Vivo Z1 Pro first impressions: Another Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro rival

Vivo Z1 Pro takes on Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro and other mid-range phones. Here are our first impressions of new Vivo phone.

Vivo Z1 Pro goes on sale in India on July 11 (Vivo)

Vivo Z1 Pro is the latest mid-range smartphone in India. Part of Vivo's new Z-series, Z1 Pro takes on Samsung Galaxy M30, Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro and other popular mid-range phones. The latest Vivo phone will go on sale on July 11 at a starting price of ₹14,990.

The first thing you'll notice about Vivo Z1 Pro is the colourful body. The reflective glossy back panel gives it a premium look and feel - similar to what we've seen on other mid-range phones from brands such as Realme, Honor, and Xiaomi. It's not unique but certainly one of the good looking phones in this segment.

The front is dominated by the display which is a large 6.53-inch full HD+ panel. Vivo Z1 Pro doesn't come with a notch on the top but has a punch-hole camera, similar to Samsung's and Motorola's (One Vision). Placed on the left top corner of the screen, the in-screen camera is unlikely to be a hindrance when streaming videos on landscape mode. Unlike Motorola One Vision, Vivo Z1 Pro's punch-hole camera is smaller. During our brief usage of the phone, Vivo Z1 Pro delivered decent legibility indoors and outdoors. Under the settings, you can adjust colour temperature.

As you setup the phone, you're welcomed to Vivo's highly customised Funtouch OS. The customisation may not appeal to Android purists. The UI, however, looks intuitive but it takes a bit of time to get used to the interface, especially when you're switching from phones running near stock Android. Funtouch OS, however, needs a lot of work. For starters, it needs to be less bloated. It can also redo the app animations to enhance the aesthetics. The iOS-like swipe up from bottom to summon control center is still there.

Z1 Pro's camera specs (Vivo)

Z1 Pro's camera specs (Vivo)

We also tried out the triple rear camera setup which includes 16-megapixel main sensor, 8-megapixel wide-angle (120-degree) lens, and 2-megapixel depth sensor. The camera app comes with various modes such as AI beauty, night, AR stickers, Doc and Pro among others. The app also offers quicker access to take photos in portrait mode and wide-angle. The camera UI is also something Vivo could look to improve. Right now, it looks cluttered. As far as camera quality goes, it looks promising.

 

Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 chipset, Vivo Z1 Pro matches the competition. For instance Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro runs Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor. We will soon publish the full review of Z1 Pro with more insight on its performance. Until then stay tuned.

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