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Vivo X Fold 5 Shows How Foldables Are Quietly Growing Up

Vivo X Fold 5 Shows How Foldables Are Quietly Growing Up

Vivo X Fold 5 brings a premium design, improved performance, and useful AI features. But is it enough to survive in this price segment?

Written by Rohan Pal, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 23 March 2026 01:19 IST

Vivo X Fold 5 Shows How Foldables Are Quietly Growing Up

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The Vivo X Fold 3 felt like a turning point for the brand in the foldable space. It broke away from the bulkier, more conservative designs we've come to associate with players like Samsung, offering a noticeably slimmer profile and more refined display ergonomics. With the Vivo X Fold 5, the company is looking to build on that momentum. While the overall approach remains familiar, there are a few meaningful upgrades this time around. Priced at Rs. 1,49,999 for the lone 16GB RAM and 512GB storage variant, it continues to sit firmly in the ultra-premium segment. I have used the Vivo X Fold 5 for a long time now, long enough, as a daily driver, and here's what you need to know.

Vivo X Fold 5 Design Feels Premium

The X Fold 5 is 4.3mm thick when unfolded and weighs 217 grams. I know what those numbers look like on paper, and I know they still don't prepare you for picking it up the first time. For months, I have been using this smartphone, and it sure feels like one of the most comfortable foldables of 2025.

The hinge deserves specific attention because hinges are where foldables tend to age badly. After many open-and-close cycles ( I do mean hundreds), the resistance on this hinge remains consistent. It doesn't wobble, doesn't creak, and holds its position reliably anywhere between 45 and 150 degrees. I've propped it up on a flight tray table to watch something on the inner display and never once needed to re-adjust.

In terms of durability, the frame has held up well with only minor scuffs along the edges, typical of daily use without a case. The back panel, however, is more prone to micro-scratches, especially if you place it on rough surfaces. One thing I did notice is that the edges are glossy, which makes it slightly slippery. A matte finish would have been a more sensible choice for a device you are constantly folding and unfolding.

The Displays Shine

The displays are sure to be the major highlights throughout the review period. The smartphone is loaded with a 6.53-inch cover screen and an 8.03-inch inner panel, with both being LTPO AMOLED panels with 120Hz refresh rates and peak brightness of 4,500 nits on the inner display and 5,500 nits on the cover.

The crease is present, but I have made my peace with it. It is when scrolling, watch video or using any other purpose on the inner display. But that is also the case with most of the foldable smartphones in 2025. The more interesting observation after months of use: I never once thought about the crease while watching a film in tent mode on a flight. That tells you something.

Where the display frustrates is in app optimisation, and this is not entirely Vivo's fault. Instagram still doesn't fill the 4:3.55 inner display properly. YouTube plays content with black bars unless you zoom in and crop the frame.

Software Gets Better with Time

The Vivo X Fold 5 shipped with Funtouch OS 15, which is based on Android 15. However, it also got the OriginOS, which is cleaner and more considered than any previous generations. The display animations feel much smoother, and the whole UI has now become more cohesive, to be honest.

You also get the Origin Workbench, Vivo's marquee multitasking feature that lets you run up to five apps simultaneously in a desktop-like layout. However, it is not enabled by default, and you need to scout the Settings menu to enable it. For the feature that most distinguishes this device from a regular phone, hiding it in Settings is a baffling choice. Once it's set up, it's genuinely excellent. I use it multiple times to run apps like Google Maps, Gmail, WhatsApp, and more simultaneously, and the device handles it without stutter.

Second, and more concerning for long-term owners: Vivo has committed to only four Android OS updates and five years of security patches. Samsung and Google are offering seven years on their flagships. For someone paying Rs. 1,49,999 in 2025, that matters.

Performance is Decent

Let's address the elephant in the room: the Vivo X Fold 5 runs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the same chipset as its predecessor, the X Fold 3 Pro. At a time when most of the foldables in this price segment are running better chipsets, the company stuck with an older generation processor.

While in daily usage, you will not feel any trouble. I used this phone for email, documents, video calls, navigation, social media, and more; it never felt underpowered. However, you do feel this when you are overloading with multi-tasking or playing high-graphics games like BGMI or Genshin Impact on higher settings. Apart from this, after using it for months, I can still say that the performance has been well-maintained. The device hasn't slowed down, apps don't reload unnecessarily, and RAM management keeps the apps I actually use alive in the background reliably.

Camera Performance Top-Notch

In the camera department, the Vivo X Fold 5 gets a 50-megapixel Sony IMX921 primary sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and an f/1.57 aperture at the back. There's also a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 telephoto shooter with up to 3x optical zoom, up to 100x digital zoom, an f/2.55 aperture and OIS support and a 50-megapixel Samsung JN1 ultrawide camera with an f/2.05 aperture. For selfies and video calls, the handset uses 20-megapixel sensors with an f/2.4 aperture on the inner and outer screens.

Vivo X Fold 5 daylight camera samples. (Tap to Open)

Daylight photography is where this camera shines brightest. The main sensor consistently delivers sharp, well-detailed images. The Zeiss tuning adds punch without completely destroying colour accuracy. However, the default mode does lean towards saturation, which makes scenes more eye-catching. If you want natural colours, switch to the Zeiss filter mode as it renders tones closer to what your eyes saw.

Portrait mode is another area where the phone does a good job. At 50mm, portraits are genuinely impressive: sharp subject, clean edge detection, natural bokeh. The skin tones are also well-managed in multiple focal lengths, which is a good thing. The telephoto performs good at 3x, and even usefully at 10x for a quick shot.

Vivo X Fold 5 low-light camera samples. (Tap to Open)

Low-light photography is where I expected more. The Zeiss branding builds anticipation, and while the X Fold 5 controls lens flare commendably, fine detail in dark does shows slight noise. Video recording at 4K60fps is stable, well-coloured, and detailed.

Battery Life is Decent

The Vivo X Fold 5 is loaded with a 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, which is a good thing to see in this flagship foldable model. On a typical heavy workday, the X Fold 5 ends the day with some juice left. The charging speeds are also decent. The 80W fast charging still fills the phone from 0 to 100 percent in under one hour.

Should You Buy Vivo X Fold 5?

The Vivo X Fold 5 is a genuinely good foldable smartphone. The smartphone comes with a premium design language, which is sleek and easy to carry around. The phone is also durable, and you will not face any problem, even if you drop it accidentally. The cameras are sure to be its biggest highlights apart from the foldable form factor. So, if you are looking for a smartphone that doubles as your work buddy or multimedia device, and you also cannot compromise on cameras, then consider this smartphone.

Vivo X Fold 5

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Premium Design
Immersive Display
Decent Battery
Strong Camera performance

Bad
Bloatware
Only four Android OS updates promised

Read detailed Vivo X Fold 5 review

Display (Primary) 8.03-inch

Cover Display 6.53-inch

Cover Resolution 1172x2748 pixels

Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Front Camera 20-megapixel + 20-megapixel

Rear Camera 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel

RAM 16GB

Storage 512GB

Battery Capacity 6000mAh

OS Android 15

Resolution 2480x2200 pixels

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Further reading: Vivo X Fold 5, Vivo X Fold 5 Design, Vivo X Fold 5 Features, Vivo X Fold 5 India Launch

Rohan Pal

Email Rohan Pal

Rohan Pal is the Assistant Editor at Gadgets360. With over 8 years of experience in technology, he has worked with multiple organizations, specializing in smartphones, laptops, wearables, appliances, and more. His passion for technology prompts him to curate and share tech news, guides, reviews, and how-tos. Off the clock, you'll spot him delving into the world of anime or lightening the team's mood with a steady flow of quirky memes. You can reach out to him at rohanp@ndtv.com. More