After a huge pile of wide-screen slab phone rumors, we're back in business with a new foldable! Allegedly, Vivo has been working on an iPhone Duo and Galaxy Z Fold 8 competitor in the wide-fold space, but there's a surprise. The phone could be rather compact.
Vivo working on a compact wide-fold
Vivo is gearing up to launch a compact wide-fold. (translated from Chinese) | Image by Weibo
The rumor comes from our good old friend Digital Chat Station, who claims that Chinese company Vivo has been working on a new wide-fold device. The interesting part is that this new phone could feature a rather compact folding screen "under 6.5 inches."
This would make this new wide-fold device quite compact, with a cover screen below the 4-inch threshold (3.25 if we just divide the main screen by two, but that's not how this works, as the inner bezels are much thicker while the cover screen is almost bezel-less).
For comparison, the current wide-fold flagships, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the iPhone Duo, both come with main screens bigger than 6.5 inches — both feature 7.6-inch inner screens. The cover screens are 5.5 inches on the Z Fold 8 and a 5.4-inch panel on the Duo.
The first compact wide-fold on the market?
In a smartphone world where everyone aims for the largest possible screen, Vivo's approach is a breath of fresh air. Other Chinese brands are developing their interpretations of the wide-fold form factor, but all of them seem to be on the larger side, with inner screens hovering around the 7.6-inch mark.
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There's no information on a release date or detailed specs for this compact foldable, but Digital Chat Station thinks it will launch in early 2027.
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Would you buy a compact wide-fold phone?
Just a wide-screen slab phone folded in half?
The iPhone Duo competitor might be more comfortable in the hand. | Image by PhoneArena
The recent trend coming from the Far East is wide-screen slab phones. The Huawei Pura X View was the first device to launch with this form factor, reminding people of the phablet years. If you're wondering how this compact wide fold might look, the answer might be obvious.
Take the aforementioned Pura X View and its 6.39-inch screen, and fold it in half. If that's the case, the folded phone will have an aspect ratio of 5:6 (the Pura X View is 5:3), which is quite interesting — not bad for socials such as Instagram, TikTok, etc.
I'm a huge fan of compact phones, and seeing a company going in that direction with its upcoming foldable gets me excited. What about you? Would you buy a compact wide-fold phone?
Read more about new smartphone designs and form factors here:
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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