vivo recently hosted its first Tech Day event in India at the National Stadium in New Delhi, where it talked about 5G, its collaboration with ZEISS for the X80 series and the V1 + imaging chip. The company also showcased design technologies for pattern making and dual color editing that haven’t yet hit the market. While not entirely new, one of Tech Day’s live devices was the vivo X Fold, which was unveiled in April and is still only available in China. We had the chance to attend the event and spend some time with the vivo X Fold, so here are some impressions of vivo’s first foldable smartphone, which from a design point of view is identical to the exclusive vivo X Fold + launched in China. last month.
The vivo X Fold packs two screens: a 6.53-inch display with a resolution of 2,520 x 1,080 pixels and a foldable display with a resolution of 2,160 x 1,916 pixels that measures 8.03 inches diagonally and is surrounded by plastic bezels. Both are 120Hz AMOLED panels, but the coverage display can only switch between 60Hz and 120Hz refresh rate, while the foldable screen can adjust the refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz since it is LTPO type.
The X Fold’s external display has a centered hole for the 16MP selfie camera, and you’ll find another one when you open the smartphone. While the selfie shooter inside isn’t of the under-display type like what we’ve seen on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, what we get with the X Fold are 3D in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanners on each of its screens. , making it the first foldable smartphone to have a UD fingerprint reader as the Fold4 also comes with a side-mounted sensor. We like vivo’s solution more as it is more convenient for unlocking the smartphone.
By turning the X Fold, you get a leather-covered back panel regardless of whether you’re holding the blue-colored model or the black version, except the latter has a vertical stripe that runs full length with the live mark on it. The blue version looks definitely cool, but those who want a formal and stealthy look can go with the black model.
vivo X Fold has two color options
The leatherette makes the vivo X Fold premium and pleasant to hold, and its finish is very similar to the protective case that comes bundled with the vivo X80 Pro. And based on our experience using the X80 Pro with the case since its launch back in April, we’re sure the X Fold’s leather-covered panel will help with grip and won’t attract fingerprint smudges.
The rear panel of the vivo X Fold sports a four-camera system comprising 50MP main units (with OIS), 48MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto lens, and 8MP periscope (with OIS). It is housed within a rectangular camera island that spans the width of the smartphone and comes with the ZEISS branding and T * coating. The island design is reminiscent of the vivo X80 Pro.
While the back panel is resistant to fingerprints, the same cannot be said for the camera island, which stained quickly. It’s not really a headache, but we would like vivo to address this issue with its future smartphones.
The vivo X Fold’s camera island resembles that of the X80 Pro and is a fingerprint magnet
One of the biggest selling points of the vivo X Fold is its foldable screen, which according to vivo has an “undetectable fold” achieved along with UTG (ultra-thin glass) and a bespoke aerospace grade unibody hinge made from six aerospace grade materials. .
Vivo X Fold zipper
The phone manufacturer also claims that the X Fold has been opened and closed (folded-open) 300,000 times, and even after that, the depth and width of the fold remained within the acceptable range to deliver a great user experience. thus earning the “Reliable” title of TUV Rheinland folding certification “.
While this all sounds great, what does the vivo X Fold’s fold look like in reality? Well, you can feel the crease when using your smartphone, but you get used to it quickly as it is barely noticeable when viewing content.
The hinge also turned out nice and solid as it managed to keep the foldable screen open from different angles, making it easier for users to record videos, take photos, make video calls and maybe even use the smartphone as a miniature laptop if they feel adventurous. .
vivo X Fold partially open • vivo X Fold fully open
What’s also noteworthy about the vivo X Fold’s hinge is that there’s no empty space when the smartphone is closed – that’s pretty impressive for a first-generation foldable smartphone. This is well complemented by the satisfying sound emitted when the phone is closed, which also inspires confidence.
vivo X Fold has no gaps when closed
The overall build of the vivo X Fold is good. It has a metal frame with antenna lines on all sides. The power button and the volume rocker are positioned on the right side and on the left is the warning slider.
vivo X Fold comes with a warning slider
At the bottom is the USB-C port with the slot for the SIM card, microphone and speaker grille. And on the top is another speaker with an IR blaster and a secondary microphone.
vivo X Fold is equipped with a USB-C port, two speakers and an IR blaster
Overall, we really liked the design of the vivo X Fold, and it’s safe to say that the Fold + is no different from a design standpoint as it’s literally the X Fold with a different chipset, bigger battery (but same size and weight), faster charging and a third color option: red. You can check the detailed specification comparison of vivo X Fold and X Fold Plus here.
The vivo X Fold units showcased at the Tech Day event ran OriginOS Ocean based on Android 12. This was expected as the X Fold is a China exclusive and vivo smartphones in China run OriginOS instead of the FuntouchOS we get on the models global.
It’s unclear whether vivo will launch the X Fold or X Fold + outside of China, but officials at vivo told me the brand has no plans to launch any foldable smartphones in India for some time. That’s a bit of a shame as vivo did a great job folding the screen for its first foldable smartphone and it would be great to have some alternatives to Samsung’s foldable BBK group in India and other markets. We hope to see BBK brands launch their foldable smartphones outside of China soon.
Start a new Thread