There's a more pocket-friendly rival to Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 on its way

The Vivo X Fold 3 looks set to be a heavyweight in specs only

An image of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
(Image credit: Samsung)

When it comes to the best foldable phones on the market, there is one brand who stand above the rest. Samsung have long held the crown in the market, offering some of the first models and continually updating their range.

Their current flagships – the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 – are widely regarded as the top pick for flip phones and book-style foldable handsets. Still, that doesn't mean they're not being pushed at every opportunity.

The market has grown exponentially in the last year, with many different brands bringing models to market. That includes handsets like the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra and the OnePlus Open. Now, another has been leaked, which could go toe-to-toe with the big brother of the Samsung foldable range.

According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo (as shared by MySmartPrice) a new handset called the Vivo X Fold 3 looks set to be unveiled soon. That handset could be one of the slimmest and lightest on the market, according to the rumours.

The report suggests that the phone could weigh just 220g – lighter than an iPhone 15 Pro Max! It's also said to be just 5mm thick when unfolded. That's a really impressive dimension, and should make it effortless to use everyday.

Elsewhere, the handset is expected to pack in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. That's the current flagship for Android phones, and is expected to be in use on a whole host of devices. Still, it's good to see it here, and should offer a ton of horsepower for the handset.

Rumours also suggest a handy triple rear camera array could be used. That should make it really useful as a phone, too – not just a pretty face!

That all sounds pretty good, so where's the downside? Well, unless there is a major break from tradition, it seems unlikely that the handset will see a global launch. Vivo foldable phones have never made it to the UK, so we're not expecting to see any here this time. 

Sam Cross
Staff Writer

Online news writer at T3.com, Sam has five years of experience in online and print journalism, with work featured in publications like Metro and Last Word on Sports. After years writing about music and football, Sam now turns his hand to bringing you news about new phones, smart home products, smart watches, laptops and TVs. Sam is a longtime fan and user of Apple products, including iPhones, MacBooks and Apple Watches.He’s also T3’s resident football expert, bringing you everything you need to know about the big games, including how to watch them. In his spare time, Sam is a keen guitarist, watch lover and (very) amateur golfer.