The vivo X80 is the standard version of vivo's latest X series. It packs a flashy new chipset, a triple camera setup, head-turning design, and more. With its Php 44,990 price tag, the company could be hard selling this in the market with a sea of "flagship" phones priced below it and even more premium ones just earshots away.
vivo X80 Review
But we'd like to think that the vivo X80 is practical in the sense that it could be an all-rounder without asking too much price; and at the same time, powerful enough to put some shade on the "cheaper" flagships. In this review, we'll try to find out if the vivo X80 deserves our second look.
{getToc} $title={Table of Contents} $count={Boolean} $expanded={Boolean}Unboxing: The vivo Experience
vivo's latest flagship is packaged inside a classy-looking square black box which highlights 'X80 Co-engineered with ZEISS' branding on its lid; ZEISS, by the way, is a global industry leader when we talk of imaging technology.
Opening the box, you will be welcomed by the X80 unit itself. Underneath the device's cradle are two packets, one containing the documentations, SIM ejection tool, and a black-colored case. The other houses the USB-C cable, 80W power brick, and surprisingly, USB-C headphones.
Going back to some of the inserts, the black case features a faux leather material which is slimmed down on the sides, covering only the corner top and bottom sides of the device. It also has a rectangular cutout which is intended for the X80's beautifully-designed camera module. I love the design of this case; it complements the slim profile and aesthetics of the X80. We can also appreciate the fact that vivo includes a headset which comes with extra eartips.
Inside the box items:
- X80 unit
- Headset
- Quick Start Guide
- Type-C to USB Cable
- 80W Adapter
- SIM Eject Tool
- Phone Case
- Protective Film (applied)
- Warranty Card
Design
The vivo X80 is a premium slab of a phone. It is well built with design elements that you'll see in flagship smartphones. I think its back panel is unique and defines an iconic look to the vivo X80 series overall. The panel comes with a premium matte texture with an imposing camera module occupying almost one-thirds of the backing. The subtle vivo branding sits at the lower half, it reflects light in a glass-like manner.
The camera module is an elevated rectangular plate which houses a single circular protrusion for the camera lens; across it is a slit for the LED flash. The frame is made of metal, it is curved on the sides and flattened on top and bottom.
The screen comes with a curved edge glass - a design we've already seen from flagship phones in 2018. The handset is on the bigger side yet comparably thin at 8.3-mm; it also tips the scale at 206 grams.
For the interface, the power button is at the right together with the volume rocker. The top side has the IR blaster, microphone, and the laser printed "Professional Photography" tagline. Lastly, the bottom is a home to the SIM tray (dual SIM slot, no support for microSD), microphone, USB-C port, and speaker grille. The overall build quality is exceptional with good attention to detail.
Display
The vivo X80 frames a 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED display. It's a 3D curved screen that supports up to 120Hz dynamic refresh rate that adds fluidity in user's perception, and 240Hz sampling rate. The X80 has a peak brightness of 1000 nits, thus, there's no issue using it outdoors even in broad daylight.
The display supports HDR which gives off stunning images with good details and accurate colors. There's also a Visual Enhancement feature in the Display Settings which boosts the contrast and color saturation for some supported apps like Netflix and YouTube.
Throwing in the good-sounding speakers makes the vivo X80 a great companion in content consumption. Its large display also makes it great for watching videos.
Performance
There's a new chip in town and it's found inside the vivo X80 - the MediaTek Dimensity 9000. This chipset is made in a 4-nanometer process with octa-core CPU. On top of that, vivo is also debuting the V1+ imaging chip for more precision in image captures. In terms of memory, the vivo X80 packs 12GB of RAM and it has the ability to use 4GB of virtual RAM if needed. You'll also get a roomy 256GB of storage for your multimedia files.
The vivo X80 is nothing short of being a flagship smartphone when it comes to performance. It never fails to impress in loading multiple apps and multitasking. In fact, I had not experienced app crashes in my time using the phone. For a moderate user, the vivo X80 is more than enough to handle all my daily tasks.
I had multiple sessions of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang with no issues in heating or frame drops. Due to the size of the display for gaming, I could hardly put this phone down. Playing Genshin Impact with the X80 is also a breeze. The vibrant display, immersive screen, stereo speakers, and top-notch hardware definitely make this a gaming phone. However, I have experienced heating issues especially when playing with heavy-graphic titles - that is despite vivo's claim of having a vapor cooling chamber in this handset.
The in-display fingerprint sensor is also fast enough to authenticate my biometrics. vivo has perfected this tech since the company pioneered in developing this feature in smartphones. On top of that, the facial recognition feature works perfectly fine.
We have also placed the vivo X80 under synthetic benchmarks. It scored a whopping 995722 in AnTuTu test.
.png "vivo X80 AnTuTu Score")
We also run 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test, a 20-minute test which mimics mobile games that are based on longer and more immersive experiences. The results follow:
- Lowest to best loop score: 7933 to 8654 with 91.7% Stability
- Battery drop: 92 to 74%
- Temperature: 34 to 47°C
- Frame rate: 32 to 63 FPS
.png "vivo X80 review: Gaming Benchmark")
Camera
The smartphone's main selling point is the camera. With this iteration of the vivo X series, the company still partnered with ZEISS optics like with the previous X70 handset. On paper, the X80's photography prowess is defined primarily by the 50MP Sony IMX866 sensor with OIS. It is coupled by a 12MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and another 12MP ultrawide sensor that can do macro photography.
In broad daylight, the vivo X80's main camera is quite exceptional. Images are stunning with great detail and expansive dynamic range. Colors are also a bit saturated, this is where the ZEISS Natural Color comes in giving the shots a natural tone which inches closer to the actual environment. The OIS offers a major advantage using the primary lens as it facilitates stable shots and negate shakes when shooting videos.
The ZEISS mode integrated in the whole camera app adds a handful of fixes for most of the shots. I noticed that skin tones are better and overall AI colour enhancements are upscaled. You can choose a variety of ZEISS Portrait styles for photos and ZEISS Cinematic mode on videos if you fancy having cinema-looking effects on your portrait. Portraits have great image detection - arguably one of the best portrait cameras in a smartphone.
The camera is also dependable in low-light, this is where the V1+ chip comes in. There's a Night mode in the camera app which instantaneously gives you the calibrated scene for low-light environment. However, taking the actual shot in Night mode is not instant; it takes about 3 seconds to capture the shot with the right amount of details and controlled exposure.
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| vivo x80 Sample Photo: Night Mode |
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| vivo X80 Sample Photo: 1x Zoom |
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| vivo X80 Sample Photo: 2x Zoom |
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| vivo X80 Sample Photo: Ultra-wide |
The ultra-wide camera is a great addition to this set. Not only that it can take amazing wide shots but it also shifts to a macro camera when the scene calls for it. Images in macro mode are full of details with enough contrast and color saturation.
The 32MP selfie camera also outputs great selfie for social media use. It is worth-noting though that the front camera does not support ZEISS portraits and modes.
The vivo X80 also shines in videos. It features the Horizontal Line Stabilization which negates shakes in videos; however this feature can only be used up to 1080p at 30 frames per second. You can record up to 4K in both rear and front cameras.
Software
The vivo X80 boots with Funtouch OS 12 based on Android 12. Users can take advantage of the Ultra Game Mode wherein it gives you instant statistics of your phone's CPU and GPU usage. On top of that, you can also choose among different modes - Battery Saver, Balanced, and Performance Modes. Under the same feature, you can also manage notifications, record screen, and reject calls while in game.
The overall interface of the FunTouch OS 12 is quite smooth. This Android skin has grown a lot in the past years; in fact, it's now easy to use. The icons and toggles are flat and simple. It also supports Google when you swipe to the right (from home screen). Native Android elements are still present like the app drawer, notifications shad, and control panel. And with the powerful chipset, Android 12 feels snappy and buttery.
Battery
The vivo X80 has a 4500mAh battery which is expected to last all day with moderate usage. This is complemented by an 80W FlashCharge support which is capable of charging the phone to 50% in just 11 minutes (as advertised).
We run the PCMark Battery Life test, and the X80 scored 12 hours and 45 minutes. We also performed a charging test, the results are: 0 to 50% in 15 minutes; 0 to 100% in 39 minutes.
Should You Buy The vivo X80?
The vivo X80 is a full-fledged flagship smartphone that could definitely be your daily driver without asking much from your pocket than its super premium counterparts. At Php 46,999, I think the X80 brings a perfect mix of powerful performance, solid camera capability, long battery life, and stunning design.
On a different angle, it may be a little expensive than any other "flagship" phones in its league, but the vivo X80 had cut significantly less corners than its closest competitors. This made it a well-balanced premium phone - a practical choice at that.
Pros and Cons
- Premium design and build
- ZEISS-powered cameras
- Large and stunning display
- Well-rounded device
vivo X80 Specs
- 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 388 PPI, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR, 1000 nits (peak)
- MediaTek Dimensity 9000 (4 nm)
- 3.05GHz Octa-core CPU
- Mali-G710 MC10 GPU
- 12GB RAM + 256GB ROM UFS 3.1 Storage
- Triple rear cameras:
- 1. 50MP, f/1.75 main, with PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
- 2. 12MP, f/1.98 telephoto, with PDAF, 2x optical zoom
- 3. 12MP, f/2.0 ultrawide, with AF
- Rear camera features: Zeiss optics, Zeiss T* lens coating, Pixel Shift, dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps videos with gyro-EIS
- 32MP, f/2.45 front camera | HDR | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps videos
- Loudspeaker
- 3.5mm jack
- Dual SIM (Nano)
- 5G, 4G/LTE
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6
- Bluetooth v5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
- GPS/dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC
- NFC
- Infrared port
- USB Type-C 2.0, USB OTG
- Fingerprint (under display, optical)
- Funtouch 12, based on Android 12
- 164.95 x 75.23 x 8.30 mm, 206 grams
- 4500 mAh battery with 80W fast charging
- Reverse charging
- Cosmic Black, Urban Blue
- ₱46,999 Official Price in the Philippines
