JOIN USVivo X60 Pro review: Impressive camera phone
In 2020, Vivo's X50 series set a new benchmark for photography hardware on mobiles. It was the first to boast an in-built gimbal system that offers really good stable videos and still pictures. Even performance-wise, it was a dependable phone.
Now, the company has come up with a successor with a second-generation gimbal system and collaboration with ZEISS Optics promising better photos. Also, it comes with a beefed-up configuration in terms of processor. Will it deliver the goods? check it out.
Design, build quality, and display
The new phone flaunts a slim and sleek profile. It has a dual-curved display, which cascades down to the sturdy aluminium frame in the sides. Though it brings no functional benefits, it does add value in terms of providing a good exterior outlook to get attention from the crowd.
Our new X60 Pro review unit is the Shimmer Blue variant. It has a gradient design achieved through satin AG technology. As I said in our hands-on first impression article, the device looks lovely in the sunlight. As you can see in the cover shot of the piece, the device's back panel reflects psychedelic colours when viewed from certain angles. Also, the frosted matte finish, makes the sweaty fingerprint smudges less visible.
Vivo X60 Pro keeps the camera module design as seen in the predecessor. It protrudes a bit in the top left corner, but this can be countered with the hard silicone case, which the company offers free with a retail box. Add to that, the case is translucent and does not hurt the visual appeal of the phone.
Speaking of durability, Vivo has incorporated Corning Gorilla Glass 6 shield on the back and SCHOTT Xensation Up display guard on the front. Also, it should be noted that the company fits another layer of screen guard on the display. This will come in handy in protecting the screen from scratches from sharp objects like keys in the pocket.
Durability-wise, Vivo has covered almost all bases to ensure the new X60 Pro can survive for years. The only exception is the Ingress Protection (IP) rating for protection against accidental water splashes or rain. The onus is on the customer to make sure, it doesn't come in contact with any type of liquids.
Like other premium phones, the new X60 Pro doesn't come with a 3.5mm audio jack, but the single-grille loudspeaker at the base delivers decent sound delivery.
Last but not least the display quality. Vivo X60 Pro features a gorgeous 6.56-inch AMOLED screen with a pixel density of 398 ppi (pixels per inch), supports refresh rate up to 120Hz, HDR10+, 240Hz touch responsive, and a screen-to-body ratio of more than 90 per cent. I had a great time watching multimedia content and also playing games. In gaming scenarios, the X60 Pro can support sampling rate of up to 240Hz.
Most importantly, Vivo X60 Pro excels in terms of screen legibility under direct sunlight. It is one of the very few phones in the market that can sense changing light condition faster and automatically warms up the screen. I never once felt any stress in my eyes while viewing contents on the screen.
Also, another notable aspect of the X60 Pro is the in-display biometric sensor. It responds really fast to the finger impression and also has a low false rejection rate compared to other branded mobiles I have tested in 2021 so far.
Performance
Vivo's new X60 Pro houses Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 870 octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 585) chipset with Adreno 650 GPU backed by 12GB LPDDR5 RAM (+ virtual 3GB RAM) and 256GB storage (UFS 3.1 storage and Android 11-based Funtouch 11.1 OS.
It works buttery smooth and there is pretty much nothing to complain about the performance of the X60 Pro. It scored an impressive 1,034 and 3,372 points on single-core and multi-core tests, respectively on the Geekbench performance testing app. It is better than most of the flagship Android phones in the market.
As far as the user interface is concerned, Vivo has a bad reputation among tech critics. But, this is a subjective matter. People who have already used Vivo phone before will not find it hard to navigate through the settings and find key features on the X60 Pro. But, consumers who buy their first Vivo phone, will take some time to get the hang of it.
As mentioned before, the device sports a thin figure, and this comes with a cost. In this case, the battery capacity.
The predecessor which is 8mm thick, has a 4,315mAh battery capacity. This company trimmed the successor by 0.4mm (7.6mm thickness) and this has reduced the cell capacity to 4,200mAh.
Must read | Vivo X50 Pro review: Camera power-house
Having said that, Vivo X60 Pro still was able to deliver one-day battery life. And the 33W charger works just good. It can power up the phone from zero to 100 per cent under an hour.
Camera
Vivo's new X60 Pro boasts a triple-camera module with ZEISS-made lenses- main 48MP (with Sony IMX598 sensor, f/1.48, Gimbal Stabilization 2.0, 5-axis VIS) backed by 13MP 120-degree ultra-wide lens with 2.5cm macro, f/2.2 ) with 13MP 50mm portrait camera (f/2.46, 2x optical zoom) with dual-LED dual-tone flash.
It takes stunning images in all aspects. I did note that the camera's quick transition of focusing on the subjects, particularly in close-range macro shots. Also, it warms up the colour to make it more beautiful.
One of the highlights of the Vivo phone's camera is the ability to control the contour bending, which is visible in most of the ultra-wide angle shots. In practice, X60 Pro excels in it. Also, it manages to reduce the ghosting, where green dots and other reflections prop up while taking sunrise and sunset pictures.
Furthermore, it boasts the Pixel shift technology, wherein takes multiple photos and improves the quality, and gives out the best possible photos.
Even the portrait mode is one of the best features of the X60 Pro. It offers Biotar portrait mode, wherein the background can be customized to appear as swirling, but the foreground and the subject's contour clearly defined to offer a perfect portrait, but also different from the normal we get to see the other phones.
The most impressive aspect of the Vivo X60 Pro's camera is the night mode pictures. It takes lovely shots in the dark. It retains natural shades of night and makes sure the street lights don't blow up the scene. Also, it excels in taking natural nighttime photos with just the LED lights on. The orange hibiscus flower looks gorgeous in the photo.
On the front, it features 32MP (f/2.45, 26mm (wide) lens, 1/2.8-inch sensor, 0.8µm pixel size). It takes fantastic selfies and is capable of accomodating more people in group photos compared to rival brands. It also supports HDR, full video (1080p) recording at 30 fps, and offerings a plethora of filters and editing tools to enhance the visual appearance of a person in terms of skin tone, jaw structure, nose shape, contours of the eyes, and many more. I have to say, Vivo goes an extra mile compared to other phone brands in offering artificial face beautification features. I can't blame the company, it is just facilitating the demands of the consumers, who spend a good amount of time in the day on social media platforms.
Final thoughts:
Overall, it is not just a massive upgrade over its predecessor, but also formidable flagship Android phone and can give any rival a good run for its money.
Vivo's new X60 Pro comes on top with its camera hardware. I am most impressed with the low-light photography. Even design language, build quality, display, and the day-long battery life are praiseworthy.
Vivo X60 Pro costs Rs 49,990 and is available on Amazon and Flipkart in India.
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