2023 has been an interesting year for foldables so far, as manufacturers attempt to leapfrog one another with thinner, gap-less foldables. Arguably, the Samsung Z Fold4 is the foldable smartphone to beat, and it is no surprise that competing brands often use that phone as comparison during their product launches.
The vivo X Fold2 is not exempt from this as well. We’ve heard the usual spiel of it being thinner and boasting a gapless hinge when compared to the Samsung counterpart, but to me at least, it all boils down to the user experience.
We’ve received a copy of the mainland Chinese version of the vivo X Fold2 to get a taste of what is to come if this foldable is to launch in Malaysia.
Table of Contents
vivo X Fold2 Specifications
| Model | vivo X Fold2 |
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 161.3 x 143.4 x 6 mm Folded: 161.3 x 73.4 x 12.9 mm |
| Weight | 279g |
| Processor | CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 GPU: Adreno 740 |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Storage | 256 / 512 GB |
| Display | Main Display: 8.03″ AMOLED 1916 x 2160 pixels 120Hz 1,800 nits (peak brightness) Cover Display: 6.53″ AMOLED 1080 x 2520 pixels 120Hz 1,600 nits (peak brightness) |
| Camera (Front) | 16 MP, f/2.5 Cover Camera: 16 MP, f/2.5 |
| Camera (Rear) | Main Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, Dual Pixel PDAF, Laser AF, OIS Telephoto Camera: 12 MP, f/2.0, Dual Pixel PDAF, 2x optical zoom Ultrawide Camera: 12 MP, f/2.0, Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Operating System | OriginOS 3 (based on Android 13) |
| Battery and Charging | 4,800mAh 120W wired charging 50W wireless 10W reverse wireless |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7 Bluetooth 5.3 NFC USB Type-C 2.0 |
| Biometrics | Face unlock Dual screen fingerprint |
Box Contents
- vivo X Fold2
- Protective case
- 120W fast charger
- Charging cable
- Manuals and documentation
Design
The vivo X Fold2 looks and feels like a well-built premium product. The back boasts a textured finish with straight lines on the right side. At first glance you may mistake it for leather, but it is actually plastic (kinda reminds me of the 2017 Toyota Vios’ dashboard).
The camera array is arranged in a circular manner, surrounded by a textured metal ring, reminiscent of aperture rings found on rangefinder cameras.
The cover screen is curved on one side, which is understandable as the left side will form the back of the device once opened. The buttons are laid out where you would expect them, with the addition of a silent mode switch located at the cover screen half of chassis. Completing the design is a gapless hinge.
Display
The cover display on the vivo X Fold2 is pretty standard for an AMOLED. Coming at 6.53-inches, it boasts a FHD+ resolution. It looks sharp and colours are vivid; plus the 120Hz refresh rate makes every thing look smooth.
Unfolding the device, however, is where the fun lies. You get a large 8.03″ AMOLED display with excellent detail and colours. The best part: no visible crease, at least when viewed head on.
Audio
The X Fold2 has dual stereo speakers, but to get a proper stereo experience, you would have to use the phone sideways. That being said, the speakers sound decent, with a warm midrange and smooth treble. The mid-bass packs a bit of oomph as well
Camera
The smartphone comes with a trio of cameras, with the main camera being a 50MP shooter. It takes pretty good pictures under the right lighting conditions, but I would place the camera performance to be on par with upper midrange smartphones.
There is also a telephoto and ultrawide with 12MP sensors, and I find the images to be quite useable.
Performance
The vivo X Fold2 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, with 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of internal storage. By now, we should be familiar with how good this chipset is, and it shows.
On AnTuTu, it scored an impressive 1,581,707 points, easily beating most smartphones with lesser chipsets, and on par with other Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 equipped smartphones.
Closing Thoughts
Despite only packing a mainland Chinese firmware, the vivo X Fold2 is impressive from the start. Now it all depends on how well optimised the global ROM will be, and if vivo could nail the pricing and OS optimisations, the X Fold2 could give the competitors a run for their money.
To learn more about the vivo X Fold2, please visit the official website here.
