The Vivo T1x plays with its slim design, 50 MP camera and a Snapdragon 680 processor to convince the consumer. But is it the right phone to invest in? Find out in our review.
The Vivo T-series smartphones have done quite well in India. Earlier this year, the company launched the Vivo T1 Pro, which impressed us both with its sleek design and its performance. And after its success, the company ventured into the budget segment with the Vivo T1x. But unlike the first that belonged to the sub-Rs. 25,000 segment, this one is placed in a much more competitive sub-R’s. 15,000 range. This means that Vivo doesn’t have a lot of leeway to differentiate the phone from the existing devices on the market. Or is it?
On paper, the device looks promising. At first glance, it looks like a more premium smartphone than the price suggests. It shows off a striking design, a 50MP primary camera and a less powerful but usable Snapdragon 680 chipset. But that’s just the spec sheet and as we know spec sheets can often be deceiving. So, how exactly does Vivo’s budget offering perform in real life? We have used the smartphone for more than 10 days and these are our findings. Read on for the full review.
Vivo T1x Design
Design is one of the two main highlights of the Vivo T1x. Reminiscent of the Vivo T1, it comes with a glossy polycarbonate back, a dual camera panel at the top left, and a minimalist appeal. Even with a plastic construction, the smartphone doesn’t feel cheap and the build quality seems to be decent. It has an 8mm thin case and weighs about 182 grams, making it very comfortable to carry around. Even when in use, the 6.58-inch screen is perfect for one-handed use. One downside is that the back is a fingerprint magnet and smudges can easily ruin the phone’s appearance.
The smartphone has a SIM card tray on the top and comes with a dedicated slot for two SIM cards and a slot for micro SD cards. The power button on the right also doubles as a fingerprint scanner and works reliably and quickly. The front comes with a notch display, something I’m not a fan of. The top and sides have minimal bezels, but it comes with a significant chin, which is not unusual for its price range.
Finally, when it comes to ports, it has a USB Type-C port for charging, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a single speaker on the bottom.
Overall, the smartphone looks sleek and whether you’re a fan of glossy backs or minimalist designs, it will grab your attention. The smartphone is available in two colors: Gravity Black and Space Blue.
Vivo T1x screen
Remember when we said that design is one of the two main highlights of the Vivo T1x? Well, rendering is the second. The smartphone offers a 6.58-inch FHD+ LCD display with a refresh rate of 90Hz. The screen is vibrant and sharp, and the colors feel slightly saturated, which I personally really liked. The smartphone is also bright enough to be used outdoors without any problems. You can also play around with different color profiles in settings and choose the one that best suits your eyes.
The 90Hz refresh rate makes social media scrolling and general smartphone use a breeze. In its price range, there are very few other smartphones (such as Realme 7i and Motorola Moto G30) that offer a comparable refresh rate. The smartphone also has great viewing angles, which is another plus.
However, if you are a fan of AMOLED displays, you should look at Infinix Note 11 and Samsung Galaxy F22 which fall in the same segment. But keep in mind that neither phone offers a 90Hz refresh rate.
Overall, I found the Vivo T1x screen perfect for long binge sessions and social media scrolling. A less prominent chin and a perforated selfie camera instead of the notch are the only changes we would have asked for, and even then we’re just nitpicking.
Vivo T1x Performance
The Vivo T1x is equipped with a Snapdragon 680 chipset. Considering the segment, the processor is pretty decent and can handle most everyday tasks with ease. In my time spent with the smartphone, I found that the app opening time was quite fast and multitasking was never an issue either.
But there is one point I want to emphasize. Vivo has marketed the smartphone as a gaming phone and while it can easily manage casual gaming, we wouldn’t recommend it for FPS-based online games like COD Mobile. When I tried to play it I could go as far as average graphics and high frame rate, but I noticed frame drops and frozen frames very occasionally. At lower settings, the game ran smoother, but that comes at the expense of the gaming experience. If gaming is your priority, you’ll be much better off with smartphones in a higher price range. However, for casual online games like Brawl Stars, Clash Royale and Rocket League, Sideswipe works really well and the vivid display adds to the gaming experience.
The smartphone runs on FunTouch OS 12 which is based on Android 11. There are usual issues with bloatware and notification bombardment, and while you can uninstall most of these apps, a cleaner user interface would have been better. The operating system itself is decent. There are plenty of customization options and the smartphone is lag-free. In the time I used the smartphone, I did not encounter any major problems.
In general, the performance of the smartphone was satisfactory. As long as you can keep your expectations in check and don’t try heavy gaming, the smartphone won’t give you any problems.
Vivo T1x camera
The Vivo T1x has a dual rear camera with a 50MP primary camera and a 2MP macro lens. On the front, you get an 8MP selfie camera. Usually cameras in this price range can get the job done but add no special value to themselves and the Vivo T1x is no exception.
In daylight, the camera can take good pictures with nice detail. The dynamic range is decent and the colors tend to be a bit on the warmer side and not exactly natural tones. But at night, when the light decreases, the quality of the image also decreases. Even though the smartphone has a night mode, it does not help the image much and blur and noise regularly affect the image quality.
The 2MP macro camera has nothing to write home about and performs below average. The selfie camera, like the main camera, takes some nice quality photos in daylight, but in low light the images feel too edited.
Overall, the camera performance was average and while it’s in the budget segment, we would have preferred better image processing software, especially for low-light photography and selfies. If photography is your priority, you should look to Realme 7i or Samsung Galaxy F22, both of which come with a quad rear camera and have an 8MP ultra-wide camera for more versatility.
View the sample shots from the smartphone’s camera here.
Vivo T1x Battery
The Vivo T1x is backed by a 5000 mAh battery. Since heavy gaming wasn’t an option, I spent most of my time on the smartphone watching videos, going through social media, making voice and video calls, and doing some casual gaming. With moderate use, the smartphone would have some juice left at the end of the day. But I suspect heavy users will have to plug in by the end of the day.
The smartphone supports fast charging of 18W, which takes almost 2 hours to go from 0 to 100. Given the large battery size, charging feels a little slow. Competing brands do offer faster charging than this.
Vivo T1x verdict
We said at the beginning of the review that given the limitations of the budget segment, Vivo might struggle to come up with a smartphone that impresses consumers. However, we believe that the Vivo T1x has done a great job as an entry-level smartphone with a Snapdragon 680 processor, a striking design and a great display.
But the flaws cannot be overlooked either. It lacks a versatile camera, faster charging and is certainly not a gaming smartphone. So, if those are your priorities, check out the alternatives we mentioned above.
The smartphone is aimed at the Generation Z demographic and as long as your needs are not greater than normal smartphone usage such as watching videos, scrolling on social media and casual gaming, this phone will be a good fit for you.
Pros
- Great screen
- Sleek design
- Decent battery backup
cons
- 18W fast charging
- Pre-installed bloatware
- Camera performance in low light
Specifications:
-
Display
6.5-inch FHD+ display 90Hz
-
chipset
Snapdragon 680
-
Reversing camera
50MP + 2MP
-
Front camera
8MP
-
OS
Android 11, FunTouch OS 12
-
Battery
5,000 mAh with 18 W fast charging
.
0 Comments