The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is getting a new rival with better cameras (in China only)

Update: March 30, 2022 (1:08 AM ET): Unfortunately, vivo has confirmed that a global release for its upcoming foldable isn’t on the cards right now.

“Thanks for your interest in vivo X Fold. The launch in mainland China is set for April 11, but there are no set plans for a global release at the moment.”

So you’ll either have to import this device or stick to Samsung foldables. It’s a real shame to see this trend continue with Chinese OEMs.

Original article: March 29, 2022 (2:36 AM ET): Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 makes a strong argument for being the best large-screen foldable phone on the market, but the camera experience was one area where we felt there was room for improvement. Now, it looks like vivo’s upcoming X Fold device might take the fight to Samsung and other foldables in this regard.

Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station posted apparent vivo X Fold specs and renders this week. Starting with the specs, it’s claimed that the foldable has an 8-inch LTPO QHD+ OLED screen with ultra-thin glass, ultrasonic fingerprint scanning, 66W charging, and 50W wireless charging. The company has also confirmed a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, bringing flagship power to the table.

Moving to the cameras, the tipster asserts that vivo’s foldable has a pretty impressive camera setup. You’re apparently looking at a 50MP primary shooter (1/1.5-inch sensor size), a 48MP ultrawide camera, a 12MP 2x telephoto lens, and a 5x 8MP periscope camera. This would be mostly in line with the firm’s flagship phones like the vivo X70 Pro Plus. There’s no word if the company’s micro-gimbal stabilization tech will make an appearance here.

Meanwhile, renders posted by Digital Chat Station (as well as teases by vivo) indeed show an in-folding design similar to the Galaxy Z Fold series. We also get punch-hole cutouts on both screens. Look at the back and we indeed spot a quad rear camera setup complete with ZEISS and T* branding. We also see a periscope camera here per the tipster’s spec claims — so expect better long-range zoom than the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Another notable feature spotted via the renders is a switch on the right side of the device (when folded), presumably being a latch for the folding mechanism. Otherwise, it looks like vivo’s foldable could have a faux leather back, in line with some earlier flagships.

vivo will launch the X Fold in China on April 11. We’ve asked the company about release plans outside China and will update our article if/when it gets back to us.