Vivo X Fold 3 Pro vs OnePlus Open: Which One Should You Choose?

Despite being a latecomer to the foldables party last year, OnePlus managed to make a splash when it announced its first foldable phone at a global launch event held in India. It was relatively thin and light when folded, but also had a superior camera system (which was unheard of for a foldable). Considering that Samsung was still trying to make its Galaxy Z Fold 5 thinner (it still felt thick), the Open was a very easy win for OnePlus. Add to that its lower starting price of Rs 1,39,999 with a slick and almost flawless OxygenOS, and we have simple recommendation for those looking for a good balance of features at an affordable price.

A few months later, BBK's sister company Vivo also decided to bring an existing model (previously launched in China) to India. With the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 on the horizon, Vivo's approach to its first foldable device in India was a bit extreme in terms of design and pricing. Despite some shortcomings, the phone still managed to deliver the goods, and it did so quite well, as mentioned in my review.

The OnePlus Open's vegan leather back certainly adds a personal touch to its design, in addition to its comfortable grip.

When every millimeter counts

While OnePlus raised the bar at launch, Vivo quickly stole its crown when it came to design. The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is thinner (both open and folded) than the Open, but it’s also lighter. I also like its slightly chamfered corners better than the Open’s sharp corners, which dig into my palm when folded. It really is all about margins with the X Fold 3 Pro, and you can tell by how incredibly sleek it looks when unfolded. Vivo even went to extremes by curving one side of its outer display and the opposite back panel so that it doesn't appear as square as flat displays (like those from OnePlus and Samsung).

Both foldable smartphones feature notification sliders, but OnePlus has a three-step one that's much easier to use due to its design.

Despite the extreme measures, the OnePlus Open comes out on top when it comes to one-handed use. It’s not as thin as the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, but its shorter display makes it more comfortable to use with one hand. Despite the slightly narrower display (and foldable design), the Vivo is quite tall and requires two hands to do anything. However, it’s wide enough to do everything you’d do on a regular phone.

The Open's display is compact, while the X Fold 3 Pro's is taller

The main reason I was never confident using the Vivo was because of its slippery glass design. The OnePlus Open (both the standard and Apex Edition models) has a grippy vegan leather back, which gave me extra confidence when holding it.

Despite the similar book-like form factor, both models feel completely different once you open their main foldable displays.

The OnePlus Open's 7.82-inch internal display has a square aspect ratio, which is mostly useful when opening apps side by side. Vivo's 8.03-inch rectangular display is big enough to handle both productivity and entertainment tasks.

The software on both foldable devices can run four apps at once.

Software matters

Vivo isn’t perfect on the software front, however. OnePlus surprisingly got everything from app scaling to Open Canvas multitasking software right out of Oxygen OS. That was impressive considering it was the brand’s first foldable phone at launch. Everything from apps to games worked well, even when moving between displays.

Vivo, on the other hand, surprisingly falls short in the execution department. While I really like the Desktop AOD mode on the Vivo, I noticed that apps don’t stretch to fit the display when holding the foldable phone horizontally. This results in a black bar that plagues most third-party apps, including many Google apps. With almost a centimeter lost on the left side of the display due to this optimization issue (which Vivo has yet to resolve), the software does feel rather unfinished, even if it includes a lot more software and hardware features compared to Open. However, None of these phones can compare to Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Google's Pixel 9 Pro Foldable when it comes to AI tricks. Both OnePlus and Vivo are still a full year behind Samsung and Google when it comes to deeply integrating AI into their devices.

Months after its launch, Vivo (right) still hasn't figured out how to get rid of the black bar on the left that takes up all the space on the large display.

Neither foldable smartphone is slow in terms of performance. However, Vivo offers the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, while the OnePlus processor is slightly older, with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Both phones offer 16GB of RAM, so you will never encounter any stuttering while browsing their respective operating systems. One detail to note is that Vivo handles heat better, be it gaming, outdoor use, or even the camera. This is a bit surprising, since it is the thinner of the two.

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is currently the only foldable smartphone in India to feature not one but two under-display fingerprint scanners.

It's always because of the cameras.

As with any smartphone (foldable or not) available today, a lot depends on its camera performance. No one wants to invest in a smartphone that costs over a lakh to carry a second flagship phone just to take photos and record videos.

Samples of daylight cameras (click on the image to expand)

While both cameras perform well above the norm, I have to conclude that Vivo does a better job with photography than OnePlus. Its photos from the main and telephoto cameras (both with OIS stabilization) are sharper, have good detail, and impressive color reproduction. The OnePlus Open loses out to the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro when it comes to dynamic range and color reproduction. I noticed many times that the telephoto lens is a bit unreliable in the sense that photos have a warmer white balance, resulting in yellowish tones. Vivo’s telephoto lens also does a better job of handling moving subjects, resulting in sharper photos when shooting kids or pets. In low light, Vivo again manages to handle better dynamic range, showing more detail in the darker areas of the image.

Examples of cameras taken in low light (click on images to expand)

Vivo's ultra-wide camera had some issues with white balance consistency during our review, but these appear to have been resolved with software updates. In terms of quality, both ultra-wide cameras offer similar performance.

Examples of selfie cameras (click on images to expand)

The OnePlus Open's video recording capabilities are better than the X Fold 3 Pro's. The phone offers better dynamic range (showing more detail in the shadows), less noise, and a more stable frame rate.

Battery life is no longer a touchy subject

Battery life is another area where people won’t expect any compromises, and this is where Vivo beats OnePlus. While the OnePlus Open will get you through a full day of heavy use, Vivo beats it by easily managing a day and a half of heavy use, which is almost as good as a regular premium smartphone. The X Fold 3 Pro also charges its larger 5,700mAh battery much faster, filling it from 0 to 100 percent in just 43 minutes. The Open is a little slower at charging its smaller 4,805mAh battery, fully charging it in 53 minutes. Vivo also offers 50W wireless charging, something OnePlus doesn’t, and I’m sure that could be a deal-breaker for some.

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro (right) is thinner than its competitors but still offers 50W wireless charging.

What makes each of them so special?

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6, despite This year we are betting on AIwill still be the go-to foldable for many because they have been around since the very first model launched in India. But for those looking to try something new, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro offers better value despite its higher price tag of Rs 1,59,999. It is the foldable to choose if you are looking for a device that can compete with regular bar-shaped Android flagships, especially when it comes to still images and battery life. It also offers the largest and widest display possible on a foldable device today. So it is also good if you plan to do light work (using a Bluetooth keyboard) while on the go.

Given its more affordable price tag, which starts at Rs 1,39,999, the OnePlus Open remains a foldable choice for those looking to try out the foldable form factor for the first time. Apart from the more affordable price tag, OnePlus also offers an extended OnePlus Care warranty (which Vivo doesn't have), and this should give any buyer who is clumsy or worried about breaking the display of their foldable more confidence when buying a foldable.