News

vivo X Fold5 breaks some records for a foldable

Second lightest foldable of 2025 with four IP ratings

Published

June 25, 2025

Vincenz

We’re just in the second quarter of 2025. Yet, it’s been raining foldables all around.

While we’re still all waiting for the grand launch of the HONOR Magic V5 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, vivo walks the red carpet first with the X Fold5.

Lightest of ’em all

If last year’s X Fold3 was already lightweight, vivo has managed to beat its own record.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

From 219 grams, its successor is more featherweight at only 217 grams. That alone makes vivo’s X Fold5 the world’s lightest book-style foldable so far.

UPDATE #1: The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is now 2025’s lightest foldable at 215 grams.

But that’s only for the Titanium model. The two other colorways — Clear and Pine Green — are heavier at 226 grams.

Even the OPPO Find N5, its closest rival, weighs 229 grams.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

While not the thinnest (as it’s already reserved on the upcoming HONOR Magic V5 at 8.8mm), the Titanium Version of the X Fold5 with fiberglass back is still razor thin at 9.2 mm.

Meanwhile, the other two colorways with regular glass backs are slightly thicker at 9.7mm.

For comparison, last year’s X Fold3 was 10.2mm.

When unfolded, they’re 4.3mm and 4.55mm respectively.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

All these wouldn’t be possible without the vivo X Fold5’s mighty foldable mechanism.

That’s all thanks to its hinge made of ultra high-strength FS55 steel and carbon fiber materials.

Speaking of durability, the vivo X Fold5 is also the first smartphone ever to feature four IP ratings: IP5X, IPX8, IPX9, and IPX9+.

As confusing as it sounds, IPX8, IPX9, and IPX9+ are all about water-resistance.

The most extreme IPX9+ rating means it can be folded and unfolded underwater. It also has utmost protection against strong rain and wind.

Meanwhile, IP5X has resistance from dust disturbance.

Also, the vivo X Fold5 has a durable “anti-freeze” body that can withstand -20ºC temperature.

Pro-grade without the “Pro” name

This 2025, vivo has simplified its latest foldable to just a single model without the existence of a separate “Pro” version.

Regardless, the vivo X Fold5 still packs pro hardware inside.

GIF by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

It runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4nm SoC found on 2024 flagships.It’s then backed by either 12GB or 16GB of LPPDR5X Ultra memory plus options between 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage in the UFS 4.1 interface.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Screen sizes are still similar like last year: 8.03-inch inside, 6.53 inches outside.

Both are LTPO 8T AMOLED displays with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, 8,000,000:1 Contrast Ratio, 452 ppi Pixel Density, 4500 nits peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3 Wide Color Gamut, and 1.07 Billion Colors support.

Battery capacity has then been bumped up from 5500mAh to 6000mAh — making it a foldable with one of the biggest battery capacities.

Charging protocol still remains like last year: 80W FlashCharge.

However, vivo brings its 40W wireless FlashCharge that was absent in last year’s base model (which only the X Fold3 Pro had wireless FlashCharge at 50W).

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Last but definitely not the least, its mighty triple 50MP ZEISS camera system with ZEISS T* lens coating.

There’s a 50MP f/2.05 UWA (Ultra-Wide Angle) lens with a 50MP f/1.57 VCS Bionic main camera using Sony IMX921’s 1/1.56-inch sensor.

Lastly, a 50MP f/2.55 periscope telephoto lens based on Sony IMX882 image sensor that’s capable of shooting optically zoomed images to 3x, up to 20x telephoto macro, and up to 100x max. Also, a color-spectrum sensor that’s absent in last year’s X Fold.

Both selfie cameras are 32MP f/2.4 shooters.

ICYMI, that’s a flagship-grade camera system very much akin to the vivo X200, X200s, and the recently-released X200 FE. Still a rarity among foldable smartphones.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

The vivo X Fold5 runs the latest version of OriginOS 5 based on Android 15 with AI-rich features and an all-new Stage Manager-like Multitasking view.

There’s even seamless (and serious) connection to the Apple ecosystem.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Whether it’s sharing photos and files via AirDrop, call and text (and iMessages) forwarding in iPhones, screen mirroring, extending, or even remotely controlling your Mac, native controls when pairing your AirPods, or even viewing your latest Activity Rings in your Apple Watch, vivo’s China-based OS all support it.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Pricing and Availability

The vivo X Fold5 is available in four configurations:

12+256GB = CNY 6999 (US$ 975 / EUR 840 / GBP 720 / SG$ 1250 / PhP 55,730 / INR 83,935)
12+512GB = CNY 7999 (US$ 1115 / EUR 960 / GBP 820 / SG$ 1430 / PhP 63,685 / INR 95,930)
16+512GB = CNY 8499 (US$ 1185 / EUR 1020 / GBP 870 / SG$ 1520 / PhP 67,670 / INR 101,930)
16+1TB = CNY 9499 (US$ 1325 / EUR 1140 / GBP 975 / SG$ 1695 / PhP 75,625 / INR 113,920)

Pre-orders run for six days. Online and offline store availability starts on July 10, Thursday.

Currently, just like any Chinese-exclusive device, there’s no word about global availability.

UPDATE #2: vivo X Fold5 was recently launched in India with a price of INR 149,999 in a lone 16+512 GB Titanium Gray variant.

News

Qualcomm is raising its prices this year

Will the price of smartphones follow suit?

Published

July 27, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The price of technology isn’t fun these days. Because of the ongoing RAM shortage wrought by AI, companies across the industry are raising the prices of their products. Some, however, are still willing to shoulder the burden for their customers. Unfortunately, Qualcomm is soon leaving that list.

As reported by Bloomberg, Qualcomm will raise the prices of its products starting in September. Though the exact figure is unknown, the company did confirm that it’s in the double digits, percentage-wise. According to them, they can no longer shoulder the costs for its customers.

If you’re just a regular user, Qualcomm’s prices might not mean much for you. After all, the chipmaker doesn’t make phones of its own.

That said, Qualcomm is still one of the biggest suppliers for smartphone chipsets, including those that Samsung uses. Pushing the burden from chipsets to phone manufacturers reduces one more buffer against costs being ultimately pushed to consumers.

All things considered, Samsung managed to keep its prices hikes relatively low with the latest batch of foldables. However, with chips getting more price increases, it’s still within the realm of possibility that Samsung will also increase the price of its smartphones. The same can be said for any Qualcomm-powered smartphone available today.

News

Apple is reportedly delaying its smart glasses due to privacy concerns

The brand wants to squash malicious recording.

Published

July 27, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Smart glasses are in a weird place right now. While early adopters are celebrating the ability to record everything, a growing group of critics are decrying the loss of privacy. Formerly at full throttle, Apple, in response to these controversies, will reportedly delay its version of smart glasses to next year.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is heading back to the drawing board to further emphasize the unreleased wearable’s privacy protections, which includes “hardware and software-related privacy features not available on current products.” The report, however, doesn’t enumerate what these features are.

If anything, these features will likely prevent malicious recording. Most smart glasses today have a light that tells passersby that the device is actively recording video. However, users have discovered ways to tamper and disable this light, so their devices can start recording without alerting others. Apple will likely introduce better measure to prevent such tampering.

Additionally, it’s also possible that Apple introduces a version of the smart glasses without a camera attached.

Because of these new initiatives, the brand will delay the launch of the wearable to sometime next year. Previously, there was heavy speculation that the smart glasses will launch later this year.

On the bright side, there’s still substantial reason to believe that Apple is launching its first ever foldable device later this year.

Gaming

God of War Laufey finally confirms its highly anticipated launch date

Set your calendars next year.

Published

July 27, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

It’s about time we get excited for God of War Laufey. The upcoming entry into the acclaimed franchise takes off on a tangent as it follows Faye, Kratos’s late wife, as she traverses an afterlife filled with similarly deceased gods. It’s a different perspective but with still the same action we’ve come to expect from the series. Now, we know when to expect it: February 16.

In the ongoing Norse saga, Faye’s death is everything. Her passing pushes Kratos and Atreus towards a path that eventually led to Ragnarok. In Laufey, a deceased Faye wakes up in Everywhen, an afterlife where gods from different mythologies converge. She then discovers that the carefully laid plans she made to help her husband and her son are unravelling, so she has to find a way to save the living world from past the veil.

Laufey will still have the iconic battles that the God of War series is known for. However, because Faye is nimbler than the burly Kratos, fighting is more fast-paced with a mix of grounded and air-based fighting. All in all, there’s a lot to be excited about for Laufey, despite its different take on the series.

Over the weekend, during San Diego Comic Con, PlayStation confirmed when the title is launching. Thankfully, it’s not a long wait. God of War Laufey is launching for the PlayStation 5 on February 16 next year.

Additionally, Santa Monica Studio has also confirmed that Kratos will lead another entry after Laufey.