This story is a part of Samsung Event, CNET’s assortment of stories, suggestions and recommendation round Samsung’s hottest merchandise.
Vivo’s latest flagship telephone line arrived on the heels of the corporate’s greatest Android rival. The Chinese telephone maker introduced the brand new X90 and X90 Pro on Friday, simply days after Samsung’s Galaxy S23 launch. The Vivo X90 Pro’s standout options are its 120-watt charger and the 1-inch Sony IMX 989 predominant digital camera sensor. I had an opportunity to make use of the Vivo X90 Pro for almost per week. I examined the digital camera, battery life and efficiency, amongst different options. The digital camera serves up a flexible vary of photographs with good readability throughout the day and night time. Photos have a stunning depth of subject.Some photographs did not prove as vivid as I’d anticipated, nevertheless, which was a shock since this telephone is supplied with a 1-inch sensor. Larger sensors are designed to permit extra gentle in, and subsequently are supposed to enable for the manufacturing of brighter, clearer photographs. And but, as we all know from the Sony Xperia Pro-I and Xiaomi 12S Ultra, a 1-inch digital camera sensor is not really an inch large. But it’s on the bigger dimension for a telephone digital camera.
LikeFast-chargingBattery lifeSolid efficiency
Don’t LikeExcessive brandingBranding barBloatware
For all of the hype Vivo created across the digital camera, my favourite characteristic was quick charging, because of the 120-watt charger included within the field. I beloved the comfort of with the ability to cost my telephone totally in half an hour. A bundled quick charger distinguishes this telephone from these made by Samsung and Apple, each of which have stopped together with chargers within the field with their telephones. Not solely does Vivo provide a bundled charger, however that charger is impressively environment friendly when revitalizing a lifeless battery. Apart from the digital camera and battery, the Vivo X90 Pro has all of the hallmark options of a high-end flagship in 2023. There’s a 6.78-inch AMOLED show, three cameras headlined by two 50-megapixel cameras, a big battery and zippy 120-watt charging. Xiaomi’s 12T Pro has 120-watt quick charging too — it was my favourite characteristic on that telephone, regardless of its 200-megapixel digital camera. The Vivo X90 Pro has an app drawer.
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It’s value mentioning that the Vivo X90 Pro runs on the Mediatek Dimensity 9200 chip. That’s a divergence from Samsung’s newest lineup of Galaxy S23 telephones, which run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It additionally has an IP64 score for water- and dust-resistance, which implies it is protected totally from mud, however solely from sprays of water. I would not be comfy carrying this machine round within the rain or by the poolside. Take word, it is a decrease score than the IP68 score on Samsung’s telephones, which may stand up to being submerged beneath water.Pricing data is not accessible right now, however count on a global launch in components of Europe and Asia for the X90 collection. A US launch is not deliberate. For reference, final 12 months’s Vivo X80 Pro value £1,199 (which converts roughly to $1,460, AU$2,085) and the brand new Galaxy S23 Plus prices £1,049.
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The Vivo X90 Pro’s odd design on the againFor a telephone in 2023, the X90 Pro’s design seems comparatively bizarre from the entrance. The rectangular show has curved edges and a punch-hole cutout within the middle housing the selfie digital camera. But flip it over, and you will see a slim bar working via the width of the chassis (under the digital camera module). No, it isn’t a digital camera bar as seen on Google’s Pixel 7 lineup, it is merely a flat bar emblazoned with the phrases “Xtreme Imagination” working throughout the rear of the telephone. Frankly, it makes for a weird selection that undermines the general smooth design of the telephone. Above this perplexing bar, is the round digital camera bump housing three lenses. There’s additionally daring Vivo branding on the backside, which I do not notably take to however I can perceive why it is there.The Vivo X90 Pro’s cameras have Zeiss lensesVivo touts this telephone as a bit of professional pictures gear in your pocket, flexing its digital camera partnership with Zeiss, a 176-year-old firm thought-about a pioneer in optical pictures. There are three cameras on the X90 Pro: a 50-megapixel predominant digital camera, a 50-megapixel portrait digital camera and a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens. The Vivo even has Zeiss’ well-known T-star coating on the lenses. The solely different telephones at present offered with the coating are from Sony Xperia’s traces.Photos from the telephone look respectable. I like how portrait photographs come out with a dramatic bokeh impact. However, as I mentioned earlier, some photographs turned out to be extra shadowy than I’d anticipated, given the sensor dimension. You can see the cameras in motion under. Notice the dramatic bokeh on this portrait shot of my canine. Unlike some telephones, with extra delicate bokeh, it is difficult to inform what’s within the background.
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Example of an ultrawide picture. Notice the intense blue skies and the blue water.As I zoomed in, the colour of the ocean and sky within the picture modified, indicating colour inconsistency between the cameras.
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Example of 40x digital zoom. The water seems to be grey, not like the blue seas within the picture above.
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Taken on an overcast day. This image is vibrant and has nice texture.
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This picture of my canine Rocky taken in a darkish room.
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My bowl of noodles seems to be good on this picture however the colours aren’t true to life. It’s a delicate distinction, nevertheless.
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This picture was taken in a dim room dealing with massive home windows with the solar pouring via.
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Notice the colour of the toys and the white steadiness the Vivo selected.
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In this picture, the Vivo did a greater job with white steadiness.
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I took this selfie in a room dealing with massive home windows.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
Vivo X90 Pro batteryThe X90 Pro has a 4,780-mAh battery, which might be replenished with a bundled 120-watt charger or a 50-watt wi-fi charger (offered individually). Vivo claimed the X90 Pro can hit a full cost in 29 minutes — and I can affirm that that is true based mostly on the 2 occasions I charged the machine from a lifeless battery (on balanced mode). This beats the cost time of the presumably pricier Galaxy S23 Ultra, which hits a 91% cost for its barely bigger battery in 30 minutes. The Vivo X90 presents two charging modes, quick charging and the aforementioned balanced mode, which is the default setting and is right for on a regular basis charging, in accordance with Vivo. Fast mode is meant to refill the telephone’s battery to 50% in 8 minutes and 10 seconds, the corporate says. It’s a characteristic that I’d reserve for vital conditions after I have to cost up a lifeless telephone ASAP.In my expertise, the battery was long-lasting and never weak to simple drainage. I carried out CNET’s standardized battery endurance take a look at, the place I stay streamed a video, hopped on a video name, scrolled via social media, performed cellular video games and listened to music on YouTube — all inside 45 minutes at 50% brightness. In that timeframe, the battery life went from 96% to 87%, which signifies the battery having longevity.Vivo X90 Pro processor is from MediaTekVivo swapped out Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, which powered final 12 months’s Vivo X80 collection for TSMC’s MediaTek Dimensity 9200 chip. By comparability, the Galaxy S23 runs on a personalized model of the the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — the identical chip Vivo reserved for its highest finish Vivo X90 Pro Plus telephone.The Dimensity 9200 is meant to supply extra environment friendly energy consumption and sooner processing. It’s backed up by 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage. In my expertise, the X90 Pro ran easily and seamlessly whether or not I used to be streaming YouTube movies, chatting over video name or taking part in cellular video games. You can see the way it stacks up in opposition to some iPhone 14 fashions and the Galaxy S23 in our efficiency assessments under.
Geekbench V.5.0 single-core
Note:
Longer bars point out higher efficiency
Geekbench V.5.0 multicore
Note:
Longer bars point out higher efficiency
3D Mark Wildlife Extreme
Note:
Higher numbers are higher
What Vivo modified within the X90 ProVivo modified an array of options from final 12 months’s Vivo X80 Pro. Apart from swapping out the chip from Qualcomm to a Mediatek, Vivo ditched the ultrasonic fingerprint reader, telephoto digital camera and decreased show decision. The ultrasonic fingerprint under-screen reader (3D Sonic Max ), which has a bigger energetic space and requires solely a single faucet to arrange, set the X80 Pro other than a lot of Android flagships, so was a disappointment to see it go. The X90 Pro has an optical in-screen fingerprint reader as a substitute which labored high quality.Should you purchase the Vivo X90 Pro?The Vivo X90 Pro is a stable Android telephone — you’ll be able to’t actually go improper with its reliable cameras, quick efficiency and that candy quick charging. But since we do not have a value simply but for worldwide markets, it is exhausting to say whether or not it is a good purchase by way of worth. The Vivo X90 Pro squarely competes in opposition to the Galaxy S23. It has sooner charging than most if not all of its Android rivals and in addition consists of an inbox charging brick, which the Galaxy S23 collection lacks. But the Galaxy S23 collection has the next IP score and a telephoto digital camera, which the Vivo X90 professional does not. It actually is dependent upon your particular person wants.How we take a look at phonesEvery telephone examined by CNET’s critiques workforce was really utilized in the true world. We take a look at a telephone’s options, play video games and take photographs. We study the show to see if it is vivid, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to see how it’s to carry and whether or not it has an IP-rating for water resistance. We push the processor’s efficiency to the extremes utilizing each standardized benchmark instruments like GeekBench and 3DMark, together with our personal anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution movies and taking part in graphically intense video games at excessive refresh charges.All the cameras are examined in a wide range of circumstances from vivid daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check out particular options like night time mode and portrait mode and evaluate our findings in opposition to equally priced competing telephones. We additionally try the battery life through the use of it every day in addition to working a collection of battery drain assessments.We bear in mind further options like help for 5G, satellite tv for pc connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus help, quick charging speeds, foldable shows amongst others that may be helpful. And we after all steadiness all of this in opposition to the worth to provide the verdict on whether or not that telephone, no matter value it’s, really represents good worth.
Vivo X90 Pro specs
Vivo X90 Pro
Display dimension, decision, brightness
6.78-inch AMOLED; 1,260×2,800 pixels (FHD Plus)
Pixel density
388ppi
Dimensions (Inches)
6.46 x 2.93 x 0.37in
Dimensions (Millimeters)
164.07 x 74.53 x 9.34mm
Weight (Grams, Ounces)
214.85 g (7.58 oz)
Mobile software program
Android 13
Camera
50-megapixel (predominant), 50-megapixel (portrait), 12-megapixel (wide-angle)
Front-facing digital camera
32-megapixel
Video seize
4K
Processor
Mediatek Dimensity 9200
RAM/Storage
12GB + 256GB
Expandable storage
None
Battery/Charging speeds
4870mAh dual-cell (120-watt wired charging)
Fingerprint sensor
In-display
Connector
USB-C
Headphone jack
None
Special options
5G, IP64 score, 120-watt quick charging
Price
TBC