I’ve been using iPhones since I made the switch from Android almost 5 years ago, with everyone else in my family following. To give you an idea of what kind of a phone user I am, I’m just your average Gen Z who spends most of her screen-time on Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Netflix, and Spotify.
So for the most part, camera quality and a good UI are my top priorities in selecting a phone. In this review, I tested the Vivo X60 Pro to see how it fares up against the average joe’s expectations for smartphones today.
First Impressions
Since I’m using the iPhone XR, full-view displays have really added to the scrolling and watching experience, which was something I’m glad was also present in the X60 Pro.
However, unlike the phone I’m using, the X60 Pro has a dual curved-edge display, which I felt really added to the “fullness” of the screen especially when I’m watching Youtube or Netflix. Granted, this design isn’t particularly new on the market, but it was the first I’ve experienced.
The phone itself was super slim and sleek, nice to hold and not bulky. Its back is holographic and added a spacey, futuristic look to the phone on top of its general attractiveness.
A hard translucent case came along with the phone, making for a nice, thoughtful addition. At least users won’t be scrambling to immediately find a case on their own or have to fork out extra money to get one to protect the pretty back.
The X60 Pro also has a triple camera, a common thing we’re seeing with more smartphones these days. As with most of them too, they’re housed in a slot that bulges out from the back slightly. By now, most of us may have accepted that this is simply a limitation of our current technology in our bid for better cameras.
Let’s Talk Camera and Photos
You probably have an idea of how different Android and iOS cameras are from social media posts. Depending on your priority and camera preferences, this could be a dealbreaker for some.
After testing it for a few days through selfies, landscapes, animals, and at night, etc., I found the colour of the shots to be a bit too saturated and contrast-heavy for my liking.
I prefer warmer tones and natural shadows in my photos, which I find is almost exclusively present in iPhones.
Moreover, I find that taking videos for Instagram stories has a slower frame rate, which in general is something I noticed in Android phones that isn’t my preference as well.
Nitpicky things aside, one of the things I was looking forward to the most was their AI Image Matting feature, which basically can detect the person or animal and can switch out backgrounds. I’ve always had to use third-party apps to do something like that, and not all of them can make the photoshop look as natural as possible.
This feature of the X60 Pro impressed me, as I didn’t have to readjust the shading of the person or animal that I’d like cropped out and moved to a new background. It even managed to capture small details like my baby hairs while cutting out as much as possible of the original background in the transfer to the new background.
On top of that, you can even adjust the size of the person or animal and reposition them easily around in the new background. I tried putting two cats in a new background, and I was pleasantly surprised that I could also separately change the size of these cats and reposition them individually in different parts of the background.
It’s unlikely that this is a make-or-break feature for users, but it’s a nice addition for making a phone feel more in touch with popular interests of users today.
What I Liked And Didn’t Like
As I mentioned earlier, scrolling through social media is probably what takes up most of my time on my phone, which I enjoyed much more on this phone over my own XR.
While I don’t have an issue with scrolling on my own phone, I felt that it was much smoother on the X60 Pro and my feed across social media seemed more HD than usual. As for the UI, overall I didn’t find it too complicated nor too hard to navigate.
One thing I noticed when using this phone though was how fast it heats up in a short span of time. Normally, my iPhone slightly heats up after around an hour’s usage on social media and within 20 minutes for games.
On the X60 Pro, however, I noticed that it only took about 10 minutes of normal social media browsing with no other apps running in the background to heat up, which can get quite uncomfortable on the hands.
Charging on the other hand was quite quick. It took slightly less than an hour for the phone to charge from 0-100%, which is no surprise since fast-charging is something Vivo is quite known for.
The Verdict
One thing I didn’t get to test out was the earphones that came with the box. They have an AUX jack plus a USB-C adapter to connect the earphones to the phone.
After many tries, I still couldn’t listen to anything with them, unfortunately. The silicone buds fit into my ear and could be positioned comfortably, at least.
Personally, I think that RM3,299 for the Vivo X60 Pro is a bit too steep of a price for me because the current iPhone XR that I have only costs RM2,599, and it already suits my needs just fine.
Yes, the X60 Pro has a few pluses that my current phone doesn’t like a pretty holographic back, smoother scrolling, and even the AI image matting feature, but I still feel like those are more of wants than needs in a phone. The basic things like my camera quality preference and slower heating of the phone are my priorities, which the Vivo X60 Pro simply didn’t satisfy.
| Pros | Cons |
| AI image matting feature is good for green screen replacements | Overly saturated and high-contrast pictures |
| Slim to hold and sleek in design | Heats up unusually fast even with regular use |
| Smooth scrolling with a good UI |
VP Verdict is a series where we personally try and test out products, services, fads, and apps. Want to suggest something else for us to try? Leave a comment here or send the suggestion into our Facebook page.
