The foldable smartphone market is far from saturated, with only a few options standing out. As of now, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and OnePlus Open are leading the pack. Being at the heart of the tech industry, I’ve become somewhat desensitized to the “wow” factor of foldables. However, the arrival of the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro has genuinely surprised me.
So, if you’re searching for a top-tier foldable, is this the best choice available? Can it dethrone the current foldable king? Here are my initial thoughts on the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro and its performance in various aspects.
Vivo X Fold 3 Pro Specs
What’s in the Box?
Before diving into the specifics, here’s what you get inside the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro box:
- Vivo X Fold 3 Pro
- 100W Flash Charger
- Type-C to C USB Cable
- SIM Ejector
- User Manual
Although our unit didn’t include a cover, Vivo assured us that all retail units will come with one. So, that’s a relief.
The Best Foldable Design Yet, Period
As soon as I took the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro out of its box, I was pleasantly surprised by how it didn’t feel like a typical foldable. The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro felt only slightly heavier than my OnePlus 11R and appeared like a regular smartphone from the front until unfolded.
The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro feels incredibly comfortable in your hands, with polished edges and a sleek body. I couldn’t get over how good it felt to hold. The smooth matte texture of the glass back, the thoughtfully designed edges, and the metal frame all exude a premium quality.
I have the Black color option, and it features a glittery finish on the back, which looks stunning. There’s also an alert slider for toggling silent mode on or off. However, the slider lacks a textured finish, making it a bit slippery to use.
The camera module is well-designed, not taking up more space than necessary. It has a silver textured ring around it, adding to its aesthetic. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a marbled pattern in the outermost circle of the module, which I initially mistook for smudges and tried to wipe off.
The back panel is relatively clean, with the Vivo branding at the bottom left, the blue and white Zeiss branding on the camera module, and another series of brandings running vertically at the top right on the mid-frame. With that noted, it’s time to open the foldable.
I was surprised by how quietly the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro opens, making no noise whatsoever. In contrast, the OnePlus Fold emits a paper crinkling sound when unfolded, which I’m not a fan of.
Additionally, the X Fold 3 Pro opens flat, which is commendable for a foldable. In comparison, you need to force the OnePlus Fold to open flat since it naturally can’t.
Even when unfolded, the X Fold 3 Pro felt comfortable to hold and use. The weight distribution is top-tier, the best I’ve seen on a foldable phone to date. While the phone is less curved than the competition, it feels the smoothest around the edges.
Display(s) to Die For
Speaking of the displays, the outer 6.53-inch display on the X Fold 3 Pro is beautiful and leaves little room for complaints. Moreover, it doesn’t leave much reason to use the inner 8-inch display in daily usage. Both displays on the X Fold 3 Pro are AMOLED and offer a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as 2K resolution.
Indeed, there is a visible foldable crease running through the middle, which becomes more prominent from certain angles. However, it does not interfere with usability, and you will forget it’s there for the most part.
I started watching “The Batman” on the X Fold 3 Pro, and the experience was so immersive that I decided to watch it all the way through. The blacks were well maintained throughout the movie, while ensuring everything remained visible. The 2K resolution of the display made the content look incredibly crisp. I also watched some vivid nature-centric 4K YouTube videos, and the color tones were solid.
The display was bright and non-reflective, making it comfortable to view indoors and outdoors. The outer display of the X Fold 3 Pro reaches an impressive 3,810 nits, while the inner display hits 3,340 nits. This is the highest brightness level I’ve seen on any foldable device. Even regular smartphones struggle to achieve such levels, making this achievement truly impressive.
In terms of audio quality, the dual-speaker setup of the X Fold 3 Pro falls short compared to the quad speakers of the OnePlus Open. However, it’s adequate enough to wrap yourself up in your blanket at night and binge-watch content without earphones.
Performance
The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is a solid performer, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. From opening and closing apps to multitasking, I didn’t notice any stuttering. I intentionally opened around 25-30 apps in the background, and it handled them smoothly. RAM management is also impressive, with most apps resuming from where I had left them.
Gaming on this foldable is obviously good. I played CoD Mobile, Warzone Mobile, Genshin Impact, and BGMI on the X Fold 3 Pro, and it handled all the games well. Here’s an summary of the available settings:
While I have yet to conduct a detailed thermal test, the phone didn’t experience thermal throttling during the limited time I played those games. So, overall, in the brief time I’ve spent with the X Fold 3 Pro, it performs quite well.
Cameras
When I saw the ZEISS branding on the camera module, I knew this was going to be an impressive setup. And I was mostly correct. The 64MP telephoto sensor in the setup stands out, capable of capturing shots with up to 3x optical zoom. These results were stunning, with little to no color disparity between the other two 50MP sensors (the primary and ultra-wide sensors), except for on extremely zoomed-in shots.
Both during the day and at night, shots retain natural colors, showcasing the phone’s solid dynamic range. The highlights and shadows are extraordinarily well-defined!
Additionally, even at 100x digital zoom, we could see some details, which is mind-boggling. At night, the details are well-maintained too, with the light sources being managed effectively.
The front-facing dual 32MP selfie shooters, one on the cover screen and one inside, tend to wash out colors and details significantly. The selfie cameras require some tuning, which Vivo can easily fix with updates. However, portrait shots are good, with commendable edge detection and depth mapping.
When it comes to videos, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro can record up to 8K at 30FPS. Additionally, you have the option to record in 4K at 60FPS. Unfortunately, the front sensor is currently limited to 1080p at 30FPS, but it is expected to be upgraded to 4K at 60FPS via updates.
Software Experience
The latest foldable by Vivo comes with Android 14-based FuntouchOS 14 out of the box, which might not be everyone’s favorite UI, but it’s not bad either. Vivo has done an excellent job tuning the software for the X Fold 3 Pro, incorporating several AI features thanks to Google’s Gemini model.
But let’s talk about the real highlight – the live wallpapers. They are stunning, especially the Dance of Butterflies. I often find myself locking and unlocking the phone just to see the beautiful animation.
The UI animations are smooth, and there isn’t much bloatware on the device. While Facebook, Netflix, and Myntra come pre-installed, they can be uninstalled. Vivo’s own apps like Vivo Cloud and Appstore can’t be uninstalled, but they’re not intrusive.
The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro offers several AI features that enhance the user experience. The AI transcript assist is particularly useful, as it works with voice calls, video calls, and voice recordings. It also allows you to summarize transcribed text into key points, which is convenient.
Another noteworthy feature is the AI screen translation, accessible from the sidebar, which enables easy translation of webpages into your preferred language. The AI note assist is also impressive, helping you transform rough thoughts into coherent notes, which is great for those with a scattered mind.
To maximize the use of the extra display, the phone offers Flex Mode and Smart screen shift, adding to its appeal.
Battery Life and Charging
The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro’s 5,700mAh battery impressively handles the demands of a foldable phone with two displays. During my usage, which spanned a little over a day, I engaged in various activities to test its endurance.
I watched the 3-hour movie “The Batman” on Netflix with maximum brightness, followed by an hour of gaming with titles like Genshin Impact and CoD Mobile. This usage pattern showcases the battery’s ability to sustain heavy usage over an extended period.
After running a benchmark, taking pictures, and recording videos in addition to watching movies and gaming, the battery of the X Fold 3 Pro dropped to 15%. Despite this heavy usage, the phone delivered an impressive screen-on-time of around 5 hours and 40 minutes, which is remarkable for a foldable device.
Charging the X Fold 3 Pro is also quick, taking only about 35 minutes to reach full capacity with the included 100W charger. This rapid charging capability adds to the device’s appeal.
Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: Yay or Nay?
When considering whether to invest in a foldable phone like the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, the question shouldn’t just be about the hardware but also about the software experience, particularly with FuntouchOS. Compared to other UIs like Color OS (also known as OxygenOS), FuntouchOS may not feel as premium, but it is well-optimized for the foldable device. During my usage, I encountered few bugs, despite using pre-production software for the most part.
FuntouchOS 14 has brought significant improvements, making the UI more refined and feature-packed than ever before. Additionally, Vivo seems committed to providing timely updates, as we’ve already received a stability update within just two days of having the device. This commitment to software support adds to the appeal of the X Fold 3 Pro.
The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro has truly impressed me, making it the best foldable I’ve used in a while. Its versatility as both a phone and a tablet makes me want to keep using it day after day without feeling the need to switch back to a traditional device.
It’s the perfect companion for everyday use, seamlessly transitioning between phone and tablet modes without any hassle. I’m excited to spend more time with the X Fold 3 Pro and gather all my findings for a detailed review. Keep an eye out for my comparison between Vivo’s foldable and the OnePlus Open as well! What are your thoughts on Vivo’s groundbreaking foldable device?
0 Comments