Vivo X Fold 3 Pro vs OnePlus Open: Which Is the Better Foldable?
Jun. 7, 2024While the idea of using two phones glued together is fun, it’s not as thrilling when you have to carry it around. I have gotten over the foldable fever at this point and they barely excite me anymore. But, the latest Vivo X Fold 3 Pro had me fired up for a change, just like the OnePlus Open did last year.
Vivo X Fold 3 Pro vs OnePlus Open: Specs at a Glance
I’m glad that both brands provide you with a charger and case for the premium foldables right the their boxes. Apart from that, you get the usual SIM ejector tool and some papers. However, with our X Fold 3 Pro, we didn’t get a cover in the box. But, we reached out to Vivo and they assured us that all retail units will get one. So, there’s that.
I’ll be very honest with you. TheVivo X Fold 3 Pro honestly makes the OnePlus Open look very outdated on the design front. The X Fold 3 Pro is easily theslimmest and sleekest foldablewe’ve had to date, and feels a lot more easier to hold. Whereas, theOnePlus Open brings this heft and bulkwhich doesn’t make it as easy to hold and carry around.
I also noticed how the OnePlus Open, despite being curvier, had sharper edges that pinched the skin. Meanwhile, theX Fold 3 Pro sports more refined edgeson a boxier body, which I liked better. The back panel design on both the phones is pretty solid and you get to see matted-out glass. However, the texture and feel of the X Fold 3 Pro’s back panel is better by a bit and feels smoother to the touch.
Theframe is metal on both phonesthough, but being the slimmer phone, the X Fold 3 Pro feels grippier. The attention to detail on the design is pretty commendable on the X Fold 3 Pro, and the brand got rid of any unnecessary hefts from the body.
For example, the OnePlus Open has this excessively bulging camera module with higher edges around, which honestly takes up too much space at the back. The X Fold 3 Pro went as minimal as possible with it, and you see a not-too-bulky module at the back. There’s also this marbly design in the outer ring of the X Fold 3 Pro’s module with a silver textured ring circling it, which looks classier.
OnePlus being OnePlus, the Open did come with the alert slider advantage. But, Vivo is definitely taking this battle seriously, and has added analert slider on the X Fold 3 Pro. While it has two slider levels instead of three on the Open, it’s more than welcome, always.
Also, thepower button on the Open doubles down as a fingerprint sensor. Meanwhile, the X Fold 3 Pro has a more modern3D ultrasonic tech-backed in-display fingerprint scanner.
As you open the phones, you get to see lesser bezels on the X Fold 3 Pro, while the Open’s slightly wider bezels make it look vintage in comparison. Moreover, even when unfolded, the X Fold 3 Pro is so easier to hold with just one hand and carry around. Meanwhile, the Open’s hefty camera module on the left makes it lean towards one side more, and not make it that easy to hold with one hand.
Another subtle thing that I noticed was that the OnePlus Open makes this paper crinkle sound when unfolded, which makes it all the morebook-ish. Meanwhile, the X Fold 3 Pro is a silent as Batman jumping thugs in a dark alley.
Another important thing to note is that while the Open carries anIPX4water and dust resistance rating, the X Fold 3 Pro comes with a superiorIPX8rating.
While both the phones have solid build quality, there’s no doubt that the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro steals the show here with its lightweight body and sleek design.
Moving on to the display of the two phones, it was evident right off the bat thatthe Vivo X Fold 3 Pro has the bigger display(s). While the X Fold 3 Pro features a 6.53-inch ( cover display, the Open comes with a 6.31-inch (1116 x 2484) one.
However, when it comes to the real-life experience,I barely noticed any difference. The depth and richness of colors is very similar, and so are the blacks on the main screen of the two phones. But, I’dprefer the cover screen experience of the X Fold 3 Pro, since its aspect ratio is more versatile. From gaming to even watching movies, I barely felt the need to unfold the phone.
The X Fold 3 Pro immediately felt brighter than the Open. We couldhit a peak brightness of 3,810 nits on the cover screenof the company-claimed 4,500 nits, which is very impressive. Even themain screen goes up to 3,340 nits. Meanwhile, theOpen doesn’t go beyond 2,350 nits on both its displaysout of the claimed 2,900 nits. While the main screen doesn’t bring that noticeable a difference, the cover screen is super bright, and I wasblinded by those lightsfor sure.
Now, the X Fold 3 Pro usesArmor Glass protectionfor the cover screen with what the brand is calling Microcrystal Glass. Meanwhile, the main screen usesSuper-Tensile UTG protectionwith an impact-resistant film.
On the other hand, the OnePlus Open sportsGorilla Glass Victusprotection for its cover screen. For the main screen, OnePlus is using a custom version ofCeramic Shield. For those unaware, Ceramic Shield is the display protection that Apple uses on its iPhones. Moreover, it’s more scratch resistant than Gorilla Glass.
While I can’t say for sure which is better unless I go all JerryRigsEverything on them (and I love my job). But, I’ll probably be a bit more resilient about dropping the X Fold 3 Pro than the Open.
While software experience is pretty subjective and you may like a UI more than I do, there’s no denying that OxygenOS on the OnePlus Open is superior. While the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro’s FuntouchOS 14 may not be bad, it doesn’t take a pro to see that it’s barebones and bland in comparison.
While you do get all the essential foldable features like fold-to-split, AOD desk calendar, and flex mode, it certainly lacks the finesse of OxygenOS. Not to mention that the OxygenOS is much cleaner, while the FuntouchOS 14 brings Netflix, Facebook and Myntra. While you can uninstall these, Vivo Browser and App Store can’t be.
Even the Control Center, app icons, and pretty much the overall feel of the UI is premium on the OxygenOS. However, there’s one thing that I like better on the X Fold 3 Pro and that’s the selection of live wallpapers. It’s absolutely stunning and I spent a good 15 minutes just sitting there, beingmesmerized at the lock screen animation.
However, the UI animations are still not as snappy, and you will run into more bugs on it than on the OxygenOS. For example, there was this one instance where the Control Center couldn’t be summoned by swiping down from the home screen. A quick restart helped, but there’s that.
But, theOnePlus Open is more future-proof, bringing 4 years of major OS updates and 5 years of security patches. On the other hand, the X Fold 3 Pro brings a combination of 3 + 2 to the table.
The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is powered by the 4nm TSMC-based Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. On the other hand, being around a year old, the Open carries the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. However, both the processors are based on TSMC’s 4nm process and are paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X and 512GB of UFS 4.0 internal storage. With all that technical mumbo jumbo out of the way, let’s take a look at how they perform in real life.
Performance-wise, while you won’t see or feel much of a difference using the two foldables, the X Fold 3 Pro is undeniably the more powerful with the better processor. From app opening and closing times to going to and fro between 25 to 30 apps running in the background, both phones bring a solid daily experience.
But, like I said before (check software experience section), you will run into annoying little bugs with the FuntouchOS 14, while the OxygenOS will not little to none of those. All things considered, these two will plow through everything you throw their way.
I ran quite a few benchmarks on both phones as well, pushing the respective processors to their limit. Here’s a quick rundown:
From CoD Mobile and Warzone Mobile to Genshin Impact and BGMI, I ran all the demanding titles available on mobile, and here’s a quick rundown of the settings you get on the two foldables:GamesSettingsGenshin ImpactEpic at 60 FPSLow at 90FPSCoD MobileMax Graphics = Max + MaxMax Framerate = Medium + Ultra (120FPS in Multiplayer, 90FPS in Battle Royale)BGMIMax Graphics = Ultra HDR + UltraMax Framerate = Smooth + Extreme+ (90FPS)Warzone MobileHigh + Uncapped (Average 60FPS)
As you can see, gaming-wise, there’s barely any difference. However, the X Fold 3 Pro’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is slightly more power efficient. So, you’ll see a bit less battery loss (more on this later) as compared to Open’s 8 Gen 2. The thermal management of both the phones is great and they never got uncomfortably hot during gaming.
Both phones feature a triple rear camera setup, but the sensors used are different. While the X Fold 3 Pro brings a 50MP primary + 50MP ultra-wide combination, the Open carries a 48MP primary + 48MP ultra-wide setup. However, both phones also have a 64MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom in the setup.
As for the selfie shooter, the X Fold 3 Pro sports a 32MP sensor on both the main and cover screens. Meanwhile, the Open’s cover screen is a 32MP sensor, while on the inside, there’s a 20MP shooter.
Well, I took these two setups out for a spin, and here’s a quick rundown of the results:
Starting off with the ultra-wide angle shots, the X Fold 3 Pro lacks as many details as the OnePlus Open. However, the shadows and highlights are excellently captured on both. I was very surprised to see that both the camera setups barely displayed any difference in terms of colors. The X Fold 3 Pro offers a slightly more vivid color profile, but that’s not easily noticeable right off the bat.
When it comes to the primary sensor though, theX Fold 3 Pro takes the lead and offers more detailsin comparison. Moreover, the primary sensor shots make the color disparity evident, with the X Fold 3 Pro boosting the colors slightly.
During the night though, theVivo X Fold 3 Pro’s ultra-wide sensor captures better details. Thedynamic range is also slightly betterwith deeper blacks.
However,I like the primary sensor shots of the Open more, because of the visibly better shadows and highlights. Moreover, the color tones are also slightly more natural on the Open. As for the details, both phones capture retain them equally well.
Also, there’s barely any color disparity between the ultra-wide and primary sensor shots of the two phones, which is great.
Aesthetically speaking, you maylike theX Fold 3 Pro’s human portraits more. However, as you zoom in, you will see that there’s some skin smoothening, sharpening and tone enhancement, making the shots appear rather unnatural at times.
However, the Open captures very natural photos. But, at times, I have noticed that the Open doesn’t capture skin details as well. The edge detection and depth mapping and great on both phones though.
TheVivo X Fold 3 Pro’s selfie shooters are not well optimizedright now and they appear washed out and dark for some reason. I do hope Vivo fixes that with an update soon. On the other hand, theOpen captures excellent selfiesthat barely leave any room for complaints. The skin tones are kept as natural as possible, and the details are very well maintained as you zoom in.
Finally, when it comes to videos, both phones can shoot atup to 8K 30FPS. You also get the option to shoot at 4K 60FPS. At the front, you getup to 4K 60FPSon both phones, and that’s commendable. The OIS is great on both the setups and I encountered no focusing issues either. So, all good here.
The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro packs a big 5,700mAh battery with 100W fast charging. Meanwhile, the OnePlus Open uses a 4,800mAh + 67W fast charging combo. So, on-paper, the X Fold 3 Pro is easily a lot more attractive. But, does it take that big a lead here in real life?
I put the batteries to the test by watching a movie on Netflix for around 2 hours, watching YouTube videos for a little over 1.5 hours and playing Genshin Impact over around an hour. I also had Dual-SIMs on, and had the battery set at auto brightness in a brightly lit indoor environment. After all that and a little bit of WhatsApp and doom-scrolling on Instagram, I could finally bring the phone down to 1% battery. Overall, ascreen-on-time of roughly 7 hours, and that’s super impressive for a foldable.
Doing the same things on theOnePlus Open gave me an SoT of around 6 hours, which is also very good. Then again, the Open’s battery capacity is also less by almost 1,000mAh.
As for charging, there’s barely any difference here. Since the X Fold 3 Pro packs a bigger battery, it also takes some time to charge even with the 100W fast charger. To take it from 1% to 100%, you’ll need44 minutesin hand. The OnePlus Open’s 67W fast charging support takes a similar amount of time as well to top it off.
The biggest problem with foldables has always been the bulk that you have to carry around. But, with the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, that doesn’t feel like a problem anymore. From a smarter and more modern design, better display(s), bigger battery as well as the latest and greatest from Snapdragon as its processor, the X Fold 3 Pro certainly is an enticing choice of the two.
So, what will ultimately determine your buying decision will be the software experience. Not only does the OnePlus Open give you a richer experience with the OxygenOS, it’s also backed by an extra year of major OS updates and security patches.
If you’re more inclined towards getting a better software experience out of your premium foldable, you know what’s the ideal choice here. However, after spending almost two weeks with the X Fold 3 Pro, I honestly think that FuntouchOS has come a long way. It still has miles to go, but I didn’t find it to be as bad as I’d expected.
Keeping the software department aside, theVivo X Fold 3 Pro is a clear winner in my opinion, having solved most of the foldable problems we had. Easily, it’s themost comfortable foldable I’ve used to dateand is an absolute gamechanger. Oh boy, OnePlus Open 2 that’s touted to launch next year will have one hell of a bar to reach.
Well, that’s all that I had to say. Which is the better foldable phone according to you and why? Do take to the comments to share your thoughts!
Sagnik is a tech aficionado who can never say “no” to dipping his toes into unknown waters of tech or reviewing the latest gadgets. He is also a hardcore gamer, having played everything from Snake Xenzia to Dead Space Remake.
