Less than two months ago we put Vivo’s Z1 Pro under the scanner and came away quite impressed. A device that delivered decent bang for the buck. Changing customer preferences and a flurry of launches put pressure on large brands to keep churning out new devices. That’s one reason why we’ve already seen an upgrade in less than two months – the Z1x, and it comes with some welcome enhancements. While Vivo’s S series devices are pitched heavily on style, the Z series rides more on performance. The ‘x’ suffix in the Z1 is meant to convey ‘extreme’.
The Z1x might be all about its performance, but it’s a good looking device. We checked out the Phantom Purple colour variant and we dig the gorgeous shades of blue and purple on the rear that lend it a premium sheen. The device feels quite good in your hands too. One of the key upgrades over the Z1 Pro is the display. The Z1x features a 6.38-inch Super AMOLED display – Vivo calls it a Halo FullView Display. There’s a waterdrop notch that’s barely noticeable and pushes the screen: body ratio over 90%. The display packs over 400 pixels per inch with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio that makes it great for catching up on videos or gaming.
In terms of gaming and performance, this one’s identical to the Z1 Pro. Back in July, the Vivo Z1 Pro was one of the first devices to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 712 Processor. It’s the same processor on board the Z1x. Our review device featured 6GB of RAM and 128GB of Internal memory (There’s also a 6GB/6GB version). Our AnTuTu benchmark tests threw up similar results as its predecessor – the Z1x notched 185094, marginally better than the Z1 Pro’s 183538 score.
Vivo is talking up the battery capabilities of the Z1x with a simple proposition – 5 minutes of charging gives you 3 hours of talk time. The bundled charger is now 22.5W and gets a boost from Vivo’s FlashCharge that juices up this device in quick time. While the 4500 mAh battery is a slight stepdown from the 5000 mAh battery on the Z1 Pro, we didn’t notice any difference in terms of real performance. One of our major cribs about the Z1 Pro was the Micro-USB charger. It’s a relief to see Vivo move on from a micro USB charger to a type-C charger for the Z1x.
The other upgrade is the rear cam’s lowlight skills. The Z1x is kitted with a triple rear cam that combines a 48MP primary lens, an 8MP Super Wide-Angle Camera, and a 2MP Depth Camera. We were quite pleased with the results given the device’s price tag. The Z1x sticks with the same 32MP selfie camera that does well in optimal light. The Z1x addresses a couple of key chinks in the Z1 Pro’s armour, including the display and the Type-C charging solution. Although Vivo’s proprietary UI – Funtouch OS, has improved over the last few months, it’s still not our favourite spin on Android; the bloatware doesn’t help either. All that doesn’t take away the fact that the Vivo Z1x is one of the best devices under Rs 20,000. It’s a good upgrade over the Z1 Pro and a great all-round device.
The Vivo Z1xPro is priced at Rs 16,990/- and is available in Fusion Blue and Phantom Purple colour variants.