Vivo is rumoured to be putting the final touches to its latest foldable smartphone. We gather up all the news and leaks so far surrounding the Vivo X Fold 2.
When will the Vivo X Fold 2 be released?
There’s no official release date yet from Vivo, but the company has now teased that the phone will launch in April 2023.
That tease came from Huang Tao, a Vivo executive, who posted on Weibo to reveal that the X Fold 2 is the official phone of the 2023 Boao Forum for Asia. That event, which runs 28-31 March, has only seen Vivo confirm the phone’s name, not reveal its full specs, but Tao has further teased that he will “see you in April for more surprises!” (machine translated from Chinese).
This would be in keeping with the previous model, the Vivo X Fold, which debuted in April 2022. One concern for western markets is that the X Fold was a China-exclusive model, meaning it didn’t get an official global launch. You could still pick it up on import, but that’s always a bit daunting and expensive.
We still don’t know if this will be the case with the Vivo X Fold 2, but we hope that this time around the company opens the product up to a wider fanbase.
How much will the Vivo X Fold 2 cost?
There are no solid facts regarding the potential cost of the Vivo X Fold 2 when it arrives. Looking at the previous generation we see the following pricing:
- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage: ¥8,999 (around $1,400/£1,100/€1,300)
- 12GB RAM + 512GB storage: ¥9,999 (around $1,550/£1,200/€1,450)
With costs climbing for seemingly everything at the moment, technology included, it’s possible that these already high prices might creep even further. But, it could be that Vivo holds the line so that people can actually buy the new Fold rather than pressing their faces up against the shop windows in Shanghai.
Vivo
What features will we see in the Vivo X Fold 2?
The big headline we’ve seen so far about the Vivo X Fold 2 originates from the usually reliable Chinese tech reporter Digital Chat Station. He posted that Vivo will utilise a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which would make it the first time this processor appears in a foldable smartphone. The Vivo X Fold came with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, so the move to the second generation chip seems very likely.
91Mobiles also reports that the processor will be joined by 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which would make it that same as the original Vivo X Fold, presumably with a 12GB/512GB variant to maintain parity.
That’s exactly what we’ve seen in a phone with the model number PD2266 that’s appeared on benchmark AnTuTu. The Vivo phone, believed to be the X Fold 2, features the 8 Gen 2, 12GB RAM, and 512GB storage, and runs Android 13. It picked up an impressive combined score of 1,318,092.
While the first generation X Fold sported an 8.03-inch LTPO AMOLED main display, running at 2160 x 1916 and 120Hz, Digital Chat Station states that this will be upgraded to a 2K panel in the new model. There will also be improvements to the battery, moving from the 4,600mAh cell in the X Fold that charged at a maximum of 66W, to a slightly larger 4,800mAh hour cell with a much faster 120W top speed.
So far, there’s been little word on the kind of cameras we might see in the Vivo X Fold 2, although GizmoChina reports that we’ll find a 50Mp main camera that uses Sony’s IMX866 sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS), one that’s already appeared on several Vivo devices. This will reportedly be flanked by two 12Mp ultra-wide and Telephoto cameras, powered by Sony IMX 663 sensors.
This marks a departure from the original Vivo X Fold, as that had a quad-camera array on the rear, made up of a 50Mp f/1.8 main camera with a Samsung GN5 sensor and OIS, plus a 12Mp, f/2.4 2x zoom camera; an 8Mp 5x periscope zoom camera; and a 48Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide camera.
We’re guessing that the report just missed out on the ultra-wide camera and had confused the Telephoto and Zoom cameras, but we’ll be interested to see if this is the case, as the cameras were one of the strongest features on the X Fold.
For reference, here are the full specs for the original Vivo X Fold:
- 8.03in 2K E5 AMOLED folding display with 1-120Hz refresh rate and LTPO 3.0
- 6.53in FHD+ external display with 120Hz refresh rate
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
- 12GB LPDDR5 RAM
- 256/512GB UFS 3.1 storage
- Rear cameras:
- 50Mp, f/1.8 main camera with OIS
- 12Mp, f/2.4 2x zoom camera
- 8Mp, 5x periscope camera
- 48Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide camera
- Selfie cameras:
- 16Mp outer selfie camera
- 16Mp inner selfie camera
- Wi-Fi 6
- NFC
- 4600mAh battery
- 66W wired charging
- 50W wireless charging
- Android 12 with OriginOS
That’s all we know on the new model at the time of writing, but we’ll be updating this article as we find out more. So, please do check back regularly to see what we can dig up.
Until then, do take a look at our guides to the best Android phones and best phones coming in 2023 to see whether you should wait for the Vivo X Fold 2 or take the plunge today.