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)

Enterprise

Google illegally destroys 250,000 trees for a single AI data center

This is what we stand to lose with data centers.

Published

October 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

In the Philippines, it’s illegal to cut down a single tree without a permit. It’s a constant reminder that the preservation of nature should be a civil, besides being a moral, obligation. And yet, corporations are seemingly immune from obligations and morals. Google, the company that used to stand for “Don’t be evil,” shows off its true colors by illegally cutting down 250,000 trees in Finland for a datacenter.

As first reported by The Guardian, Finland is now staring at 330 hectares of land suddenly denuded of around 250,000 valuable trees, all thanks to Google. A local ecologist has also said that the company killed a further 150,000 trees at a separate site.

The environmental desecration is part of Google’s multibillion-dollar push to build data centers all over the world for artificial intelligence. Google has since been ordered to stop the development in the country after Finland found that the company acted without securing the needed assessments and permits to clear the area.

Google brushed away the report by saying that they acted “on the best understanding we had of the legislation at the time.” The company also said that they are protecting the water quality at the affected sites and committed to replanting trees across 130 hectares, a pale comparison to the total area affected.

Other AI companies are also trying to weasel their way into other countries to build data centers. An example is the controversial Pax Silica in the Philippines. Finland now stands as a cautionary tale against the unimpeded and unsupervised growth of data centers for a service that no one asked for.

Don’t be evil, my ass.

Accessories

Bose acquires Skullcandy

But both are still separate brands.

Published

October 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As one of the wisest sages of the 2000s once said, “He was a punk, she did ballet. What more can I say?” Sometimes, opposites attract. Now, two of those opposites in the audio space are coming together: the punk Skullcandy and the ballet-loving Bose.

Today, Bose has announced its acquisition of Skullcandy. The latter will continue to operate as a separate brand but now officially under the Bose umbrella. Although, it’s not a new collaboration as the two brands have previously worked together on devices before. Skullcandy will just have more access to Bose’s technologies moving forward.

Alternatively, Bose will now have access to Skullcandy’s more varied audience. Compared to Bose’s focus on premium products, Skullcandy caters to more alternative lifestyles. Though the brand has since mellowed from its more radical roots, it is still known as one of the alternative brands.

Bose, on the other hand, is still a household name for home audio and noise-cancelling headphones. The new relationship between two polar opposites might be seen as a weird one, but it’s ultimately beneficial to both parties. Besides, both brands were very strong in the 2010s. Keeping both brands going is a boon to audiophiles of the past decade.

Gaming

Next Xbox might cost double the price of an Xbox today

The most expensive Xbox Series X costs $900. The next Xbox’s price might double that.

Published

October 22, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Buying a new gaming setup must be one of the most torturous things you can purchase these days. The rising price of chips has hampered the buying ability of many a consumer today. Sadly, that trend isn’t changing anytime soon. According to new reports, the next Xbox might cost double of what an Xbox costs these days.

The next console is currently codenamed Project Helix. Spearheaded by relatively new Xbox CEO Asha Sherma, Project Helix has hopes of being an all-around gaming machine capable of playing PC games besides console exclusives. Sharma obviously wants the platform to come back as a worthy destination for gamers.

That’s a monumental task, though, especially after the rising prices of chips are constantly threatening the prices of new devices. Now, according to a profile of Sharma published by Fortune, the next Xbox might cost as high as US$ 1,800. For reference, the limited 25^th anniversary edition of the Xbox Series X currently costs US$ 899.

Should Fortune’s estimate hold true, a new console in the coming years is double the cost of the most expensive Xbox Series X variant available today. The next generation of gaming might be even more of a luxury than it already is.

Unfortunately, things aren’t getting better across the board. Gaming on PC and on PlayStation aren’t going to be much cheaper as the RAM crisis continues.