The Vivo NEX was launched in China last month as the evolution of the Vivo Apex concept phone. The phone uses a popup camera, and has a near bezel-less display with no notch. In China, Vivo launched two versions of the NEX: the Vivo NEX S and the Vivo NEX A. This month, the company announced that the phone would be available in more markets, and now, the company has launched the Vivo NEX S in India. The phone is simply known as the Vivo NEX in the country, because the NEX A (powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710) has not been brought to India.
The Vivo NEX S (we will refer to it as the Vivo NEX henceforth) is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip, and has 8GB of RAM paired with 128GB of storage. Its full list of specifications are noted below:
Vivo NEX – Specifications at a glance
| Vivo NEX (Vivo NEX S) | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Dimensions and weight | 162 x 77 x 7.98 mm, 199g |
| Software | Android 8.1 Oreo with FunTouch OS 4 |
| SoC | Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (4x Kryo 385 cores Gold cores clocked at 2.8GHz + 4x Kryo 385 Silver cores clocked at 1.8GHz); Adreno 630 GPU |
| RAM and storage | 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage |
| Battery | 4,000mAh; 22.5W fast charging |
| Display | 6.59-inch Full HD+ (2316×1080) AMOLED with 19.3:9 aspect ratio |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Ports | USB Type-C port, dual nano SIM slots, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Bands | GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz WCDMA: 850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz FDD-LTE: Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/18/19/20/25/26/28 TDD-LTE: Bands 34/38/39/40/41 |
| Rear camera | 12MP primary camera with 1/2.5″ sensor size, 1.4μm pixel size, Dual Pixel autofocus, f/1.8 aperture, four-axis OIS, dual-tone LED flash 5MP depth sensing camera with f/2.4 aperture Video recording up to 4K at 30fps |
| Front-facing camera | Popup 8MP with f/2.0 aperture |
The Vivo NEX, like the Oppo Find X, is a different kind of smartphone. On one hand, it’s legitimately impressive to see Vivo evolve the Apex concept phone into a full-fledged product that consumers can buy. It should be noted that the two products are not the same; the design of the finished NEX phone is slightly different than the Apex, and instead of having half-screen fingerprint scanning tech, the NEX’s in-display fingerprint sensor (more on this below) works only in a particular area on the display.
The USP of the Vivo NEX remains its popup front-facing camera, and the lack of a notch. The company was able to achieve the notch-less design by removing the earpiece in favor of a piezoelectric speaker system, and going for a popup front camera. Vivo terms the piezoelectric speaker system as Screen SoundCasting technology, as it vibrates the display glass itself. A teardown of the phone has shown that the popup front camera has a spring and a spiral stepper motor that propels it upward/downward. It’s an innovative mechanism, to be sure. However, concerns still remain about durability, as the popup camera uses mechanical moving parts.
The Vivo NEX is also the third Vivo phone to use an in-display fingerprint sensor, the first and second being the Vivo X20 Plus UD and the Vivo X21 respectively. In-display fingerprint sensors are still a rarity in the Android world. The Oppo Find X, on the other hand, uses a 3D structured light solution for 3D face unlock.
Vivo also states that the phone uses a new cooling solution that will help keep it cool even during long gaming solutions. More details weren’t provided, unfortunately.
Display
The Vivo NEX has a 6.59-inch Full HD+ (2316×1080) AMOLED display with 19.3.9 aspect ratio and 388 PPI. Using an OLED display is necessary if device makers want to have an in-display fingerprint sensor. The resolution and pixel density are arguably too low for the size (and the price), though, and the problem is compounded further thanks to the PenTile subpixel matrix, which reduces color resolution.
On the other hand, the thin bezels mean that users get a bigger display in the same overall device size, and a 6.59-inch size display is unheard of in the flagship segment. Even the Oppo Find X has a smaller 6.42-inch display.
Camera
The dual rear camera setup of the Vivo NEX is a standard one, with a 12MP primary camera and a 5MP depth sensor. The 12MP camera has a 1.4μm pixel size, f/1.8 aperture, dual pixel autofocus, and four-axis OIS. The phone supports video recording at up to 4K resolution at 30fps, which means that 4K@60fps recording is not officially supported.
Vivo NEX – Pricing and availability
The Vivo NEX will be available in India for ₹44,990 ($652). It will go on sale via Amazon India and the company’s website from July 21. It will also be available offline via select partner stores and Vivo Stores. Pre-orders for the phone will begin today on Amazon for the single 8GB RAM/128GB storage configuration. (Vivo has not launched other storage configurations in India.)
Launch offers include ₹5,000 discount on exchange of an older smartphone, one-time free screen replacement, cashback on HDFC credit and debit card purchases, and an assured buyback offer.
Let us know your thoughts about the Vivo NEX in the comments below.
Source: Amazon