Vivo Z1 Pro Review: A Solid Gaming Phone At A Reasonable Price

Vivo Z1 Pro is the latest product from Vivo, the phone maker ranking third in sales in the Indian market in the first quarter of 2019.

While other Vivo models are mostly sold offline, the Z1 Pro is exclusively available online. This time, the company’s target market is youngsters at college age.

This phone has a lot to love, a hole-punch design, the triple camera setup, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 AI for a more enjoyable experience with gaming.

Vivo Z1 Pro Specifications

Vivo Z1 Pro Price In India

What’s Good?

Vivo Z1 Pro exudes a modern and stylish appearance. For some, it might look a bit like Samsung Galaxy M40, which also has a triple camera setup and a hole punch design.

The phone has the edge in the display, which is vivid and bright. Users can read all the content shown on the screen even under the sun. The Z1 Pro features a fingerprint sensor which does a decent job capturing biometric data. The same goes for the facial recognition function.

This phone can handle every task with ease, from surfing the Internet, browsing social media, making phone calls, to streaming videos. There is no stutter or lag even if you switch among multiple apps.

Despite being a budget-friendly device, Vivo Z1 Pro can support a wide range of games at high graphics settings without any noticeable issue. It does not heat up much even when you play continuously for hours.

The phone has its own gaming mode, called the Game Cube. This function can help give you a better performance with games by temporarily blocking calls, notifications, and more. This mode also lets you choose what you want apps can and cannot do. With the Esports Mode, all of the resources will be diverted to supporting gameplay.

With PUBG streaming to Twitch at a high graphics setting, the Vivo Z1 Pro does not show any sign of lagging or heating up. The 4D vibrational motor can ensure good feedback too.

The phone can yield decent photos in good light condition with enough details. For an average user, these images can be shared directly on social media sites without tweaking or editing.

To ensure a more enjoyable gameplay, the Vivo Z1 pro comes with a battery of 5,000mAh, so there is no surprise that the phone can last for so long. Under heavy usage, including multitasking and playing PUBG at high graphics settings, the phone can hold up for a day and a half.

Those who do not push the phone much will have about two days between charges. Vivo Z1 Pro comes with an 18W fast charger and can be topped up in 1.5 hours.

What’s Not So Good?

The facial recognition function works fast but not 100% reliable. Some users reported that it would unlock the phone even when they had their eyes closed, raising some security concerns. So if you opt for this phone, you might want to find another measure to keep your phone safe.

Vivo Z1 Pro runs on the company’s FunTouch based on Android. There is still room for improvement in this user interface as it is not exactly polished. The graphics look a bit animated, and there is no app drawer. The gestures are far from useful so you might want to turn them off. This is what Vivo should definitely improve.

In low-light environments, the photos lack details, and the edges are smoothened, making the whole thing seems fake. The front camera does not do a better job capturing details either, and the images it took are often overexposed. It zoomed in too much, even when you extend your arms to full reach. The camera can only capture your face.

The AI Beautification mode is something you should definitely stay away as it will make your face looks too white, which is weird.

Vivo still provides micro-USB port on this Z1 Pro, which is a disappointment as other manufacturers are witching to the USB Type-C ports, even at this price point as it allows for faster-charging speed and data transfer.

Verdict

So the Vivo Z1 Pro performs well given its price.

If you are after a gaming phone which can let you play hours of PUBG at high graphics settings without any issue, and at the same time, looks good on your hands, this is the smartphone you need.

Those who only stick to the day-to-day task can consider this model too as it can handle most of what you need well.

However, if what you want is a camera phone, you had a better look elsewhere. Two decent suggestions are Realme 3 Pro and Redmi Note 7 Pro.