News

The vivo X Flip is the company’s first vertical-folding smartphone

More Flips coming our way

Published

April 20, 2023

Vincenz

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

It seems like more and more smartphone brands are slowly making Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and motorola razr rivals.

Other than its sister company OPPO alongside their freshly-released Find N2 Flip, vivo also has their own take on that “Flip” form factor.

vivo’s first Flip

The vivo X Flip is the Chinese company’s first vertical-folding foldable, or just “Flip” in simpler terms.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

vivo promises an ultra-durable hinge thanks to its five-fold aerospace-grade materials, multi-layer three-dimensional support structures, and more.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

With its 5.3mm super large diameter water droplet design, they say you can expect “invisible” creases that are 44% better than the scarce competition of Flips.

Galaxy and Find’s Love Child

The vivo X Flip seems like the result of combining Samsung and OPPO’s respective Flip phones.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

For one, the vivo X Flip has a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset and a 6.74-inch foldable 120Hz display, all similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4. The minor difference is just the slightly smaller 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display of the Z Flip4.

On the other hand, there are several features that are quite closer to its OPPO counterpart. Remember its display? Well, it shares the same display type as the 6.8-incher Find N2 Flip with its LTPO AMOLED technology. Other than that, its Full HD+ resolution and 21:9 aspect ratio are exactly the same — perfect for cinematic films and content.

Moreover, both the vivo X Flip and OPPO Find N2 Flip are TÜV-Rheinland certified and is rated to last up to 400,000 folds. That’s a whole lot more than the Galaxy Z Flip4‘s 200,000 fold cycle count.

The list doesn’t stop there. The configurations of the vivo X Flip include a 12GB LPDDR5 memory and either 256 or 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The Find N2 Flip has it too, except that their 512GB variant is coupled with 16GB RAM and a smaller 8GB RAM option for the base 256GB variant.

Cameras are very close, too. Both phones feature a 50-megapixel f/1.8 main camera — but the vivo X Flip has the bigger advantage with its ZEISS optics and ZEISS T* lens coating, OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), and Laser AF (Auto Focus).

The OPPO Find N2 Flip only has multi-directional PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus), but no OIS and Hasselblad partnership. The Galaxy Z Flip4, well has a 12-megapixel shooter of the same f/1.8 lens diaphragm.

Its 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide camera is closer to the Galaxy Z Flip4 though. Their only differentiating factor is that the vivo X Flip has a 106-degree FoV (Field of View) compared to Galaxy’s 123-degree.

Both of the Chinese Flip phones also feature 32MP f/2.4 selfie cameras with the limited 1080p/30fps video recording. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 supports up to 4K/30fps.

However, the vivo X Flip has the biggest battery at 4,300mAh. The Find N2 Flip falls just 100mAh short. Even their charging speeds are the same at 44W — just different in terms of the “SuperVOOC” versus “FlashCharge” branding.

Unfortunately, unlike the Galaxy Z Flip4, the vivo X Flip doesn’t support any form of wireless charging.

Lastly, its AMOLED cover screen sums up to exactly 3.0-inches. The Find N2 Flip is slightly bigger at 3.26-inches. Albeit, the design is like an inverted cover screen of the Galaxy Z Flip4.

More usable cover display?

While we’re already on the topic, it’s good to point out that the cover screen of the vivo X Flip supports more than just displaying quick toggles, notifications, and widgets.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

The vivo X Flip promises that its cover screen functionality is less-restrictive as you can quickly reply to chats. You can also record audio, or send emoticons and GIFs. You can even use it for cashless payments, keyless car unlocking, navigation, and a whole lot more.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

In the Chinese ecosystem, apps such as Douyin (or TikTok globally), Bilibili (comparable to YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+), and Weibo (like Facebook and Instagram) can be used just through its external screen. And based on their press renders alone, it shows that light games are also playable.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

And for all the fur parents (like me), you’d totally want these six smart and cute pets with various wallpapers and styles to choose from. These are all thanks to vivo’s OriginOS 3 based on Android 13.

Flippin’ good

With its promised sturdy hinge mechanism, the vivo X Flip can hold up to a certain degree.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

This makes the compact foldable support various Flip modes. Already given is the ability to take selfies using the rear camera via its outer display.

Other supported modes are video calling at the upper part with bottom controls, the X Flip being a standby clock slash alerts viewer, and a cool music player that simultaneously shows the song’s lyrics while displaying a vinyl player with music controls on the other half.

There’s even a makeup app that can virtually apply shades like you’re using a real makeup palette set.

Pricing and availability

The vivo X Flip is available in three gorgeous colors: Ling Purple, Silk Gold, and Diamond Black.

As we all expected, vivo hasn’t revealed any word for global availability.

For now, it’s currently available in China starting this April 2023 alongside these two configurations:

12+256GB = CNY 5999 (US$ 872 / EUR 797 / GBP 702 / SG$ 1163 / PhP 48,941 / INR 71,653)
12+512GB = CNY 6699 (US$ 872 / EUR 797 / GBP 702 / SG$ 1163 / PhP 48,941 / INR 71,653)

Apps

EU wages war against doomscrolling

Brussels is asking TikTok to change its addictive design.

Published

February 16, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Doomscrolling is the greatest enemy to everyone’s productivity today. The temptation to keep on scrolling for hours is an ever-present temptation. Taking a very strong stance against the phenomenon, the European Commission is now investigating TikTok for having an addictive interface.

Via Politico, Brussels is now prodding TikTok to change its interface. Very technically, the European Commission is not out to get doomscrolling, specifically. However, the major changes that they want to introduce “disabling infinite scrolling, setting strict screen time breaks, and changing its recommender systems.”

App addiction is a persistent problem today. Besides concerned parents, governments around the world have been trying to regulate addiction, especially when it comes to children. The European Commission, as is apparent from this new initiative, is at the forefront of preventing addiction.

Though the target is explicitly TikTok right now, changing addictive interfaces will also affect other social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and X. Most platforms nowadays thrive on encouraging users to keep scrolling through more content.

Right now, TikTok isn’t set to change just yet. However, the report states that the European Commission is willing to work with platforms for a better, non-addictive interface. It’s less abrasive than the region’s recent privacy initiatives, which requires users to verify their age before accessing mature content.

Laptops

Are you ready for a more colorful MacBook?

Apple is experimenting with quirkier colorway options for the MacBook.

Published

February 16, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

In recent years, Apple has relented on limiting the colors of its devices to only the more premium-looking options. Users can now pick quirkier colors for their iPhones, highlighted currently by the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro Max. Soon, the same splashes of color might make its way to the MacBook lineup.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has been testing different colorway options for its upcoming entry-level MacBook. The unannounced lineup might come in pink, light yellow, light green, and blue.

It’s a big change for MacBooks. Currently, the only “quirky” option that users can get is the MacBook Air’s Sky Blue, which honestly looks more silvery than blue. Other than that, the MacBook simply seesaws from different shades of gold, silver, and black.

To be fair, the upcoming MacBook will still have the traditional colorways of the current lineup. Additionally, it’s unclear whether Apple will ultimately include all its experimental colors into the final lineup.

Reportedly, the new lineup will cost somewhere between US$ 699 to US$ 799. Of course, the lower price tag will come at the expense of some specs. Although, it should still be good if we’re talking about an entry-level laptop.

It’s even more interesting if it’s hinting at the return of truly colorful options but for the notebook. The iMac already got a similar renaissance back in 2024, which mimics the classic computer’s colorful history.

SEE ALSO: M5 MacBook Pro review

Laptops

ASUS, Acer PCs are banned in Germany

And it’s all because of Nokia.

Published

February 16, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Brands getting banned are commonplace in today’s tech landscape. These usually happen because of geopolitical reasons, especially if it’s in the United States. In Europe, brands sometimes get banned for anticompetition reasons. Today, however, a commonly used codec, HEVC, is at the center of a controversy that has led to the banning of ASUS and Acer in Germany. Even crazier, Nokia is involved.

For context, Nokia owns several patents for video codecs. One of those codecs, HEVC (or High-Efficiency Video Coding) is ubiquitous in every PC, which means that every PC maker must purchase a license to include the codec in their machines. It’s an essential these days, so it’s unusual for ASUS and Acer to miss it.

In Germany, where licensing is stricter, both companies were found guilty of infringing the patent, as reported by German outlet Hardwareluxx. As a result, ASUS and Acer must stop selling PC and laptop sales until they obtain a license from Nokia.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean that the two brands have disappeared from the country. Third-party retailers can still sell their remaining stock. However, the companies cannot import or sell any new stock, pending a conclusion to the issue.

Naturally, the easiest fix is to just buy the license. Hisense, another company that found itself in the same mire, bought a license last month. Either ASUS and Acer are running into more technical issues, or they just didn’t feel the license was worth it for a single market.