vivo X Fold5 Cuts a Decent First Impression, Hinting at Strong Potential
vivo’s first-ever foldable entry into Malaysia is on the horizon, and we were lucky enough to get first dibs on an experiential event. The vivo X Fold5 will stake its claim in the expanding book-style foldable segment – one that already sees the likes of the Galaxy Z Fold7, HONOR Magic V5, and OPPO Find N5 vying for the top spot.
But how will it fare against the rest? As far as first impressions go, the X Fold5 certainly has the substance to stand its ground.
One reason for that is that the X Fold5 stays in theme with the other foldables launched this year. Ultrathin and lightweight seems to be the name of the game, and vivo certainly brings that to the table. As to whether it is the lightest and thinnest – that’s a question we’ll answer another day. Nevertheless, the 217g weight is a commendable feat and certainly merits its lightweight bragging rights. It does feel great in hand, I’ll give it that.
Style-wise, the X Fold5 hasn’t strayed far from the X200 Series flagship offerings, most notably its thick-rimmed, gargantuan camera module. Though it’s not quite as ‘fun’ as other foldables that seem more experimental with colours, the X Fold5 does carry an air of sophistication with its Titanium Gray and Feather White colourways.
Something unique about the X Fold5 is the shortcut button on the side edge of the cover screen. Specifically, you’ll find it on the right when folded, and on the left once the cover screen is flipped outward. The button can be customized to access various functions, including sound and vibration modes, flashlight, camera, and more. It is a little too high up for my liking though. Assuming you’re using the phone one-handed, you’ll definitely need to shimmy the phone carefully within your palms to actually have your thumb within pressing distance.
On the software side, you’ll get the slew of AI features you’d expect from a premium device, including AI translation, speech-to-text capabilities, and Gemini Live. Adding to that is vivo’s new multitasking feature – Origin Workbench – which allows up to five apps to run simultaneously when unfolded. We’d love to test just how functional this tool is once we get our hands on it, but based on what we’ve seen in demos, it sounds promising as a multitasking tool.
We’re also glad to see vivo extend its ZEISS partnership to the X Fold5, with the phone sporting a 50MP ZEISS telephoto camera. We don’t see the ZEISS branding on the main cameras, though – which is a tad disappointing, considering this could be as premium as the X200 Pro.
Another noteworthy feature is the IPX8 and IPX9 water resistance. As we’ve seen for ourselves, the X Fold5 will have no issues being submerged underwater.
The vivo X Fold5 cuts an impressive first look, but we’ve yet to really zero in on it to see how it performs. vivo Malaysia has confirmed that the X Fold5 will launch in Malaysia soon. Till then, keep a lookout for our review!
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