vivo X90 Pro review: take my money!

At the end of last year, vivo introduced three new products in China: X90, X90 Pro and X90 Pro+. Devices externally

almost do not differ from each other, and technically very similar. Along with the X90 and X90 Pro, the brand new MediaTek Dimensity 9200 chipset also debuted.

In my subjective opinion, the X90 Pro turned out to be the most optimal model:

IP68 protection. Relative rarity among modern smartphones. It never hurts.
AMOLED-matrix with a resolution of 2800x1260 pixels. That is higher than most average devices.
50W wireless charging.
A powerful processor that scores almost 1,200,000 points in Antutu.
A camera with a 1 inch sensor! Yes, plus to that - an aperture of F / 1.75 and optical image stabilization.
Price. On AliExpress you can find from 60,000 rubles.

If we are talking about X90, then it does not have wirelesscharging, slower memory, the main sensor camera is much simpler, a low-resolution telephoto, well, there is no IP68 protection. The price is around 50,000 rubles.

The X90 Pro+ is slightly more fancy than the X90Pro, but already costs from 80,000 rubles. Overpayment for Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (scores 100,000 points more in Antutu than MediaTek), for a higher resolution of the screen matrix - 3200x1440 pixels, 3.5X TV instead of 2X in X90 Pro.

So it turns out that it is optimal to take the X90 Pro, which we have in our material today: both the parameters are excellent and the price is pleasant.

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Specifications
Design
Elements on the case
Display
Autonomy
Connection
Cameras
Memory, chipset and performance
operating system
Sound
Impression

Specifications

Design

As is usually the case in modern smartphones, all attention is on the back side. The back of the device is made of artificial leather. On the site, it is beautifully called Vegan leather.

The vivo X90 Pro is available in black and red colors.

The material is relatively soft, pleasant to the touch,fingerprints and other marks are invisible. As for practicality, faux leather is definitely more durable than glass, albeit from CGG. Scratches and scuffs? My device is clearly not the first freshness, and there are no damages on the surface of the skin.

Another of the design tricks is a metal decorative insert under the camera module. It's written in Extreme Imagination cursive and just below it in printed VIVO | ZEISS Co-engineered.

The metal nameplate smoothly transitions into a part of the edging, which, in turn, is also made of metal.

A large round module with cameras is strongly shifted to the left. Looks strange. To the right of it there is a white ZEISS lettering on a blue background. It is an insert into the skin.

At the very bottom, the name of the company is embossed into the leather. The font is glossy and dark.

The inscriptions do not end there: on the upper end - Professional Photography.

In general, the design is classic - an elongated phone, sloping edges, a "waterfall" screen.

In the hand lies well due to the not very large width of 74 mm. The height is about 164mm and the thickness is 9.3mm. By the way, the last parameter is almost not felt: the phone does not seem thick.

Weighs about 215 grams. Apparently, I'm already used to heavy smartphones, so the X90 Pro took it quite normally.

Oleophobic coating of excellent quality, fingerprints are invisible. Assembly is excellent, no issues.

What seemed traditionally inconvenient iswaterfall screen. Too many false positives or, conversely, non-operations. For example, you are lying in bed, your left hand is squeezing the phone so that it does not fall out, and you are trying to manage data with your right hand. The left hand captures part of the screen on the sides, so the device perceives this as a touch and does not allow the right hand to perform actions.

In general, the ergonomics are not bad, but personally I'm annoyed by the sloping screen on the right and left. For a comfortable swipe, it is enough to have a 2.5D rounding.

Elements on the case

Front panel:

Selfie camera. Small and does not interfere with the use of the phone.
Light and proximity sensors.
Speaker. Loud, clear and pleasant.

On right:

Power and volume buttons. Again thin, short, narrow. It is inconvenient to use. All the time it seems that you will miss or click on the wrong place.

Bottom:

Hands-free speaker.
USB-C
Main microphone.
Slot for two SIM cards.There is no memory card in this device. Usually at this point, 5-10% of readers “fall off”, because the lack of microSD is a decisive moment against buying a device. And partly I agree with them: flagship models are simply required to have a microSD slot. I give away crazy money and do not get the opportunity to expand the memory.

Above:

Noise canceling microphone during calls.
IR transmitter. On the manufacturer's website, it is called Infrared blaster. Pew Pew!

On the back side:

Laser focus.
Three cameras.
Microphone.
Flash.
A special sensor that measures color temperature.

The fingerprint scanner is located under the screen. Most likely, it is not ultrasonic. Works relatively quickly, the accuracy is high. Didn't notice any problems.

The device has a linear vibration motor.I don't know how else to call it, it's easier to say that this is an analogue of the Taptic Engine. Quite a pleasant vibration when typing, works in part of the interface. But the vibration is not as interesting as in Xiaomi smartphones or in the same OnePlus 11. There are no special settings for vibration in the vivo X90 Pro.

Separately, it is worth emphasizing that the X90 Pro smartphone has a degree of protection IP68!

Display

Matrix size	6.78 inches
Resolution	2800×1260 (FHD+) pixels
Density	453 ppi
Matrix update rate	up to 120 Hz
Matrix type	AMOLED
Wheelbarrow frequency	Up to 125 Hz
Support	HDR10+ HDR HLG 1 billion colors

The maximum manual brightness is 800 nits, while the automatic brightness goes up to 800 nits in the same way. In HDR mode, the brightness reaches 1500 nits. Excellent result.

The PWM ripple factor here is from 5% to 20%. However, high EC values can only be measured at a matrix brightness of about 1% - 20%. In my opinion, an excellent indicator.

By the way, the last few days my eyes hurt.Couldn't figure out why. I realized it when I took measurements of PWM in OnePlus 11. And there they turned out to be terrible: from 30 to 70%. Here's how not to believe the "witnesses of PWM"?

In the settings there is a choice of resolution.I understand when such a question is asked in the camera menu: “Do you want 12 MP or do you want 50 MP?” But choosing between 2400x1080 pixels and 2800x1260 is a bit strange. First, the difference is minimal. Secondly, who in their right mind would limit themselves to screen resolution? For the sake of energy saving? Friend, then you have chosen the wrong smartphone model for yourself!

There are four screen modes in settings: Standard, Pro, Vivid and ZEISS Natural Color.

What I found out with the calibrator (briefly):

Vivid Mode: color reproduction is unnatural, but the color gamut is much larger than the DCI-P3 triangle in the blue and light green spectrum.
Pro Mode: Closer to natural color reproduction, DCI-P3 triangle approximately 110% compared to Vivid - slightly less blue. The main change is temperature. The screen got warmer.
ZEISS Natural Color Mode. Judging by the analysis of the data, there is no difference with the "Pro".
Mode "Standard". The color reproduction is not natural, the DCI-P3 triangle is around 110%, the temperature is even higher than in previous modes.

In general, the only mode that really makes a difference is Vivid. The rest are about the same.

AOD mode truncated.Some applications are not displayed on it: Yandex Mail, Avito and some other small programs. In addition, the software often replaced icons: for example, notifications from Huawei "Health" were displayed as notifications from WhatsApp or Telegram.

Total: excellent screen in almost all respects; the main thing is that the PWM is low and the brightness is more than 1000 nits, albeit in HDR mode.

Autonomy

Inside the vivo X90 Pro, there are two batteries with a total capacity of about 4800 mAh. This is done in order to charge the batteries faster.

The autonomy of this device leaves much to be desiredthe best. With all running applications and frequent connections of Bluetooth gadgets (watches, headphones), the screen glowed for no more than 5 hours at automatic brightness. Often I had to charge the X90 Pro twice a day, or even more often.

The discharge of the device is uneven, some tasks drain the battery very quickly. I sat for an hour on Tik-Tok (it is clear that I went a little crazy) - and now you already have minus 20% of the capacity.

Games "kill" the battery in 3-4 hours. Video can be played for about 17 hours.

Very fast charging (third-party) helps out.In my case, it did not turn out to be regular, since I had a non-commercial sample on hand. The manufacturer's website says that the gadget is charged up to 50% in 8-9 minutes. It seems to me that these data can be trusted.

The smartphone is also charged wirelessly according to the Qi standard - 50 W maximum. There is also reverse charging.

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Connection

In this case, it is worth noting that my sampledid not support frequency aggregation and did not work very fast with LTE. (Again, this refers to a non-commercial sample). However, the connection itself was stable, no questions asked.

There is NFC on board, even Tinkoff offers by default.

Inside is Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3. With positioning, everything is fine, the accuracy is high.

Cameras

The vivo X90 Pro has the following camera set:

Front camera: 32 MP, Samsung S5KG2 sensor, matrix size 1/3.40″. A relatively new sensor that is used in vivo, Tecno and even Samsung. Aperture f / 2.45 - sparse ...
Main camera: 50 MP, Sony IMX989 sensor.Produced in 2022. It has a huge matrix of 1 inch, pixel size of 1.6 microns. Such a sensor is used in Xiaomi 13 Pro and 12S Ultra, vivo X90 Pro +, Sharp Aquos R7 and Leica Phone 2. There is optical stabilization. Aperture f/1.75.
Portrait camera:50 MP, 2X optical zoom, Sony IMX758 sensor. So far, only available in vivo X90 Pro + and X90 Pro devices. The matrix size is small - 1/2.51″. There is optical stabilization. Aperture f/1.6. This is the first time I've seen this size on TV.
Wide-angle camera: 12 MP, Sony IMX663 sensor.The sensor is already a couple of years old and has been installed in a large number of smartphones: from the Asus Rog Phone 6 to the Google Pixel 6 Pro. The matrix size is small - 1 / 2.93 ", the pixel size is 1.22 microns. f/2.0 aperture.

Of noteworthy, it is worth noting the aperturetelephoto - f / 1.6! Such lenses are usually put in the main cameras, and here cameras with optical zoom. I think they did this in order to blur the background more - to get beautiful natural bokeh. And in order not to be afraid for insufficient lighting conditions. In addition, there is also optical stabilization provided.

It was this camera that pleased me the most. It shoots simply gorgeous in any lighting conditions. And most importantly - beautifully draws bokeh without digital gadgets! Well done vivo.

The main camera also needs a description. Still a 1-inch matrix. This is what I understand - a thing! Not like your 200 MP cameras with a bunch of marketing buzzwords.

Here is a cool background blur, smalldepth of field. Excellent detail, beautiful colors - as if you were really shooting on an "adult" SLR camera. All in all, you will have a lot of fun shooting with this camera.

The wide-angle camera does not have anyoutstanding data. Just good optics and a normal sensor. The corners are not blurred, the sharpness and detail are not bad, the white balance is accurate. Well, it can shoot macro.

The front camera does not raise questions - it shoots well in all conditions. There is nothing more to add.

Total for the photo: in my opinion, it turned out to be an excellent set of cameras with close to ideal parameters. The quality of photos, if not the best, is definitely not worse than other flagship devices.

As for the video.The smartphone can write 8K 24 fps on the main camera. We already know that Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is capable of 8K at 30 fps in the same Galaxy S23 Ultra. How much the user needs such permission is an open question. However, even on a 4K monitor, you can see that 8K videos are very detailed. It is a pity that so far only 24-30 fps.

In 4K resolution, 30 fps can be written to all cameras, but 60 fps can only be written to the main module. Moreover, neither the "width" nor the telephoto understand 60 fps in any resolution.

Video quality is very good in all conditionslighting. However, it is important to emphasize that when shooting with the main camera, the focus may float due to too much depth of field. I went to my child's event in kindergarten and got half of the video out of focus: the camera tried to look for sharpness either at close range or at a distance, reacting to backlighting. Therefore, in such situations, you must either block the focus, or shoot static videos. I had to switch to wide. But it only records 30 fps in 4K resolution.

Hopefully this will be fixed somehow in the software.

Front camera capable of recording 1080p videoat 30-60 fps. Well, why couldn't they add 4K? Then you could use the vivo X90 Pro as a video camera for streaming or shooting serious vlogs.

Total for the video: very good, but it was possible to "allow" the recording of videos at 60 fps on all cameras.

In general, I am completely satisfied with the vivo X90 Pro cameras. My needs are 100% covered. The main thing here is an inch matrix, which is able to unleash the full potential of the smartphone's photo capabilities.

Examples of photos and videos:

More sample photos in the archive (zip, 185 MB)
Original RAW photos (zip, 77 MB)
Sample video (MP4, 132 MB)
Sample video (MP4, 170 MB)
Sample video (MP4, 34 MB)
Sample video (MP4, 57 MB)
Sample video (MP4, 37 MB)
Sample video (MP4, 120 MB)
Sample video (MP4, 74 MB)

Memory, chipset and performance

The device is sold in only one configuration:12GB LPDDR5x RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. I could not find out the speed of the RAM, but the built-in memory is not as fast as I expected - 1300/610 MB / s. It is unlikely that this is UFS 4.0 (on some resources this type of memory is indicated). For example, in OnePlus 11, the speed is 1800/750. This is really UFS 4.0.

Vivo X90 Pro System on a Chip – MediaTek Dimensity9200 5G Mobile. It was announced in November 2022. That is, the chip is quite fresh. Consists of three clusters: 1 x Cortex-X3 3050 MHz, 3 x Cortex-A715 2850 MHz, 4 x Cortex-A510 1800 MHz. The technical process is 4 nm.

Slightly better performance than Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.

The graphics in the Dimensity 9200 are handled by the Arm Immortalis-G715, which supports ray tracing, just like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.

So that the SoC does not get bored too much, the developers have provided another chip on the vivo X90 Pro board - the V2 Chip. It serves to process artificial intelligence algorithms.

In the Antutu test, the smartphone scores about 1,200,000 points. There is throttling, but it is small: a maximum of about 20% of performance is lost. But even the rest is enough for the eyes.

All games run at maximum settings and frame rates without any dropouts.

operating system

The smartphone traditionally works for vivo undermanagement of the proprietary shell Funtouch OS 13 (Google Android 13). I don't really like the system. The entire interface is rather small, the AOD mode is stripped down, there are few settings. Updates are very rare.

By the way, it's good that I began to write a review afternew firmware release. Before it, the phone behaved extremely unstable: it constantly hung up, the camera closed with errors, applications took a long time to start, when the resolution was changed, the image scale changed, which could not be adjusted.

At the moment, vivo X90 Pro is running on MOLY.NR16.R2.MP1.V3.4.P86 firmware.

Sound

The vivo X90 Pro has two stereo speakers.The lower one plays low and mid frequencies, and the upper one plays mainly mid and high frequencies. The lower speaker is slightly louder. The overall volume depends on the specific melody. The quality is good and nothing more.

Traditionally, vivo gadgets support all possible Bluetooth audio codecs: AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC, LHDC, LC3, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+ audio.

It seemed to me that the device somehow works strangely with TWS headphones. I am not satisfied with the quality and volume level. Compared to my Asus Zenfone 8, it's just heaven and earth.

Impression

They will be somewhat ambiguous, because there was a non-commercial sample on hand, which periodically, to put it mildly, worked unstable.

However, I managed to test every possible aspect of the vivo X90 Pro. True, after the release of the new firmware.

Definite pluses:

Cameras. Inch sensor - a fairy tale!
Shooting excellent quality video.
Excellent screen with almost no PWM, high resolution, high brightness and wide color gamut.
Powerful performance with almost no throttling.
50W wireless charging.
Degree of protection IP68!

Minuses:

Stripped down AOD.
Not the best sound quality over Bluetooth.
Periodic glitches of the system (with the new firmware they almost disappeared).
There is no microSD card slot.
Only one memory size 256 GB.

I would consider this device asphoto flagman. The cameras here are really trustworthy: a huge matrix, 2X optical zoom with f / 1.6 aperture, 8K video and so on. Also, the smartphone will appeal to those who are looking for AMOLED without PWM.

The cost of vivo X90 Pro starts from 60,000 rubles on AliExpress. The price is fully consistent with the filling and the concept of the device. I recommend!

You can order on Ozon from 66,000 rubles. They promise to deliver in a month.

Competitors:

Huawei Mate 50. The price is around 55,000 rubles. Inside is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and a 50MP camera with f/1.4-f/4.0 aperture.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra. The price is about 65,000 rubles. Inside the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and a 50 MP camera with a 1-inch matrix.
OnePlus 11. Cost - from 50,000 rubles. Inside is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and a 50 MP Sony IMX980 camera.

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