The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is here to challenge the reigning champions of foldable smartphones. With the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 making headlines, Vivo’s latest offering seeks to carve out its own space in this competitive market. Let’s delve deep into the features, performance, and overall experience of using the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, and see how it stacks up against Samsung’s flagship foldable.

Design and Build

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro impresses right out of the box with its sleek and sophisticated design. Weighing in at 236 grams, it’s not the lightest device but manages to balance weight and feel admirably. Despite being only a millimeter thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, the Vivo feels significantly slimmer thanks to its rounded edges, which contrast with the flat, iPhone-esque design of the Samsung.

Key Design Features:

• Slim Profile: The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro’s slender design is accentuated by rounded edges, making it feel lighter and more ergonomic.
• Camera Bump: While both phones feature prominent camera bumps, the circular bump on the Vivo provides better stability when the phone is laid flat.
• Build Quality: Constructed with ultra-fine glass fibers and available in Celestial Black inspired by the vastness of the universe, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro feels premium and robust.

Additional Design Highlights:

• Hinge Mechanism: The hinge on the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is designed to be durable, offering smooth transitions between folded and unfolded states. It’s tested to withstand over 200,000 folds, ensuring longevity and reliability.
• Material Choice: The use of high-quality materials such as aerospace-grade aluminum and Corning Gorilla Glass adds to the premium feel and durability of the device.
• Color Options: Besides Celestial Black, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is also available in Stardust Silver and Deep Space Blue, catering to different aesthetic preferences.

Display and Durability

Cover Screen:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: 6.53-inch LTPO OLED cover screen with a resolution of 2748 x 1172 pixels. It’s slightly larger and more spacious than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, providing a better aspect ratio for most apps.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 2376 x 968 pixels.

Both cover screens are crisp and vibrant, with adjustable color output settings. The Vivo’s display is technically brighter on paper and less reflective, enhancing outdoor usability.

Internal Display:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: 8.03-inch OLED internal screen with a resolution of 2480 x 2200 pixels.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2160 x 1856 pixels.

The Vivo’s internal display stands out for its minimal crease visibility and superior brightness. It offers a better viewing experience with reduced glare, making it ideal for media consumption and productivity.

Durability:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: Uses armor glass on the cover screen and ultra-fine glass fibers on the back.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Features Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the cover and back.

Both devices are rugged and built to withstand everyday wear and tear. The Vivo comes with a pre-installed screen protector, while the Samsung is bare but equipped with tougher Victus 2 glass.

Additional Display Features:

• Adaptive Refresh Rate: Both the cover and internal displays on the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro support an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, ensuring smooth scrolling and better gaming experiences.
• HDR Support: The Vivo supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, offering enhanced dynamic range and color accuracy for compatible content.

Performance and Software

Hardware:

• Processor: Both the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro and Galaxy Z Fold 6 are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset.
• RAM: Vivo offers 16GB of RAM, compared to Samsung’s 12GB.

This combination ensures smooth performance for both devices, whether you’re multitasking, gaming, or streaming.

Software:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: Runs on FunTouch OS, a fairly heavy launcher with its own suite of apps and services. It lacks some of the AI features found on Samsung’s One UI but offers unique shortcuts and a streamlined split-screen mode.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Features One UI, which is loaded with AI tools like Bixby Vision, live translation, and advanced multitasking capabilities.

Software Support: Vivo promises three OS updates and four years of security updates, while Samsung offers an impressive seven years of updates, ensuring long-term software support and security.

Unique Features:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: Comes with an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and a secondary sensor on the internal display for added convenience.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Uses a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for quick and reliable access.

Software Enhancements:

• Split-Screen and Multi-Window: Vivo’s FunTouch OS offers intuitive split-screen functionality, allowing users to run two apps side by side seamlessly.
• AI Enhancements: While Vivo lacks some of the advanced AI features of Samsung, it does offer AI-based performance optimizations and battery management tools.

Battery and Charging

Battery Capacity:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: 5,700mAh dual-cell battery.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: 4,400mAh battery.

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro boasts a significantly larger battery, ensuring longer usage times. In everyday testing, the Vivo easily lasts a full day even with extensive use of the internal display, whereas the Samsung might need a recharge by the end of the day for heavy users.

Charging Speed:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: Supports 100W fast charging and 50W wireless charging.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Supports 25W fast charging and 15W wireless charging.

Vivo’s fast charging capabilities are a standout feature, allowing for quick top-ups and less downtime.

Additional Battery Features:

• Reverse Wireless Charging: The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro supports reverse wireless charging, allowing you to charge other devices like earbuds or smartwatches on the go.
• Battery Optimization: Vivo’s software includes intelligent battery management features, optimizing power usage based on user habits.

Camera and Audio

Main Camera:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: 50MP OmniVision OV50H sensor with Zeiss branded optics.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: 50MP Samsung sensor.

Both cameras deliver impressive results, but the Vivo tends to oversaturate slightly, producing brighter images. The Vivo excels in high-contrast scenarios and night photography, capturing more detail and vibrant colors.

Additional Lenses:

• Ultra-wide Camera: Vivo offers a 50MP ultra-wide camera, compared to Samsung’s 12MP sensor.
• Telephoto Camera: Vivo includes a 64MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, while Samsung has a 10MP sensor with similar zoom capabilities.

The Vivo’s superior secondary lenses make it a more versatile camera system, ideal for a variety of shooting conditions.

Selfie Cameras:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: 32MP cover screen selfie camera and a secondary 32MP internal display camera.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: 10MP cover screen selfie camera and a 4MP under-display camera on the internal screen.

The Vivo’s higher resolution selfie cameras offer better quality for video calls and selfies, although the under-display camera on the Samsung is more discreet.

Audio:

• Speakers: The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has superior stereo speakers, providing louder and clearer audio compared to the Vivo.
• Bluetooth: Vivo supports Bluetooth 5.4 with advanced codecs like aptX Adaptive, while Samsung uses Bluetooth 5.3.

Additional Camera Features:

• AI Photography: Vivo’s camera software includes AI-based enhancements for scene recognition, portrait mode, and low-light photography.
• Pro Mode: For photography enthusiasts, the Vivo offers a comprehensive Pro Mode with manual controls over ISO, shutter speed, and focus.

Gaming and Performance

Both devices handle gaming with ease, thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro offers additional gaming features and tools, making it a slightly better choice for gamers.

Cooling:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: Uses vapor chamber cooling and graphite layers.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Similar cooling technologies but the Vivo tends to run slightly cooler under heavy load.

Gaming Enhancements:

• Game Mode: Vivo’s Game Mode provides a distraction-free gaming experience with tools to block notifications and optimize performance.
• Haptic Feedback: The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro offers advanced haptic feedback, enhancing the gaming experience with more immersive touch responses.

Battery Life and Charging

Real-World Usage:

In real-world tests, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro outperforms the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 in terms of battery life. Even with heavy use, the Vivo can last an entire day, and often stretches into a second day with moderate use.

Charging Times:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: Charges from 0 to 100% in about 30 minutes with the 100W fast charger.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Takes about an hour to reach full charge with the 25W charger.

The significant difference in charging times makes the Vivo a more convenient option for users who need quick top-ups throughout the day.

Wireless Charging:

Both devices support wireless charging, but the Vivo’s faster 50W wireless charging capability makes it more practical for quick, cord-free top-ups.

Software and User Experience

User Interface:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: FunTouch OS is visually appealing and customizable, but it can feel a bit cluttered compared to Samsung’s One UI.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: One UI offers a cleaner, more intuitive experience with better integration of foldable features.

Multitasking:

Both devices excel at multitasking, but the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a slight edge with its more refined multitasking capabilities and window management.

Software Updates:

Samsung’s promise of seven years of updates is unmatched, giving it a significant advantage in terms of long-term software support.

Additional Software Features:

• Vivo X Fold 3 Pro: Offers unique shortcuts and a streamlined split-screen mode, enhancing productivity.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: Features advanced AI tools like Bixby Vision and live translation, adding to the overall utility of the device.

Comparison with Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6

Performance:

Both the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 offer top-tier performance thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. However, Vivo’s extra RAM gives it a slight edge in multitasking and heavy usage scenarios.

Camera:

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro has a more versatile camera setup with higher resolution sensors for ultra-wide and telephoto shots. It excels in low-light conditions and offers better detail and color reproduction in high-contrast scenarios.

Battery and Charging:

Vivo’s larger battery and faster charging capabilities make it a more practical choice for heavy users. The 100W fast charging and 50W wireless charging significantly reduce downtime.

Display and Durability:

The Vivo’s internal display is slightly larger and brighter, with minimal crease visibility, making it more enjoyable for media consumption and productivity. Its superior build quality and use of ultra-fine glass fibers provide a more premium feel.

Software and Updates:

Samsung’s One UI offers a cleaner, more intuitive experience with better integration of foldable features. The promise of seven years of updates gives Samsung a significant advantage in terms of long-term software support.

Design and Ergonomics:

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro’s slim profile and rounded edges make it more comfortable to hold and use. Its premium materials and elegant design give it an edge in terms of aesthetics and build quality.

Conclusion

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is a formidable contender in the foldable smartphone market, offering a premium design, superior camera system, and impressive battery life. Its larger battery, faster charging capabilities, and more versatile camera setup make it an excellent choice for power users and photography enthusiasts.

While Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 excels in software support, speaker quality, and overall user experience, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro stands out with its hardware advantages and premium build quality. Whether you prioritize performance, battery life, or camera quality, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro offers a compelling package that is sure to impress.

In summary, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is a worthy competitor to Samsung’s flagship foldable, combining cutting-edge features with a sleek and durable design. It’s a strong contender for the title of the best foldable smartphone of the year, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking to embrace the future of mobile technology.