Move over Open Canvas, this could be the best way to multitask on a foldable
TL;DR vivo's upcoming X Fold 5 features a new multitasking system called 'Atomic Workbench' capable of running up to five active apps simultaneously.
'Atomic Workbench' enables one dominant app view while keeping others minimized but live, improving upon OnePlus' Open Canvas approach with a better layout for engaging more apps.
The vivo X Fold 5 launches on June 25 in China.
OnePlus pioneered the Open Canvas feature with the OnePlus Open foldable, allowing users to open three apps simultaneously on their foldable's inner display. This approach stood out as one of the best ways to multitask on Android foldables and tablets, as it opened up two apps side by side, with the third app tucked away but ready to be in focus at any moment. Now, vivo's upcoming X Fold 5 foldable threatens to usurp OnePlus' multitasking crown with its 'Atomic Workbench' feature.
vivo's product manager Han Boxiao has shared a demo of the X Fold 5's multitasking system, called '原子工作台,' which translates into 'Atomic Workbench.'
The demo video shows that the Honor of Kings game occupies most of the screen real estate, but not all of it. There's empty space on the sides, but more notably, we see four apps hanging out in the top ~30% of the screen. Tapping open any of these apps brings them into focus in a similar layout. However, apps like DeepSeek and WPS Spreadsheet push the multitasking pane to the left side (probably because they open in portrait orientation). We also spot a drag handle on the bottom right corner, albeit the demo doesn't showcase its use.
This multitasking solution is genius because it allows one app to dominate the display, while still giving you a good peek at what the other apps are up to. The cherry on top is that all five apps continue running actively, even when out of focus. For all practical purposes, the apps still very much consider themselves in focus. We can see Honor of Kings continues to proceed with the gameplay, and DeepSeek keeps answering the query even when the user has switched away.
Essentially, vivo has improved upon OnePlus' Open Canvas experience by focusing more on one app while keeping the rest open in smaller, switchable windows. The layout is also an improvement from Android's conventional multi-window experience, which recently adopted the 90:10 multitasking split after being inspired by Open Canvas on candybar phones. However, I can't help but notice the similarities with iPadOS' Stage Manager, which focuses on app groups, while vivo's multitasking implementation appears to focus on individual apps.
It remains to be seen how easy it is to activate this multitasking layout, if it can run with fewer than five apps, and if users can resize or reposition the layout.
The vivo X Fold 5 is set to launch on June 25 in China. It's unclear if the foldable will launch in international markets, but we would love to see the 'Atomic Workbench' multitasking feature reach more phones and tablets. Other notable features on the foldable include claimed Apple Watch compatibility (!!!), IP5X, IPX8, and IPX9 ratings for improved durability, and an impressively thin and light frame for a foldable.
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