Vivo came out with its next-generation foldable, the X Fold 5. Last year, we saw the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro. This year, there are no Pro models at all. The new Vivo foldable features several notable improvements over its predecessor. It’s slimmer and lighter, with a higher IP rating and a bigger battery. It has recently arrived well in India for Rs 149,999.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, with almost the same specifications, costs 37,000 rupees more than this, and the X Fold 3 Pro was priced at 10,000 rupees more. Does purchasing this foldable smartphone make sense now? This is our review of the Vivo X Fold 5, which we have been using for a while.
In This Article
Vivo X Fold 5 Review: Design and Display
Slimmer than its predecessor, the Vivo X Fold 5 offers a wide range of functions and is lightweight. With a weight of only 217 g, the X Fold 5 is among the lightest folding phones on the market, guaranteeing an effortless and pleasant experience whether folded or unfolded.
The X Fold 5’s elegance and high-end status are evident in every aspect of its design. A flat, sleek design and a solid-coloured rear cover accentuate the minimalist look. In addition to adding a stylish appearance, exquisite features and a metal frame with slightly elevated edges improve grip.
The rich texture added by the dual-layer back coating makes it as aesthetically beautiful as it is to the touch. It also offers a pleasant grip, which makes using and holding the Vivo X Fold 5 an absolute treat.
With a sturdy carbon fibre hinge that has been tested for hundreds of thousands of folds and is resistant to dust and water, the phone is actually made to last. It has a fantastic IP5X dust protection certification and an IP58 and IP59 water-resistant rating. The outside is equally sturdy. The rear panel is made of a strong and stylish glass fibre, and the outer screen is shielded by second-generation Armor Glass, which provides improved protection against scratches and drops. Because of this, it is a dependable and durable option for any setting.
It is now dustproof and can tolerate high-pressure water jets, and can still stay under 1.5 metres of water for 30 minutes. Therefore, those are all excellent advancements.
Additionally, we really like the backplate that runs from edge to edge with less text for a cleaner design and a thinner ring surrounding the camera island.
The fact that this foldable phone is only offered in Titanium Grey feels restrictive to some consumers who prefer more flexibility. We appreciate a wider range of colours. Saying that, this shade appears more elegant, polished, and subtle.
Additionally, the crease appears to have improved and is barely apparent when opened. As you can see, when closed, it has symmetrical finishing and a sophisticated appearance. It is also really comfortable to hold.
Vivo X Fold 5 can also support itself at any angle between 45 and 150 degrees, which is superior to the foldables from last year and even others.
We did observe one change, though: the dual ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensors that were included in the X Fold 3 Pro last year have been replaced with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor in the X Fold 5. Additionally, Vivo has replaced the alert slider with a new shortcut button. It can still be used to adjust the sound profile, but you may now program it to carry out other activities or features.
And the displays are precisely the same as before. So there aren’t any significant display enhancements this time around, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing because its screens are already among the best available.
Talking of which, the Vivo X Fold 5 sports a 6.53-inch 8T LTPO external display with 2,748 × 1,172 pixels of resolution and an 8.03-inch 8T LTPO flexible internal display with 2,480 × 2,200 pixels of resolution. Both panels have a refresh rate of 120 Hz, a local peak brightness of 4,500 nits, and a high-frequency PWM dimming rate. Zeiss Master Colour certification and TÜV Rheinland global eye protection 3.0 are included with the panels. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ certifications are also included.
Also Read: Vivo X Fold 3 Pro Review: The Performance Ace!
The screen is readable even in direct sunshine, thanks to its 4,500 nits of local peak brightness. While the increased refresh rate ensures smooth browsing, gaming, and video playing, the high-frequency PWM dimming rate reduces eye strain in low-light circumstances. The Zeiss Master Colour certification guarantees true-to-life and accurate colour reproduction. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support the display’s rich colours, deep blacks, and amazing contrast. Furthermore, you may watch videos from all major streaming providers in the finest quality.
In addition, the PWM dimming rate greatly minimises screen flicker, resulting in reduced eye strain when using the device for extended periods. During our tests, we spent most of our time using the Vivo foldable’s external screen. When we needed to work productively, we used the large internal display.
This foldable phone is equipped with an excellent pair of stereo speakers. We loved watching videos and listening to music on this gadget. The audio output is crisp, balanced, and loud. Simply wonderful.
Vivo X Fold 5 Review: Performance and Cameras
Aside from its ergonomic design and display, the Vivo X Fold 5 is a beast. The gadget is powered by a high-end chipset, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU(which is an older chipset), which can support up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS4.1 internal storage. This offers smooth multitasking and high performance for anything from demanding games to creative apps.
We now have FunTouch OS 15 over Android 15, and it looks mostly the same as before, with a plethora of personalisation possibilities. When closed up, it feels similar to most other Vivo’s flagship bar-style phones. When unfolded, however, we uncover a few helpful folding features. The app dock displays three recent apps, the same as it did previously. When in an app, there is a taskbar that allows you to easily examine all of your apps, and it may be disabled if necessary. We continue to have a smart screen shift, which automatically turns to the covering screen while you’re in tent mode, much like the predecessor.
Flex mode is still available, which converts the bottom portion of the screen into a control panel. Smart Fold AIOS is a comprehensive productivity suite that offers natural, systematic interaction. It includes the Origin Workbench, Gemini Assistant, Circle to Search, Office Multitasker, AI Captions, Smart Call Assistant, vivo DocMaster, and AI Imaging Studio. It includes features such as Live Text-Air Extract, Gemini Assistant, and Image Enhance.
And while split-screen mode retains all of its previous functionality, there is now something called Origin Workbench, which helps you to swiftly transition between programs. And it’s been far more valuable to us than we could have imagined.
You’ll also be getting four years of major Android OS and Security updates.
This phone has a strong CPU designed for high-end gaming, making it simple to multitask and play games. You may use it as a regular phone for day-to-day tasks while using the larger screen for productive work. It does not overheat, but extended gaming sessions can make it warm, particularly near the camera module. Games such as BGMI, Call of Duty Mobile, and Asphalt operate without difficulty.
AnTuTu Benchmark Results: 19,24,915
This time, Vivo has introduced a significant productivity and convenience function on this phone, allowing for easy and customised device control. Vivo has added a new shortcut button to the X Fold 5, placed above the volume buttons. With a single touch, the tactile button may be configured to turn on the flashlight, launch the camera to capture a brief moment, take notes, start a video, or enable AI captions.
After that, we get to the cameras, and it feels like they’ve taken two steps forward and one step back. However, keep in mind that this phone does not carry the Pro title. Vivo X Fold 5 does offer a professional camera set consisting of a Zeiss-backed triple rear camera configuration led by a 50-megapixel (Sony IMX921) primary sensor, a 50-megapixel (Samsung JN1) ultra-wide camera, and a 50-megapixel (Sony IMX882) periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom capabilities. The gadget also offers telephoto and macro capabilities. A 20-megapixel front-facing camera has been installed on both the outer and main displays for selfies and video calls.
The ultrawide sensor is the same as the one used in the X Fold 3 Pro; however, the primary sensor is now an IMX 921 sensor, which has a larger aperture. The periscope has the same 70 mm focal length for 3x optical zoom, but it employs the IMX 882 sensor. It features a slightly bigger lens and sensor. All three cameras have autofocus, and the primary and periscope still have OIS. The periscope nevertheless has a maximum digital zoom of 100X, but the results are more polished due to post-processing.
The periscope still has a 15 cm minimum focusing distance. But there’s also a super macro mode, and the photographs are a little more detailed this time, and the maximum macro magnification is now 20 times, up from six last year.
However, like with the previous year, the periscope goes back to 3.7X zoom while in portrait mode. Even when we turn off beautify mode, our face still appears a little too smooth.
Whether you utilise the main screen or the cover screen, the selfie cameras are identical and have been trimmed from 32 megapixels to 20 megapixels. Their field of view has expanded, yet they remain within the same aperture.
The Fold 5 also has trouble taking nighttime ultrawide pictures. However, the primary and periscope appear to have improved in low-light conditions, which is probably due to Vivo’s yearly optimisation improvements. It is for this reason that the 100X maximum zoom is much more usable at night than it was previously.
Every sensor on board is capable of recording 4K footage at 60 frames per second. This time, the main camera is also steadier, and although the quality is superb, the dynamic range is the biggest increase. Vivo has made progress in OIS and white balance, but 8K video is still only available with the primary camera.
Regular nighttime ultrawide video recording is exactly as underexposed as it was the previous year. Although the main video is still grainy, exposure appears to have improved, and the periscope footage appears to handle light noise as well as better contrast.
There is also portrait video, although it is only in 1080p resolution, which is disappointing because the X Fold 3 Pro could record 4K cinematic portraits.
And when it comes to selfie portrait videos, which are still limited to 1080p, barely anything has evolved. The positive aspect is that we can record selfies with the rear cameras, which is fantastic. However, being able to record selfies with the rear primary camera is quite helpful, particularly at night.
Switching over to battery power. Vivo X Fold 5 has a massive 6,000 mAh battery, which is probably the biggest battery of any foldable of this size. In contrast, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is only slightly slimmer at 4,400 mAh.
In our testing, which included binge-watching for camera testing, playing a lot of games, and more, the battery life lasted for a day and a half. On typical usage, however, it can be extended to two days.
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Review: The Foldable Finally Worth Flaunting
One advantage of this foldable phone is that it supports fast charging. Vivo X Fold 5 offers 80-watt wired and 40-watt wireless charging, which is more than the Z Fold 7’s 25-watt wired and 15-watt wireless charging, but somewhat lower than the Pro model from the previous year.
Verdict
The Vivo X Fold 5 is a dependable, fully functional gadget made to be an extension of your hand.
Regardless of fashion trends, its classic style is guaranteed by its polished metal frame and solid-coloured rear. Glass fibre is used to make the back. Second-generation Armor Glass protects the cover screen.
Co-engineered with ZEISS, the triple-camera system produces professional-quality images and videos, and the large battery with lightning-fast wired and wireless charging keeps you charged all day. The viewing experience is intense thanks to the 8.03-inch main display and the 6.53-inch cover screen. Both have excellent colour reproduction and a smooth refresh rate of 120 Hz.
Those who currently own an X Fold 3 Pro are probably not the target market for the X Fold 5. It is best suitable for anyone who is intending to purchase their first Vivo foldable or does not currently have one.
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Pros
- Slimmest and Lightest
- Minimalistic design
- Comfortable to hold
- Longer battery life
- Professional photography experience
Cons
- Old processor
