The first dust-resistant and waterproof foldable is coming

One of the biggest issues with foldable phones is that they lag behind conventional devices when it comes to IP ratings. We’ve seen foldables with water resistance and ones with dust resistance, but we’ve never seen one with both features. Thankfully, this will soon change due to vivo.

Vivo executive Han Boxiao announced on Weibo that the upcoming X Fold 5 foldable will have an IP5X rating for dust resistance, as well as an IPX8 rating for water resistance. If that’s not enough, the foldable will also have an IPX9 rating for high-pressure, hot water jets.

In other words, this will be the first foldable phone that’s both waterproof and dust-resistant. Samsung’s Galaxy Z6 devices offer IP48 ratings, which means they’re water-resistant but not dust-resistant. In fact, the rating means they can only withstand objects 1mm in size or larger (dust is significantly smaller than that). Most other foldables, like the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, typically offer IPX8 ratings at best, meaning they have no dust resistance whatsoever.

Boxiao claims that the X Fold 5 is the industry’s first dust-proof foldable phone. However, Motorola’s Razr Plus 2023 indeed offered an IP52 rating for a dust-resistant design. Furthermore, the vivo executive stated that the X Fold 5 can be repeatedly opened and closed 1,000 times in up to one meter of water. I’m not sure why you’d want that capability, but it’s certainly an interesting claim to make.

Nevertheless, this is a major development for foldable phones and narrows the gap between them and conventional phones. Many conventional smartphones are fully dustproof thanks to IP6X ratings, while the IP5X rating seen here means some dust can still enter the phone but won’t affect it. Either way, these ratings mean you should have more peace of mind when it comes to your foldable’s durability.