Vivo Fold 3 Is World's Lightest Foldable Phone That Opens Like a Book
Vivo beat the record held by fellow Chinese phone maker Honor.
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Vivo's new foldable phone is the world's lightest device that opens like a book. The Vivo X Fold 3, unveiled alongside the higher-end Vivo X Fold 3 Pro on Tuesday, weighs 219 grams. This is lighter than Honor's Magic V2, the previous record holder's weight of 231 grams. For context, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 weighs 253 grams.
In addition, the Vivo X Fold 3 is lighter than several well-known bar phones including the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which weighs 221 grams and the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which weighs 232 grams. Although the base Vivo X Fold 3 took the title from Honor's Magic V2 as the lightest book-style foldable phone that opens like a book, the Magic V2 is still slimmer when folded close by 3 mm.
Read more: Best foldable phone to buy for 2024
Size and weight have been a drawback for book-style foldable phones in their pursuit of the mainstream, but makers have increasingly released thinner and lighter foldable devices by using innovative materials and hinges. The Vivo X Fold 3 uses second-generation silicon materials and a lightweight carbon fiber hinge, the company said.
The Vivo X Fold 3 runs on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, has a trio of 50-megapixel cameras on the rear, and an official IP rating for water resistance of IPX4, but has no protection against dust ingress.
Alongside the X Fold 3, Vivo also unveiled the higher-end Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, which starts at 9,999 yuan (roughly $1,385 when converted) compared to the base X Fold 3's starting price of 6,999 yuan (approximately $970).
The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro runs on Qualcomm's top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, has a large 5,700 mAh battery, three rear cameras and support for 100-watt and 50-watt wireless charging. Both phones are currently receiving a release in China only. Take a look at our specs chart below for more detailed specs for the Vivo X Fold 3 and Vivo X Fold 3 Pro.
Vivo X Fold 3 series
| Vivo X Fold 3 | Vivo X Fold 3 Pro (China only) | Honor Magic V2 | |
| Cover display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate | Cover screen: 6.53-inch OLED (2748 × 1172 pixels), 120Hz refresh rate | Cover screen: 6.53 inch OLED (2748 × 1172 pixels), 120Hz refresh rate, | Cover screen: 6.4-inch, (2,376 x 1,060 pixels), up to 120Hz variable refresh rate |
| Internal display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate | Internal screen: 8.03-inch OLED ( 2480 × 2200 pixels), | Internal screen: 8.03 inch-OLED (2480 × 2200 pixels), 120Hz refresh rate, 4500nit local peak brightness | Internal screen: 7.92-inch OLED, (2,344 x 2,156 pixels), up to 120 Hz variable refresh rate |
| Pixel density | TBC | TBC | Cover: 402 ppi, internal: 402 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | Open:: 6.29 in x 5.61 in x :0.18 in Close: 6.29 in x 2.86 in x: 0.40 in. | Open: 6.29 in x 5.61 in x 0.20 in Closed:6.29 in x 2.86 in x 0.44 in | Open: 6.2 x 5.72 x 0.39 in; closed: 6.2 x 2.9 x 0.39 in |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | Open: 159.96mm x 142.69mm x 4.65mm; Close: 159.96mm x 72.70mm x 10.2mm | Open: 159.96mm x 142.4mm × 5.2mm; Closed: 159.96mm x 72.55mm x 11.2mm | Open: 156.7 x 145.4 x 9.9 mm; Closed: 156.7 x 74 x 9.9 mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 219g | 236g | 231 g (8.15 oz) |
| Mobile software | Origin OS 4 | Origin OS 4 | Android 13 (4 years software updates, 5 years security) |
| Camera | 50-megapixel (main), 50-megapixel (portrait), 50-megapixel (wide-angle) | 50-megapixel (main), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 50-megapixel (wide) | 50-megapixel (main), 50-megapixel (ultrawide), 20-megapixel (telephoto) |
| Front-facing camera | 32-megapixel (main) | 32-megapixel | 16-megapixel (under inner screen); 16-megapixel (cover screen) |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K | 8K |
| Processor | Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform | Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| RAM/storage | 12GB+256GB, 16GB+256GB, 16GB+512GB, 16GB+1TB | 16GB+512GB, 16GB+1TB | 16GB + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Expandable storage | None | None | |
| Battery | 5,500 mAh | 5,700 mAh equivalent | 5,500 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Side | In-display | Side |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None | None |
| Special features | IPX4, 4,500 local peak brightness (both screens), 80-watt wired charging, dual SIM | IPX8, 4500 peak brightness, 100-watt wires charging, 50-watt wireless, 5-watt reverse charging, dual SIM | 2,500-nit peak brightness (cover screen); 1,600-nit peak brightness (inner screen); support for Honor Magic Pen (both cover and internal screens); 66-watt wired charging; 5-watt reverse wired; 16-megapixel under-display camera (inner screen) |
| US price starts at | 6,999 yuan (~$969) while the 16GB + 256GB costs CNY 7,499 (~$1,038) | CNY 9,999 (~$1,385) and CNY 10,999 (~$1,523) respectively | Converts to $2,160 (256GB) |
| UK price starts at | N/A | N/A | £1,700 (256GB) |
| Australia price starts at | N/A | N/A | Converts to AU$3,280 (256GB) |
