Tecno Phantom 5 Full Review

The Tecno PHANTOM 5 comes with the latest Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop) operating system for a better user experience. It comes with amazing features that include 13MP back camera coupled with Dual LED flashlight and autofocus for sharp and crystal clear snapshots. It also has an 8MP front facing camera for taking clear selfies and making video calls. Feel the super responsive AMOLED touchscreen of the Tecno PHANTOM 5 as you glide across its 5.5 inch wide screen.

The Tecno PHANTOM 5 is powered by a 1.5GHz Octa-core cortex processor that ensures optimal operation of various applications at the same time. The Phantom 5 also features fingerprint sensor for unique security system. It is dual micro SIM supported.

The device runs on the Android 5.1.1 operating system that offers speedy functionality, faster internet browsing and uninterrupted downloads of files and applications‎‎. It comes with an 32GB internal storage that ensures you have all your numerous music and video files saved, it can also be expanded to 64GB with a microSD card. It is supported by a massive 3GB RAM that enables you to perform much more tasks with apps effortlessly.

The Tecno Phantom 5 is powered by an efficient Li-ion 3000mAh Li-ion battery that delivers long hours of talk time and internet browsing. It is Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled so you can share files and data with other devices. Check out the full specs of Tecno Phantom 5 here.

Design & Display:

At first, I tried to remove the back-cover before realizing it was non-removable with the battery totally sealed.  Tecno does well by inscribing a notice at the back, even though I didn’t see it after several attempts to pull off the back cover.
The micro SD slot is located at the right side of the phone, just underneath the volume controls and power button, while the dual micro-SIM slot is located at the left side of the smartphone.
There is a dedicated “pin” inside the extra case which you can use to dip into the pinhole to reveal the dual micro-SIM slot.
At the back of the smartphone, you will quickly spot a 13MP snapper, a dual LED flash and the much talked about fingerprint scanner.
The display is a 5.5-inch full HD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and a pixel density of 401. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. At the top of the display, you can easily see the 8MP selfie camera with soft flash.

Software & Performance:

Just like the Camon C8, Tecno Phantom 5 is powered by a custom Android 5.1 Lollipop 64-bit OS.
You have the liberty to customize your GUI and do a whole bunch of stuffs. The OS has been greatly optimized for performance.
There are a lot of proactive feature that makes the UX really intelligent. There is a new feature called “Ultra Power,” this will allow you get more than double the existing power on your smartphone. However, turning on the feature will turn off data transmission between all apps, you will only be able to receive calls and get SMS.
If your battery is running low, instead of turning on Airplane mode or turning off the device entirely, Ultra Power could really come in handy.
Tecno Phantom 5 is a 64-device, this means it can boast of optimum performance in the most extreme conditions when you multitask. The massive 3GB RAM and Octa – core MediaTek processors gives the smartphone a little bit of an edge, compared to other smartphones designed for emerging markets.
Tecno Phantom 5 has 32 GB ROM. Android 5.1 Lollipop takes about 5 GB for installation leaving you with 26 GB usable storage. There are also a lot of pre-installed apps on the smartphone which eat up some portion of the internal storage right-out-of-the-box.
The Dobly speakers located at the back of the smartphone makes the Boom Player really come alive. Choice of speakers for Tecno shows the quality of the smartphone. Music lovers will find this really intriguing and jaw-dropping. It’s not the best out there, I still managed to get some distortion when on the highest level.
Again, a design concept I am not conformable with is placing the speaker at the back of the smartphone. This makes listening to music with the speaker a pain in the back side, since you have to face-down the smartphone for optimum sound.

Camera:

The camera is a downgrade from the 16MP snapper available on the Phantom Z. It is not clear why the smartphone is equipped with a 13MP camera, exactly what’s available on Camon C8.
However, Mega-Pixels are overrated. The smartphone still captures clear pictures under light and dark conditions.
There are tons of settings you can play with to get the most out of the smartphone.
The 8MP front-facing camera is similar to what’s on the Phantom Z. You can take selfies with great composition. It retains the soft flash at the top of the display.

The soft light cause’s irritation in the dead hours of the night, but an approach taken by LG on the G4 would be great. The iPhone 6S silently implemented the G4 selfie design concept as well. At night, when the flash is turned on, the selfie is display in a smaller box, just inside a white display. The display serves as a natural light that causes lesser irritation to the eyes, Tecno could also “steal” this concept for their future smartphones.