Mario Bautista
The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro feels like an outlier. Most foldable phones compromise on camera performance to reduce the price and make the internal components fit better under the hood. No manufacturer admits it, but it’s clear to anyone using them.
Not only does it pack an excellent camera array, but the X Fold 3 Pro also manages to be thinner and lighter than some competitors. How could that be? There’s ingenuity in the design, but also, branching out of the Chinese market means Vivo can apply some pressure on the likes of Samsung and Google from afar. With Zeiss in the fold, this Fold gives any user a good shot at taking good shots.
Design and Build
At 11.2 millimeters (0.44 inches) thin when folded, the X Fold 3 Pro isn’t far off from a standard bar smartphone, though the camera bump is noticeable. At 5.2 millimeters (0.2 inches), when folded out, it feels so much thinner. Vivo includes a slim casing for the back, though no bumper or case for the other half, so the device feels somewhat exposed. It’s not that you’d want to drop any foldable anyway, given how fragile they all tend to be, but the Fold 3’s svelte profile serves your pocket well when you get better protection for it. Still, it’s nice that this device has IPX8 water resistance, except no dust resistance, which presents a greater danger because a hinge and built-in screen protector become magnets for all sorts of debris.
Both displays are gorgeous AMOLED panels. The front Cover display is a 6.53-inch (2,748 x 1,172) panel made with Armor Glass, while the inside is an 8-inch (2,480 x 2,200) foldable panel of thinner glass that doesn’t show a very noticeable crease in the middle. With 4,500 nits of peak brightness, both are easier to see in bright daylight, and an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate keeps everything smooth. Support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision also fit right in for consuming video content. Even the onscreen fingerprint sensor proves to be very reliable.
Weighing a respectable 236 grams (8.3 ounces), the X Fold 3 Pro doesn’t feel cumbersome. Its Funtouch overlay isn’t my favorite Android skin, but at least the global version isn’t saddled with bloatware, so I also felt the software was lighter in weight.
Running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, the X Fold 3 Pro also veers away from the MediaTek chipsets Vivo’s been rolling with for years on its V and X series phones. There’s robust performance here because it helps preserve battery life when running a task or two. Foldables are inherently suited for multitasking, made easier by the 12GB of RAM to start if you get the 256GB variant. Otherwise, it’s 16GB/512GB or 16GB/1TB.
Camera Features
Vivo didn’t go light on the rear camera array. The main 50-megapixel camera (23mm equivalent) uses a Type 1/1.3-inch Omnivision OV50H image sensor with f/1.68 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS).
A 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera uses a Type 1/2.76-inch Samsung JN1 sensor with f/2.0 aperture and phase detection autofocus to span a 119-degree field of view.
The 64-megapixel telephoto camera is a periscope design using a 1/2-inch Omnivision OV64B sensor with an f/2.57 aperture and OIS. This is a 70mm equivalent at its 3x optical zoom and also happens to be the same telephoto found in the excellent Vivo X100 Pro. The difference is Vivo uses it at its full 64-megapixel size in the X Fold 3 Pro, meaning there’s no crop factor here. The Zeiss periscope system also uses floating elements to help with focusing, but it doesn’t apply macro shooting when you get too close to a subject. To do this, you need to use the ultra-wide camera. But if you keep a distance of around 20 centimeters (7.9 inches), the periscope lens lets you take a macro shot from a reasonable distance. It is handy when getting a close-up without the phone casting a shadow.
To top it off, Vivo teases with its 10x hybrid zoom that can prove surprisingly versatile in how it captures faraway subjects without too much noise or over-sharpening. Much of what Vivo lays out with the telephoto lens carries right over from the X100 Pro, putting a flagship-level shooter in a foldable form factor.
To stick with that trend, Zeiss’ T* Coating covers the full rear array to help reduce glare and lens flare. Vivo’s own V3 Imaging Chip handles image signal processing, with a particular lean toward low-light and portrait images.
Software Features
Vivo offers three main image profiles: Vivid, Textured, and Zeiss Natural. You can choose among them anytime, and they’re readily available in most modes within the camera app. They all have their place, but the Zeiss look remains the best of the trio, in my opinion.
In addition, you get a range of filters to try out while you take photos, available in several modes. Portrait mode brings back the seven Zeiss bokeh flare options and the ability to adjust the bokeh effect from f/0.95 to f/16. Long Exposure offers its own set of effects and filters that will be familiar to anyone who’s used a Vivo phone before. There are even more filters and presets in the Gallery app’s editing suite.
The significant change here is the foldable aspect itself. Simply being able to edit the same photo in two apps at once feels liberating. I tried out Vivo’s editing tools next to Lightroom in a split-screen setting and enjoyed the freedom of comparing results from both.
I’m just disappointed I couldn’t use the camera app that way. Vivo doesn’t allow split-screen setups for it at all, even if you’re trying to view the full Gallery on the other half. Most other foldables enforce the same limitation, so it’s not surprising. It’s a shame there isn’t more flexibility on a device built on that idea. Otherwise, sharing photos or quickly removing an object with the AI tools now available in devices like this (and various apps) makes on-the-fly workflows feel faster and more intuitive.
Most apps will support split-screen setups by default, though some might not. You can save dual-app split-screen pairings by holding down on the icon in the task bar and adding it to the home screen. Unfortunately, some obvious ones don’t work, like Lightroom and Photoshop Express side-by-side because the latter doesn’t support split-screen at all. Other apps do, like VSCO, Snapseed, Canva, and Photoleap to name a few.
Like other foldables, Flex mode splits an app into a viewable half and a control half. For the camera app, that means seeing a live view on the bottom or top half while viewing the last photo you captured on the other. Tap on the preview to see the image you shot covering one half. Fold out the phone, and it will cover the entire interior display. Fold it back up again, and you will go right back into the split-screen camera setup.
Since foldables can make capturing various perspectives easier, this arrangement can make mobile photography feel fun and creative. It also offers opportunities in multiple modes, like shooting in a burst from a low or high angle or taking photos over an obstacle or crowd.
Image Quality
Main camera
While the X Fold 3 Pro doesn’t have the same camera specs as the flagship X100 Pro, Vivo went beyond just outfitting its premium foldable with middling or aging mid-range sensors (looking at you, Samsung). Good sensors coupled with Zeiss’ software assistance deliver solid results, including one element these two do particularly well: dynamic range with exposed light sources and reflections.
I also appreciate that Vivo doesn’t apply too much when rendering the final image. There isn’t a preponderance of oversharpening nor a severe reduction in contrast. Night mode will sometimes lean on sharpening and reduced contrast to illuminate the scene, but the primary photo mode is good enough to capture most decent low-light scenes anyway. The Zeiss Natural profile produces more authentic images, though Vivid and Textured are worth experimenting with.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Omnivision OV50H sensor, but it can handle varying situations. The X Fold 3 Pro won’t match the beauty of the X100 Pro as far as overall results, but for a foldable, the gap is much closer than you might think.
Telephoto
This is one of the strongest links to the wider camera system because it proves to be so reliable, especially when it gives you good results from as far as 10x hybrid zoom (234mm equivalent). You need decent lighting, of course, but it’s a big deal to see in a foldable phone. The 3x zoom at a 70mm equivalent is on par with the X100 Pro, which can deliver rich color and good detail, though you naturally lose some of that going beyond that range.
The best part is that the lens is adaptable to different settings or situations, like how it applies to the Portrait mode, where you can shoot at 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 100mm equivalents. Plus, it lets you shoot in macro from a distance. It works in Night, Snapshot, High Resolution, Pro, and the video modes. If only Vivo did the same with Long Exposure.
Ultra-wide
In contrast, the ultra-wide camera is the weakest link. It’s capable of taking good photos, but you’ll notice soft edges and a lack of punch, generally posing a bit of a problem for a foldable phone that makes perspective photography so much easier. Any subject in the middle of the frame will look fine, except the broader scene will show the limitations of this particular sensor.
Pro and High Resolution
I recognize this might not be the device to usher it in, but Vivo really should allow users to shoot in RAW at full resolution. As is, you’re forced to settle for pixel-binned 12.5-megapixel photos in either RAW or JPEG within the mode. SuperRAW returns to give you a 14-bit option, but again, not at full-res. The good thing is Vivo at least serves up a nice set of tools to compose photos, from the standard manual controls to useful elements like a level, shake reduction, bracketing, interval shooting, and even Zeiss’ horizon correction for architecture and landscapes.
High-resolution mode lets you shoot full-res JPEGs. Depending on the photo, you may end up with great images you can edit nicely in Lightroom or another app. You can use the mode with the other two lenses as well, which is an excellent way to offset some of the weaknesses of the ultra-wide and build off the strengths of the telephoto lens.
Special Modes
Long Exposure is still the most creative to me, though others have upsides, too. Whether it’s Food, Astro, Live Photo, or Landscape and Architecture, you have some license to try things out. Even more so when you consider the X Fold 3 Pro’s form factor. Supermoon returns and is only at its best when the moon is clearly visible. I tried using it with a reddish moon hanging low over the horizon and didn’t get a great result. Snapshot is great for freezing movement, except it ramps up the ISO to offset the faster shutter speed. Hence, you may get great results for a phone or tablet screen, but the artifacts become more evident on a monitor or TV.
Video Features
I focused on still photos for this review, yet I also got to appreciate how a good camera array helps on the video side. There are not many changes as far as options go. You can record in 8K at 30fps, 4K, and 1080p at 30fps or 60fps in Video mode. You can use Teleprompter to run a script along the screen as you record yourself using the front camera. For some Hollywood flair, you can try Cinematic Portrait to record at 24fps, including LUTs to give your footage a certain look. Pro mode is probably the better option over the regular video mode because it lets you record in a wide range of resolutions and frame rates. Plus, you get focus peaking and exposure feedback, two features unavailable for still images.
The Best Foldable Yet?
It’s very impressive to see Vivo somehow cram in a 5700mAh battery into the X Fold 3 Pro when the best Samsung has been able to do is 4,400mAh, going back to the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The company did this while making a thinner body that’s a hair lighter (236 vs. 239 grams) and packs far better cameras. Add in very fast wired charging (with a North American adapter) along with 50W wireless charging, and there’s daily longevity here.
It doesn’t end there. This is currently the only foldable I’ve tested that has an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor built into both screens. The interior display is larger and brighter, with a flatter crease in the middle. Samsung may have an edge in AI features, multitasking options, and productivity options (a la the S Pen) in the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Still, after using both, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro trounces it in just about every other way.
The X Fold 3 Pro succeeds in not making you feel like you’re using something full of compromises. Nor does it come across as an incremental improvement. I didn’t get to test its predecessor, but I make that point referring to foldables at large, not just Vivo’s own lineup. It’s an impressive device that clarifies just how much the likes of Samsung and Google have coasted in this nascent mobile sub-category.
Are There Alternatives?
Even the OnePlus Open, which I picked as the best foldable available when it launched last year, has some catching up to do against what Vivo’s done here. Honor’s Magic V3 is a serious contender as a viable alternative. It will bring a slew of AI features in future updates, but it’s also more expensive off the bat.
On North American shores, options remain limited. Samsung has enjoyed a long head start in this category, now entering its sixth generation with the Galaxy Z Fold 6, yet it chose to put in much of the same camera array it used two years ago. Google is back for a sequel with its Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Both sacrifice camera hardware (and some software) to make their devices thinner and cheaper, trying to offset all that by doubling down on AI-driven imaging features.
Should You Buy It?
Yes. Even more so if you care little for any AI features. Vivo hasn’t said much about its plans on that front, but the X Fold 3 Pro is more than capable of running them if they come along later. The global launch centered on India, and the conversion rate puts this phone at roughly $1,900 USD. That’s right in the ballpark with Samsung and Google, but you get more for every dollar from a photography perspective.
