Vivo X Fold 5 Review: A new benchmark for foldables

The Hindu

5 days ago

Vivo's approach to foldable phones has been nothing short of phenomenal as it presents the new X Fold 5 as its most refined phone yet. Launched alongside the Vivo X200 FE, the new X Fold 5 challenges the newly launched Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a more affordable price. However, it retains the same processor which was introduced in its predecessor, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, launched in 2024.
Priced at ₹1,49,999 for the 16 GB/512 GB variant, the Vivo X Fold 5 isn't that cheap either but, promises an ultra premium experience with a futuristic design, marathon battery life and impressive cameras. So, does the Vivo X Fold 5 deliver on those promises? Let's unfold this review and find out.
Design
Gone are the days when foldable used to be bulky. The Vivo X Fold 5 breaks that stereotype, effortlessly with just 217 grams of weight which is evenly distributed. I reviewed the Black variant of the phone which has a sleek aesthetic with a frosted matte glass back that repels fingerprints and a circular camera module that adds character without too much protrusion. In the hand, the device feels impressively slim and balanced. When unfolded, the X Fold 5 measures just 4.3mm thin, unfolded, and 9.2mm when folded. Vivo has kept the edges rounded in X Fold 5 which is good and there's no gap when the two screens meet.
Vivo used an advanced Armor aluminium frame and improved hinge mechanism in X Fold 5, which claims 6 lakhs opening/closing. The hinge operates smoothly and can hold the display at various angles, useful for flex-mode viewing or hands-free video calls.
It gets IP5X, IPX8, and even IPX9 ratings for durability and protection against dust, full water immersion, and high-pressure water jets. In contrast, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 only features the IP48 standards which makes it only water resistant.
(For top technology news of the day, subscribe to our tech newsletter Today's Cache)
All buttons sit on the right edge, the volume rocker and power button, which doubles as a fingerprint scanner, which I don't like personally. Vivo has ditched the in-display ultrasonic sensor for a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Interestingly, there's a Smart Key on the left panel, which is a programmable button, like the Plus Key on the OnePlus 13s, that can be assigned to actions like torch, notifications, launching camera or any app or toggling specific features.
Display
Vivo equipped the X Fold 5 with two AMOLED displays. The outer screen is a 6.53-inch AMOLED with a good bar like 21:9 aspect ratio. I found typing on this outer display quite comfortable. It is wide enough that UI elements don't feel cramped. The outer panel is sharp with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz for silky smooth scrolling. It's also incredibly bright, peaking up to 4,500 nits for HDR content or even under the sun. I had no trouble reading text or viewing photos.
Open the device, and you're treated to an expansive 8.03-inch inner display that turns the phone into a mini tablet. This foldable OLED panel offers a 120 Hz LTPO refresh rate and a crisp resolution. Colours on the inner display are vibrant and punchy, matching the outer screen's calibration closely so you get a consistent look. Both panels support Dolby Vision and HDR10+, making media consumption a delight. It has up to 4,500 nits peak brightness on the inner screen as well which is more than sufficient.
The screen crease where the inner display folds is present, but it's relatively subtle. When viewing content head on, I barely noticed it; only at off-angles or when swiping exactly across the middle I did feel the crease. The hinge's new droplet design helps keep that crease shallow and also allowed the device to fold flat without a gap. The ultra thin glass layer on top of the inner display gives it a smooth feel. The inner display has an anti-reflective coating, cutting down on glare and supports a split screen and multitasking interface.
OS and AI
Vivo X Fold 5 operates on Funtouch OS 15 based on Android 15 out of box. It is clean, intuitive and packed with useful features. The UI feels polished with smooth animations and the interface is better optimised for the foldable form factor. You get a persistent taskbar at the bottom when using the big inner screen, making it easy to switch apps or drag them into split-screen. Vivo has also integrated some smart AI-driven features to enhance productivity.
One standout is the Origin Workbench mode. When you swipe in from the bottom right corner, the current app shrinks into a floating window, revealing a sidebar where you can open up to four more apps in mini windows.
Vivo promises four years of Android updates and five years of security patches in X Fold 5 while Samsung's offers 7+7 policy. I was a bit disappointed that it ships with Android 15 and not the new Android 16, especially since Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 comes with Android 16 out of the box.
Performance
Under the hood, the Vivo X Fold 5 packs last year's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM. It was surprising to see Vivo not using the Snapdragon 8 Elite, commonly found in most flagships launched this year. But, this has certainly helped Vivo contain X Fold 5 under ₹1.50 lakh.
I honestly did not feel any lack of power during day-to-day use,. The X Fold 5 zips through everything. The apps launch quickly, the UI transitions are buttery, and even the multitasking didn't slow it down. It has got a 512 GB UFS 4.1 storage for quick file transfers. The Adreno 740 GPU handled intense games without any difficulty. Graphics stayed smooth and the phone only warmed up moderately after continuous gameplay but the vapour chamber cooling system helps here.
Overall, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 isn't the newest silicon available but, it has proven its worth in X Fold 3 Pro. The new Vivo X Fold 5 goes through productivity tasks and holds its own in gaming, making it a reliable powerhouse for both work and play.
Camera
The Vivo X Fold 5 boasts a triple 50 MP rear camera setup co-engineered with Zeiss. The primary shooter is a 50 MP Sony IMX921 sensor with OIS. This is the same sensor used in Vivo's X200, and it shows.
Daylight photos are excellent, rich in detail, with a wide dynamic range and natural colours. In most scenarios, the main camera delivered images that could rival slab flagships. The images retain a more realistic look without overdoing things.
Low light performance is particularly impressive. The combination of OIS and a large sensor means the X Fold 5 can afford longer exposures in Night Mode without blur. In near-dark scenes, it pulled in a surprising amount of light, street lamps and neon signs were well-controlled with minimal flare due to Zeiss T* lens coatings. It's on par with the likes of Vivo X200 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra.
There's a 50 MP ultrawide lens that captures a 114° field of view. During daytime, ultrawide shots exhibit the same general colour tuning as the main camera, which is great, no jarring shifts in colour or exposure.
The 50 MP periscope telephoto camera does its job perfectly. Vivo has fitted the X Fold 5 with a 3x optical zoom lens using a Sony IMX882 sensor with OIS. This lens is fantastic for portraits and distant subjects alike. The 3x zoom shots come out sharp. The telephoto rendered facial details and textures brilliantly with a pleasing natural bokeh separating the subject. The high resolution also means you can push beyond 3x. I got surprisingly good results in 5x and even 10x shots in daylight.
At 10x, quality starts to dip with a bit of noise and some blown highlights in challenging lighting, but it's definitely usable for casual sharing. For context, Samsung's Fold 7 sticks with a 10 MP 3x telephoto.
All rear cameras benefit from Zeiss colour tuning. There's even a Zeiss mode in the viewfinder for more colour accurate and natural shots. Skin tones especially looked excellent with Zeiss mode, making the X Fold 5 a capable device for portrait photography.
Upfront, the X Fold 5 actually has two 20 MP selfie cameras, one on the outer display and one embedded under the inner display. The cover screen's 20 MP selfie camera performs well. Selfies came out sharp and well-exposed, with a fairly wide field of view fitting in groups easily. Portrait selfie mode does a decent job with edge detection. The under-display camera on main screen is also 20 MP, but don't let the number fool you. Its quality is more limited and fragile. For selfies, I recommend using the rear cameras with the cover screen as a preview.
Battery
The Vivo X Fold 5 holds a massive 6,000 mAh battery, the largest ever in any foldable phone. It translates into fantastic battery life because foldables have historically struggled to last a full day due to their power-hungry big screens, but the X Fold 5 flips the script. In my time with the device, I consistently ended days with around 30-35% charge remaining with heavy usage, including 5-6 hours of screen-on time mixed between the outer and inner displays. This phone's battery life goes unchallenged in the foldable arena.
Complimenting it, Vivo's 80 W wired charging support fills the X Fold 5 from 0 to 50% in just around 30 minutes, and a full 0-100% charge took an hour. For added convenience, the X Fold 5 also supports 40 W wireless and 10W reverse wireless charging, which is an added advantage.
Verdict
Vivo has crafted a foldable that doesn't have compromises and it just stands out. The design is brilliantly executed with an ultra thin, lightweight build that is comfortable to use. The displays are gorgeous and spacious, the battery life is amazing for a foldable, and the cameras truly shine among foldables and bar phones, alike.
The core experience of using the Vivo X Fold 5 is nothing short of delightful. From binge watching, to shooting emails, to capturing stunning photos, this device handles it all with aplomb. Vivo has emphatically delivered on making the foldable a matured product rather than a novelty. In conclusion, those willing to invest in the Vivo X Fold 5 will find it rewarding.
Surely, it's not perfect. The X Fold 5 sticks with last year's processor and launches on Android 15 instead of 16 out of the box. Starting at ₹1,49,999, the Vivo X Fold 5 sits firmly in ultra premium territory yet it manages to feel like a value proposition against its primary rival, the Galaxy Z Fold 7.