vivo X Fold3 Pro review

Competition

The vivo X Fold3 Pro may not be China-only, but it's not entirely Mr. Worldwide either - as we understand it, it's only being sold in India and Indonesia for the time being. Competition in the large foldable space is limited to begin with, even more so outside of China, but let's think about it for a while.

The Galaxy Z Fold6 is the most obvious competitor and it's about as global as they come. In both India and Indonesia, the vivo is priced roughly the same as an 'entry-level' Z Fold6 (the 256GB storage version), while a 512GB Galaxy will be some 10% pricier, though it's almost irrelevant at that level.

The X Fold3 Pro wins on a lot of the fundamentals here. It's got more sensible proportions and now that proper water resistance is added to the specs, the Galaxy loses that advantage. The vivo has nicer displays, believe it or not, longer battery life and much faster charging too. The Samsung's camera system, while alright in isolation, is no match for the one on the vivo. And we do like our ultrasonic fingerprint readers, which is typically a point for Samsungs, but here it's the vivo that gets it (twice). One could make a case for One UI and possibly the S Pen, but it's not the most universally applicable of cases.

The Galaxy Z Fold5 could also enter the race, tipping the scales away from the vivo thanks to its lower price, though the numbers we're looking at don't make it all that enticing. Plus, the vivo could stand its ground, even if it's against a slightly cheaper Galaxy.

Next up is the OnePlus Open. This one is readily available in India at a somewhat tangible 13% lower price than the vivo (for a matching 16GB/512GB spec), so it's got a head start. It's the closest you can get to the vivo's camera system, with a bit of an advantage in video and a slightly nicer ultrawide, though we'd still probably pick the vivo if forced to choose. The X Fold3 Pro has the newer chipset and notably better longevity in gaming, plus an IPX8 rating versus the OP's IPX4.

And as a final alternative, perhaps the vivo X100 Pro is going to give enough of the vivo goodness in the camera department, without having to pay more than twice to get it in pocket tablet form.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 • OnePlus Open • vivo X100 Pro

Verdict

You'd think Samsung has remained unchallenged in the large foldable space for another year and that's why it's mostly coasting with the Z Fold6, and that's probably true on a global scale. But the sort-of international X Fold3 Pro will be giving the Galaxy a run for its money in the coming months, albeit still regionally - let's hope it's enough of an indication of things to come from vivo, and a wake up call for Samsung.

Indeed, the X Fold3 Pro does a lot of things better than the Galaxy, while not necessarily trailing in any areas - unless you're specifically after stylus operation. Ah, if you do a lot of traveling, the lack of eSIM support will be a hindrance too, but that's about it.

The vivo has spectacular displays inside and out, the longest endurance in the class plus some of the fastest charging, and two under-display fingerprint sensors. And that's before we get to the camera system which is very likely our favorite for stills in the large foldable space, if not quite so appealing for video.

All things considered, the vivo X Fold3 Pro is a compelling large foldable with overall excellence when it comes to the fundamentals and a particular knack for photography. We think you'd be happy owning one.

Pros

• Compact and lightweight for what it is; IPX8 rating for water resistance.
• Ultrasonic under-display fingerprint readers, two of them.
• Class-leading battery life; fast charging.
• Some of the brightest displays we've seen, Dolby Vision too.
• Superb telephoto camera, great primary one too.

Cons

• Availability is regionally limited.
• Video quality isn't up to scratch.
• No eSIM support.