In the past, the term "folding flagship" seemed to have nothing to do with "standard edition". Not surprisingly, no matter what the final quality of the product is, as the highest-priced segment of the product line, the folding flagship will always have the manufacturer's best features. When we talk about the folding screen under the past naming system, the so-called standard equipment is actually already "Ultra", on this basis to create a more lightweight folding screen, there will be "XS", "VS "XS", "VS" or another form of naming suffix.
But vivo's strategy this year is not quite the same. They have re-calibrated the positioning of their folding screen products, separating them into two versions: the standard version and the Pro. The vivo X Fold3 standard version is based on the previous generation of products, but also in the body of the body to realize a drastic improvement. So as a "light and thin pioneer" of the vivo X Fold3 in the end how light and thin, and what experience highlights? We'll take a look at it today.
Lightweight not like folding screen
In fact, with regard to the feel of the folding screen, other manufacturers have made a lot of efforts. From 300g to 262g to 231g, the feel of the folding screen has been optimized many times, while the vivo X Fold3 has achieved a level of only 219g this time. For reference, Vivo's own image flagship, the Vivo X100 Pro, weighs just 221g, which shows how extreme this folding flagship really is.
The thickness of the vivo X Fold3 is also very exaggerated, only 10.2mm in the folded state, and only 4.65mm in the unfolded state, and every time we picked up this model during the review process, we were amazed by the thin and light feel of the center frame and hinged shell part.
Another detail that deserves your attention is that the vivo X Fold3 has an 8.03-inch internal screen and a 6.53-inch external screen, making it a "full-size" horizontal folding flagship, which takes the thinness and lightness mentioned earlier to a higher level.
The vivo X Fold3 we received comes in Light Feather White, which takes its name from the term light as a feather. It doesn't continue the dual-material patchwork design of its predecessor, which was a solid color overall, but introduces a wider metal center frame near the hinge, which still looks very textured as well.
In fact, even the back cover, Vivo X Fold3 has a lot of details. For example, the material of the back cover is "world-class high-strength high-model fiber", which is 15 times stronger than steel fiber, and combined with the metal frame that extends to the cross section near the center frame, the overall texture is also very good.
"Light" flagship-level images
I originally thought that after pursuing the ultimate in thinness and lightness, the Vivo X Fold3 would inevitably take a stab at imaging, but its core configuration remains at a good level. It still adopts the rear triple camera module, the wide-angle main camera uses the same IMX920 sensor as its flagship, the ultra-wide angle is the 50-megapixel JN1, and there is also a 50mm-equivalent lens in the portrait focal length section, which is basically similar to its predecessor's idea, but with some upgraded configurations.
The actual shooting, in fact, can still feel vivo X Fold3 in the shooting experience of a lot of progress, first of all, the image quality, the main camera sensor in the daytime under good light environment imaging effect is quite good, the resolution of the close-up photography is also quite good, at the same time, there is no obvious traces of sharpening, the color is also more moderate and close to the reality of the expression, the actual use of the down is still very people can make people feel happy.
Then take a look at the two secondary camera. vivo X Fold's ultra-wide angle and portrait lens in the image quality performance is still quite good, the ultra-wide angle of 15mm, in the acquisition of a fairly wide angle of view at the same time, the corners of the image quality and aberration control is relatively good; portrait lens can be used to shoot a number of individual close-ups of the characters, and also can be further digital zoom to 100mm, when it is still able to beat the resolution, but also make it a very good resolution. This is also still able to play, but also make up for some of the regret in the telephoto configuration.
What's surprising is the vivo X Fold3's portrait performance. Although the image processing configuration is built on the previous generation platform, but the actual shooting down, you can still feel the excellent portrait is still evolving. Whether it's the keying algorithm, the calculated bokeh effect, or the clarity and beauty effect of the characters themselves, it's all done at a level that surprises people, and even makes them forget that this is a folding-screen phone in pursuit of the ultimate in thinness and lightness.
Finally, let's take a look at the night scene performance. vivo X Fold3's night scene is a stable play, no big waves and no surprise, it is worth pointing out that the main Zeiss T* optical lens in the highlights of the performance, no flare ghosts, shooting will not need to pay attention to the angle of the psychological burden.
During the review shoot, I also realized that the improvement in the "feel" of the vivo X Fold3 is the result of a combination of things. Because it feels thinner and lighter, I can feel more relaxed when shooting without having to worry about security and feel; the extremely bright screen makes it brighter when shooting outdoors during the day, so you can see it more clearly, whether it's a rear-facing selfie or a big-screen view; and the second-generation Snapdragon 8 platform guarantees imaging and operating speeds.... ...All in all, I'd say this is a flagship that people would be more likely to want to take out and use, and it's really surprising that it's at this level as a folding flagship.
Blue Ocean oversized battery for better battery life
Having emphasized the thinness and lightness of almost the entire review, has the vivo X Fold3 compromised on battery life? No, it doesn't, and it even has the largest battery in the current folding flagship market, with the equivalent capacity coming in at a full 5500mAh, which even puts some of the heavier image flagships to shame.
According to Vivo, this is an industry-first "semi-solid-state battery" that also utilizes second-generation silicon anode materials and laser array etching technology. We don't need to worry too much about the names of the technologies and configurations, we just need to focus on the effect of these configurations working together: the battery is more durable, more durable and faster charging.
In terms of actual battery life performance, the Vivo X Fold3 is a real delight. In our simulated scenarios, the Vivo X Fold3 did achieve excellent battery life with its larger battery, though it should be noted that the "50% brightness" we tested is much brighter on this model, so in a streaming scenario where it jumps to a high refresh rate, it uses a little bit more power. But in the end, it's still a great performance, and the Blue Ocean battery is really quite "therapeutic".
As for the charging configuration, this is a bit of a pity for the vivo X Fold3, 80W flash charging moderate, wireless charging is discarded, if you really like the experience of wireless charging, or look at its "big brother" vivo X Fold3 Pro it.
Summarize
We previously summarized the idea of folding screen is no more than two, one is thin and light, one is all-round. However, in the past year, there are manufacturers constantly challenging the definition, such as flagship image into the ultimate thin and light body of the product, there are really beyond the level of thin and light straight plate machine - but manufacturers usually only choose one of the road, or to find the middle of the road, trying to "middle of the road", "middle of the road". But manufacturers usually choose one of these paths, or find a middle ground and try to create something more special with a "middle of the road" mentality.
The previous generation of the vivo X Fold2 exemplified this tangle.
In 2024, Vivo suddenly became a mastermind. They've created the impeccably equipped and very thin vivo X Fold3 Pro, and they've also brought out the standard vivo X Fold3, which is even thinner on top of that.
As for the sorry configuration? The vivo X Fold3 does make some trade-offs in terms of configuration.
Taking the ultimate thin and light 219g body, 5500mAh battery and excellent folding form, give up is the latest flagship platform, ultrasonic fingerprint unlocking and wireless charging, but don't forget, vivo X Fold3 pricing can be more competitive, the ultimate thin and light body with 8.02-inch internal screen, for trying to start folding the flagship of the user, I believe that it will have a very "Killing power".
What's more, vivo this time chose to "all to", in vivo X Fold3 on the vivo X Fold3 Pro there is a elimination of these regrets. With the standard version to dispel the concerns of the hand feeling, with the Pro version to meet the pursuit of the configuration, it can be said that the vivo X Fold3 series this time to prejudge the netizens of the prejudgement - and whether you are ready to get into the hands of it?
