Vivo is aiming to be the top high-end smartphone on the market with its X90 Pro. Sold for €1199, it is positioned against the Xiaomi 13 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S23+, iPhone 14 Plus and Oppo Find X5 Pro.
Vivo equips its X90 Pro high-end components to achieve this. For example, the MediaTek Dimensity9200 chip competes with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. We will be able to compare them below.
The phone is also dependent on its 120Hz AMOLED screen, 120W fast charging, and its main camera module codeveloped with Zeiss. This module benefits from a 1-inch sensor. Is it worth the high price? Can it compete with the market leaders? The 01Lab results provide the first clues to this question.
We invite you to read our review on the Vivo X90 Pro to learn more about the design and finish of the smartphone.
A screen in the average
The VivoX90 screen has a 6.78 inch diagonal. Like its competitors, it offers deep blacks as well as infinite contrast thanks to its AMOLED technology.
Vivo’s phone excels in terms of color. With a DeltaE value of 3.77, Vivo X90 Pro is second in our comparison in terms colorimetry, just below the iPhone 14 Plus. You can get as low as 3.72 if you use the “Pro” display mode. This is a very high score.
We have to admit that the Vivo X90 Pro’s brightness is not very impressive. The maximum brightness of Vivo X90 Pro is 1051cd/m2, which is sufficient to allow outdoor reading. However, the average brightness is still lower than the Galaxy S23+, and the Xiaomi 13 Pro at 900cd/m2. Vivo’s phone is better than the iPhone 14 Plus, and the Oppo Find X5 Pro.
This screen overview will be completed by the refresh rate of its slab. It is 120 Hz like all direct competitors except the iPhone 14 Plus. The Vivo X90 Pro has only three steps. This is in contrast to the X80 Pro that uses LTP0 3.0 technology, which offers a variable refresh rates between 1 and 120 Hz. This is a setback for Vivo and could impact the phone’s autonomy.
All sliders are at their maximum performance
While the majority of high-end smartphones are equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chips, such as OnePlus 11, Vivo has decided that it will trust a direct rival, in the presence the Dimensity 9200 SOC. The chip comes with 12GB of LPDDR5X memory and 256GB of storage in UFS4.0. You can also use part of the storage to add up to 8GB virtual RAM.
You can see that MediaTek’s latest high-end chip is not equal to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 found within the Galaxy S23+, Xioami 13 Pro, and Xioami 13 Pro. It’s so close to the Snapdragon 8 Pro of Oppo Find X5 Pro last year and Apple’s A15 Bionic launched in late 2020 with the iPhone 13.
The results were similar in graphics performance, but the phone failed the 3DMark test protocol. This explains the absence of results in this table. The Vivo X90 Pro’s thermal dissipation and Dimensity 9200 chips allow it to have the lowest thermal amplitude of any phone in our comparison. Thus, the temperature difference measured when the phone is at rest and when it is heavily used is only 19.2°C. This is simply amazing.
Vivo has not made any compromises in terms performance with its new high-end smartphone. This is a crucial point if the smartphone is to be used for a long period of time and you are a demanding mobile user.
A lack of conviction in autonomy
The Vivo X90 Pro has a 4870 mAh battery. This is a very large capacity when compared to other smartphones. But that’s just the beginning. Despite having smaller batteries, Vivo’s smartphone actually has a shorter all-around battery life than the iPhone 14 Plus and S23+. However, it must be better than the Oppo Find X5 Pro or the Xiaomi 13 Pro in this testing.
It’s the tumble in video autonomy. Only the Find X5 Pro is worse. We’re talking about a gap in autonomy of almost two hours with the Galaxy S23+, and almost eight hours with iPhone 14 Plus, which has a smaller battery.
The box contains a 120W charger for the Vivo X90 Pro. Unfortunately, our test model didn’t come with one. Vivo claims that it takes 8 minutes and 10 seconds for the phone to be charged to 50% using “fast” charging mode. You can also choose the slower “fast” charging mode. However, this will preserve the battery’s health over the long-term by limiting temperature rise. You can also choose the slower 50W wireless charging option.
Vivo X90 Pro blows hot & cold
The 01Lab’s initial objective tests are therefore mixed. Its screen’s overall quality is marred by a low brightness and a slow refresh rate of 60 Hz.
The Dimensity9200 chip offers excellent performance. If you use your smartphone frequently, the Dimensity 9200 chip is a great asset.
The Vivo X90 Pro is not suitable for intensive use due to its short battery life. This smartphone has a limited amount of autonomy and is dependent on fast charging to quickly replenish battery.
The 50 MP main camera module is equipped with a 1-inch sensor. We expect a lot on the photo side. This is a critical point that we are still working on before delivering our final verdict about the Vivo X90 Pro.
