For the last year or so, I have said that Vivo is the most improved smartphone brand in the world — especially if one solely looks at Android. Last year, it improved with the X50 Pro series and then earlier this year it launched the audacious X60 Pro and X60 Pro+ which crushed it with their Zeiss optics and overall camera quality.

And now in more or less 6 months, we have the X70 Pro+ and by the looks of things, they have shot for the moon. It also becomes the first phone in India to be launched with the all-new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ chip which makes it the fastest Android phone in town, coupled with a bevy of updates to the cameras, a new camera processing chip that Vivo has developed in-house, and better software and subtle improvements across the board alongside a new design that’s quite interesting.

That new design is interesting because it looks the same from the outside but when in-hand has this plush matte almost sandstone-like feel in hand. It feels really solid while also getting a slightly bigger 6.8-inch screen that curves seamlessly into the frame of the phone which is made out of aluminium. It all feels very plush and slick.

This is one of the best feeling phones when it comes to in-hand feel, and is almost impervious to smudges. It also gets a massive camera module with a chrome area that features the Zeiss branding -- this bit does attract a lot of smudges. But overall, this is the most well-made Android phone I have used all year, including the Mi 11 Ultra. The curvature also makes it quite ergonomic which can’t be said about the Mi 11 Ultra. If you don’t like the feel of the phone, then you can also use the leather-like case that Vivo provides in the package which will replicate the feel that was offered by the Vivo X60 Pro+.

(Image credit: Sahil Gupta)

While I haven’t used the phone for a long time -- I can tell you that it is incredibly responsive. It feels more responsive than the X60 Pro+ which is saying a lot. Perhaps, it is the improved LTPO 6.8-inch Plastic OLED 120Hz panel, perhaps, it is the added boost from the Snapdragon 888+ coupled with 12GB RAM or perhaps it is the deceptively cleaner fun touch OS 12 which is based on Android 11, but whatever it is, the phone is more fun to use and generally will be one of the best Android phones to do whatever you please. Vivo has also listened and improved the haptic feedback on this phone which is now pretty nice which means typing is a joy, which wasn’t the case before.

The big upgrades are in the camera department -- be it the main 50-megapixel sensor, the 48-megapixel gimbal camera, the 12-megapixel portrait camera, the periscope camera for zoom or the time of flight sensor and the new Vivo image processing chipset which makes things easier for the phone. The camera does look better than the X60 Pro+ but more testing is required. The X60 Pro+ had one of the best cameras especially for portrait photography, low light imaging and video, so this is looking like a pretty solid improvement.

(Image credit: Sahil Gupta)

Battery life on this phone is looking excellent as I haven’t managed to drain it in two days of use even once. I haven’t run a formal battery test, but that’s something I will be leaving for the main review of the phone. It also charges at a rapid pace using the 55 watt fast charger, but this time around it also supports 50 watt wireless fast charging which was absent previously.

(Image credit: Sahil Gupta)

At the end of the day, this phone is loaded. It is right up there with the Mi 11 Ultra and right now the most sophisticated Android phone sold in India. Is it good value for money or does it work as advertised, well that I will reveal in the review, but in the meanwhile, I can tell you that, things are looking hunky-dory. Well done, Vivo.

(Edited by : Anshul)

First Published:Oct 1, 2021 9:54 AM IST