I got my hands on the foldable phone rival that fixes the Galaxy Z Fold 7's biggest issues
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is finally here, and it looks like Samsung actually tried to deliver a competitive foldable phone. The device offers a super-slim and light design, the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and a 200MP main camera.
It's not the only book-style foldable phone to launch in July, though, as the vivo X Fold 5 has now launched in (some) global markets. And my brief time with the phone shows that this is a compelling Z Fold 7 alternative offering a few features Samsung skimped on, save for one major caveat.
More durable than the Z Fold 7
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
Unbox the X Fold 5 and you'll find an extremely thin and light foldable phone that really doesn't feel much different than a conventional smartphone. It's not quite as slim and light as the Samsung foldable, coming in at 9.2mm and 217 grams (versus 8.9mm and 215 grams), but it's a negligible difference. Plus, the tapered edges make it seem thinner than it really is.
However, one area where vivo has Samsung beat is durability. The X Fold 5 ships with IP5X, IPX8, and IPX9 ratings, which means it can withstand dust, water immersion, and high-pressure jets of hot water. Even the Galaxy Z Fold 7 only offers an IP48 rating, which means it can withstand water but not dust.
vivo's foldable phone offers an 8.03-inch folding OLED screen (2,480 x 2,200, ultra-thin glass) with 4,500 nits of peak brightness. Peak brightness is basically a marketing gimmick, but I had no issues with viewing the display under the sun. However, I did find that the screen was a fingerprint magnet, while the crease is still noticeable. The cover display has a 21:9 aspect ratio, as seen on previous vivo foldables. This is still a little narrow for my liking, and I did fat-finger the keyboard at times.
Check the rear cover and you'll find an Oreo cookie camera housing. I'd rather take this over the Z Fold 7's camera bumps, which cause Samsung's phone to rock back and forth when you tap the folded screen on a flat surface.
Battery life champion?
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
The X Fold 5 has a 6,000mAh battery, which is much larger than the Fold 7's 4,400mAh battery and larger than other foldable phone batteries. I haven't spent enough time with the phone to definitively ascertain endurance, but this should significantly outpace the Z Fold 7, particularly when using the folding screen. I achieved almost eight hours of screen-on time and still had 33% juice remaining when primarily using the cover screen. The phone has 80W wired charging and 40W wireless charging, and it took just 58 minutes for me to go from zero to 100% via the included charger. Not bad for a 6,000mAh battery.
The vivo X Fold 5 has the largest battery we've ever seen in a foldable phone, and it takes just under an hour to fill up.
vivo has settled on using last year's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip seen in the Z Fold 7. That means the Samsung phone should handily beat it in benchmarks and in some demanding apps. However, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is still a powerful chip that should easily support advanced games several years from now. I haven't experienced any general performance issues, while titles like GRID Legends and War Thunder Mobile also ran smoothly.
The X Fold 5 is also equipped with a pretty versatile rear camera system, consisting of a 50MP main camera (IMX921, 1/1.56-inch), a 50MP ultrawide camera, and a 50MP 3X periscope camera (IMX882). The main camera took good-quality shots in most conditions. The default image processing still leans a little too heavily on sharpening, but at least you can turn this down with a slider. Meanwhile, the ultrawide shooter is easily the weakest rear shooter, owing to color fringing and image softness.
1x
3x
6x
10x
3x
10x
Selfie
Ultrawide
That high-resolution 3x sensor means you can generally capture good-quality 6x shots thanks to cropping. You can also get good-looking 10x shots in ideal scenarios, but I sometimes noticed blown highlights. I don't have faith that the Z Fold 7 will be able to match vivo in this regard, though. A 20MP selfie camera is available on each display. These cameras generally get the job done, but you should expect heavy noise reduction and reduced detail in mixed lighting.
Some neat software tricks, but Samsung still rules the roost
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
The global version of the X Fold 5 swaps out the China-only Origin OS software for Fun Touch OS 15 (Android 15). Thankfully, one of the coolest features seen in the Chinese phone is coming to global models, namely the Origin Workbench feature.
Origin Workbench is a new take on app multitasking, which is accessible by swiping inward from the bottom-right corner. This reduces your app to a slightly smaller app window, and gives you space for up to four more active apps in much smaller windows on the left. A simple tap on these small app windows will let you quickly swap apps.
I'm not a big fan of multitasking on smartphones, but I liked this approach. Perhaps the only downside is that the main window can feel slightly cramped with some content. Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind if Samsung brought a similar feature to its foldables.
vivo's Chinese foldable also offers Apple Watch support with an update, AirPods support, and more. However, the company hasn't made these same promises for the global software. Otherwise, vivo still lags behind Samsung's foldable software in several ways. Perhaps my biggest bugbear is that per-screen customization (e.g. wallpapers, home screen layouts) is severely lacking. I'm also waiting for vivo to confirm the phone's update policy, but I doubt the company will copy Samsung and offer seven years of OS and security patches.
The biggest issue is availability
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
vivo says the X Fold 5 will only be available in Asian markets like India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Taiwan. That's a real disappointment as it means the Pixel 9 Pro Fold ($1799 at Amazon) and HONOR Magic V3 (£1699.99 at Honor) are among your only viable Galaxy Z Fold alternatives in Europe. Meanwhile, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is your only Fold 7 alternative in the US. This can be particularly annoying if you want a foldable phone with long battery life, dust resistance, and good camera zoom.
Indian users can expect to pay Rs 149,999 (~$1,745) for the sole 16GB/512GB vivo X Fold 5. By contrast, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is notably more expensive at ~$2,036 for the base 12GB/256GB model. That's a decent chunk of change you're saving on a foldable.
Nevertheless, if the X Fold 5 is available in your country, you should definitely consider it. It addresses some key Galaxy Z Fold 7 weaknesses while being notably cheaper (for a foldable). Not in a supported market? Then you should get the Z Fold 7 or wait for the HONOR Magic V5.
vivo X Fold 5
vivo X Fold 5
MSRP: $1,744.00
The vivo X Fold 5 is a thin, light foldable, with amazing cameras.
See price at Giztop
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Android Authority
24 minutes ago
- Android Authority
Apple could copy this great S24 Ultra display feature for iPhone 17 Pro series
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra both use Corning's Gorilla Armor display protection. In addition to improved durability, Gorilla Armor drastically reduces screen glare. It looks like Apple could also jump on the anti-glare bandwagon later this year. A 'reliable source' told MacRumors (spotted via SamMobile ) that the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will get scratch-resistant, anti-reflective glass on their screens. Unfortunately, the standard iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air aren't tipped to get this feature. This isn't the first time we've heard about Apple potentially copying Samsung in this regard. We initially heard this rumor back in March 2024 . However, a MacRumors source noted in April that Apple had yield issues and may have canceled it for the iPhone 17 line. So it seems like Apple's supplier has now improved production to the point where it can actually be used. We hope Apple's anti-reflective tech is as good as the Gorilla Armor and Gorilla Armor 2 coatings seen on Samsung's last two Ultra phones. Colleague Aamir Siddiqui felt that Gorilla Armor was the best thing about the Galaxy S24 Ultra: It is shockingly glare-free, to the point that you start noticing how bad the light reflections can be on other competing devices. In any event, we're glad to see Apple apparently embracing anti-glare tech on iPhones. But we hope this is just the beginning and that more smartphone makers adopt these coatings soon.
CNET
24 minutes ago
- CNET
Why Android-Makers Should Focus on the Phone and Leave AI to Google
If you've bought an Android phone in the past year, you've likely noticed that it's packed with AI features. Maybe you knew about them before you hit purchase, maybe you assumed (safely as it turns out) that there would be some kind of AI on your new phone, or maybe they took you totally by surprise. If you bought a Samsung Galaxy S25, for example, you'll have had Gemini, Circle to Search, Bixby and Galaxy AI at your fingertips -- all before you even thought about downloading the ChatGPT app. It reminds me of the early days of Android, when phone-makers tried to load devices with their own apps, services and overwrought UIs in the name of differentiation. Which sparks the question: Is AI the new Android bloatware? It's easy to understand why Android phone-makers have latched onto the idea that AI might be a useful tool to set them apart from rivals. After all, most flagship Android phones share the same DNA: a high-end processor (usually the top Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm), the latest Android software, a competitive camera system and a battery that will last for a day or more. The truth is that we're often splitting hairs when trying to recommend one over another. When generative AI arrived on the scene, offering the potential to bring new experiences to mobile devices, Android phone-makers were keen to tap into those possibilities. Here was a new opportunity to differentiate themselves, and give people a fresh reason to choose them over a competitor. (And over the iPhone, as Apple slow-walks Apple Intelligence into being.) In reality, it's not quite playing out that way -- and for a few different reasons. First, research conducted by CNET and supported by the findings of independent industry analysts consistently shows us that people aren't upgrading their phones due to the availability of AI features. Instead, the things they care about, in order of importance are price, longer battery life, storage, cameras. In other words, the same exact things they've prioritized for years when choosing a new phone. The second issue is that in spite of some manufacturers' best efforts, AI isn't the differentiator they thought it would be. At the heart of this problem is that there's barely an Android phone hitting the market right now that doesn't already have the most cutting-edge tech built into it thanks to Google Gemini. Every Android phone maker has its own flavor of AI, but more often than not, this means a bunch of gimmicky features added onto the existing software in a haphazard fashion, creating something of a Frankenstein effect. Early-mover advantage: Galaxy AI Of all the Android phone-makers trying to make their own AI brand stick in our minds, it's perhaps Samsung that's in with the best chance. Compared to rivals, it was relatively early to jump onto the AI bandwagon, launching Galaxy AI in January 2024, giving it a strategic headstart that it's built on ever since. Last week it followed the launch of its latest foldables with an AI forum, during which it revealed that 70% of Galaxy S25 owners were using Galaxy AI features. More than half, it added, were using Circle to Search. This year it will bring Galaxy AI to more than 400 million devices. Android's Circle to Search feature originally launched on Samsung Galaxy S24 and Pixel 8 phones in January 2024. Samsung/Screenshot by CNET This all sounds positive, until you remember that Circle to Search is a Google feature, not a Samsung feature. Google, which makes the Android OS, often hands out temporary exclusives to Android phone-makers on new Gemini features, as it initially did with Circle to Search for Samsung in 2024. It did it again this year with an image-to-video generator, which debuted with Honor. It's surely a nice sweetener for Google's relationships with phone-makers to be able to offer them these exclusives. But most of the standalone AI mobile tools we've seen grab the headlines are ultimately Gemini features made by Google, not the work of individual phone-makers, and it's only a matter of time before they become available on other Android devices – including Google's own Pixel phones. To Google, "nothing is more important than Gemini," said Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight. It is a "strategic pillar of the future of Google." And how better, he adds, to ensure its success than getting it into people's hands through the 3 billion Android phones in the marketplace (which puts Samsung's 400 million into perspective)? Samsung might have the largest market share of any Android phone maker, but when you look at its reach compared to Google's, it's clear that Galaxy AI, which sits on top of Gemini, is at a competitive disadvantage. Bonus AI Of course Samsung and other Android phone-makers will say their own flavors of AI don't compete with Gemini, but complement it. And there is some validity in this idea. It's rare that a phone maker attempts to replicate something Google has already done. Instead they look for opportunities to add their own AI twist -- often in the form of camera features. But whether they do this well enough for it to make any kind of meaningful impact on people's decisions to buy their phones is another question entirely. This week, OnePlus began rolling out its own suite of AI features, announced back in May, to the OnePlus 13 and 13R. These include some photo tools and an AI content hub called Plus Mind to act as your memory for important information. OnePlus' natural language search within "Mind Space" worked well for me. Katie Collins/CNET It would be a waste of time for OnePlus to replicate features in house that have already been developed by Google, said Arthur Lam in an interview at the software launch. A central part of the company's AI strategy is to "embrace and integrate [Google AI features] as fast as possible," he said. "At the same time, we should have our own proposition, our own idea about what OnePlus AI should stand for," added Lam. This is where Plus Mind comes in. It's an interesting first step from the company, although perhaps not quite as compelling as a company such as Motorola, which is investing in a LAM (large action model) -- as opposed to an LLM, or large language model -- that will respond to questions with actions, not just words. The idea is that it will use its understanding of your environment and reduce the number of interactions you need to have with your phone to order a coffee or an Uber, for example. All roads lead to Gemini As for Google, the company thinks it's "great" that phone makers are developing their own AI to complement the suite of tools it's providing them. That's what Sameer Samat, president of Android, told Tech Radar this week. "If the features are great, it's more value for the consumers and more innovation," he said. "But I think for us, as Google, we want to make sure those two pieces [Circle to Search and Gemini] are very clearly accessible, very clearly identifiable across all the different devices that consumers are considering." It's a revealing statement from Samat, supporting the theory that Google's ambition is to be the final boss of the AI smartphone experience. As Wood puts it: "All roads lead to Gemini." Ultimately, it's not only Google's reach that is going to allow Gemini to be the dominant AI tool on Android phones, but the budget and talent the company has to dedicate to AI, which individual phone-makers just can't match. This means that when it comes to differentiation, AI is unlikely to be the factor that sets brands such as Samsung and OnePlus apart. "Handset manufacturers are in danger of being left to compete more on brand and industrial design than AI features and capabilities," said Wood. True differentiation: The Nothing story One company that seems to have realized this is UK-based Nothing. Over the past year or so, I've attended, either in person or virtually, almost every major Android phone launch. One thing most of them have in common is a Google representative on stage espousing the many benefits of Gemini. At the launch of the Nothing Phone 3 in London earlier this month, the company bucked this trend. Nothing still has a tiny market share -- around 0.2% as estimated by founder and CEO Carl Pei. But since its inception in 2022, it's managed to thrive and grow in a competitive, mature phone marketplace thanks largely due to its focus on design. Nothing's focus on design sets it apart. Andrew Lanxon/CNET That's not to say it's ignored AI, but it has taken a different approach. Earlier this year it launched "Essential Space," an AI-powered portal for storing and organizing everything important on your phone, from screenshots to calendar invites. It was a unique feature that's already been effectively copied by some other phone-makers (see OnePlus' efforts above). Nothing does use Gemini, but it's not reliant on it in the same way its competitors are. "We don't want to do the model side," Pei explained to me at its Phone 3 launch earlier this month. "There's companies that are really good at it. They're very well funded and they're all competing against each other." Instead, Nothing has built its AI platform to be "model agnostic," he said. "When the models get better, we just switch to the best one. Right now, I think it's powered by Gemini, but there's no stopping us from changing to the latest and greatest." The uphill battle ahead A flexible approach to AI seems like the safest bet at this time when the technology is changing minute by minute. It'll be an uphill battle for Android phone-makers to keep up, and hope their own efforts will remain relevant and prove useful as Google charges ahead offering best-in-class mobile AI experiences. The real fight here is the same one we've seen play out for the past decade and a half: It's Apple versus Google. The true differentiation we're seeing in mobile AI right now is between Google Gemini and Apple Intelligence, with the former leading the field and the latter trailing in its wake. For as long as Google attempts to aggressively build upon its early AI lead while holding the Android ecosystem in the palm of its hand, phone-makers will need to do more than just rely on AI to persuade us that their Android offering truly is the best of the best.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Samsung Makes $963 Offer To Galaxy Z Fold 7 Buyers
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 smartphone is displayed at a Samsung store in Seoul on July 10, 2025. ... More Samsung unveiled on July 9, the new generation of its foldable smartphone, the Z Fold7, dramatically slimmed down in an attempt to jumpstart this still-niche market. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP) (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images) Samsung really wants you to buy the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It started with repeated teasers, that virtually gave everything away, and ended with a spate of pre-order discounts, including a 24-hour flash giveaway, that totals $963.17. This story was updated on July 17th with new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 pre-order details. As it stands, the Korean company is running seven (get it?) different promotions for its Galaxy Z Fold 7, alongside a new double trade-in deal I haven't seen before (more on that below). Here's what is on offer. Most of these offers expire on July 24th, except the long-running "APP5" code, and the free pair of Galaxy Buds voucher, which ends today (July 15th) at midnight. Considering Samsung continued to offer freebies and discounts weeks after the Galaxy S25 Edge released, I wouldn't be surprised if more were on the way for the Fold 7. These promotions and freebies, before a trade-in is included, total £718.95 ($963.17). A solid deal that almost makes buying the phone in the pre-order period worth it. Especially the double trade-in deal, which is one of the more eye-catching offers. In essence, Samsung will pay £200 for 'any tablet in any condition' on top of your used-smartphone trade-in. The Korean company previously told me that it will honor that promise of accepting any device, and the small print doesn't have any glaring caveats to it. The 100 day try before you buy period, too, is very enticing. Samsung Has More Galaxy Z Fold 7 Discounts Up Its Sleeve But, as you will know if you read my deals stories (don't miss any by hitting the follow button below), this is the worst time to buy a smartphone. Like cars, smartphones depreciate rapidly and the pre-order period is when the device is at its most expensive. Samsung will almost certainly discount the Galaxy Z Fold 7 again. A good cue is the Galaxy S25 Edge, which was bundled with the Galaxy Tab A9 Plus a month after the phone launched. Also, a Galaxy Z Fold 6 deal in May knocked a straight $350 off the device, which, to me, is the gold standard in deals because the actual price of the handset is lower. Freebies and incentives are great, but minimising the dent in your wallet is far more important. Trade-in prices, too, were better a month ago. In June Samsung valued the Galaxy S23 Plus at £333 ($446.08), but now it's only worth £257 ($344.27). The Galaxy S23 Ultra was priced at £449 ($601.47), now it's valued at £386 ($517.07). It's not all bad news, last month Samsung paid £230 ($308.10) for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, that valuation has now shot up to £345 ($462.15). If you're not in a hurry to buy the Galaxy Z Fold 7, I'd say it's worth waiting to see what discounts Samsung has up its sleeve for next month. Update July 17th: It's clear that the U.K.'s Galaxy Z Fold 7 pre-order deal is superior to the Samsung U.S. offer. American buyers get the double storage deal and the $50 credit if they registered their interest before the device was announced. But there doesn't appear to be any of the associated vouchers, such as the 'PAYPAL' or 'BUDS' codes that British shoppers can use. Nor does the 100 day try-before-you-buy promise apply in the U.S. Instead, U.S. shoppers can get $300 store credit—after buying the Fold 7—if they don't have a device to trade-in. That $300 can't be used on the phone itself, rather Samsung is pushing customers towards the $499 Watch 8 Classic or $649 Galaxy Watch Ultra. There's also the same double storage deal mentioned above, which saves $120. It's not clear why Samsung U.K. has better deals for its tech, perhaps the market is more competitive on this side of the pond, but it has been trending this way for a few months. The starkest example of that is Samsung U.K.'s suddenly high trade-in prices that far outstripped U.S. trade-in valuations last month.
