Why it matters: Vivo follows in the footsteps of competing brands such as Xiaomi, Huawei and Oppo with the release of its first foldable phone. Global shipments of foldable phones will reach 15.7 million in 2022, forecasting an annual growth rate of 107%, according to market research firm CINNO Research.

The new phone, called the Vivo X Fold, featured more technology than just folding technology, Louis Liu, an analyst at Chinese hardware information company CINNO Research, told TechNode. The new phone tackled some of the shortcomings of previous models from other brands with features such as fast wireless charging and fingerprint recognition on the screen, Liu added.

Details: Using a Samsung display, the Vivo X Fold has an 8.03-inch internal display when used in tablet mode and a 6.53-inch external display when folded. For comparison, an iPhone 13 has a 6.1-inch screen and a regular iPad is 10.9 inches.

Both monitors support a 120 Hz refresh rate with a battery-saving display technology called Low Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO), which claims to reduce power consumption by about one-third. A model with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage costs 8,999 RMB ($ 1,413). a model with 512 GB of storage and the same specifications of RAM will cost 9,999 RMB ($ 1570). Liu also said that compared to Oppo’s sister Find N folding model, the Vivo X Fold is a more premium device, adding that Vivo focused more on internal technology while Oppo focused on getting an optimal screen size when folded.

Box: CINNO predicts that Samsung will lead the folding market this year with a 70% share.

Vivo is the largest smartphone maker in China based on shipments in 2021, according to IDC. Vivo, Oppo and OnePlus – three of the largest smartphone brands in China – have common roots: they belong or indirectly belong to the Better Life Group. Therefore, while brands share technology in some cases despite the competition. For example, OnePlus and Oppo will merge their phone operating systems into the unique ColorOS, according to a post in the OnePlus community on March 8.

						Ward Zhou is a Shanghai-based tech reporter.  Covers stories about the digital content industry, hardware and anything geek.  Reach him at ward.zhou[a]technode.com.  More from Ward Zhou