Vivo has officially announced the launch of its latest flagship smartphone – Vivo X21 – in China.
As the name suggests, the Vivo X21 is the successor to the Vivo X20 and has been launched in two variants – a regular model with a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone and a special 128GB variant which sports an under-display fingerprint scanner. Additionally, the Vivo X21 features an iPhone X-like display with a notch at the top.
The new smartphone is Vivo's second model to sport the under-display fingerprint after the Vivo X20 Plus UD which was launched earlier this year. The X20 Plus UD was the world's first smartphone to feature the in-display fingerprint sensor technology. The manufacturer had also showcased a concept smartphone called the Vivo Apex at MWC 2018 with an under-display fingerprint sensor, albeit of a different size.
With the Vivo X21, Vivo seems to have update the X20's bezel-less design with an iPhone X-like display notch, which is increasingly becoming a must-have design element for most flagship smartphones in 2018, including Vivo's upcoming Vivo V9 which will be launched in India on March 26. The phone also comes with a vertically aligned dual rear camera setup similar to that on the iPhone X.
Vivo X21 price and availability
The Vivo X21 has been launched with a price tag of CNY 2,898 (approx Rs. 29,900) for the regular model with 64GB storage variant and CNY 3,198 (approx Rs. 33,000) for the 128GB variant. The regular variants will go on sale at 12 AM March 24 in China and will be available in three different colors - Aurora White, Ruby Red and Black.
On the other hand, the special variant with under-display fingerprint sensor comes with 128GB onboard storage and is priced higher at CNY 3,598 (approx. Rs 37,000). The special variant will be available for purchase from March 28 in Black and Ruby Red color options.
Vivo X21 specifications
In terms of the specifications, apart from the different types of fingerprint sensor used on both the regular Vivo X21 and the special variant, both phones share the same specs.
The Vivo X21 comes with a 6.28-inch Full HD+ (1080x2280 pixels) FullView Super AMOLED display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor along with 6GB of RAM. The phone comes in two storage options – 64GB and 128GB (both with 6GB of RAM), with an option for memory expansion via microSD card up to 256GB.
On the optics front, the Vivo X21 sports a vertically aligned dual camera setup on the rear (like the iPhone X) comprising of a 12MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor. On the front, there is a 12MP selfie shooter which comes with features like IP light fill.
The Vivo X21 also features face unlock and 3D face mapping. However, it does not use the complicated sensors that the iPhone X uses for its FaceID and Animoji feature.
Connectivity options on the phone include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, Beidou, USB OTG, GPS /A-GPS among others. The dual SIM device runs Android 8.1 Oreo-based FunTouch OS 4.0 and is fuelled by a 3200mAh battery with fast charging support.
