By Mark Shephard
After seven straight days of daily use, testing, filming, texting, editing, and swapping SIM cards between Samsung’s brand new Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Chinese powerhouse Vivo X Fold 5, I’m ready to answer the question everyone keeps asking me: which one is better… and which one do I prefer carrying?
Surprisingly, it’s not as obvious as Samsung would like you to think.
Design & Comfort – Thin Isn’t Everything
Samsung finally slimmed down the Fold 7 — it’s noticeably thinner and lighter than last year’s Fold 6, with a wider and much more usable outer screen (yes, I can actually type on it now). But the sharp, squared-off edges feel a little pokey, especially when holding it for longer periods.
The Vivo X Fold 5 may technically be thicker on paper, but its rounded design feels better in the hand and avoids digging into my palm. These two phones look nearly identical in size side-by-side — but Vivo simply feels more comfortable to carry and hold.
Displays – Samsung Brings Brightness, Vivo Brings Class
The outer screen on the Fold 7 hits an insane 2600 nits, making it a joy outdoors. But in my direct sunlight testing, the Vivo’s anti-glare inner display actually looked clearer, less washed out, and more detailed — especially in harsh lighting.
Both look great indoors, and both have nearly invisible crease lines from a straight-on view, so call this category a draw with Samsung winning brightness and Vivo winning readability.
Software & Multitasking – Samsung is King
No contest: Samsung’s One UI is still the most powerful, customizable, and truly multitasking-friendly software on a foldable. From stacked widgets, paired apps, floating windows, sidebar shortcuts, to AI-powered article summarization — the Fold 7 just does more, and makes it fast and intuitive.
Vivo has a nice sidebar and some translator tricks, but it can’t match Samsung’s polish — and a lot of the UI content is still locked in Chinese. If you’re productivity-focused, Samsung wins big.
Cameras – Vivo’s Still the Real Flagship
The Fold 7 amps things up with a new 200 MP main sensor, and yes — point-and-shoot photos look good. But as soon as you start to zoom, crop, or demand anything more… things fall apart fast.
The Vivo X Fold 5 runs three 50 MP Zeiss-tuned cameras, and simply outperforms Samsung in image detail, low-light capture, zoom clarity, and natural color. Anyone serious about photography will instantly see the difference. Vivo wins this hands-down.
Performance & Connectivity – Snapdragon Elite vs Real-World Speed
The Fold 7’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip feels faster on paper — but in day-to-day use? The Vivo frequently opened apps quicker, and even beat Samsung in cellular and Wi-Fi speed tests on my own T-Mobile SIM.
Unless you’re gaming or rendering heavy video files, you’re unlikely to notice a real performance difference between the two.
Battery & Charging – Samsung Falls Behind
Battery life on the Fold 7 has been fine, but nothing amazing — and when it’s time to top up, that’s where frustrations start. Samsung still only supports 25 W wired and 15 W wireless charging, meaning over one hour to fully recharge.
Vivo blows it away with 80 W wired and 50 W wireless, fully topping up in under an hour. Huge quality-of-life win for Vivo.
Final Verdict – Which One Would I Carry?
Samsung has clearly made the best Fold yet — and if you care about software, US warranty support, reliable trade-ins, and world-class multitasking, the Z Fold 7 is a phenomenal upgrade.
But when it comes to overall enjoyment — comfort, cameras, performance, and practicality — I still find myself gravitating back to the Vivo X Fold 5. In fact, I miss my Honor Magic V3 even more because it brings all of these strengths into one single foldable.
So what’s my verdict after one week?
The Z Fold 7 is the better “device”… but the Vivo X Fold 5 is still the better “phone”.
Want to see all the side-by-side footage, camera tests, benchmarks, and real-life examples? I break it all down in my comparison video:
