Vivo X60 Pro review: Camera leads, rest follows

Vivo is a household name when it comes to mid-range smartphones and it has made quite a mark with a sizeable market share. Phone after phone, Vivo is upping the ante and the latest benchmark has been set by X60 Pro smartphone. Launched in competition with OnePlus flagships, Vivo X60 Pro makes the buying decision tough for consumers.

Vivo X60 Pro was launched with a premium Rs 49,990 price tag for 12GB and 256GB configuration. The X60 Pro sits below the "Plus" variant, and suits buyers with a sub-50K budget. Here's what Vivo is offering its buyers.

Design and display

Vivo X60 Pro doesn't fall far from its predecessors in terms of design, which might not even be a bad thing considering its visual appeal. The X60 Pro is a sleek, beautiful-looking smartphone that looks and feels premium in every way. The smartphone has good ergonomics, weight distribution, and a great single-hand use factor. The metallic frame and the curved glass on both front and back of the phone makes it appear sleeker than it actually is. The power buttons and volume controls are easily within reach and the textured power button makes it easier to differentiate.

The X60 Pro has the rest of the components, including USB Type-C port, SIM tray, microphone, speaker, at the bottom and the left side is kept clean and sleek. The back panel has a nice matte finish on the Gorilla 6 glass, which managed to keep fingerprint smudges and minor scratches at bay. The camera module is remained largely untouched, which is in line with the X series, and still leaves a prominent impression. The Zeiss branding is also hard to miss on the camera module.

The X60 pro has a 6.56-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The default setting is Smart Switch, which alternatives between 60-120Hz, but you can choose your own setting. The display in itself is quite vibrant and suitable for both multimedia consumption and gaming. The bezels on the sides are minimal, giving an edge-to-edge feel. The punch-hole camera is placed at the centre on top, which is mostly out of any visual disruption. The display has a screen protector by default, which in our view could use an upgrade as it is not as durable. We removed it after a week of use and the user experience was mildly improved as a result.

Overall, Vivo X60 Pro has all the markers of an ideal smartphone in terms of design and its display is at par with what's out there. It is surely no compromise in either space.

Camera

Vivo X60 Pro's camera is a huge part of the phone. The prominent camera module packs a 48MP f/1.5 aperture primary lens with gimbal stabilisation, which is paired with 13MP telephoto and 13MP ultra-wide lenses. On the front is a 32MP selfie shooter. There are a host of camera modes, which when used right, can produce impressive shots. The smartphone is making every effort to justify the "professional photography" insignia. If you're comparing the camera against the X60 Pro+, the X60 Pro is a step-down, but not that will leave photography enthusiasts high and dry. The gimbal stabilisation remained the highlight as videos can be shot with great steadiness, even from a moving vehicle. The microphone also picks sounds of subjects in focus while reducing background noise.

But the focus on video doesn't cut corners when it comes to stills. The primary lens was able to capture some beautiful shots with great detail and dynamic range. The natural colour reproduction in most cases impressed us, especially in portraits under different lighting conditions. The edge detection and depth effect was executed really well and with preciseness. The same cannot be said about the front camera, as the selfie portraits lacked the same level of commitment in edge detection.

The night mode on the X60 Pro has to be one of the best ones out there. It can capture the night shots with great details and bring out natural colours with accuracy. Surprisingly, there was no overexposure and the blacks didn't lose their darkness when captured in night mode. Speaking of night, the Supermoon mode works as advertised. We wish there were more framing options, but it's nothing you cannot fix with a better location. Perhaps once the lockdowns are over.

We did not manage to get a clear sky to test the Astro Mode. There are various other modes to try out, such as 48MP and slow-shutter, which are practical additions.

The macro shots also turned out to be great. The details are impressively captured in macro mode, but there's a slight shift in colour accuracy. Overall, there's a lot going good for the X60 Pro on the camera front, making it a great phone for camera enthusiasts.

Performance and UI

Vivo X60 Pro is powered by Snapdragon 870 processor paired with 12GB RAM. We pushed the limits with high graphics games run with 120Hz refresh rate and it seemed to handle them well. But for hardcore gamers and no-compromise performance, Vivo is offering the X60 Pro+. But you can still do your Call of Duty sessions without worrying. But gaming is not everyone's tea and it's only a part of the broad usage spectrum.

Vivo X60 Pro managed to excel in other areas as well, which includes multimedia consumption, browsing the internet, day-to-day communications, social media and calls. All of it seemed to be handled with ease on the X60 Pro. But there's just one bit of concern, the FunTouch OS, which needs serious downsizing on the bloatware. But it's a good thing that most of them can be uninstalled. Even so, FunTouchOS is not as refined as OxygenOS or stock Android, but it might suit people who love to play around with a lot of customisations. The annoying amount of notifications needed frequent dismissal as every other time we unlocked the phone, they were right there. It's not a painful task, but we shouldn't have to do it so frequently. Besides this, the FunTouch OS does right by most of the things, including Dark Mode, customisations, gestures, snappy response and lag-free experience.

Even with extended use, we felt the phone got warm and it wasn't hot to a point where it got unbearable. But all of that comes at a cost - recharging sooner than you'd like.

Battery

Vivo X60 Pro packs a 4,200mAh battery, which is hard to guess given the sleekness. The company packs a 33W fast charger and USB Type-C cable in the box, which can power up the phone in an hour, which is not bad, but at Rs 50K, it can be better. As for battery life, you can go about your day without needing to plug in, but if you spend too much time gaming or binge-watching or use camera a lot, be ready to plug the charger in. The wireless charging could have been a nice addition, but even the competition doesn't offer it at its price range.

Verdict

Vivo X60 Pro ticks all the right boxes, but so do other phones in that price range. In fact, the Mi 11X Pro is cheaper and offers almost the same package. OnePlus 9, on the other hand, takes the edge on the performance front. But when it comes to camera, especially video and select camera modes, you cannot go wrong with the X60 Pro. On its own, the X60 Pro is a solid phone and if you have relied on Vivo in the past, then it is a remarkable upgrade from X50 Pro.

Pros

• Good design
• Great display with 120Hz
• Excellent cameras for video
• Reliable performance and battery

Cons

• UI needs refinement
• No wireless charging or IP rating
• 55W charging not standard