I’ve been an iPhone user ever since the iPhone 4 (yes, I’m old) and have been deep in the Apple ecosystem for even longer. Every now and then, an Android phone piques my interest with some new features, but not to the point where I’ve seriously considered switching. Usually, it’s with better cameras, longer battery life, or larger screens. The Vivo X Fold5 has all of these, and it’s also a foldable phone.
Foldable phones have been a curiosity but never a consideration for me because, while the bigger inner screen is nice to have, I still can’t look past the crease that runs through the middle of the display. Petty, I know.
The Vivo X Fold5 hasn’t solved the crease problem yet, but neither have the other flagship foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Fold 7 or the Honor Magic V5.
Foldables vs phone + tablet combo
Back then, foldable phones were still bulky, and it made more sense to me to just get a small tablet if I wanted a similarly sized screen. As of writing, it’s still common to see people comparing foldable phones against an iPhone + iPad Mini setup because of the similar price point.
Now that I’ve tried both, I must admit that the allure of the foldable is winning me over.
The first and quite obvious reason for that change of heart is the portability. I don’t have to carry around two gadgets to switch between a small and a big screen when I need to. It also helps that the Vivo X Fold5 feels so much like a normal flagship phone at just 9.2mm thin folded, 4.3mm unfolded, and weighs just 217 g. It’s actually lighter than the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
While we’re on the topic of displays, it has a 6.53″ cover screen and an 8.03” inner screen, both with 120 Hz, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ support, and up to 4,500 nits brightness that delivers bright, sharp visuals even outdoors.
While it may appear like it’s very easy to break when unfolded due to its thin profile, it’s quite durable. It’s got IPX8/IPX9/9+ water resistance, IP5X dust protection, cold resistance, and is equipped with 2nd-gen armour glass.
The Vivo X Fold5 also has an aerospace-grade hinge, and you can hear that satisfying “thup” each time you fold it, which it claims to be able to do up to 600,000 times.
It’s a productivity machine.
Normally, I’d need to bring out my tablet or use a laptop to check on emails, especially if the task requires checking documents or presentations. Having the Vivo X Fold5 has significantly reduced that need to the point that I can confidently attend meetings with just the foldable in hand.
Multitasking is a breeze with Origin Workbench. It seems to have taken inspiration from Apple’s Stage Manager for iPad OS, so shifting from my iPad to the Vivo X Fold5 felt very seamless.
Other productivity tools are built in with the AI Smart Office, such as Smart Call Assistant that shows calls and transcribes them in real time, AI Captions that transcribes videos, and the Vivo DocMaster that fully utilises the 8.03” inner screen.
For now, I’m using mostly Google apps like Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets as these were the most convenient ways of sharing files and data from my Apple devices. So far, these all work flawlessly and have been a joy to use.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, while considered a last-gen chip, is still actually quite capable and handles all the apps I use without any hiccups.
It’s my default camera and editing suite.
The Vivo X Fold5 boasts a 3-camera setup co-engineered with ZEISS, and using it has been a joy. Taking a photo while folded, then editing the image with its bigger screen, just works.
I used to take shots with my phone or camera, transfer the photos to my laptop, and edit on the device. The foldable form factor eliminates that troublesome process, as I just need to unfold the phone and conveniently edit the photos directly from there. The stock phone editing app has enough features for me to edit images properly, too.
Having 50MP cameras all around doesn’t hurt either, as it allows me more room to crop the photos with minimal impact to resolution. The stock camera app has a plethora of settings, allowing more flexibility even before taking the shot.
My only gripe here is that the “Pro” setting is hidden in the “More” tab instead of just having that option easily accessible at the start.
The 6000mAh battery also inspires confidence to take the phone out for some street photography without worrying about running out of battery for the day. I did just that and still had enough charge to unwind in the evening for some gaming.
On that note-
It’s my new go-to gaming setup.
The Vivo X Fold5 can, unsurprisingly, power through some of my mobile games. And pairing it with a physical game controller makes the experience nearly similar to using the Nintendo Switch 2, excluding exclusive games, of course.
I’ve been using it to play Diablo Immortal, Genshin Impact, Persona 5: The Phantom X, Pokémon TCG Pocket, Asphalt 9 Legends, and Call of Duty Mobile. The bigger screen does make a difference when playing all these mobile games, as long as the game supports it, which it does for the most part.
So far, I’ve only experienced this support issue with Pokémon TCG Pocket when shifting from the front screen to the inner one (and vice versa), where the game will stretch and distort itself to fill the new screen size instead of responsively changing its resolution. In this case, it’s better to open the game on the screen I want to play it on.
On the hardware side, the Vivo X Fold5 does tend to get hot to the touch in longer gaming sessions. This isn’t an issue for me so much as I only have pockets of time for myself each day to play. This is usually during my daily commute, highlighting the foldable’s convenience. I now don’t need to juggle a phone and a tablet on the bus.
It’s a conversation starter.
Even with the technology already a few generations in, foldable phones still never fail to gather interest from onlookers. Very few people I know own one, so using one in public will get somebody’s interest. This was a common thing during my few weeks with the phone, whether at home, in the office, or out with friends.
People were actually surprised when they realised the Vivo X Fold5 is a foldable phone. When folded, it appears to be an unassuming Android slab phone because of its thin profile and how big the outer screen is. I can’t help but smirk when people see me unfold the device.
But what about the crease?
Well, it’s still there and I’ve learned to live with it. It’s not so visible when viewing the display straight, but quite clear when looking at it from the side. I don’t do the latter, so it’s fine.
Still, it is kind of weird when my finger runs through the crease and I feel the recessed part. This unfortunately happens a lot when I edit photos, as I would slide my finger from one side to the other for photo adjustments.
Other than that, I have learned to live with it, thinking it’s a minor compromise and doesn’t affect much of what I do with the phone.
To sum it up:
While almost everything I mentioned here, from productivity to creativity to gaming, can be done with the iPhone + iPad Mini combo, it still can’t match the portability and seamless experience that the Vivo X Fold5 offers.
Just having that option to switch from a flagship phone to a flagship tablet is simply magical.
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