Vivo X Fold3: A Revolutionary Foldable Device that Redefines Boundaries in 2024

Vivo’s performance in 2024 was nothing short of impressive; consistently delivering high-quality products throughout the year, accompanied by meaningful updates and vital software enhancements. The X series remains one of the most impressive camera systems available today, with its seamless integration of Zeiss optics making it a standout in the mid-range segment.

While Vivo has previously focused on developing foldable devices for its home market, that’s about to change. Now available in select regions of Southeast Asia, the X Fold3 Professional boasts the global Funtouch OS, replacing the regionally tailored Origin OS previously offered in China.

The device boasts a multitude of impressive features, including the largest and most vibrant displays found in any foldable device, embedded ultrasonic modules within both inner and outer screens, leading-edge camera systems unmatched by its peers, and an extensive battery life powered by cutting-edge charging technology. Here are my thoughts after using the X Fold3 Professional for more than a month: it’s the foldable device that outshines the rest.

Vivo launched the X Fold3 and X Fold3 Professional in China during the first quarter of 2024, with the Professional model making its global premiere in June. The platform is now available in India, Indonesia, and China, expanding its global reach. The Vivo X Fold3 Professional will be available globally in a single configuration of 16GB RAM paired with either 512GB or 1TB internal storage.

That is comprehensible because the 16GB/512GB variant strikes the perfect balance in terms of storage, and priced at ₹1,59,999 ($1,910), this foldable device successfully undercuts its competitor, the Galaxy Z Fold, which retails domestically for ₹1,76,999 ($2,112).

The Indian variant of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 Professional I purchased features a different design compared to the Chinese market, where the white variant is available for sale. In contrast, the global market promotes the Celestial Black model as standard.

That is the third iteration of Vivo’s foldable efforts, finally revealing its intentions. The Vivo X Fold3 Professional boasts a remarkable reduction in thickness and weight compared to its precursor; most impressively, it seamlessly integrates substantial displays both internally and externally while maintaining an impressively slender overall silhouette.

At just 5.2mm thick when unfolded and folding down to a slim 11.2mm, the X Fold3 Professional outperforms its competitors, boasting a superior profile of 5.2mm and 11.2mm respectively. While it weighs 3 grams less, this device is notable for its substantial 5700mAh battery capacity.

The Honor phone boasts the thinnest foldable design I’ve come across this year, measuring just 4.8mm. However, its battery life is somewhat compromised in order to achieve this sleek profile.

The financial savings resulting from the redesign of the hinge stem from its significantly smoother articulation, while also boasting enhanced sturdiness. Rated at an impressive 500,000 unlocks, this device offers unparalleled flexibility, remaining semi-folded at any angle between 30° and 165°, allowing for captivating photography and videography opportunities. Here’s the improved text: What I appreciate most is the way the tablet seamlessly transitions into Standby Mode, even when the panel is positioned at a semifolded angle, providing instant access to your digital world while maintaining a sleek and streamlined aesthetic. The hinge’s closure is seamless, featuring a completely flush surface with no discernible gap or hole.

Vivo successfully addresses earlier design flaws with its latest iteration, and the upcoming foldable device is slated to feature a standard glass pane. One level of differentiation lies in the exceptional digital camera module, mirroring the sleek designs of Fujifilm’s X100 Series. The Vivo X50 Pro’s design boasts a distinctive Xtreme Creativity logo on its aluminum frame, albeit subtly integrated to avoid overwhelming the overall aesthetic.

The majestic Digicam Isle features a gleaming golden protrusion that stands out prominently. When unfolded, the device folds smoothly, but the internal panel’s use at a desktop surface leads to an unsettling wobble. While the bundled case does provide some relief from this issue, it remains a persistent annoyance nonetheless.

The Galaxy Z Fold3 Professional’s sleek design shines thanks to its unique camera housing and generous leather trim, but among the two, I’m a fan of the X Fold3 Professional, which boasts larger displays inside and out – after all, that’s the essence of a foldable device. Vivo’s omission of non-essential features is striking; the X Fold3 Pro boasts IPX8 ingress protection, allowing it to withstand harsh weather conditions with ease.

The rounded design is enhanced by a discreet slider on the left, allowing for seamless toggling of silent mode. While the absence of an alert slider on Vivo phones may be a drawback, it’s hardly a reason to exhaust thought, as the brand might incorporate this feature in future updates.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 Professional boasts a substantial 6.53-inch outer display that elegantly unfolds into an expansive 8.03-inch internal screen, significantly outpacing its predecessor, the Z Fold2’s 7.6-inch canvas. The outer panel features Armor Glass coating, boasting a unique 21:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2748 x 1172 pixels – effectively transforming the device into an extension of one’s daily smartphone experience.

The internal panel will feature a resolution of 2,480 x 2,200 pixels, with both the internal and outer screens capable of reaching up to 120Hz refresh rates. While the distinguishing feature of the X Fold3 Professional lies in its brightness, it outshines many other foldables I’ve tried, with both inner and outer displays achieving a notably higher luminosity. While HDR content can peak at an impressive 4,500 nits, I observed a significant difference when switching to auto mode on the Magic V2 and other 2024 releases, revealing a noticeable improvement.

Despite a minor crease on the 8.03-inch internal display, its imperceptibility becomes apparent within just three days of usage, rendering it inconsequential to overall experience. While the crease is noticeable, it’s actually less pronounced than the one found on the Z Fold 6, with no discernible impact on overall usability.

I didn’t notice any points streaming HDR (High Dynamic Range) content from Netflix with Dolby Imaginative and prescient. Vivo excels in delivering a seamless transient experience with its X Fold3 Professional, boasting unmatched colour accuracy and exceptional brightness among all foldable devices currently available. The onboard sound is surprisingly respectable, holding its own well in everyday use.

The cutting-edge technology that sets this device apart is undoubtedly the incorporation of ultrasonic fingerprint sensors. While I’m not typically fond of ultrasonic modules, Vivo leverages Goodix sensors in its devices, yielding results that are just as fast and reliable as optical modules, yet boasting a larger recognition area. Notably, Vivo leveraged a unique dual-sensor setup under each panel, granting the X Fold3 Professional a significant advantage over its competitors in this regard. While the Z Fold 6 does retain a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, its design looks somewhat antiquated in comparison to newer devices featuring in-display biometrics or facial recognition technology.

With ample opportunities for customization regarding colors and always-on settings, Vivo’s proprietary lighting features remain fully functional, offering a comprehensive range of options to personalize the device according to individual tastes.

Just like its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 Professional is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 processor. Vivo is rolling out a solitary global variant, featuring 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and an impressive 512GB of UFS 4.0 internal storage. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is a standout performer at its tier, with my hands-on experience spanning over a dozen devices. I’m confident in saying that it’s one of the company’s best offerings to date. It boasts notable efficiency enhancements from last year, with a truly impressive effectiveness to boot.

I postponed the assessment because the device’s initial software flaws caused frequent crashes and unpredictable errors, but a timely update released in early July resolved these issues seamlessly? Upon testing the device, I found no noticeable lag or slowdowns in everyday usage, and its performance has proven to be as reliable as other Vivo smartphones I’ve used this year.

Despite featuring the same Qualcomm processor as other devices, many foldables are not designed for extended gaming sessions due to thermal management and throttling issues. Notably, the X Fold3 Professional handled demanding gameplay sessions with ease, its performance remaining remarkably consistent throughout. With no overheating concerns, I consistently achieved smooth frame rates, and the visual experience was free from discernible stuttering.

Notably, it boasts a stability rating of 89.9% on 3DMark’s latest Metal Nomad Gentle test, a figure surpassing that of most phones, whether foldable or traditional. While equally impressive was its ability to stay below 40 degrees Celsius, a feat unmatched by most units featuring Intel’s 8th Generation Core i3 processor, which typically soared to 46 degrees during similar tests.

Here are the Sub-6 5G bands globally supported by this gadget: The vibration motor stands out as one of the best features on this foldable device, providing subtle yet effective cues while navigating the interface or typing away at the keyboard.

While other hardware aspects are remarkable in their own right, the Samsung X Fold3 Professional truly excels with its impressive battery life, offering a substantial advantage over competitors. The phone’s impressive 5700mAh battery enables it to effortlessly last for a full two days without needing a recharge, even when utilized heavily, until the very end of the day. This massive accomplishment is unmatched by any other foldable device, particularly the Samsung X Fold3 Professional which stands out for its exceptional performance in this area.

Can you afford to invest in this device? With 100W charging capabilities and Vivo including its 120W FlashCharge charger in the package. The device’s battery drains at an astonishing rate, taking a mere 35 minutes to deplete, an achievement in its own right. Like Honor, Vivo is leveraging silicon-carbide technology to enhance battery lifespan, ensuring that wear and tear are minimal even after extended periods of usage.

You also receive 50W Wi-Fi charging as a convenient perk, but unfortunately, I was unable to test it since I lacked the necessary adapter. The gadget exceeded standard Qi mat power by 10W, boasting reverse charging capabilities, ideal for powering devices on-the-go.

Vivo’s X Fold3 Pro boasts one of the most impressive camera suites on a foldable device, featuring a flagship 50-megapixel OmniVision OV50H primary sensor, accompanied by a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens and a versatile 64-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom capabilities. With each of the two 32-megapixel panels, identical to those found in the X100 Professional, Zeiss meticulously tunes the modules for unparalleled image quality.

The digicam interface is familiar territory for those who’ve used a Vivo smartphone before, with its characteristic layout featuring capture modes at the bottom and assorted toggle options and filters dispersed throughout the viewfinder. You can seamlessly switch between lenses, with three distinct shade modes to choose from: Vivid, Textured, and Zeiss Pure. When selected by default, Vivid mode yields richly colored images with a pleasing aesthetic. To achieve lifelike colors, opt for Zeiss’s renowned Pure mode.

You receive 4K resolution at 60 frames per second across all cameras, and the Cinematic Portrait mode effectively blurs the background while shooting on-the-go. The camera features an Extremely Stabilization mode, which significantly reduces camera shake while recording handheld, albeit limited to 1080p resolution.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 Professional excels in capturing stunning daylight photographs, ranking among the best in its class. The resultant pictures boast an abundance of elements and a dynamic that varies substantially, with colors that, although often overly saturated, still manage to produce a pleasing aesthetic effect. While the wide-angle lens is decent, it pales in comparison to the exceptional quality of the X100 Extreme and X100 Pro models in this respect. While it equals performance-wise other foldables, Vivo could have leveraged the same module as the X100 Pro for consistency.

Fortunately, the telephoto lens exhibits no notable shortcomings. This camera takes breathtakingly clear photographs at 3x and 6x magnification, allowing me to capture high-quality images that are virtually identical to the actual scene, even when zoomed in up to 10x without any noticeable loss of detail. While having a 3x and 6x zoom capability is certainly beneficial, it’s really the digicam’s proficiency in capturing stunning portrait photographs that I find particularly impressive. Although it may not be on an equal footing with the Discover X7 Ultra or the Magic 6 Pro in terms of overall performance, the X Fold3 Pro stands out by delivering a superior experience compared to many other foldables I’ve had the chance to test.

Despite being pushed to their limits, the three cameras consistently deliver impressive results even in low-light situations, with minimal noise issues from the wide-angle lens allowing for usable images. While I prefer the X100 overall, when it comes to foldables, the X Fold3 Pro takes a significant lead over the Z Fold6 and MagicV2. 

The Oppo Find X Fold3 Professional operates on Funtouch OS 14, largely built from scratch, with a user interface remarkably akin to those found on the X100 series and V30 devices. Within the past year, Vivo refined its interface, resulting in a look that’s now decidedly modern and sophisticated. While offering extensive customization capabilities, the overall interface is pleasing to me; however, the presence of numerous legacy options can sometimes be frustrating.

To mitigate the limitations of reminiscence administration, it’s common for processes to run in the foreground, allowing them to operate unhindered beyond a few hours without requiring relaunch. While some Chinese language manufacturers are shifting to notch-less designs, Vivo has wisely resisted the trend, opting instead for…

Several innovative, foldable-centric designs enable users to harness the versatility of this tablet-like display. The dock discreetly resides at the display’s rear, offering seamless transitions between applications, with effortless access to split-screen multitasking capabilities. Having the ability to seamlessly switch between a semi-folded state and use both utilities concurrently is indeed a notable feature, particularly beneficial for photography applications where flexibility and ease of use are crucial.

During my time with the X Fold3 Professional, Vivo released not one, but two software updates within a month’s span. The first focused on addressing system stability issues, while the second centered around camera enhancements. Vivo generally excels at delivering timely software updates, and my X100 Professional device has consistently received security patches and camera enhancements throughout 2024.

While the primary concern is indeed the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3’s software support, it’s crucial to note that its lifespan is capped at merely three years of Android updates and four years of security patches – a limitation that may be insufficient for a device as cutting-edge as a foldable. Vivo is set to surpass industry standards by offering at least four Android OS updates and six years of security support for its devices, nearly doubling the typical update cycle offered by Samsung’s Z Fold 6.

While Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 dominates the market with its extensive market share, the device itself falls short in comparison to other foldables. Vivo’s offerings boast superior battery longevity, outshining their competitors with enhanced camera capabilities, expansive screens that radiate with increased brightness, and an impressively streamlined build. Vivo’s notable omission from its marketing strategy in the United States is the failure to actively promote the X Fold3 Professional, a significant product offering. For many Western consumers, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 effectively becomes the go-to option.

What excites me is Honor’s creative potential unleashed with the Magic V3. While the Magic V2 remains a standout for me in 2024’s foldable landscape, the upcoming V3 promises even greater advancements with its slimmer profile, reduced weight, and significantly enhanced rear camera setup.

• You’re looking for a portable folder that’s slim and featherlight?
• What a unique request! I’ll make sure to deliver the revised text in a different style as a professional editor. Please provide the original text, and I’ll get straight to work.

  (Remember, if I can’t improve it, I’ll return “SKIP” only)

• Standout cameras are what you need to capture life’s most precious moments with precision and creativity. Versatile lenses offer a world of possibilities, from broad vistas to intimate portraits.
• What’s the top-tier programming you’re looking for during this current stage?
• To get the longest-lasting battery power from your devices, you should consider a few key factors. First, make sure to properly care for your batteries by keeping them clean and away from extreme temperatures or moisture. Secondly, turn off any unnecessary features that consume power, such as Bluetooth or GPS when not in use. Finally, consider using power-saving apps or utilities designed to prolong battery life.

• You need stylus integration
• Are you seeking a comprehensive package that covers seven consecutive years of updates on a specific topic?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 Professional exemplifies the potential of foldables, boasting a sleek design that belies its functionality: despite its compact size, it offers two practical screens, with the panels standing out as some of the best in their class. The identical is also true of the cameras; they are designed to capture exceptional photographs and films in almost any situation. While many foldables I’ve used in 2024 left me underwhelmed by their camera capabilities, which fell short of flagship standards – this one bucks that trend.

The hardware setup proves robust, allowing the X Fold3 Professional to excel during extended gaming sessions without any notable drawbacks. The battery life of this device proves to be another notable strength, as it easily endures over a day’s worth of demanding usage without experiencing significant depletion – a feat that cannot be said for many other foldables.

The most significant level of competition arises from the software update guarantee, as giants like Google and Samsung offer a remarkable seven-year support cycle, rendering the current three-year term insufficient for this category. To rival Samsung’s dominance in the foldable market, Vivo must significantly outdo its competitors, particularly since the X Fold3 Pro boasts substantial hardware upgrades compared to most other foldables currently available.

The software program is respectable in its own right, with the sole limitation being the warranty replacement process – should Vivo be willing to rectify this issue, the X Fold3 Pro would have the potential to surpass the industry’s top performers in this regard.