techno‘s premium Phantom series is back with new camera innovation and a much more powerful chipset. There are two phones, one of which brings the first retractable portrait camera, we will touch on the advantages of this in a moment.
Tecno Phantom X2 and Phantom X2 Pro, powered by Dimensity 9000 (non-plus version). While not the latest, a 4nm chip using the latest technology in TSMC’s manufacturing facility (Cortex-X2 main CPU cores, three A710, four A510 and a Mali-G710 MC10 GPU) is the Helio G95 used in the original Phantom X. Much further than . The X2 phones use LPDDR5X RAM, 8GB in the regular model and 12GB in the Pro, as well as 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
The X2 series improves on the original Phantom by running the AMOLED display at 120 Hz. The panel is 6.8 inches with a slightly longer diagonal, with FHD+ (20:9) resolution. However, the aspect ratio is different (20:9 instead of 19.5:9), so the phones are a bit narrow. Also, the screen protected by Gorilla Glass Victus is now safer.
The Dimensity 9000 has proven to be quite efficient and here, both phones have a pretty big 5.160mAh battery paired with. The larger battery is paired with a faster charging 45W (for comparison, the Phantom X had a 4,700mAh battery with a 33W charge).
Apart from all that, it’s time to talk about the camera system, which is the biggest difference between the Phantom X2 and the X2 Pro. First, how do you distinguish them? The Pro model has a decorative ring around the retractable portrait lens, 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 pretty wide for a 65mm smartphone lens. The Galaxy S22+, for example, has a 70mm tele lens with f/2.4 aperture. Xperia 5 IV has a 60mm lens, again with an aperture of f/2.4.
This has two advantages. First, it allows more light to reach the relatively large 50 MP sensor (ISOCELL JN1, 0.64 µm native pixel, 1.28 µm without grouping). The latter is simply a result of the large aperture and large sensor; The shallower depth of field creates natural bokeh to help separate the subject from the background, perfect for portrait shots.
While primarily a portrait camera, the 65mm lens is long enough to be used as a telephoto lens with 2.5x magnification. As for why this is a “retractable” lens, it’s meant to keep the phone thin – an electrical mechanism extends the lens out during use and then retracts it.
X2 Pro also has a better main camera, original Phantom XIt is a sequel to . It uses a 1/1.3” ISOCELL 3.0 sensor (Samsung ISOCELL GNV) with 50 MP resolution (1.2 µm native pixel size). Joined by this is the 13 MP ultra-wide camera, which also functions as a macro camera, as it has autofocus.
While the large 1/1.3” sensor is a brute force method of getting more light, the Phantom X2 takes a clever approach. First, it uses an RGBW sensor, the “W” stands for a white sub-pixel. This sensor captures 60% more light. Also, instead of an all-plastic lens like the Pro, this camera has a glass element that increases light reception by 30%. Combining the two approaches results in twice as much light captured by the sensor as with a conventional design.
The X2 uses the same 13MP ultra-wide camera module with macro mode and adds a 2MP depth sensor for computational bokeh (since it doesn’t have a dedicated portrait lens). Both phones have a single 32MP front camera.
The Phantom X2 Pro comes in Mars Orange and Stardust Grey. The regular X2 is also available in Stardust Gray and Moonlight Silver.
The X2 series will go on sale in the coming weeks, with pricing details to be announced soon.