Vivo V11 Pro review: Top-notch camera phone with exceptional design and security features

Vivo has made tremendous strides in marking itself as a force to reckon with in the smartphone industry. Earlier, like other Chinese firms, it was tagged as an Apple copycat, but, not anymore. It has come up original design language with elevating camera for Vivo Nex and brought in revolutionary in-screen fingerprint sensor in Vivo X21series.

Earlier in the month, the company brought similar game-changing phone V11 Pro with water drop display design and in-display biometric sensors. But, make no mistake; it has much more to offer other than those aforementioned two key features.

I have been using the Vivo V11 Pro for more than two weeks and it was quite a revelation for me. Here's what I loved about this device.

Design, display and build quality:

As far as the build quality is concerned, it comes with sturdy polycarbonate based shell and a glass cover on top, which exudes premium feel.  I loved the smooth texture on the back and surprisingly, fingerprint smudges are less visible in my review unit (dazzling gold). The frame around the edges has a glossy metallic coating on them. The tapering edges offer a good grip for the hand to hold and I appreciate the company for offering the transparent shell cover with retail box.

Vivo also puts an additional screen guard on top of the display too, this a welcome move, which rival brands rarely does.

Vivo V11 Pro flaunts a full HD+ (2340x1080p) super AMOLED-based FullView Display 3.0 with 2.5D glass cover on top. As I said in the initial impression post, the readability on the screen in the direct sunlight is good. Till today, I haven't faced any stress in my eyes while viewing or reading on the screen.

Performance:

Vivo V11 Pro comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core backed by sumptuous 6GB RAM and 64GB storage, which can be expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. During the entire trial period, it worked without any sign of lag-ness, be it the loading of apps, opening the camera, playing games, yes even Asphalt 8, it was buttery smooth. Though it got warmed up after an extended period of gaming and video playback, it never went over my comfort level.

I also tried benchmark apps on the Vivo V11 Pro and it scored 1,28,893 on AnTuTu and on Geekbench v4.3.0, it got 1,444 and 5,469 points on single-core and multi-core tests.

As far as the interface is concerned, its Android 8.1 Oreo-based Funtouch OS wasn't that fun for me using it. But, this aspect is very subjective, as some users who are already a Vivo phone owner and if they upgrade it to the V11 Pro, they won't have any trouble navigating through this interface. But for me, who use several Android phones to do reviews, have to relearn every time I pick a new one. Have to say, there are a few useful features such as Kids mode and i-Manger I loved. But, I'll leave this to the prospective owner to make the choice before buying the V11 Pro.

Security:

Have to say, I am mighty impressed with the in-screen fingerprint sensor. Though its speed is micro-second slow than the physical scanner, the animation of the green lights passing through circuits visually fulfilling.

Also, despite small space available for the front camera, Vivo V11 Pro's Face Unlock feature works with less False Reject Rate (FRR). The company has done a wonderful job of skilfully hiding the IR sensor and the speaker on the top without affecting the overall design of the phone.

Camera:

Besides the design language and the in-screen fingerprint scanner, the camera was most which impressed me. Both front and the primary dual-camera on the back takes stunning images in bright sunny light conditions and also surprisingly well in dark indoor conditions with artificial lights. Though the noise begins to creep in during pitch dark environment, the flash offers some solace in capturing near-sharp images. Also, the hand has to be stable to get a decent quality image in the night. However, truth to be told, Vivo V11 Pro offers the best photography experience in the sub-Rs 30,000 category.

For those unaware, Vivo V11 Pro comes with the feature-rich 12MP+5MP dual camera on the back with LED flash, full HD video recording, ultra HD, PPT, Professional, Slow Motion，Time-Lapse Photography，Camera Filter，Live，Bokeh，HDR，AI Face Beauty，Panorama， Palm capture，Gender detection，Retina Flash，AR Stickers，AI Face Shaping，Twell-optimisedAI Selfie Lighting，AI Scene Recognition，Google Lens and AI Portrait Framing

On the front, it has an equally impressive 25MP snapper with group selfie feature, AI Face Beauty, Portrait Mode with natural light, studio light, stereo light, loop light, rainbow light and monochrome background.

Check out the amazing pictures taken with Vivo V11 Pro:

Battery:

Besides the camera, battery life was a pleasant surprise for me. Vivo V11 Pro comes with 3,470mAh cell and thanks to well-optimised software; it was able to last more than one day consistently.

Also, device despite housing a micro USB port, it was able to charge faster than any other conventional phone with the same hardware. What makes the Vivo V11 Pro standout is that it boasts Dual-Engine Fast Charging technology. It gets fully charged from zero to 100 per cent in less than one and a half hour.

Final thoughts:

Considering all aspects, Vivo V11 Pro is a decent mid-range phone and does justice to the price, it commands. But, with the arrival of Poco F1, Vivo will have a tough time convincing users to invest money on the V11 Pro.

Having said that, I still recommend V11 Pro to the consumers, as it offers remarkable camera hardware, stunning design language and a high capacity battery. Also, the in-screen fingerprint sensor is a game-changing attribute which no other rival brands offer this feature in the market right now and also it's under Rs 26,000 price-range.

Pros:

• Really cool in-screen fingerprint sensor
• Exceptionally good camera hardware
• Gorgeous design language
• Long lasting battery
• Decent configuration (6GB RAM +64GB storage with expansion option)
• Three dedicated slots for two SIMs (type: nano+nano) and one microSD card

Cons:

• Build quality could have been better for its price, but it's not a deal breaker as the beautiful design language and the protective shell-cover which comes with the retail box makes up for this shortcomings.

 Vivo V11 Pro is being offered in Dazzling Gold and Starry Night Black colour variants. Interested consumers can get it at both online such as Airtel Store, Vivo e-Store, Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm Mall, and Snapdeal and brick-and-mortar stores, as well.

Key specifications of Vivo V11 Pro:

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