Vivo didn’t keep a low profile about teasing its very first foldable smartphones. After many teasers in the last month, the company has finally announced its very first step in the foldable smartphone market. The company presented the Vivo X Fold today in China, alongside its massive Vivo X Note smartphone and the Vivo Pad. As aforementioned, the Vivo X Fold represents the company’s first step in the segment of foldable devices. However, for the BBK Electronics group, it’s the second step as Oppo already unveiled a foldable smartphone.
The Vivo X Fold is a solid device for those who want to experience this fresh technology. The device takes the formula adopted with the Oppo Find N and Galaxy Z Fold series. We’re talking about a large smartphone that basically becomes a tablet when unfolded.
Vivo X Fold specifications
The Vivo X Fold flaunts a 6.53-inch outer AMOLED screen and a folding 8.03-inch Inner display with Samsung E5 AMOLED technology and 2,200 x 1,080 pixels. It’s an LTPO 2.0 panel allowing for a true adaptable refresh rate that ranges from 1 Hz to 120 Hz. Both panels operate at up to 120 Hz refresh rate and have HDR 10+. However, only the inner has LTPO 2.0 tech, since it’s the only one that can go down to 1 Hz.
The folding panels boast SCHOTT Ultra-thin Glass technology. To those unaware, Schott is the company behind Samsung’s UTG screens as well. Just like the Vivo X Note, the Vivo X Fold gained a Display Mate A+ recommendation. There are two in-display fingerprint scanners, allowing you to unlock the smartphone no matter if you’re using the inner or outer display. Worth noting that both scanners are of the ultrasonic kind. The device comes with an aircraft-grade floating wing hinge. Therefore, it allows the device to close in a flat form, it can also stay open at various angles between 60 and 120 degrees.
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Under the hood, the Vivo X Fold carries the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC found within the Vivo X Note. The device comes in a single variant with 12 GB of LPDDR 5 RAM. To keep the lights on, the foldable device comes with a 4,600 mAh battery with 66 W fast-charging. The device also supports wireless charging with up to 50W wireless charging. It can also charge other devices wirelessly through 10W reverse wireless charging.
Top-notch cameras
The new Vivo X Fold is one of the best foldable in the industry when it comes to the camera department. The company didn’t cut corners in the camera department. It comes with a 50 MP f/1.8 camera with Optical Image stabilization. There is also a 12 MP f/2.4 2 x zoom camera, a 5 x periscope camera with 60 x digital zoom, and a 48 MP f/2.2 aperture. The device also brings ZEISS branding including Texture Portrait, Motion Capture 3.0, ZEISS nature color, and ZEISS Super Night Scene.
The Vivo X Fold comes with two selfie cameras, but the company didn’t detail these two sensors yet. In terms of software, we have Android 12 with OriginOS running atop. However, there are some tweaks to improve the experience in the foldable panels. For instance, it allows the user to put two apps running side by side in the inner display. It’s also possible to run floating windows on top. Finally, there is a viewfinder that splits the screen in an L-shape for shooting.
Pricing and Availability
Just like other Chinese foldable smartphones, the Vivo X Fold won’t venture into the international waters. That’s a pity, after all, global customers only have the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold to buy. There are already good options for the foldable segment, but most of them are limited to China. It’s not a big surprise, as these companies are playing a safe game. The device is available in black, Blue, and Grey colorways. It costs CNY 8,999 which is $1,300. That’s not a shocking price, considering all the technology employed and how expensive the first foldable smartphones were three years ago.
Nice try but it's not really a Galaxy Fold killer as it doesn't support a stylus.