The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is almost here, but I've already found the foldable phone I've been waiting for.

Foldable smartphones are gradually becoming more common, but there are many factors that prevent them from taking a leading position in the market. It's not just about the high prices of such devices. Their thickness, battery life, and camera quality often make using foldable phones a compromise compared to regular models. Despite my love for the OnePlus Open, this phone is aimed at a specific audience that values performance. For foldable phones to become the future of smartphones, they need to meet various requirements at all levels. So far, almost none of them have managed to achieve this. This is where the vivo X Fold 3 Pro comes into play. While it doesn't stand out with special pricing, this smartphone could be the first foldable device to provide a truly uncompromising experience. Its features, at least from a theoretical standpoint, not only offer comparability with traditional flagships but also surpass them in some key aspects. After using the X Fold 3 Pro for the past few weeks, I've concluded that vivo has created the first foldable phone that can compete with any premium smartphone, and not just because of its large screen. Moreover, it sets an incredibly high bar for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Thick without compromise

Foldable phones have always intrigued me since the release of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold in 2019. However, Samsung's narrow and tall front screen has always seemed too small for comfortable everyday use. If the rumors are to be believed, the latest changes in this area won't bring significant improvements. Last year's OnePlus Open was a true revolution with its wider 6.31-inch front screen, which made me pay attention to this format.

The vivo X Fold 3 Pro goes further. Its 6.51-inch screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio, like typical smartphones, provides enough space for comfortably sending long messages or emails. This change makes the front screen more functional, leaving room for an additional row of icons or a larger area for the camera viewfinder. Personally, I still prefer the wider screen of the OnePlus Open, but that's a matter of personal preference, and both devices are significantly better than what Samsung offers.

The increase in the front panel also leads to a larger internal display. The 8.03-inch screen is noticeably bigger compared to offerings from Samsung and OnePlus. More screen space is a strong argument in favor of foldable phones; having a larger size contributes to improved productivity. However, size doesn't always solve everything.

On the OnePlus Open, the matte screen protector encouraged me to read more on the large display, but the matte surface isn't very suitable for watching media or photos. The vivo X Fold 3 Pro took a different approach. Instead of a matte screen protector, its bright display boasts a maximum brightness of 4500 nits, which helps it handle sunlight. It's bright and vibrant enough to make you want to unfold the screen and open Netflix or YouTube. The amazing display also does a great job of hiding the characteristic crease, making it almost unnoticeable.

I have taken several flights to Europe over the past few weeks, and the X Fold 3 Pro has consistently replaced my iPad as my multimedia source. The reasons I carry the X Fold 3 Pro everywhere are its lightweight design and size. Weighing just 236 grams, this foldable phone doesn't feel any different from standard flagships, which makes all the difference.

The super-thin design and lightweight of 236 g make the X Fold 3 Pro comparable to any other popular flagship. Vivo claims that the thickness has been reduced to approximately 11.2 mm, excluding the camera module. Although the phone still creates a bulge in the pocket, it's not as noticeable as before — a step in the right direction. Vivo achieved this weight saving thanks to a new carbon hinge mechanism that withstands up to 500,000 folding and unfolding cycles over twelve years. In practice, it's impossible to verify this claim, but the mechanism seems much more reliable than the already excellent hinge on the OnePlus Open. If you like the idea of turning your smartphone into a mini-laptop, the vivo X Fold 3 Pro is suitable for holding various angles, not just opening in a horizontal position. Moreover, Vivo has also accounted for this by integrating relevant software optimizations, which I will discuss later.

Let's get back to the design — most of the time, my foldable phone stays folded, and I assume this is true for most owners of such phones. Therefore, usability in the folded state is a very important factor. Vivo's focus on creating a foldable device that feels like a regular smartphone is commendable. Like the previous generation X Fold 2, the X Fold 3 features fingerprint scanners under the display on both the front and the inner side of the screen, making it easier to access the phone.

Flagship filling

The smartphone runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and is equipped with 16 GB of RAM, so I haven't had any significant complaints about its performance. On the other hand, even the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is in the OnePlus Open, is more than capable for my needs. In my opinion, the most important aspect, especially for a foldable device, is the software - both in terms of quality and optimization for large screens.

It may seem that the feature set is not as rich as that of Samsung's flagships, but the X Fold 3 Pro includes several features tailored for foldable devices. Running on Funtouch OS 14, based on Android 14, the vivo X Fold 3 Pro offers a generally polished experience — in most cases. It's hard not to notice the multitude of pre-installed apps. While some of them can be removed, not all can. There are plenty of settings available, just like on any other vivo phone, but I was more interested in specific optimizations for foldable devices, and there are some interesting solutions here.

One of the factors that surprised me was the built-in split-screen mode, which turns the phone into a device that resembles a laptop. The Flex mode, activated when the phone is folded at an angle between 75 and 115 degrees, looks particularly impressive. It divides the active screen into two parts and adds a touch panel at the bottom of the screen.

On the other hand, the screen splitting gesture feature is really just for show. The gesture is based on sharply squeezing the phone to split active applications in half. In theory, this should simplify usage, but in practice, I find it hard to imagine anyone constantly twisting a pricey phone in their hands while performing a simple multitasking action. Moreover, the feature doesn't work consistently enough.

And if you've ever dreamed of extremely expensive alarm clocks, the X Fold 3 offers that too. By folding the phone into "tent" mode, a large widescreen always-on display is activated. It surprisingly resembles the Standby mode on Apple's iPhone. However, to activate it, you don't necessarily have to place the phone on a charger. Small victories. I used this feature quite often, but I was a bit worried that I might accidentally drop the phone while sweeping my hand across the table.

In addition to this, vivo claims to have tools based on Google Gemini, such as translators, transcription features, and enhanced notes. The overall package is not as extensive as Samsung's and does not include an equivalent of the excellent Canvas multitasking system found on OnePlus phones, but it is sufficient to meet the needs of most users.

Is it still the best camera on a foldable phone?

While the cameras on foldable phones are constantly improving, they still fall short of traditional phones due to their size. The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is the first foldable smartphone that truly comes close to addressing these issues. The sensor configuration includes a main 50-megapixel sensor, a 64-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x zoom, and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. But the real strength of the X Fold 3 Pro lies in its software. I've already mentioned how much I like the camera on the Vivo X100 Pro. The X Fold 3 Pro doesn't quite reach that level, but it gets significantly closer. Moreover, this is a noticeable advantage compared to the expected Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, which will inherit a rather familiar sensor setup. As for the X Fold 3 Pro, let the photos speak for themselves.

Through all its lenses, the vivo X Fold 3 Pro creates stunning photographs. On a recent trip to Copenhagen, I decided not to take my camera with me, and the results did not disappoint. Although I'm used to carrying my DSLR or a more "photo-centric" smartphone along with the OnePlus Open, I didn't feel their absence at all. Of course, the results aren't as impressive as those from the vivo X100 Pro, but even in low-light conditions, the X Fold 3 Pro demonstrates a commendable level of noise suppression. A small amount of detail is lost due to noise reduction if you look closely, but I viewed the images on a large 4K monitor, and the photos looked quite good. Especially considering that these are shots from a foldable phone. This smartphone also supports a full range of lens simulations and filters that I love so much on the X100 Pro.

Amazing battery life

I don't know how vivo managed it, but the X Fold 3 Pro is equipped with a massive 5700 mAh battery. This would be impressive on any phone, but on a device as thin and light as this, it becomes doubly incredible. This leads to amazing battery life, and a full day of use on a single charge is achievable—even with active use of the internal display. It's surprising that Samsung continues to equip its Z Fold series with batteries that only have a capacity of 4400 mAh. Meanwhile, here we have a 5700 mAh battery that keeps the X Fold 3 Pro running all day and even longer.

Moreover, vivo continues to outperform Samsung and OnePlus in the charging department. The 100W charging support is faster than the 67W supported by OnePlus and four times faster than Samsung's 25W. A full charge takes just over thirty minutes. If you're interested in wireless charging like I am, there is support for that as well — up to 50W.

vivo X Fold 3 Pro: my new favorite foldable phone, abandoned due to lack of availability

Vivo has fully utilized the capabilities of the X Fold 3 Pro, and it's noticeable. One could argue about the lack of large sensors, like those in the Vivo X100 Pro, but this smartphone is almost as thick as the X Fold 3 Pro, without the folding mechanism and aluminum construction. Therefore, it makes sense that Vivo had to sacrifice something. Nevertheless, the image quality here is excellent, as is the performance. Although the software isn't as extensive as Samsung's, it's still enough to satisfy even the most demanding users.

No jokes:The vivo X Fold 3 Pro is the best foldable device I've used so far, and I've tried many of them. It also doesn't make me feel like I'm missing out on anything important in terms of cameras, charging technology, or other features compared to the best flagships on the market. However, there are two areas where the phone needs improvement — software updates and availability.

The limited availability and lack of software updates hold back the vivo X Fold 3 Pro. With only three promised updates and four years of security patches, the X Fold 3 Pro cannot compete with the five or more years of support from Samsung. Additionally, availability is also an issue. The vivo X Fold 3 Pro is only available in India and Indonesia, making it an unsuitable option as a viable alternative to most popular foldable devices on the market. Vivo is also not very aggressive with its pricing. In India, the phone is priced at 160,000 rupees (~$1900), which is on par with high-end foldable phones, but is unlikely to encourage anyone to make a spontaneous purchase.

Nevertheless, it can be confidently said that the vivo phone sets extremely high expectations for what a minimum foldable phone should include in 2024, and makes it clear to Samsung that it's time to speed up the pace of innovation.