive ones, also have 8GB of RAM and 256 internal storage capacity like the Phantom X2, but the CPUs that are inside most of them are not as powerful as the Dimensity 9000 that's inside Phantom X2.

This MediaTek CPU is a 4nm octa-core CPU with an impressive maximum clock speed of 3.05Ghz. The CPU is also paired with a powerful Mali-G710 MC10 GPU. As a result of this powerful processor, Phantom X2 was able to deliver a far smoother and hard to beat performance than most of its competitions. Even, the processing speed and performance of this Tecno phone rival those of other more expensive flagship phones.

This phone handles every heavy tasks throw at it with ease. No slowdown, no stuttering. Even with 120hz screen refresh rate, High Frame rate and High Graphics settings, Phantom X2 plays most of the popular graphics demanding games without lagging. There is no major issue with the performance of the Phantom X2 except for the fact that the phone's temperature increases during gaming. And to me, that is normal.

Yet, as i said earlier, and in spite of its excellence processing speed, the performance of the Tecno Phantom X2 can still be boosted through RAM Virtualization or MemFusion. The feature that enables you to convert up to 5GB, out of the phone's inbuilt storage space, to virtual RAM. Thereby increasing the default 8GB of RAM of the phone up to 13GB.

But as i also mentioned earlier, the 258GB internal storage capacity of the Phantom X2 can not be expanded because the phone doesn't has a slot for microSD card.

Long Lasting Battery:

Apart from being powerful, the 4nm Dimensity 9000 CPU of the Phantom X2 is also highly power efficient. As a result, despite that the phone's 5160mAh battery is just a little bigger than an average or typical 5000mAh battery, the battery last much longer. Also because the phone support a remarkable 45W (wire) Quick charging, the battery can be fully juiced back in about one hour two minutes, from zero percent.

Full Specifications Of Tecno Phantom X2 (AD8):

GENERAL

Maker: Tecno Mobile.

Name: Phantom X2 (AD8).

Year Released: January, 2023.

Dimensions: 164.6x72.7x8.9mm

Weight: 203g.   

Colour: Stardust Gray & Moonlight Silver.

DISPLAY
Screen Type: AMOLED capacitive edge-to-edge display.

Size and Resolution: 6.8-inch, Full-HD+, 2400-by-1080 pixels, 120Hz (high) Refresh Rate.

Aspect ratio & Pixel Densities: 20:9, 387PPI.

Protection Corning Gorilla Invictus.

PORTS:

3.5mm Audio Jack: No.

USB Type-C Port: Yes.

MicroUSB port: No.

Lightning Connector: No.

Google Assistant Button: No.

PERFORMANCE

Chipset: MediaTek MT6983 Dimensity 9000 Octa-core Processor, 3.05GHz.

GPU: Mali-G710 MC10.

RAM: 8GB (can be increased, up to 16GB).

Operating System: Android 12, HiOS 12.

STORAGE

Internal Storage: 256GB.

Micro-SD card slot: No.

SIM AND NETWORK

SIM: Nano, Dual SIM slots.

Network:  GSM, HSPA+, LTE, & 5G.

CAMERA

Rear camera: Triple-lens; 64MP (Wide)+13MP (Ultra-Wide)+2MP (Depth), Quad-Flash.

Front camera: Single-lens, 32MP+ Dual Front Flash.

VIDEO RECORDING:

Rear Cameras: 720p, 1080p, 4K @ 60 fps.

Front Camera: 720p, 1080p @ 60 fps.

CONNECTIVITY:

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, HotSpots, USB-OTG, NFC.

BIOMETRIC, SENSORS & LOCATION: 

Security: Face Unlock, Optical-in screen (Under-display) Fingerprint Reader.

Sensors: Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, G-sensor, Accelerometer And

Barometer sensor

Others: GPS, Location (Geo, Glonass), Radio.

BATTERY

Battery Capacity: 5,610mAh.

Qi Wireless-Charging: N/a.

Fast Charging: 45W (Wire).

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