vivo X Fold2 review

Competition

It's a shame the vivo X Fold2 isn't available outside of China as it's a very competitive device in its own segment and offers some unique features that help it stand out. The most notable one is the duo of ultrasonic fingerprint readers. This is the only foldable smartphone with two under-display fingerprint readers that we know of. This seemingly trivial feature makes the foldable experience so much better. You don't have to reach for the side button when holding the phone with your left hand and having a second one under the main display gives you a tad more flexibility too.

The rest of the hardware isn't overlooked either. The main display has a small crease and supports all the high-end features one would ask for. The whole system runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, which seems to be efficient enough to propel the X Fold2 to the top spots when it comes to battery life on a foldable smartphone. The X Fold2 has the fastest wired charging too.

Having said that, there are still some proper alternatives for you to consider, in case you have access to the Chinese-made foldables, that is. The elegant Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 is a great option and so is the Huawei Mate X3, which rides on the success of its predecessors. Just like Samsung, Huawei has a history with foldables макинг a safe choice as well.

Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 • Huawei Mate X3 • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 • Oppo Find N2

Speaking of Samsung, we can't get away without mentioning the Galaxy Z Fold4. It's undoubtedly one of the best foldables on the market and it can be purchased virtually anywhere in the world, not just in China. Samsung's One UI for foldables provides a more polished software experience catering to the foldable form factor.

vivo X Fold2 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4

Keep in mind, though, that the Galaxy Z Fold4 is about to get a successor in about two months, so it may be a good idea to wait and see what Samsung has in store for us.

Alternatively, the Oppo Find N2 may suit your needs without feeling like a burden, as it's the most compact and manageable foldable currently on the market. It's the best of both worlds.

Verdict

Vivo definitely outdid itself with the X Fold2. It's by far one of the best foldables we've used as it stands out with exceptional displays (even the internal screen has a smaller-than-usual crease), great battery life, nice hinge design and not one but two ultrasonic fingerprint readers that work flawlessly. We find that last bit a huge advantage over the current side-mounted readers in today's foldables.

The overall camera experience isn't bad either. It's not ideal, but it's mostly on par with what the competition offers. We would have liked a better selfie and further zoom reach (3x at least), but otherwise, the quality is solid during the day and at night. We also wished for a better stereo speaker setup, although we understand that not everyone would mind the speakers as they are.

In short, there's still room left for improvements and yet, the vivo X Fold2 is very much competitive and we are extremely disappointed by the limited availability. If you so happen to be in China, we strongly recommend looking into the X Fold2 - it's an excellent foldable that gives the big guys like Huawei and Samsung a run for their money.

Pros

• Nice design, solid hinge and almost creaseless internal display.
• Exceptional display quality of both displays.
• Excellent battery life.
• Dependable camera experience (except for the selfie).
• Two ultrasonic fingerprint readers for extra convenience.
• Unrivaled fast charging in the foldable segment, has fast wireless charging too.

Cons

• Selfie camera isn't great and 2x optical zoom just isn't enough in 2023.
• Not the best stereo speakers.
• A bit hefty.
• China-only availability.