vivo X Fold6 review

The competition

The vivo X Fold6 goes global in a single 12GB/512GB memory tier and in the Horizon Blue color. The asking price is €2,200, which isn't too far off the competition.

Left: Honor Magic V6 • Right: vivo X Fold6

The arguably most obvious and certainly most mainstream alternative to consider is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. It is definitely a step behind the vivo when it comes to hardware though. While the Samsung holds an edge in terms of raw performance, its cameras are not in the same league and neither is the battery life. With its serious push vivo has really minimized the software gap with Samsung as well. There is, of course, the Samsung promise of a whopping seven major OS upgrades, but we are uncertain there is a lot of overlap between the kind of power user that would even want a cutting-edge foldable and those that keep a phone for seven years.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra • Honor Magic V6 • Oppo Find N6 • Motorola Razr Fold

The actual closest competitor to the X Fold6 is probably the Honor Magic V6. It is certainly the most prominent and widely-available phone after the Galaxy. The Magic V6 is another perfectly balanced phone. Exquisite displays, flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and a 6,600 mAh Si-C battery that while smaller than the vivo's actually offers better battery life in our testing. Those that value camera and multitasking will be better off with the vivo, though.

Left: Honor Magic V6 • Right: vivo X Fold6

The Oppo Find N6 is also worth considering. It hits pretty much all the same hardware highlights as the Honor. A slightly smaller 6,000 mAh battery on this one, but still an excellent battery score despite the smaller capacity, but another camera that's not quite as nice as vivo's.

Left: Honor Magic V6 • Right: vivo X Fold6

Finally, there's the Motorola Razr Fold, our foldable battery life champion. It's around €600/$200 cheaper with twice the storage, too. The lesser chipset and a simpler camera setup, make this more of a value-for-money alternative than an outright better phone, but that's no small achievement.

Our verdict

There is a lot to like about the vivo X Fold6. In fact, this is arguably the most complete large foldable currently on the market. That's not to say it is perfect, or even necessarily the best in every individual category, but there are basically no areas where it's not among the best.

Both displays are great, the hinge feels reassuringly solid, the crease is about as unobtrusive as these things get, and despite its 228g weight and enormous camera island, the X Fold6 is surprisingly comfortable and well-balanced in the hand. The slightly wider cover display is also a welcome change that makes the phone feel a little more conventional when folded.

Performance is flagship-grade as well. The Dimensity 9500 Super may not have the outright bragging rights of the latest Snapdragon, but it is plenty powerful in practice and even holds up reasonably well under sustained load by foldable standards. You will never be left wanting for speed.

The 6,900mAh battery is an impressive technical achievement in itself. Actual endurance is very good and notably improved over the previous generation, though perhaps not the chart-topper its huge capacity might lead you to expect. Some competitors manage to squeeze more runtime out of smaller batteries. Charging is similarly good in isolation, but around an hour for a full charge isn't the fastest around. At least you get 40W wireless charging and useful battery-health features.

Then there is OriginOS 7 Fold, which might be one of the X Fold6's strongest features. vivo clearly put a lot of effort into making proper use of the large internal display - Multi-Split Screen, Origin Workbench, cross-app drag-and-drop, PC and Mac integration and even the surprisingly capable desktop mode make this feel like a device designed around its foldable form factor rather than simply a normal Android phone with a bigger screen bolted onto it. Samsung still has the advantage in software longevity and perhaps overall ecosystem maturity, but the tables might be turning when it comes to actual foldable functionality.

The camera experience is another highlight. The new 200MP main camera is a substantial improvement and produces excellent photos both during the day and at night. The telephoto and ultrawide hold their own remarkably well too, making this one of those rare foldables where the cameras don't feel like an obvious compromise. There is useful zoom range, very good close-up capability and excellent rear-camera selfies. The punch-hole selfie cameras remain pretty unimpressive, but on a foldable where you can use the main cameras for selfies, that hardly feels like a deal-breaker. We'd also immediately switch away from vivo's rather questionable default Refined color profile. Video is solid rather than exceptional, but stabilization is excellent and the recording options are extensive.

There are smaller complaints. The huge camera island is impossible to ignore. And while 228g is perfectly reasonable for this type of device, nobody is going to call the X Fold6 a lightweight phone.

All things considered, the X Fold6 is worthy of admiration. vivo managed to fit a massive battery, an excellent camera system, flagship performance and two great displays into a thin foldable without making the device feel like a collection of compromises. Better yet, the software has matured to the point where that extra screen real estate makes a huge difference.

So if you want one of the most complete foldable experiences currently available and the asking price doesn't scare you away, the X Fold6 should be very high on your shortlist.

Pros

• Excellent, practical cover display and expansive foldable display.
• Premium build, solid hinge and relatively unobtrusive crease.
• Powerful flagship-grade performance.
• Excellent still-photo quality across all three rear cameras.
• Particularly capable main camera, zoom and close-up photography.
• Feature-rich and genuinely useful foldable multitasking experience.
• Excellent desktop mode and extensive cross-device functionality.
• Huge 6,900mAh battery with very good endurance.
• 40W wireless charging and useful battery-health features.
• Five major Android upgrades and seven years of security updates.
• Very good loudspeaker volume.

Cons

• Quite expensive.
• Battery endurance isn't quite as exceptional as the 6,900mAh capacity suggests.
• Charging is relatively slow for the class.
• Internal and cover selfie cameras are mediocre.
• Default Refined camera color profile is an acquired taste at best.
• Huge camera island; the phone is still fairly heavy.
• Speakers lack bass and can sound harsh in the highs.