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TECNO’s PHANTOM V Fold2 currently has the biggest battery in any foldable

Minor refinements with one major change

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Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

TECNO, one of the budding brands in the tech space, has finally announced the PHANTOM V Fold2 — the successor to the company’s first-gen book-style foldable.

Biggest Battery Ever

Starting with the headliner, the TECNO PHANTOM V Fold2 boasts a humongous 5750mAh battery. This beats the last record-holder, vivo X Fold3 Pro, with its 5700mAh capacity.

50mAh may not sound a lot but something doesn’t mean nothing. And compared to its predecessor, the V Fold2 gets a bigger increase at 750mAh.

Not only that, charging has been improved a lot. It now has 70W Fast Wired Charging as opposed to last year’s 45W. That’s still a lot faster compared to Samsung’s measly 25W support on the Galaxy Z Fold6.

TECNO has also welcomed the idea of wireless charging of up to 15W. There’s reverse wireless charging as well.

Better Durability

The PHANTOM V Fold2 has achieved a serious slimming effect.

Compared to its predecessor, it’s now thinner at 11.78mm (and 5.52mm when unfolded). Last year’s V Fold is thicker at 14.5mm (6.8mm opened). It has also managed to shed 50g (299g vs 249g).

Thanks to its aerospace-grade precision hinge, high-performance lightweight materials, and finger-dimensional engineering design, the PHANTOM V Fold2 can now be folded up to 400,000 folds (versus 200,000 last year).

Its 3D micro-arc extreme middle frame and curved outer screen also make for a comfortable grip. This means its pebble-like shape gives for an easier and effortless opening and closing of the foldable.

The droplet hinge is also responsible for giving it a barely shallow crease of just 0.1mm.

Its aluminum alloy frame is high in performance as well. There’s a 0.2mm aluminum silicon carbide for the battery compartment as well as robust low-density plastics for a resilient build.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

The back cover of the PHANTOM V Fold2 comes with an industry-first laminated fiberglass material. Its just 25% the weight of a regular glass back but 100x greater strength when dropped. And with its NCVM Coating Technology, it creates an overall metallic texture.

Speaking of drops, the screen is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus. Lastly, there’s an IP54 rating protected agains water splashes and dust. Its predecessor doesn’t feature one.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

There are things that remain totally unchanged in the updated PHANTOM V Fold2.

First and foremost, it still keeps the same 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ SoC.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

On the brighter side, it’s now only available to a single, high-capacity configuration: 512GB UFS 3.1 storage plus a 12GB LPDDR5X memory.

Screen size, ratio, and resolution were barely changed as well: 6.42-inch FHD+ for the cover screen and 7.85-inch 2K+ when you unfold it.

Display tech? Same LTPO AMOLED displays with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.

Still with improvements

The PHANTOM V Fold2 still has subtle improvements across the board.

First of which is the camera system. Ditching last year’s 50MP Samsung GNV sensor, the PHANTOM V Fold2 now comes with a 50MP f/1.9 based on the OmniVision OV50H sensor instead.

That’s the same camera sensor as those found in some flagships like the HONOR Magic6 Pro and HUAWEI Pura 70 series, as well as the vivo X Fold3 Pro mentioned earlier.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Moreover, the UWA (Ultra-Wide Angle) lens was changed from 13MP 120-degree FoV to a 50MP 114-degree FoV lens. Aperture is the same though at f/2.2.

However, its 50MP telephoto shooter is still stuck at 2x optical zoom (and up to 20x digital).

Main front camera has been upgraded to 32MP (vs 16MP), making both of them 32MP selfie shooters.

Its partnership with Dolby has been brought to the foldable as well with its dual stereo speaker setup powered by Dolby Atmos. Last year’s PHANTOM doesn’t have it.

There are more added features such as Wi-Fi 6E support, satellite communication services, and an intelligent, more precise positioning accuracy.

Freeer Fold

The improvements don’t stop on the hardware side. HiOS Fold 14 based on Android 14 comes with several software additions to make the foldable experience greater.

The FreeCam system allows you to shoot with the PHANTOM V Fold2 freely. There’s the usual cover screen preview, as well as taking selfies using the rear cameras.

And with a folding range between 30 to 120 degrees, you can shoot selfies, videos, and several other more hands-free.

The tripod-less dependency also means you can take timelapse and long exposures more.

There’s also FreeForm where you can unfold and angle your device while using it for video calls, watching videos, and playing music.

There’s even Tent Mode that lets you play videos on the outer screen without totally closing the foldable.

Lastly, there’s now a stylus support on its folding screen by using the optional PHANTOM V Pen.

The pen enables more features other than writing such as taking screenshots, remote operations, and even handwriting calculations.

Eco-Friendlier Approach

Unlike the standard Karst Green colorway made up of fiberglass, TECNO has decided to make its Rippling Blue variant different.

This special variant features an eco-friendly leather material all thanks to their continuous partnership with LOEWE., a German TV and audio brand.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

This special unit comes with an industry-first eco-friendly packaging made mostly of plant fibers such as pulps from sugarcane, wood, and bamboo, as well as discarded cardboard boxes.

The packaging is also fully degradable and got completed through a process of pulping, absorption molding, and drying — all harmless to the environment.

Pricing and Availability

The PHANTOM V Fold2 5G retails for around US$ 1099 (around EUR 996 / GBP 840 / SG$ 1434 / PhP 61,985 / INR 92,288). Pricing will still vary depending on one’s region.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

TECNO also said that they will sell it in key regions such as Africa and Southeast Asia. There’s also Latin America, the Middle East, and more on the list.

It will officially go on-sale first on September 23rd in Africa. Other markets are expected to follow around September to October.

News

Samsung teases anti-shoulder surfing privacy feature

A “new layer of privacy” coming to Galaxy phones soon

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Samsung has teased a “new layer of privacy” to shield users’ phones primarily from shoulder surfing.

Although there haven’t been any specifics yet, this “new layer” could be quite literal, as in an added display technology on Samsung devices.

Samsung says users can customize it to raise their guard with specific apps, or when entering access details for more private areas of their phones.

Moreover, there are multiple settings for adjusting visibility. This way, users can limit what others can see based on the level of privacy protection they need.

They can likewise choose to protect specific parts of the experience, such as notification pop-ups. In a way, it’s a tailored approach that lets users fine-tune or switch off entirely, rather than a blanket one.

It also eliminates the need to go through apps one by one and adjust settings, as in the case of notifications.

Samsung adds that the process took five years of engineering, testing, and refining, hence the careful and deliberate roll-out instead of a sudden one.

This process included studying how individuals use their phones, what they consider private, and how security should feel in everyday life.

The result, Samsung says, is a fusion of hardware and software expertly calibrated to protect users while on their phones.

This latest development is part of a series of Galaxy innovations to keep users safe. Samsung has been introducing topnotch mobile protection with Knox Vault, Knox Matrix, and more features.

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Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold reveals US$ 2,899 price tag

It’s still cheaper than the Huawei Mate XT.

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Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold

Late last year, Samsung finally revealed the Galaxy Z TriFold, its official entry into the three-paneled market. Even only from its initial announcement, the Galaxy Z TriFold already looks mighty good, more so than its Android-less counterpart from Huawei. But, as with everything, it still depends on the price. How much will Samsung’s trifold phone cost? Now, we have an idea.

Today in the United States, Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Z TriFold will already be available in the country starting this week. From January 30, users can start trying out the phone for themselves in Samsung Experience Stores. They can also grab the device through Samsung.com.

Because the phone is already available, the price tag is out as well. In the United States, the Galaxy Z TriFold will set you back by at least US$ 2,899.

Despite how eye-watering that price is, it’s still a step below the Huawei Mate XT when that launched last year. (For reference, the Android-less Mate XT launched for a miserable EUR 3,499.)

Still, spending almost three thousand dollars on a phone might not be the most appealing decision for a lot of people. This price is also almost a full thousand dollars more than the Galaxy Z Fold7, which starts at US$ 1,999. On the bright side, the Galaxy Z TriFold is taking a big step in “democratizing” the trifold market before it takes over the industry.

If you’re interested in adding this to your cart, the Galaxy Z TriFold has a huge 10-inch screen, a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. It also has a 200-megapixel main camera and a 5600mAh battery.

All that in mind, is US$ 2,899 a justifiable price for the Galaxy Z TriFold?

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Entertainment

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie trailer shows first look at Yoshi

The premiere was also moved up by a few days.

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As a fan of the Super Mario games, I’m still waiting patiently for the next 3D Mario title. In the meantime, we’ve got Mario in 3D to stave off the hunger. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will premiere on April 1, and it just got a new trailer.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was announced quite some time ago, if the first film’s stinger wasn’t enough of a confirmation for you. As in that post-credits scene, Yoshi is set to make his debut. Now, the new trailer reveals the green dinosaur for the first time.

In the trailer, Mario and Luigi head to the Sand Kingdom to investigate a strange disturbance inside a pyramid. The disturbance turns out to be a scared Yoshi. What follows is a short montage of scenes from the movie but doesn’t reveal much of the connection between Yoshi and the movie’s story.

From the previous trailer, Bowser Jr. wants to claim the throne as the universe’s big baddie. It’s still unknown how Yoshi (and even Rosalina) connects to the overall plot.

Still, the trailer has a bunch of Easter eggs for fans of the franchise. For one, the Sand Kingdom is an area from the latest 3D Mario game, Super Mario Odyssey. Heading into the pyramid, you might also hear a subdued version of the “Underground Theme”. Then, when Yoshi finally appears, you’ll hear Super Mario World’s “Overworld Theme”.

The trailer also shows a peek at Birdo.

From the new trailer, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will premiere a few days earlier on April 1. Previously, it was set to premiere on April 3.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo’s latest toy is Super Mario Wonder’s Talking Flower

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