You can now buy a phone with a retractable rear camera

Oppo demonstrated an intriguing concept phone a year ago, bringing a retractable rear camera that offered 2x tele zoom and a smaller camera bump. Now, Tecno has beaten Oppo to the punch by launching a commercial phone with this technology.

The Tecno Phantom X2 Pro indeed offers a 50MP retractable rear camera (f/1.49, 1.28-micron pixels) as part of a triple camera layout. This is a 65mm or 2.5x camera, with Tecno specifically calling it a portrait lens.

Unlike the 2014-era Samsung Galaxy K Zoom with its bulky 10x zoom lens or the Xperia 1 IV and its variable telephoto shooter, the Phantom X2 Pro’s retractable camera doesn’t offer variable optical zoom. Instead, it’s presumably reliant on hybrid zoom for shots below and above its native 2.5x zoom factor.

In other words, the Tecno phone’s retractable camera seems solely designed to offer a smaller rear camera bump. But the bump doesn’t look much smaller when the lens is retracted, as you can see in the GIF above.

The new Tecno handset is a flagship-level offering in other areas for the most part. Core specs include a Mediatek Dimensity 9000 chipset, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. So the phone should be able to handle graphically advanced games and other demanding tasks without a sweat.

You’re also getting a 6.8-inch FHD+ 120Hz curved OLED screen (with Gorilla Glass Victus), a 5,160mAh battery, and 45W wired charging. There’s no wireless charging on offer here.

There’s more to the camera side of things than the retractable portrait lens too. The Tecno Phantom X2 Pro is also equipped with a 50MP GNV main camera (1/1.3-inch sensor size, 1.2-micron pixels) and a 13MP ultrawide lens. A 32MP camera in a center-mounted display cutout handles selfies and video calls.

Other specs worth knowing include Bluetooth 5.3, HiOS 12 atop Android 12 (even though Android 13 has been available for a few months now), dual nano SIMs, and a bundled charger.

Don’t hold your breath for the Tecno device to be available in many markets. The company confirmed that the Phantom X2 Pro will be available in Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Tecno didn’t dish out European pricing but confirmed that it would be available for 3,499 Saudi rayals (~$930) in Saudi Arabia. The phone is available in Stardust Grey and an orange Eco Friendly Edition made out of recycled ocean plastics.

The Chinese brand also revealed a standard Phantom X2 on the day, retailing for ~$715. This model offers 8GB of RAM, a 2MP sensor in lieu of the retracting rear camera, and a 64MP main shooter instead of the Pro’s 50MP camera.