Vivo X Fold 5 First Impressions

Vivo X Fold 3, launched in 2023, marked a turning point for the brand in the foldable segment. It stood out from traditional rivals like Samsung, with a sleeker design, improved screen-to-body ratio, and better cameras. Now, Vivo is back with its next generation foldable, the X Fold 5. The new foldable from Vivo has some interesting upgrades over its predecessor, while maintaining a similar price point of Rs. 1,49,999 for the sole variant with 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage. So, does it make sense to upgrade to this foldable smartphone? I've been using the device for some time now, and here's everything you need to know.

Starting with the design, the Vivo X Fold 5 is noticeably slimmer than its predecessor. It measures just 4.3mm when unfolded and 9.2mm when folded, and that's a clear improvement over the X Fold 3's 5.2mm and 11.2mm, respectively. Although that's not the only weight it has shed. The X Fold 5 is also lighter, tipping the scales at just 217 grams. 

The Vivo X Fold 5 is available in a single Titanium Grey colour option.

The moment you hold the Vivo X Fold 5, its slimmer profile and reduced weight are immediately noticeable, adding to the overall premium feel. The back panel features a dual-layer coating that further enhances the in-hand experience. It's available in a single Titanium Grey colour, which, while elegant, feels a bit limiting. Personally, I'd love to see Vivo offer more colour options to give users greater choice.

Vivo has also introduced a new shortcut button on the X Fold 5, that is placed right above the volume controls. You can customise it to perform various actions such as turn on torch, launch camera, take notes, start a recording, enable AI captions, and so on. 

The foldable smartphone comes equipped with IP68, IP69, and IP5X protection.

Despite the phone being much slimmer than before, the company has made sure that it is sturdy. The X Fold 5 is said to feature a new refined folding mechanism with a carbon fiber support hinge and offers second-generation Armor Glass on its outer screen. The rear panel is said to be made of a glass fiber material. The handset offers IP58 and IP59 water resistance along with IP5X dust protection, which is a good thing. 

Coming to the display, the Vivo X Fold 5 sports a large 8.03-inch flexible LTPO display when unfolded. The display offers up to 4,500nits of peak brightness, 412ppi pixel density, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 120Hz screen refresh rate, and a resolution of 2200x2480 pixels. It gets a 6.53-inch display on the front with 1172 x 2748 pixel resolution. 

The smartphone features a large 8.03-inch main screen and a 6.73-inch cover screen

The front panel also features 4,500nits of peak brightness, 457ppi pixel density, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ certifications. The display appears to be quite crisp and vibrant. When you unfold it, the 8.03-inch screen is large and ideal for content consumption. That said, we will talk more about this in our upcoming review. So, stay tuned. 

Vivo X Fold 5 is powered by the older Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which was also present in the X Fold 3. The handset comes with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to UFS 4.1 storage. It runs on Funtouch OS 15, which is based on the Android 15 operating system. 

The phone comes with a triple-camera setup on the rear panel, a selfie shooter on the cover screen, and another camera on the main screen.

The latest foldable smartphone from Vivo is equipped with a Zeiss-branded triple-camera setup. You get a 50-megapixel primary Sony IMX921 sensor with f/1.57 aperture and OIS support. The device also features a 50-megapixel telephoto sensor with 70mm equivalent focal length, 3x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom, and 15 cm macro. Lastly, there's a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens with a 120-degree field of view. 

The foldable offers a 20-megapixel front-facing camera on the cover screen, and another 20-megapixel sensor on the inner flexible screen. The Zeiss-branded modes and bokeh effects are here with some new additions. We will talk in-depth about the Vivo X Fold 5 cameras in our upcoming review. 

The Vivo X Fold 5 packs a large 6,000mAh battery and offers 90W fast charging support.

Lastly, another strong point of the Vivo X Fold 5 has to be its battery. The company has managed to cram a 6,000mAh battery in to such a thin chassis and you also get support for 80W FlashCharge and 40W wireless fast charging. This is quite impressive as none of the foldables available in India offer such a large battery.

In conclusion, the Vivo X Fold 5 stands out with its premium, sleek design and lightweight build, making it comfortable to hold and easy to carry. The sharp, vibrant display enhances the viewing experience, while the bright main screen ensures comfortable content consumption even in bright environments. Performance felt solid during my brief hands-on time with the device, and the cameras are reportedly a major step up from the previous generation. In the foldable space, its main competitors include the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the older Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. 

Stay tuned to our full review to find out if the new Vivo X Fold 5 is a good upgrade over its predecessor and whether you should consider it over its competition.