There's a Z Flip 5 rival coming with the strangest front screen yet

Phone maker Tecno might not be a household name but it's caught the eye recently with some well designed Android phones. It has also unleashed the Phantom V Fold – one of the most affordable foldable handsets out there right now.

While it has top-notch specifications, the phone costs almost £700 less than a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Now it seems the company is turning its attention onto the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, with its own flip phone reportedly in the pipeline.

The Tecno Phantom V Flip has leaked and it also seems to have a decent spec list. However, that's not all, it will also up the ante when it comes to interesting front screens.

Samsung upped the ante this year with its cover display by making it larger and more useful – Tecno seemingly plans to rock the boat by changing the shape. The front panel on the Phantom V Flip is said to be round.

Why? We're not so sure. But the porthole style panel shown in leaked images definitely catches the eye.

The pics were posted by Newzonly, which also states that the display will measure 1.32-inches in diameter and have a 466 x 466 pixel resolution. That puts it on the small side in comparison with the Z Flip and Motorola Razr 40 Ultra. However, it would suit smartwatch-style applications, if that's the plan.

Other specifications that have been touted include a dual battery configuration, consisting of a 1,165mAh cell and another with a 2,735mAh capacity. This should give a longer battery life in comparison with flip phone peers.

It is also claimed that the handset will feature a 6.9-inch AMOLED screen on the inside with a 1080 x 2640 resolution. It'll be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8050 chipset and feature 8GB of RAM. There will be 256GB of storage space.

A dual rear camera will be made up of 64-megapixel and 13-megapixel sensors, while the front will be 32-megapixels. It charges through USB-C.

Newzonly claims that the Phantom V Flip will launch in October this year and be available globally. We're going to keep an eye out for it, especially to see if it's price makes it a decent Samsung alternative.