Flip phones seem to be the new rage in the Android world. After Motorola and Samsung introduced this form factor, companies like Huawei and Oppo jumped on the bandwagon. Vivo with the Vivo X Flip is the latest phone manufacturer joining the foldable flip phone club.
The Vivo X Flip looks similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip but with a much larger screen and rounded camera platform. The phone is based on last year’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor though that should not impact the performance much as that’s a fairly capable processor.
Vivo is focusing on the design and camera capabilities of this phone which include a feature called Makeup mirror. That makes the target market for the Vivo X Flip quite clear.
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Pricing and availability
The Vivo X Flip has been announced for release in China, and we don’t have any concrete release dates for the phone in the UAE, Saudi Arabia or other parts of the world. The phone comes in three colours: Rhombic Purple, Silk Gold and Diamond Black.
As far as configurations are concerned, you get 12GB of RAM with 256GB or 512GB of storage. The starting price of this phone is roughly AED 3,000 or US$ 870. That is not the official retail pricing but the equivalent of what it costs in China. We’ll update the pricing once we have an indication on local availability.
Vivo X Flip Specifications
| Size: | Folded: 86.4 x 75.3 x 16.6 mm Unfolded: 166.4 x 75.3 x 7.8 mm |
| Weight: | 198 g |
| IP Rating: | – |
| Screen Size: | 6.74-inch AMOLED display (3-inch cover display) |
| Resolution: | 1080 x 2520 pixels |
| Refresh Rate: | 120Hz |
| Processor: | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm) |
| RAM / Storage: | 12 GB + 256 GB / 12 GB + 512 GB |
| Cellular: | 5G |
| Primary Camera: | 50 MP f/1.8 |
| Ultrawide: | 12 MP f/2.2 |
| Telephoto: | N/A |
| Selfie: | 32 MP f/2.5 |
| Video: | 4K 30fps |
| Battery: | Li-Po 4400 mAh |
| Wired Charging: | 44W |
| Wireless Charging: | N/A |
Design and display
The Vivo X Flip looks like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or the Oppo Find N2 Flip. The outer screen on the Vivo is larger than the Samsung and in landscape orientation instead of the portrait orientation found on Oppo Find N2 Flip.
According to the specs, the phone is about 16.6mm in thickness and 198 g in weight which is roughly about the same as the Samsung and Oppo phones it is competing with. The phone is available in three colours which are Purple, Gold and Black. The Purple version which Vivo refers to as Rhombic Purple has an interesting mix of finishes and stands out.
The Vivo X Flip has a waterdrop hinge structure that Vivo claims can withstand half a million folds. The frame is made of aerospace-grade aluminium alloy that provides a lighter but more stable structure.
The outer screen is nice and large at 3 inches while the inner screen is 6.7 inches with 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The tall aspect ratio of the screen means that you might get some content cut from the sides of social posts as we’ve seen on other phones with similar aspect ratios.
Features and performance
The Vivo X Flip is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, which is last year’s flagship processor but still runs impressively fast. Coupled with 12GB of RAM and either 256 GB or 512GB of storage, the phone should handle all tasks you throw at it effortlessly. There’s a side mounted fingerprint sensor for easily unlocking the phone.
On the software side, the phone comes with Android 13-based Vivo OriginOS 3. Whether you like that or not is purely personal but do expect some bloatware bundled with the phone as has been the case with other Vivo phones.
Cameras
There are two cameras next to the cover display on the Vivo X Flip using uses Zeiss optics as well as a selfie cameras on the inside screen in a punch-hole. Here a the specs on the cameras present on the Vivo X Flip
- Primary: 50 MP, f/1.8 with OIS
- Ultrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2
- Selfie camera: 32 MP, f/2.5
The phone can also do 4K video recording at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps. The selfie camera is capable of recording 1080p at 30 fps.
The phone has a rather unique Makeup Mirror with Aura Light that, according to Vivo, intelligently identifies faces and shows true-to-life makeup effects on the display. This feature “enables users to conveniently try on different makeup styles and apply makeup effects on their faces when taking photos.”
Battery & Charging
The Vivo X Flip is equipped with a 4,400mAh battery which is a decent size for flip phones. Charging speeds are reasonably fast at 44W Watts but you don’t get wireless charging.
Alternatives to Vivo X Flip – How does it stack up against competitors?
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 has been available for some time now and is officially available in the Middle East which means that you don;t have to get a grey import or worry about warranty. It has similar specs to the Vivo X Flip but a smaller cover screen. The cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip aren’t the best and though we have yet to test it, the Vivo will likely be better. Where ths Samsung will likely come ahead is with software and updates. Samsung’s OneUI is one of the best Android skins and Samsung is also excellent with Android updates.
Oppo and Vivo both fall under the same parent company BKK Electronics and there’s a good chance that both these phones share some internals. That being said the Oppo is based on the Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ which is likely worse than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 used on the Vivo X Flip and the Samsung Galaxy ZFlip 4. Oppo hasn’t made the Find N2 Flip available officially in the UAE either.
Abbas Jaffar Ali
Abbas has been covering tech for more than two decades- before phones became smart or clouds stored data. He brought publications like CNET, TechRadar and IGN to the Middle East.
