Presented in September of this year, vivo X Fold Plus brings a slight evolution in relation to the smartphone launched in the first half of this year. It hits the market with minor adjustments and a new processor, in addition to the already known flashy design.
Another important highlight is the presence of an eight-inch internal panel that has LTPO technology to support a refresh rate of 120 Hz. But is it a strong competitor to the Galaxy Z Fold 4?
That’s what we’re going to try to find out in this quick hands-on.
Without further ado, scroll down and check out the smartphone’s top highlights. If you’re in a hurry, you can take a shortcut from the table of contents.
- design and accessories
- screen and hardware
- Software
- cameras
- First impressions and price
We can say that the main adjustments of the vivo X Fold Plus are inside it. That’s because it’s nearly identical to the original X Fold. However, vivo claims that the new device received some improvements in the hinge, which now even uses aeronautical elements to increase its resistance.
A curious point of this new set is that the screen does not fold completely to avoid the appearance of a crease. The hinge was designed to keep the panel suspended and you don’t even notice it with the device open or closed, for example.
In addition, a positive point is that running your finger on the panel that is on top of the hinge shows that it is resistant. That is, no sinking your finger or presenting a soft appearance.
The result of the changes here is very good, as you don’t see the crease even when the panel is off. The hinge also allows you to use the smartphone open to 90 degrees or 120 degrees.
The vivo X Fold Plus measures 7.4 millimeters when open and 14.7 millimeters when closed, weighing 311 grams. At first, any user might find the weight of this smartphone strange, but that changes over time.
The imitation leather present on the back of the vivo X Fold Plus is also something that draws attention. The synthetic material brings that premium look while we know that the device is resistant thanks to its aluminum structure.
Finally, the vivo X Fold Plus brings a complete set in the box. The smartphone, charger, cable, manuals and SIM drawer key.
The external screen of the vivo X Fold Plus is a 6.53-inch OLED that has a format very similar to that of a traditional smartphone. That is, a positive point for those who want to use the device with the screen closed.
The panel is also LTPO and delivers a dynamic refresh rate of 120 Hz, i.e. the same as the internal panel. Of course, the main difference is in size.
When opening the smartphone, you should see an 8-inch screen, and an interesting feature is that vivo X Fold Plus has two fingerprint readers.
That is, you can unlock the device using the sensor located under the external or internal display. In both cases, we are talking about a well-calibrated reader that easily recognizes the user’s fingerprint.
The processor of vivo X Fold Plus is the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 and it is one of the best top of the line from Qualcomm at the moment. Here in vivo X Fold Plus, the chipset works with 12 GB of RAM and it can be expanded up to 16 GB thanks to the virtual RAM feature.
The storage is 512 GB, but it is clear that the manufacturer offers more modest options for those who want to pay a little less on the device.
The foldable battery has grown from 4,600 mAh to 4,730 mAh. It is obvious that this will not make a huge difference in daily use, since we have a relatively large display on the device.
Even so, it is a positive point that deserves to be mentioned, since fast charging has also jumped from 66W to 80W, while in wireless mode you have 50W.
- Screen:
- Internal: 8-inch LTPO AMOLED display, FHD+ resolution (2160 x 1920 pixels) and 120 Hz refresh rate
- External: 6.53″ secondary AMOLED, FHD+ resolution (2520 x 1980 pixels), 120 Hz frame rate and 21:9 aspect ratio
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 Platform
- Adreno 730 GPU
- 12 GB of RAM memory
- 256 GB or 512 GB of internal storage
- 16MP f/2.5 front camera
- Four rear cameras:
- Main lens with 50 MP sensor
- Ultrawide lens with 48 MP sensor
- Periscope lens with 8 MP sensor
- Telephoto lens with 12 MP sensor
- 5G, Bluetooth 5.1, Dual Band WiFi
- 4,730 mAh battery with 80W fast charging
- 50W wireless charging
- Android 12 running under Funtouch OS 12
The vivo X Fold Plus was announced with Android 12 running under Funtouch OS 12. It is clear that the launch in September was decisive for the new Google software not to be here.
But we are talking about a highly premium smartphone, right? So it shouldn’t be long before he gains access to Android 13.
In terms of interface, Funtouch OS is complete and allows extensive customization, in addition to bringing shortcuts and useful features.
When it comes to the rear cameras of vivo X Fold Plus, here we have the same set found on vivo X80. So we have a 50-megapixel main lens with optical image stabilization.
The lens still has a special treatment that greatly reduces reflection and is produced by ZEISS, while the second sensor is a 48 megapixel ultrawide and there is also a camera dedicated to portraits with 12 megapixels.
Finally, we also have a fourth 8-megapixel periscope lens that allows you to have an optical zoom of 5 times and up to 60 times in the purely digital version, and there is still optical stabilization here.
The result of this photographic set is that we have great quality photos, since all the sensors are very efficient, especially in the zoom part. The front has 16 MP and also excels in selfies.
The vivo X Fold Plus does not yet have a release date in Europe. The smartphone itself brings a slight evolution over its predecessor and it is convincing. Namely, it has good hardware, the design is flashy, and it’s an attractive foldable.
Now, converting the Chinese price of yuan to real, the vivo X Fold Plus should cost around BRL 7,460. Finally, as it is not widely sold in the global market, we can say that vivo X Fold Plus is not yet a competitor to Galaxy Z Fold 4.
But of course the scenario could change as soon as it starts to be sold abroad. I say abroad because Vivo has no plans to sell its devices here in Europe, leaving only the way of importing for those interested in this smartphone.
In any case, it is important to note that Chinese manufacturers are slowly “populating” a market where until then Samsung “reigned absolutely”.
