vivo X Fold5: When the large-fold smartphones enter the "lightweight era"

Can Apple's long-awaited foldable screen still dominate China's high-end flagship market like the iPhone?

On June 19th, according to supply chain information revealed by well - known Apple analyst Ming - Chi Kuo, Apple's foldable screen products are expected to officially start production at the end of the third quarter or the beginning of the fourth quarter of this year, and are expected to be released together with the iPhone 18 series in the autumn of 2026.

However, looking at the current foldable screen market, Apple's late entry has given Chinese mobile phone manufacturers an opportunity to catch up. Since 2019, China's foldable screen industry has completed the construction from scratch. Especially in terms of flexible screens, hinge mechanisms, and ecological adaptation, domestic manufacturers have taken the first - mover advantage in the high - end flagship market.

An industry fact that cannot be ignored is: From the initial "niche trial" stage to the current accelerated penetration in the "main flagship" market, China's foldable screens have become the global leader.

According to IDC data, the shipment volume of foldable screen mobile phones in China reached 9.17 million units in 2024, a year - on - year increase of 30.8%. Among them, vivo, which has ranked first in China's mobile phone market sales for four consecutive years, has also found its own way in the foldable screen field with the hot sales of the vivo X Fold series.

After the sales volume of the vivo X Fold3, which adhered to the concept of "flagship first, foldable second" last year, tripled compared with the previous generation, now vivo's foldable flagship series has ushered in another significant update: the vivo X Fold5, which focuses on being a lightweight flagship, further promotes the large - foldable category from "technological trial" to "flagship mainstay" by leading in core demand dimensions such as lightness, battery life, imaging, and AI.

From a weight of 217 grams, to being the first to have the "three - proof" technology of waterproof, dustproof, and antifreeze, and then to breaking the barriers of the system ecosystem, how does vivo reshape the innovation pattern of the large - foldable screen market with user needs as the origin?

The "lightweight era" is here. How to achieve "all - around experience"?

For a long time, lightweight design has become the mainstream trend pursued by domestic foldable screen manufacturers.

This is because, since its inception, the foldable screen has been designed to provide users with a larger display area compared to ordinary straight - bar phones. However, looking at the early foldable screens, especially large - foldable products, their weights generally ranged from 270g to 300g, which is contrary to the mobile and portable nature of smartphones.

The vivo X Fold5 always adheres to user - centrism and reduces the body weight to 217 grams, refreshing the record for the lightest large - foldable screen mobile phone.

Under the body weight of the "world's lightest" large - foldable screen mobile phone, the vivo X Fold5 is also "reliable and durable".

First of all, in terms of body reliability, the vivo X Fold5 is the only model in the current foldable screen camp equipped with "three - proof" capabilities. It has an IPX9+ waterproof ability, an IP5X dustproof rating, and an antifreeze ability to ensure the body's durability in a - 20°C environment.

You know, due to the design of its hinge structure and flexible screen, the durability of foldable screens is often the core consideration for users when changing phones. However, the unique "three - proof" technology of the vivo X Fold5 can be applied to various special scenarios.

For example, if you suddenly encounter a heavy rain when going out or accidentally fall into the water during a water trip, the waterproof vivo X Fold5 can still be used normally; in sandy or outdoor mountain - climbing scenarios, users don't have to worry about sand particles entering the body and causing malfunctions; for another example, when skiing in winter or traveling in extremely cold regions, the vivo X Fold5 can also take smooth photos, navigate, and communicate in the cold temperature of - 20 to - 30°C.

It can be seen that with the rare "three - proof" technology in the industry, the vivo X Fold5 can undoubtedly break through more user scenarios, expand the experience boundaries of foldable screens as the main flagship, and thus dispel the outside world's doubts about the fragility of foldable screen hardware.

Especially with the support of the new hinge, ultra - thin battery solution, and lightweight materials, the vivo X Fold5 has achieved "all - around experience".

For example, in the battery life part of the foldable screen, the vivo X Fold5 is equipped with an equivalent 6000mAh blue - ocean battery, which can meet users' daily needs for core applications.

For Tencent Meeting, an essential app for mobile office, the vivo X Fold5 can last for 13.6 hours; for Douyin, which is used to kill time in leisure time, users can browse continuously for up to 17.2 hours on the vivo X Fold5. Not to mention Gaode Navigation, the vivo X Fold5 breaks users' travel anxiety with a 12.5 - hour battery life limit.

Another example is the imaging part. The thin and light body of smartphones often limits the design of the imaging system. However, vivo has cooperated with optical giant Zeiss and configured a 50 - megapixel periscope telephoto lens in the vivo X Fold5, aiming to provide a flagship imaging experience on the flagship foldable phone.

Whether it is telephoto portraits with a unique sense of space compression, telephoto macro with full - fledged texture, or telephoto landscapes with one - click shooting, with the support of the Blueprint Imaging family, users can unlock more shooting methods according to different folding and hovering forms.

Finally, there is the enhanced communication experience in all scenarios. In weak - signal scenarios such as elevators and high - speed trains, which are commonly complained about by users, the vivo X Fold5 has also upgraded the communication experience, enabling users to maintain continuous communication in all scenarios.

The launch of the vivo X Fold5 not only indicates that the large - foldable screen market has entered a new "lightweight era", but also proves the "all - around experience" in the "lightweight era".

Whether it is a lighter body or a more powerful performance experience, the vivo X Fold5 marks that foldable screen mobile phones are no longer just experimental novelty toys, but can become the main flagship in the daily lives of the general public.

Breaking the ecological barriers, vivo returns the right to choose digital life to users

If the vivo X Fold5, which leads in software and hardware, is vivo's "inward exploration" of the foldable screen experience, then the vivo X Fold5, which breaks the ecological barriers and achieves seamless connection with iOS devices, is vivo's "outward breakthrough".

A mobile ecosystem represents a digital life. Especially in today's era of everything being interconnected, a single category of smart devices can no longer firmly capture users' minds. What can truly form long - term stickiness is a complete set of ecological solutions built around users' needs.

Most Apple users today are reluctant to switch to the Android camp because of the migration costs caused by ecological barriers. Therefore, for users who want to experience foldable screens but cannot migrate their ecosystems, the vivo X Fold5 has become a better choice of mobile phone at present.

As the "all - around partner of Apple", the vivo X Fold5 can bring users the ultimate convenience of cross - ecological experience by breaking the ecological system barriers between Android and Apple.

At the hardware level, the vivo X Fold5 has reshaped cross - ecological interconnection. It is the first in the Android world to connect with the Apple Watch. Users can receive incoming calls and text message notifications from the vivo X Fold5 on the Apple Watch. At the same time, this data service is also two - way. The basic health data recorded by the Apple Watch can also be seamlessly transmitted to the vivo Health App, thus realizing the cross - platform transfer of health data.

In addition, the vivo X Fold5 can also communicate with Apple's AirPods series of earphones. Users can also experience the atomic island display on the iPhone on the vivo X Fold5, and can also control the noise - cancellation function, spatial audio, and search function of the earphones in the connection center.

At the software level, the vivo X Fold5 has created a lightweight office tool. It not only integrates Apple's iCloud cloud service, but also completely solves the problem of data migration through direct cloud connection. Users can access iCloud memos and photo albums on the vivo X Fold5. At the same time, it can also become an external screen for Mac, helping office workers unleash the productivity of mobile office. With the support of the mouse and keyboard collaboration function, users can transfer and copy files across devices between the two screens.

It is worth mentioning the atomic workbench that can achieve "one screen for five uses". vivo knows well that only by unleashing the productivity of the large screen can the "useless foldable screen theory" be broken. Foldable screen mobile phones are not just for watching videos; they are also screens that bring real productivity.

Similar to the interaction logic of Mac's foreground scheduling, the atomic workbench of the vivo X Fold5 not only allows the large screen in the center to bring an immersive experience, but also enables the other four sub - screens to display dynamic information in real - time, allowing users to easily handle multiple tasks. More importantly, the atomic workbench also allows users to transfer cross - application documents between different applications. This drag - and - drop interaction without switching on the same screen has brought a qualitative change to the efficiency experience of foldable screens.

These cross - ecological innovations "all for users" reflect vivo's consistent "ecological openness". vivo not only connects with the Apple ecosystem but also with the PC and in - vehicle ecosystems. Behind this is vivo's innovation and win - win situation among Android, Apple, and users based on Apple's public protocols and public API interfaces.

By breaking the ecological barriers between Apple and Android at the system level and bringing users consistency in operation experience and ecosystem, the vivo X Fold5 not only meets the needs of Apple users who are eager to experience foldable screens but also opens up a new strategic thinking for the current foldable screen market.

As Huang Tao, the vice - president of vivo's product department, said, "Many Apple users want to experience foldable screens but don't want to leave the iOS ecosystem. The X Fold5 is the most powerful barrier - breaker, with seamless connection to a series of iOS ecosystem devices. Apple ecosystem users can safely switch to Android foldable phones."

Flagship first, foldable second: How does vivo promote the foldable screen market to the era of main - use phones?

In 2025, the foldable screen market has fully entered the stage of mature development. So far, all mainstream manufacturers except Apple have entered the market. Just in 2024, more than 20 foldable screen mobile phones were launched globally, and the foldable screens of major mainstream brands have been iterated for three generations or more.

As a mobile phone market initially targeting niche experiences, the foldable screen market has achieved a growth rate of up to three digits in the past few years. However, with the maturity of technology, the reduction of costs, and the continuous decline of prices, this market has also witnessed a development divergence.

Looking at the current foldable screens on the market, large - foldable screens are targeted at flagship main - use phones, further integrating the experiences of phones and tablets. Small - foldable screens have developed more gameplay with the innovation of the outer screen. Most products represented by multi - foldable screens still remain in the prototype verification or concept stage.

Now, what this market competes for is not who can make a foldable screen, but who can make a foldable screen that users need. Especially when UTG ultra - thin flexible glass has become the standard for high - end flagships and the water - drop hinge has become the mainstream solution in the market, the problems of weight, thickness, and creases that were once criticized by the market have been gradually solved. Foldable screens have long got rid of the single attribute of showing off skills and are accelerating to compete for the status of main - use phones by benchmarking against straight - bar phones.

Vivo, which always puts users' needs first in innovation, follows the idea of "flagship first, foldable second" in making foldable screens. In other words, in vivo's view, no innovation should be at the cost of sacrificing user