A Rightful Challenger in the Top Foldables Arena

Vivo blends cutting-edge hardware with a sleek, pocketable design at a surprisingly competitive price tag for its features

- Abhishek Baxi

I took the X Fold5 for a spin for a couple of weeks, and it was evident that we are past the early apprehensions around the utility and durability of foldables and how they stack against flagship smartphones. The vivo X Fold5 (₹1,49,999 for the 16GB-512GB variant) largely maintains the design language of its predecessor, the X Fold3 Pro, which is a good thing. To top it up is its remarkable thinness and lightness—4.3mm when unfolded—and weighs 217g. The thinness is a significant engineering feat considering the phone feels like a regular candybar phone when folded (9.2mm thickness), addressing a common ergonomic concern with bulkier foldable devices. Making the device feel "regular" when folded effectively reduces the friction for users transitioning from traditional smartphones.

The X Fold5 also boasts excellent overall build quality, and the glass back not only contributes to its premium aesthetic but also effectively prevents smudging. A distinctive, oversized circular camera ring, consistent with other Vivo X series phones, adds a recognizable visual flair, although it's definitely a little divisive.

The robust level of IP58/IP59 ingress protection (IP5X for dust, IPX8 for immersion up to 3m for 30 min, and IPX9 for high-pressure water jets) and a hinge that feels reassuringly solid meant that this is a foldable that I didn't need to baby.