June 19, 2025 | Shanghai – Hold onto your hats, foldable fans. Vivo's highly anticipated flagship book-style foldable, the X Fold5, wasn't expected for weeks, but units have started trickling out into the hands of select reviewers and insiders. We've managed to get our hands on one, and the first impressions are a fascinating mix of genuine innovation and surprising early performance quirks.
Unboxing the Future (Slightly Early)
Pulling the sleek X Fold5 from its box, the first thing that strikes you is the refinement. Vivo seems to have shaved fractions of a millimeter here and there, resulting in a device that feels remarkably svelte for a foldable packing a large inner display and a capable outer screen. The hinge action is smooth, confident, and virtually crease-free – a testament to Vivo's continued engineering prowess in this area. It feels premium, solid, and ready for business.
The Headline Act: "Vivo Manager" Takes Center Stage
While the hardware is impressive, the real shocker comes when you fire it up. Vivo has pre-loaded a brand new multitasking interface that bears an uncanny, and highly functional, resemblance to Apple's Stage Manager for iPadOS. Dubbed internally (at least in our early build) as "Vivo Manager" or "Multi-Space," this feature is operational out of the box, well ahead of schedule.
Here's what we're seeing:
- Free-Floating Windows: Apps aren't confined to split-screen. They open in adjustable, movable windows.
- App Grouping: You can cluster multiple app windows together as a group, moving and minimizing them as a single unit.
- Taskbar Integration: A persistent taskbar at the bottom (or side, depending on orientation) provides quick access to favorite and recent apps.
- Seamless Transition: Switching between the outer cover display and unfolding to the large inner screen intelligently handles the open windows, attempting to resize and reposition them contextually.
This is a major leap for Android foldable multitasking, offering a desktop-like level of flexibility previously unseen outside of Samsung's DeX (which requires an external monitor) or niche third-party launchers. Early usage feels surprisingly polished for a pre-release feature. If Vivo refines this further, it could be a massive selling point, genuinely leveraging the large canvas of a foldable. Early social media buzz confirms others are equally impressed by this unexpected software showcase.
The Benchmark Blemish: Playing Catch-Up to Oppo?
However, not all the early news is rosy. While the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset hums along smoothly in daily use and the new multitasking, early benchmark runs are telling a slightly different story regarding raw power.
Geekbench 6 results for the device (model V2436A) are now public, and they show the X Fold5 trailing its key rival, the recently launched Oppo Find N5.
- Vivo X Fold5 (Early Unit): ~2,100 (Single-core) / ~6,500 (Multi-core)
- Oppo Find N5: ~2,200 (Single-core) / ~7,000 (Multi-core)
The gap, particularly in multi-core, is noticeable. This could be down to several factors inherent to very early units:
- Pre-Release Software: Our unit is running early firmware, likely far from optimized. Aggressive thermal throttling or background processes could be hampering sustained performance.
- Different Tuning: Vivo might prioritize battery life or thermal management over absolute peak benchmark scores at this stage.
- Hardware Variations: While both use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, slight differences in cooling solutions or RAM configuration could play a role.
Industry watchers are already dissecting the numbers. Initial reactions and follow-up discussions on Chinese social media (Weibo) reflect surprise at the deficit, given the shared flagship chipset. It's a stark reminder that silicon is only part of the equation; software and cooling are crucial.
Beyond the Benchmarks: Camera Glimmers
While full camera reviews are pending, very early samples and initial technical impressions suggest Vivo is continuing its strong imaging tradition. The partnership with Zeiss optics remains, and early low-light shots and portrait modes show promise, leveraging Vivo's proven computational photography strengths. We'll need more time for a definitive verdict, but it's unlikely to disappoint.
Availability and Expectations
The early appearance suggests an imminent official launch. Pricing remains under wraps, but expect flagship territory. Pre-orders are anticipated soon on major retailers like Amazon.
The Verdict (So Far)
The Vivo X Fold5's early arrival delivers a thrilling surprise and a slight puzzle. The unexpected debut of its Apple Stage Manager-like multitasking ("Vivo Manager") is a potential game-changer for foldable productivity, showcasing ambition and software innovation that could set it apart. It feels genuinely useful on the large foldable screen.
However, the early benchmark deficit compared to the Oppo Find N5 is undeniable and raises questions about final performance tuning. Was this unit representative? Can software updates close the gap?
One thing is clear: Vivo is pushing hard on the user experience front. If they can optimize the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3's performance to match or exceed rivals by launch, and refine their groundbreaking multitasking further, the X Fold5 could be a formidable contender, proving that foldables are evolving beyond just novel hardware into truly versatile productivity powerhouses. The race for foldable supremacy just got even more interesting. Stay tuned for our full review soon! Further visual previews are also emerging.
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