I'm using the vivo X Fold 6, and now the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra feels ancient

While much of the foldable attention these days is going to wider devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the upcoming iPhone Duo, book-style foldables have never been better. That’s the first thing I noticed when I switched from my Pixel 11 Pro XL to the vivo X Fold 6.

The X Fold 6 debuted in China three months ago and is now available globally in select markets — including India, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. It isn’t coming to the US or UK, but availability is better than previous generations.

In general, vivo has been doing a great job with its phones in 2026 (the X300 Pro and X300 Ultra are among the best phone cameras around), and with the X Fold 6, it is signaling its intent to go up against Samsung, Google, and Motorola. I’ve been using the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra for the better part of a month now, and I’m highlighting six areas where Vivo clearly has an advantage over Samsung.

The X Fold 6 has the best battery life of any foldable

The one area where the vivo X Fold 6 absolutely dominates is battery life. The global model that I’m using has a huge 6,900mAh silicon-carbon battery, and it lasts longer than any other foldable out there. It overshadows the Motorola Razr Fold that I used earlier in the year, and does a much better job than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in daily use.

I used the X Fold 6 as my daily driver for close to two weeks now, and I routinely got over a full day of use even with extensive gaming, navigation, and streaming. While battery anxiety on Chinese foldables hasn’t been a thing lately, the X Fold 6 ensures it lasts a day, no matter how hard you push it.

Like other foldables, the X Fold 6 uses a dual-cell battery architecture, and it comes with vivo’s 80W charging tech. It takes 30 minutes to reach 64% charge and just under an hour to fully charge the foldable. While those charging times are similar to those of the 5,000mAh Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the X Fold 6 has a much bigger battery.

You get three standout cameras

There’s no doubt that vivo and OPPO make the best foldable cameras, and with the X Fold 6, vivo is solidifying its position in this category. With a new 1/1.4-inch 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HPB module and OIS, the X Fold 6 delivers standout photos in just about any situation. The key difference this year is consistency: I routinely got great shots in all lighting conditions, whereas I didn’t with the X Fold 5.

While the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra also has a 200MP camera, vivo does a much better job with its tuning algorithms, and the result is that the X Fold 8 outshines its Samsung rival by a huge margin — particularly in low-light imagery.

Another advantage is around the auxiliary cameras; thanks to a 1/1.95-inch 50MP Sony Lytia 602 sensor and OIS, the X Fold 6 does a great job at 3x zoom. This also doubles as a portrait shooter, and it honestly fared better than I imagined.

Then there’s the 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1 wide-angle lens, which has been around for a while. It is a known quantity and delivers usable shots with a color balance similar to the rest of the modules. The main thing to know here is that you get three great cameras on the X Fold 6, with each module outshining the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — Samsung really needs to address this next year.

The in-hand feel is much better

Coming in at 228g, the X Fold 6 is 13g heavier than the Z Fold 8 Ultra, and it isn’t quite as thin as Samsung’s foldable. You know what? I don’t care. It’s still thin and light enough that it isn’t cumbersome to use (particularly after testing the Pixel 11 Pro Fold), and vivo did a great job with the weight balance, so you don’t actually notice the added heft.

Because the foldable is a little thicker, there’s more room on the sides to hold and open it comfortably; it isn’t quite as easy to do so on the Z Fold 8 Ultra, even though Samsung made a few tweaks to the design this year. I like that vivo went with rounded corners with this generation; it makes holding the phone that much better, and it proves that Google stumbled on the ideal foldable design.

Also, the X Fold 6 has a massive camera island, but I don’t mind it one bit, because the centered design ensures the foldable doesn’t wobble. This is a huge issue with the Z Fold 8 Ultra, as Samsung’s foldable wobbles when you look at it (it’s so annoying that adding a case doesn’t fix it).

The X Fold 6 has decent durability

Continuing with the design a bit, the X Fold 6 gets IP58 and IP59 ingress protection, which should give the foldable some measure of durability. It’s annoying that Samsung, which pioneered water resistance with the Galaxy S7 a decade ago, still doesn’t have IP68 on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, instead getting IP48.

Vivo did a good job with the build quality as well, and I didn’t see any issues on the X Fold 6 after it took a few tumbles. The aluminum frame provides good structural rigidity, and the only quibble I have with the design is that the sides have a glossy finish.

The crease isn’t as noticeable

Android brands made decent headway with creaseless designs this year, with the Find N6 leading the charge. The X Fold 6 also does a good job in this regard, and while the crease is still noticeable at times, it isn’t as visible as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Pixel 11 Pro Fold.

The hinge has smooth articulation as well, and it can stay unlocked at various angles, which is handy if you’re looking to use the inner panel to shoot photos.

Vivo did a better job with optimization

I prefer using vivo’s OriginOS to Samsung’s One UI, but I’ll admit that if you just need an interface with plenty of features, Samsung does a great job. It’s just that, even after eight years of making foldables, Samsung’s interface doesn’t feel quite as fluid as vivo’s on the X Fold 6 this year.

Yes, Samsung has a polished UI that’s easy to use, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra strikes a good balance between maintaining legacy features and sprinkling in AI, but I don’t get the same level of immediacy when browsing the interface as I do on the X Fold 6. Vivo’s latest Android 17-based OriginOS 7 overhaul includes a modern design that emulates iOS 26’s Liquid Glass aesthetic, and while the design isn’t original, vivo at least did a consistent job bringing transparent effects to the interface.

The X Fold 6 is a great all-rounder — but it’ll cost you

The X Fold 6 costs the equivalent of $2,460 (€2,199), so you’re paying close to the same price as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in global markets where it is available. While vivo arguably has the better foldable, its biggest problem will be to convince buyers to eschew Samsung in favor of the X Fold 6.

This has been an issue with Chinese brands in the past, but it looks like vivo is making some progress in this area — consistent global availability of its flagships has made a difference to an extent.