If I’ve realized one factor about Vivo’s X collection, it is that the model likes to change issues up with each era. The previous few fashions featured a novel gimbal stabilization tech that Vivo touted closely, however you will not discover that on the X90 Professional. The telephone as an alternative leverages on a big sensor and different imaging tweaks to distinguish itself from its predecessors. What’s unchanged is the collaboration with Zeiss; Vivo continues to associate with the German optics large, and there are a number of new issues on provide this time round.
The X90 Professional additionally sees the introduction of MediaTek’s Dimensity 9200 platform. I favored what MediaTek did final yr with the Dimensity 9000 and was eager to try this yr’s providing. With Qualcomm delivering certainly one of its finest chipsets within the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, MediaTek needed to nail the main points to problem Qualcomm within the high-end class.
Vivo has additionally refined its software program, and whereas it would not fairly have the identical variety of options as ColorOS 13, the design seems and feels trendy, and there is much less bloatware than earlier than. I began with the X90 Professional again when it made its world debut in February, and have been utilizing the system on and off as I examined the finest Android telephones of 2023. What’s in the end clear is that for those who’re in a rustic the place the system is offered, it’s a authentic different in opposition to what Samsung, OPPO, and Xiaomi have to supply.
Vivo X90 Professional: Pricing and availability
Vivo unveiled the X90 collection in China again in November 2022, and the X90 Professional made its world debut at Cellular World Congress in February. The telephone is now obtainable in India and choose Southeast Asian international locations, and may make its means to some European markets within the coming months.
The X90 Professional is offered in a single 12GB/256GB configuration in India, and it’s obtainable for ₹84,999 ($1,030). The telephone prices the same quantity in different markets within the area, and out of doors China, Vivo is rolling out the 12GB/256GB choice as the usual variant.
There’s additionally a daily X90 that retails for ₹59,999 ($728) in India for the 8GB/256GB mannequin and ₹63,999 ($776) for the 12GB/256GB model. Apart from a number of adjustments on the digicam aspect of issues and the inclusion of IP68 ingress safety and wi-fi charging on the Professional mannequin, there is not a lot to distinguish the 2 units.
Vivo X90 Professional: Design
The one factor Vivo hasn’t modified an excessive amount of over the past three generations is the design aesthetic; the X90 Professional continues the same design language with dual-curved sides, and whereas the curves are extra exaggerated than the likes of the Xiaomi 13 Professional and the Galaxy S23 Extremely, there’s sufficient room on the mid-frame to carry the system comfortably.
The X90 Professional is without doubt one of the tallest units obtainable at this time, however the slender width means it is not unwieldy. Certain, this is not a telephone you are going to use one-handed, however it’s lighter than its fast rivals, and feels nice in-hand. A variety of that has to do with the leather-based again; Vivo did an awesome job with the vegan leather-based end, and whereas I obtained the usual black mannequin, the crimson model of the X90 Professional seems beautiful.
Going with a leather-based again makes the X90 Professional far more snug to make use of than its glass and ceramic-clad rivals, however the weight distribution is centered towards the highest — not too astonishing contemplating the dimensions of the digicam island. Like different Chinese language manufacturers, Vivo is utilizing an outsized round digicam housing on the again, and you will discover the standard Zeiss insignia. The sheer dimension of the housing means there is no wobble when utilizing the X90 Professional on a flat floor.
The one design alternative I nonetheless do not get is the quick metal bar that runs throughout the size of the again, sitting simply beneath the digicam island. You may discover the phrases Xtreme Creativeness engraved on the bar, and it makes the in any other case premium again really feel cheesy — I don’t know what Vivo was considering of right here.
Apart from that aberrance, the X90 Professional seems and appears like a high-end telephone. Vivo additionally affords IP68 mud and water resistance as normal; this can be a desk stakes characteristic on any telephone over $500, and it is good to see Chinese language producers getting on the bandwagon over the past two years.
Vivo X90 Professional: Display
I do not know when was the final time I used a telephone that did not have an awesome panel, and that is notably true for flagships. The X90 Professional comes with a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh, and it has a decision of 2800 x 1260. Whereas not as excessive because the 1440p screens you will discover on this class, it’s greater than ample, and the panel itself is vibrant and affords stellar coloration accuracy.
You discover a respectable quantity of customizability, together with the choice to vary the colour steadiness. There are 4 modes on provide: Commonplace, Professional, Vivid, and Zeiss Pure Colour. I did not have any points with total brightness ranges, Vivo touts 1,300 nits of brightness for HDR10+ content material, and whereas the display did not get fairly as brilliant in out of doors use because the S23 Extremely, it nonetheless managed to do a superb job on this space.
The telephone misses out on LTPO tech, with Vivo as an alternative providing simply 60Hz and 120Hz modes. I did not see noticeably excessive battery drain when utilizing the always-on mode, however the system is not fairly as environment friendly as different flagships. On that observe, you will discover loads of always-on modes to pick out from, and you’ve got an honest quantity of customizability on this regard. Moreover, the telephone has 2,160Hz polling, with Vivo noting that the excessive determine ought to alleviate any points round PWM sensitivity.
You might not discover it if you begin utilizing the X90 Professional, however the system has stereo sound, and it is serviceable — it would not get as detailed because the 13 Professional, Galaxy S23+, or the S23 Extremely, however it makes a distinction when taking part in video games. Fortunately, Vivo is not restrictive on this space, and video games aren’t locked to 60fps — titles that may take full benefit of the excessive refresh charge display are ready to take action.
I would nonetheless desire the 13 Professional or the S23 Extremely relating to the general high quality of the display, however Vivo is not far behind.
Vivo X90 Professional: Efficiency and battery
An enormous differentiator for Vivo this yr is the truth that it’s utilizing MediaTek’s newest Dimensity 9200 platform. With most different telephones on this class powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Vivo is on the backfoot by selecting MediaTek, however having mentioned that, the Dimensity 9200 affords comparable {hardware} to its Qualcomm rival; you get a Cortex X3 core at 3.05GHz, three Cortex A715 cores at 2.85GHz, and 4 Cortex A510 cores at 1.8GHz.
Class | Vivo X90 Professional |
---|---|
OS | Funtouch 13 primarily based on Android 13 |
Show | 6.78-inch 120Hz AMOLED, 2800 x 1260, HDR10+, 1300 nits |
Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 9200, 1 x 3.05GHz Cortex X3, 3 x 2.85GHz Cortex A715, 4 x 1.80GHz Cortex A510, Immortalis-G715, 4nm |
RAM | 8GB/12GB LPDDR5X |
Storage | 256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 |
Rear digicam 1 | 50.3MP f/1.8 1.0-inch sensor, 1.6um pixels, OIS, 8K at 24fps, 4K at 60fps |
Rear digicam 2 | 50MP f/1.6 telephoto, 1/2.4-inch sensor, 0.7um pixels, 2x optical zoom, OIS |
Rear digicam 3 | 12MP f/2.0 wide-angle, 108-degree discipline of view |
Entrance digicam | 32MP mounted focus |
Ingress safety | IP68 mud and water resistance |
Connectivity | International Sub-6 5G bands, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS |
Safety | In-screen optical fingerprint sensor |
Audio | Stereo sound, USB-C port, 24-bit/192kHz audio, AptX HD codec |
Battery | 4870mAh battery, 120W wired charging, 50W wi-fi, reverse wi-fi charging |
Dimensions | 164.1 x 74.5 x 9.3mm, 215g |
Colours | Black, Purple |
It is the standard 1 + 3 + 4 configuration that MediaTek has used for a while now, however with Qualcomm switching issues up with its 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 mannequin on the 8 Gen 2, I used to be intrigued to see how the Dimensity 9200 would maintain up over prolonged use. The excellent news is that the platform is simply as highly effective in each day use as Qualcomm’s silicon, and Arm’s Immortalis-G715 is nearer to the Adreno 740 than I imagined.
Though the Dimensity 9200 is not fairly on the identical stage because the 8 Gen 2, that is largely theoretical — you will not discover any points in each day use. The one disadvantage that I discovered was that the X90 Professional would throttle a bit of sooner than the likes of the Xiaomi 13 Professional and S23 Extremely, and it tends to run hotter as nicely. It by no means obtained to the purpose the place I felt uncomfortable utilizing the system, however given how not one of the 8 Gen 2-based telephones have any overheating points, I figured it was value mentioning.
Class | Xiaomi 13 Professional | Vivo X90 Professional | Galaxy S23 Extremely |
---|---|---|---|
CrossMark (General) | 1205 | 966 | 1295 |
Productiveness | 1031 | 1093 | 1185 |
Creativity | 1381 | 851 | 1411 |
Responsiveness | 1278 | 983 | 1310 |
Geekbench 5.1 (single-core) | 1475 | 1377 | 1536 |
Geekbench 5.1 (multi-core) | 4932 | 4213 | 4735 |
Geekbench 6 (single-core) | 1400 | 1454 | 1931 |
Geekbench 6 (multi-core) | 4789 | 3917 | 4971 |
3DMark Wild Life Excessive (rating) | 2985 | 3207 | 3488 |
3DMark Wild Life Excessive (FPS) | 17.9 | 19.2 | 20.9 |
The Dimensity 9200 would not fairly maintain its personal in multi-core workloads, however a transparent constructive for MediaTek is that Arm’s Immortalis-G715 clearly affords the same stage of energy because the Adreno 740, and you will discover the distinction when gaming.
Elsewhere, the X90 Professional has all of the {hardware} options you’d need in a high-end telephone. There’s 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage as normal on the worldwide variations, and that is greater than ample for many customers. It comes with world Sub-6 5G bands, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, AptX HD audio codec, and all of the radios for numerous GPS techniques world wide. The in-screen fingerprint sensor is among the many quickest of any telephone I used, and the optical module is not liable to errors.
You get a superb vibration motor as nicely, and the telephone delivers good haptic suggestions when utilizing the keyboard and navigating the UI. There’s additionally eSIM connectivity, and I did not discover any points round Wi-Fi bandwidth, Bluetooth connectivity, or when utilizing the telephone to make calls.
Switching over to battery life, the X90 Professional incorporates a 4,870mAh battery, and it makes use of Vivo’s 120W wired charging tech together with 50W wi-fi charging and reverse wi-fi charging. I have never examined Vivo’s wi-fi charging system but, however the 120W FlashCharge tech is a identified amount, and it costs to 50% in beneath 10 minutes, with a full cost taking simply over 25 minutes.
Now, the caveat right here is that the 120W charging mode is disabled by default, so you will want to enter the settings to allow it. Vivo affords the Balanced mode out of the field, and on this setting, the cost would not transcend 30W. Vivo’s 120W tech is mature sufficient that there are not any points in utilizing it each day, however for those who’re fearful about battery degradation, the Balanced mode is a perfect answer.
As for battery life itself, I did not have any points getting the telephone to final a full day even with heavy use. This hasn’t been an issue on any telephone I examined this yr, and whereas the X90 Professional would not fairly handle the identical figures as units with bigger batteries, there’s completely no battery anxiousness right here. You will not must cost the system earlier than the day’s out, and may the necessity come up to take action, the 120W charging tech is among the many finest within the trade.
Vivo X90 Professional: Cameras
Along with the Dimensity 9200, the X90 Professional options Vivo’s customized V2 imaging {hardware} that takes care of the picture processing and powers the AI-based duties on the system. The spotlight on the digicam entrance this yr is using the Sony IMX989 module for the 50MP fundamental digicam — this is identical 1-inch {hardware} that Xiaomi launched final yr on the 12S Extremely and used on the 13 Professional this yr.
The 50MP fundamental digicam is joined by a 50MP telephoto with OIS and 2x optical zoom, and a 12MP wide-angle lens with a 108-degree discipline of view. Up entrance, you get a 32MP digicam with a hard and fast focus that may shoot 1080p movies.
The digicam interface is just like what you will discover on most telephones lately, and also you get the standard slate of toggles for switching between the varied lenses, HDR, AI-assisted scene detection, and so forth. The Professional mode is kind of helpful if you wish to shoot in RAW, and there are an honest variety of taking pictures modes, together with Portrait, Panorama, Moon, Slo-mo, Meals, Twin View, Astro, and extra.
Vivo affords a Zeiss Pure mode that delivers pictures with correct colours, and there’s a noticeable distinction in saturation ranges over the default choice, which tends to supply oversaturated colours that is at all times been a attribute of Vivo telephones. I used this mode all through because it affords a extra sensible picture, and it nails the main points in any taking pictures situation.
Photographs taken in daylight have glorious element rendition and coloration accuracy, with no noise and nice dynamic vary all through. The telephone does an awesome job with foliage and inanimate objects, and it’s on par with one of the best units on this class. The wide-angle lens additionally does an awesome job in daylight situations, and because of autofocus, it doubles as a macro shooter. I desire this method to devoted macro modules, and the X90 Professional can dial in on topics simply 4cm away — I obtained a whole lot of detailed macro pictures out of the system.
The secondary 50MP lens is nice sufficient, however I’d have favored extra magnification; because it stands, it solely goes as much as 2x. You get usable pictures at as much as 5x with digital zoom, however something past that surfaces a whole lot of artifacts. On the brilliant aspect, the lens pulls double obligation for portrait pictures, and also you get good background segmentation. You get a whole lot of Zeiss kinds when utilizing the portrait mode, and it provides a enjoyable dimension to the images.
The X90 Professional does a standout job in low-light conditions, delivering images with nice dynamic vary, good coloration accuracy, and loads of element. Night time mode kicks in robotically in most situations, and the telephone does an awesome job managing highlights and shadows, providing vibrant pictures with no seen noise. The wide-angle lens holds up fairly nicely, however you will discover seen noise in auto mode, and the resultant element is not on par with the principle lens.
Vivo is doing a lot better with rendering pores and skin tones, and the model says that it adjusts the tuning to swimsuit the wants of regional markets. Video recording is one other space the place there’s rather a lot to love; the 2 50MP modules can shoot 4K at 60fps (wide-angle is restricted to 4K30), and the principle lens hits 8K at 24fps.
Whereas the telephone misses out on gimbal stabilization this time, you get glorious stabilization whereas taking pictures handheld, and I did not run into any points in any respect on this space. The perfect half is that Night time mode works with video (at 4K30), and it delivers among the finest video footage you will see out of any system on this class.
With the X90 Professional, Vivo is as soon as once more delivering a terrific set of cameras that maintain their very own in opposition to one of the best that Android has to supply.
Vivo X90 Professional: Software program
Th X90 Professional runs Vivo’s Funtouch OS 13 primarily based on Android 13, and whereas the general feel and look of the UI hasn’t modified over final yr, you get a refined interface with loads of customizability. It integrates the options Google launched in Android 13, and whereas you aren’t getting the total Materials You aesthetic right here, Vivo affords its personal different to the dynamic coloration picker, so you’ll be able to change the accent colours with out an excessive amount of of a trouble.
Whereas Vivo did a superb job transferring away from its earlier iOS influences, there are a number of areas the place it may’ve finished a greater job. The settings web page is fairly disorganized, and whilst you get a whole lot of choices to tweak the interface, they’re exhausting to find. Vivo makes use of a normal notification pane with toggles on the high and the notifications displaying up on the backside, and it hasn’t used Google’s outsized toggles — you get the older rounded icons.
For what it is value, the interface is fluid and optimized for the 120Hz panel, and you will not discover any slowdowns. Vivo has its typical slate of first-party utilities, together with its browser, gallery, notes, recorder, SMS shopper, telephone dialer, audio and video gamers, and its personal cloud storage service. I’d have favored Google’s telephone dialer and Android Messages because the default alternative right here, however aside from that, I haven’t got any points with the present iteration of Funtouch OS. Vivo did a superb job with bloatware, and whilst you’ll discover a number of pre-installed providers, these could be simply uninstalled.
Vivo is doing a greater job with software program updates; the X90 Professional will decide up three Android OS updates and 4 years of safety patches. That is consistent with what Xiaomi affords on its units as nicely, and whilst you get one much less platform replace than the likes of Samsung and OPPO, that is nonetheless a constructive transfer from Vivo.
Vivo X90 Professional: The competitors
The apparent different to the X90 Professional is the Xiaomi 13 Professional. Xiaomi nailed the design of its 2023 flagship, providing a chassis made out of ceramic, and also you get a shocking AMOLED panel with all the most recent options, together with Dolby Imaginative and prescient. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, has a similar-sized battery and 120W charging tech together with 50W wi-fi charging, and the trio of 50MP cameras on the again take implausible images. MIUI has a whole lot of customizability as nicely, and the 13 Professional manages to undercut Vivo by a slender margin in India, the place it’s obtainable for ₹79,999 ($970) for the 12GB/256GB mannequin.
Then there’s the OnePlus 11. The system has a beautiful design, and it is usually powered by Qualcomm’s newest silicon, has quick wired charging tech, and a elegant AMOLED panel. It additionally takes phenomenal images and movies in any scenario, and can decide up 4 Android OS updates. The cameras aren’t as versatile, however the upside is that the telephone prices simply ₹61,999 ($750) for the 16GB/256GB model, making it a stellar discount.
Vivo X90 Professional: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You want a telephone with a leather-based again
- You need high-end {hardware} and a vibrant 120Hz panel
- You want a telephone that may take excellent images and movies
- You want nice battery life with blazing-fast charging tech
You should not purchase this if:
- You want a telephone with an awesome zoom lens
- You want a telephone to make use of in North America
- You are searching for a high-end telephone primarily for gaming
Having used all the most important Android releases over the course of 2023, it is clear that the X90 Professional can maintain its personal in opposition to one of the best Android telephones. I just like the path Vivo is taking with the X collection, and whereas earlier fashions centered a bit an excessive amount of on the digicam prowess to the detriment of different areas, that is not the case on the X90 Professional — this can be a well-rounded system that does not have any main shortcomings.
Going with the Dimensity 9200 is an attention-grabbing alternative, and though the chipset has the same basis because the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, it lags a bit of behind relating to sheer efficiency potential; it tends to throttle sooner throughout marathon gaming periods, and runs a bit of hotter. That mentioned, you will not discover any distinction in most each day use circumstances, and that is solely evident for those who’re taking part in visually-intensive titles for nicely over an hour. If that is going to be your major use case, I would recommend selecting up the Xiaomi 13 Professional as an alternative.
In any other case, the X90 Professional has rather a lot to supply. Vivo refined the software program to the purpose the place Funtouch OS would not really feel like an iOS clone, and the bloatware scenario is a lot better this time round. The cameras are unimaginable, and the Zeiss tuning together with all of the extras and the devoted V2 {hardware} permits the X90 Professional to ship the identical caliber of images and movies because the 13 Professional and the S23 Extremely, and there is no larger reward.
With excellent cameras and a leather-backed design, the X90 Professional nails the basics. There actually is not something lacking right here, and in order for you a high-end system that appears good and takes implausible images and movies, the X90 Professional has a lot to supply.