After proving that they can have a flagship offering in the smartphone portfolio, TECNO has upped the ante with the Phantom X2 series. Aside from finally having 5G connectivity thanks to its use of a Dimensity 9000 processor that’s paired with up to 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, the biggest feature TECNO wants to showcase this time is the retractable portrait camera of the Phantom X2 Pro.

It has been a while since we last saw a phone with a retractable camera (OPPO did demonstrate something similar at INNO Day last year), TECNO’s approach to it on the Phantom X2 Pro has the same goal in mind: to have a large sensor handling telephoto duties while keeping the camera bump as small as possible when not in use.

TECNO means serious business with the telephoto camera of the Phantom X2 Pro: it is a 50-megapixel camera with a 1/1.3-inch ISOCELL JN1 sensor, large 1.2um pixels, 65mm focal length equivalent, and a bright f/1.49 aperture. The focal length gives it a 2.5x optical zoom equivalent, and is better than the telephoto cameras of some flagships on paper. For comparison, the Galaxy S22+ has a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with a 70mm focal length equivalent and f/2.4 aperture, while the Xperia 5 IV has a 12-megapixel sensor with a 60mm focal length equivalent and also a f/2.4 aperture.

Accompanying the Phantom X2 Pro’s unique telephoto camera is a 50-megapixel ISOCELL GNV main camera, which is the same sensor used on the vivo X80 Pro and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with autofocus to help with macro duties.

Being a flagship device, the Phantom X2 Pro also comes with a curved 6.8-inch AMOLED display with 120hz refresh rate, a large 5160mAh battery with 45w charging, and a 32-megapixel selfie shooter. You also get a special orange colorway for the Phantom X2 Pro, which boasts vegan leather.

Aside from the Phantom X2 Pro, the vanilla version was also announced as well. Aside from having less RAM at 8GB (but still LPDDR5X), the Phantom X2 has a simpler camera setup, swapping the retractable camera of the Pro for a 2-megapixel depth sensor, while the main camera is a 64-megapixel RGBW sensor.

TECNO Phantom X2 Pro specs

• Dimensity 9000 processor
• 12GB LPDDR5X RAM
• 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage
• 6.8-inch Full HD+ AMOLED curved display, 120hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass Victus
• 50-megapixel f/1.8 ISOCELL GNV main camera with Dual Pixel AF, 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with AF, 50-megapixel F/1.5 ISOCELL JN1 telephoto camera with 2.5x optical zoom, Laser AF, LED flash
• 32-megapixel selfie camera
• 4G, LTE, 5G
• WiFi, Bluetooth, in-display fingerprint scanner
• 45W fast charging
• 5160mAh battery
• Android 12, HiOS 12

TECNO Phantom X2 specs

• Dimensity 9000 processor
• 12GB LPDDR5X RAM
• 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage
• 6.8-inch Full HD+ AMOLED curved display, 120hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass Victus
• 64-megapixel f/1.8 RGBW main camera with OIS, 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with AF, 2-megapixel depth sensor, Laser AF, LED flash
• 32-megapixel selfie camera
• 4G, LTE, 5G
• WiFi, Bluetooth, in-display fingerprint scanner
• 45W fast charging
• 5160mAh battery
• Android 12, HiOS 12

The Phantom X2 Pro is priced at SAR 3500(~Php 51.5k), while the vanilla model is priced at SAR 2700(~Php 39.8k). It will go on sale in the Middle East in the coming weeks, and there’s no word yet when it will be available in other markets.