Every year there’s that one phone launch that steals the spotlight, that one device which refuses to be “just another smartphone.” In 2025, that spotlight is clearly shining on Vivo’s latest foldable—the Vivo X Fold 5. Foldables have been around for a few years now, but it’s only recently that they’ve started moving from “experimental luxury toys” into “serious, everyday flagships.” Samsung may have pioneered the category, Huawei may have experimented heavily, but Vivo has quietly crept up as one of the strongest challengers in this space.
The new Vivo X Fold 5 is being talked about as one of the most polished, refined, and perhaps even the best foldable phones you can buy this year. With a sleek design, upgraded hinge, ridiculously smooth displays, powerful Snapdragon performance under the hood, and camera hardware that competes with actual flagships, this phone doesn’t just fold—it makes a statement.
But the big question is: is this really the best foldable phone of 2025? Let’s dive deep into the design, display, cameras, performance, battery, price, and more to see if the hype around the X Fold 5 is justified.
Vivo X Fold 5 Design: The Fold that Finally Feels Natural
The promise of foldables has always been a phone that can be as compact as you need, and as big-screened as you want. But earlier devices often came with compromises—thick hinges, awkward creases, sharp edges. The Vivo X Fold 5 changes that.
From the moment you hold it, you can tell Vivo has worked obsessively on the new hinge mechanism. It’s smoother, lighter, and allows the phone to fold almost completely flat with practically no gap at the edges. The crease in the middle of the main display—it’s still there, physics can’t be cheated entirely—but it’s so subtle that most of the time you’ll forget it exists.
In the closed state, the phone feels like a regular flagship with a tall cover display. Open it up, though, and it transforms into a near-tablet with a beautiful screen canvas. The back panel (depending on the variant you pick) comes in premium finishes like vegan leather or matte glass, and the signature circular camera module adds a touch of sophistication without looking bulky.
The crease, hinge durability, and weight have always been concerns when handling foldables, but the X Fold 5 cuts those anxieties down. It feels balanced, not like you’re carrying a science experiment in your pocket.
Vivo X Fold 5 Displays: A Dual-Screen Delight
One of the standouts of the Vivo X Fold 5 is its dual-display setup. Unlike some foldables that compromise the outer screen, Vivo insists that both outer and inner displays must feel equally premium. And they do.
The outer cover screen is 6.5 inches, a crisp AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and bright enough to handle the harsh Indian summer sun without squinting. Use it for quick WhatsApp replies, emails, YouTube snacking, or even gaming, and it won’t feel like a compromise at all.
Then there’s the inner foldable screen—a massive 8.03-inch AMOLED LTPO panel with 2K+ resolution and up to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. It’s immersive, cinematic, and so smooth you’ll struggle to go back to regular flagships. Watching Netflix, editing documents, or playing open-world games here feels downright addictive.
Here’s how it compares to some foldable rivals on the market:
| Phone Model | Outer Screen | Inner Screen | Refresh Rate | Peak Brightness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Z Fold 6 | 6.3″, 120Hz AMOLED | 7.6″, 120Hz AMOLED | 120Hz | 2600 nits |
| Honor Magic V3 | 6.5″, 120Hz LTPO | 7.92″, 120Hz LTPO | 120Hz | 2800 nits |
| Vivo X Fold 5 | 6.5″, 120Hz AMOLED | 8.03″, 120Hz LTPO | 120Hz | 3000 nits |
That last column says it all—3000 nits peak brightness on the Vivo X Fold 5’s inner display makes it one of the brightest foldables in existence, ensuring outdoor visibility and stunning HDR content indoors.
Vivo X Fold 5 Performance: Snapdragon Muscle
At the heart of this machine is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processor, Qualcomm’s 2025 flagship chipset. Combined with 12GB and 16GB RAM variants and storage options up to 1TB, this phone handles literally anything you throw at it.
Heavy multitasking? Splitting the screen into three apps at once? No lag.
Gaming at max graphics on Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile? Smooth, frame-stable performance.
AI features and productivity tools? Handled with ease by the dedicated neural processing unit.
This is raw flagship power, but it’s also been optimized for foldables. Apps open seamlessly across the cover and inner screens, scaling beautifully depending on the orientation. Vivo has worked closely with developers to bring better multi-window support, meaning the X Fold 5 feels like a mini laptop when you want it to, and a regular phone when you don’t.
Vivo X Fold 5 Cameras: A Foldable that Doesn’t Compromise
Foldables often cut corners when it comes to cameras. “You’re already paying for the foldable screen, don’t expect flagship cameras,” seems to be the attitude. Vivo outright rejects that idea here.
The Vivo X Fold 5 is packing a triple rear camera array co-engineered with ZEISS. The setup includes:
- 50MP primary wide sensor with OIS
- 48MP ultra-wide sensor with a 114° field of view
- 64MP telephoto sensor with periscope zoom (up to 10x hybrid zoom, 100x digital zoom)
On the cover, there’s a 32MP selfie sensor, and inside the foldable screen, another 32MP sensor tucked neatly without intruding on the immersive main display.
The photography performance rivals Vivo’s own X series flagships. Daytime images are vibrant yet natural, nighttime photographs are well-stabilized with less noise, and portrait shots with ZEISS bokeh effects look genuinely DSLR-like. The telephoto camera stands out too—you can zoom in on distant objects with sharp detail while still maintaining color accuracy.
For video, the X Fold 5 supports 8K recording at 30fps, 4K at 60fps, and superb stabilization modes. This phone isn’t just a foldable—it’s also one of the most complete camera packages of the year.
Hinge Durability and Ergonomics
Every foldable review eventually comes down to one question: “But will it last?”
Vivo claims the hinge on the X Fold 5 has been tested for over 600,000 folds, which translates to more than five years of daily folding and unfolding. The hinge materials have been re-engineered with aerospace-grade alloys that feel reassuringly sturdy when snapping open or shut.
Weight is also better managed this time—it’s lighter than last year’s X Fold 4, and the distribution means you don’t feel awkward one-handed. Sure, it’s still heavier than a traditional flagship phone, but for the utility it gives, most users will accept the trade-off.
Vivo X Fold 5 Software Experience: Funtouch Meets Foldable Magic
The phone ships with Android 15 out of the box, running Vivo’s polished Funtouch OS (or OriginOS in China). And this is where you really see how far foldables have come.
Multi-tasking is obviously the star. You can run up to three apps side by side on the inner display, floating additional windows above them if you like. Need to quickly check a note while browsing Chrome and watching YouTube? It’s smooth, intuitive, and lag-free.
App continuity is another highlight. Start writing an email on the cover screen, flip open the phone, and continue seamlessly on the big display without losing formatting. The little touches—like optimized gesture navigation, split-screen drag-and-drop, and picture-in-picture—make you feel like the X Fold 5 is not just a big phone, but a genuine productivity tool.
Vivo X Fold 5 Battery and Charging: Big Screen, Big Backup
Bigger screens need bigger batteries, and Vivo has accommodated this with a 5,300mAh dual-cell battery. That might not sound monstrous on paper, but paired with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4’s efficiency and foldable optimizations, it easily lasts a full day of intensive use—or two days of lighter use.
And when you do need to charge, Vivo’s trademark fast-charging prowess shines again. The X Fold 5 supports 100W wired fast charging and 50W wireless charging. From 0 to 50% takes barely 20 minutes with the cable, and a full charge clocks in under 45 minutes. For a foldable, these are flagship-class numbers.
Vivo X Fold 5 Audio and Multimedia: Pocket Cinema
One key highlight of the Vivo X Fold 5 is just how immersive it feels as a multimedia beast. The dual stereo speakers are loud and punchy, supporting Hi-Res Audio. Combined with that nearly 8-inch inner display, watching Netflix or Disney+ feels like carrying a mini home theatre in your bag.
The phone also supports Dolby Atmos, enhancing the overall soundstage for both wireless earbuds and wired connections via USB-C.
Price and Availability in India
Here’s where things get tricky. Foldables, by nature of their complex engineering, are premium products. The Vivo X Fold 5 is no exception. While official pricing varies region by region, in India the base 12GB + 256GB variant is expected to start around ₹1,49,999, with higher configurations pushing closer to ₹1,79,999.
Here’s a quick look compared to rivals:
| Model | Starting Price (India) | Key Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 | ₹1,59,999 | Ecosystem compatibility, S Pen support |
| Honor Magic V3 | ₹1,49,999 | Slimmest foldable on market |
| Vivo X Fold 5 | ₹1,49,999 | Brightest inner display, ZEISS cameras |
Vivo is clearly aiming to undercut Samsung while offering superior brightness and arguably better cameras—making the X Fold 5 a very attractive proposition for Indians eyeing a foldable in 2025.
Is It Really the Best Foldable of 2025?
So, the big question: is the Vivo X Fold 5 the best foldable phone of 2025?
Well, that depends on what you value most.
If you care about display quality, brightness, premium design, reliable hinge engineering, and cameras that don’t feel like an afterthought—then yes, the X Fold 5 edges out rivals like Samsung’s Z Fold 6 or Honor Magic V3. It delivers one of the most balanced foldable experiences yet, without making you feel like you’re compromising somewhere.
Samsung still has its ecosystem strength (Galaxy Buds, Watch, Tab integration). Honor still has its crazy-slim designs. But Vivo has struck that sweet middle ground where it blends luxury with practicality.
For many Indian buyers looking at their first foldable purchase, the X Fold 5 looks like the most logical, least risky, and most satisfying option.
Final Thoughts
The Vivo X Fold 5 sets a new benchmark for foldables in 2025. It’s not just about the wow factor of a folding screen anymore—it’s about whether such a device can actually replace your regular flagship, and the answer here seems to be a resounding yes.
From the smooth, crease-minimized folding mechanism to the dual 120Hz AMOLED displays, the powerhouse Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, ZEISS-powered cameras, fast charging, and thoughtful software optimizations—this is a phone that’s not experimenting anymore. This is a phone that has matured.