Vivo’s Slim Foldable Phone Is Launching Globally

Following the X Fold 3 Pro’s launch in China, Vivo is it overseas and starting with a launch in India. No international pricing is available yet, but in China, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro starts at 9,999 yuan (converts to roughly $1,380, $1,080 or AU$1,525). A US rollout is not expected.

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro has a book-style design with a large 8.01-inch display on the inside, and a 6.53-inch cover screen. It runs on Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and it has three rear cameras and  a big 5,700-mAh battery, plus support for 100-watt and 50-watt wireless charging. It also probably has the world’s brightest inner screen on any foldable phone, with a peak brightness of 4,500 nits.

The camera module includes three rear cameras, comprised of a 50-megapixel main camera, a 64-megapixel telephoto camera and a 50-megapixel wide-angle lens. On the front, a 32-megapixel selfie camera rounds the camera setup off.

All those features are packed into the slim and lightweight book-style design of the X Fold 3 Pro. When unfolded it measures 5.2mm thick. That’s just 0.3 mm more than the world’s slimmest book-style foldable phone, the Magic V2, and the difference is probably negligible. 

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 X Fold 3 Pro uses second-gen silicon materials and a lightweight carbon fiber hinge, the company said.

Although Vivo isn’t a household name like Apple or Samsung, it’s one of the world’s biggest phone makers. It typically produces low end midrange phones on a large scale. In recent years, it’s produced higher-end phones, but on a smaller scale, including foldable phones with slick hardware such as the Fold X3 Pro.

For its international launch, Vivo X Fold 3 Pro also gets new AI features underpinned by some of Google’s Gemini models. Those features include the ability to quickly transcribe recordings and translate content on the webpage in use without switching apps. For more details on the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro take a look at CNET’s specs chart below.