vivo X Fold5 review
Android 15 with Funtouch OS on top
The X Fold5 runs on Android 15 with a proprietary layer of vivo software on top - Origin OS for the Chinese version, and Funtouch OS for handsets meant for other markets, as is our review unit. The brand has promised to deliver four years of Android OS upgrades, which is one year more than the X Fold3 generation.
Funtouch on the cover display looks and feels just like it does on a non-bendy vivo. We just recently covered the latest Funtouch OS 15 in more detail in our vivo X200 FE review. If you want more detail, you can head over here and read up. Here is just a quick taste of how it looks.
Funtouch OS 15 on the vivo X Fold5's cover display
The internal screen offers a significantly larger canvas for activities, and it provides a reasonably intuitive and full-featured multi-window implementation, although it's not quite as polished as it is in One UI on the Galaxy Z Fold line - this one requires a bit more getting used to.
Funtouch OS 15 on the vivo X Fold5's large display
A selection of features designed to take advantage of the foldable display can be found under the Foldable devices submenu in Settings. Flex mode splits the screen into two sections-one for interaction and the other for viewing-depending on the app's compatibility. Smart screen shift automatically switches the active display to the cover screen when a specific orientation is detected, though you may want to turn it off if it interferes with tasks like overhead photography.
You'll also find a basic toggle that controls whether the main screen turns off or stays on when the phone is folded. However, unlike some other Android interfaces, there's no option to configure this behavior on a per-app basis.
Foldable features
You have a lot of control over the taskbar - its color and when it should display. Vivo has also introduced something called an Origin workbench. It is essentially a specialized multi-window or window-switching interface designed to enhance switching speed and accessibility.
Origin workbench
Benchmarks and performance
The vivo X Fold5 uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which is Qualcomm's top chip from last year. This is something that frequently happens with foldables - they tend to have a longer R&D cycle and end up with slightly older hardware. That being said, there's nothing particularly bad about the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3; it remains a very modern 4nm chip with excellent performance and features. The older chip might also suggest that there is a Pro model in the works as well.
In the CPU department, you are looking at one ARM Cortex-X4 prime core, clocked at up to 3.3 GHz, three Cortex-A720 cores working at up to 3.2 GHz, and two more clocked at up to 3.0 GHz. Finally, there are two Cortex-A520 cores, with a frequency of 2.3 GHz. The onboard GPU is an Adreno 750. Vivo pairs the chipset with either 12GB or 16GB of RAM and offers storage capacities ranging from 256GB to 1TB, utilizing fast UFS 4.1 technology. Our review unit is a 16GB/512GB one.
Examining actual benchmark results for the X Fold5 compared to other recent foldables, we can clearly see that, despite being a generation old, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 still holds its own quite well. Of course, it can't compete with the Snapdragon 8 Elite inside the Oppo Find N5, let alone the even more potent version inside the Galaxy Z Fold7.
Still, examining some of the more complex benchmarks, such as those in AnTuTu, it becomes clear that the performance difference between the two Snapdragon generations, or at least the foldables being tested here, is not that significant. In terms of graphical power, however, the Adreno 830 definitely shines brighter than the Adreno 750.
GeekBench 6
- Multi-core
- Single-core
Galaxy Z Fold7
Oppo Find N5
Galaxy Z Fold6
vivo X Fold5
Honor Magic V3
Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Tecno Phantom V Fold2
AnTuTu 10
Oppo Find N5 (perf. mode)
vivo X Fold3 Pro (Cover Display)
Galaxy Z Fold7 (Cover display)
vivo X Fold5
vivo X Fold5 (Cover Display)
Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Tecno Phantom V Fold2
3DMark
- Wild Life Extreme (2160p)
- Solar Bay (1440p)
Oppo Find N5 (perf. mode)
Galaxy Z Fold7
Honor Magic V3
vivo X Fold5
Galaxy Z Fold6
Huawei Mate X6
Huawei Mate X6 (cover)
Thermal-throttling
Unsurprisingly, the slim and light profile of the X Fold5 left little room for advanced cooling. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 also generates considerable heat. The phone loses a significant portion of its performance after prolonged stress testing. That wouldn't be so bad in itself, but the drops in performance are also quite sudden and jarring, which could result in stutters and frame drops in game.
Thermal throttling
The phone's surface also gets quite hot. A bit uncomfortable to hold.
Surface temperature
