Hand-on quick review of the VIVO NEX
I currently own a Samsung S7 Edge which I've enjoyed for a mere year before Samsung released both the S8 and S9. Having dropped my phone (before I got my case) that now has a cracked back glass, I've been looking to upgrade the S7 to the ~~S8~~ S9. However, the recent releases of Chinese phones have gotten my attention (I live in China), in particular this VIVO NEX which I saw in person yesterday. Here are some of the sample shots that I took with the S7 edge (I'm not sure of how to post videos as I have footage of the front facing popup camera):
https://s15.postimg.cc/ql8j7xl23/We_Chat_Image_20180619071309.jpg https://s15.postimg.cc/spsw9124b/We_Chat_Image_20180619071333.jpg https://s15.postimg.cc/3wjc8dbe3/We_Chat_Image_20180619071346.jpg
- The NEX feels very solid and well built. It is a huge phone so it might feel a little hefty for small hands, but if you look at the picture it is a woman holding the NEX and she has no trouble operating it. Like most phones, it will require a case and front screen protector which is mandatory in China (I see people drop their phones at least once a day).
- The volume control is on the right, which took some getting use to because most phones have it on the left.
- The screen is absolutely gorgeous to look at. It is virtually the entire front face of the phone. This was what we should have been looking at for the Samsung S9 (not too bad) and Apple X (worst design I've ever seen). Why after a decade a company can only come up with a notched screen is beyond me. This is the future of mobile phones. The Amoled screen gets better every time I see it. With Apple adopting this technology as late as last year, there is no reason why we can't view gorgeously bright colours and deep blacks on any of our displays.
- The bezels are better than anything I've seen, I'm not sure if I can still call them bezels. Borders may be a better word to describe them. I remembered my first impression seeing the S7 edge's screen and how beautiful it was compared to the super-thick bezels of past phones. It was like comparing modern jeans with flared pants from the 70s (do take a quick look at a vintage iphone 4s lol). The NEX however is truly a step into the future like I've never seen before. I have seen and used the Xiaomi Mix and Mix 2s, but they still have the camera on the front (and in an odd location). They're not truly bezel-less. The NEX is. There are no cameras, sensors, speakers or buttons that warrant the extra space for bezels. This is a border that is slightly more noticeable at the bottom of the NEX. It's a non-issue IMO and far less bothersome than staring at notches all day long.
- Vivo claims that their speaker technology is unique on the NEX, and it is. There is a speaker at the bottom of the phone but the ear speaker is no where to be seen. Apparently this is behind the screen and it works quite well. The speakers while playing music are as loud as any other but I still have access to a 3.5mm audio jack for my cabled headphones and real speakers. If this was what made the bottom screen border slightly bigger then this is totally a non-issue.
- The popup camera was what I was anticipating the most. It is super cool the way you press an onscreen button or app and it pops up. It isn't slow either, I guess it was as responsive as a popup flash on a DSLR camera like the Canon 7D. It felt solid though I didn't test the rigidity of it in case I might really break it. VIVO claims that the mechanism is just as reliable as any other self-closing mechanism on camera and projector lenses. I didn't feel like I missed the traditional spot for the front facing camera at all while enjoy the benefit of the full screen.
- I was not able to test the on-screen fingerprint feature as the sample I used was probably the basic model (3898rmb). Is this feature worth almost $100 more? I'm not sure. I think the back fingerprint scanner does the job for most things like payments at the supermarket or restuarants. I do think it is a better alternative to the front fingerprint scanner on the button of my S7 edge and previous Samsung phones.
- The OS and software were fluid and easy to use. I'm not all that big on skinning and custom ROMs and I have been using Samsung phones since the Galaxy SII. Having used my GF's phones, I have no issues with the software other than the onscreen keyboards which were a little smaller than I would like.
Is the VIVO NEX the hype that it claims to be? Absolutely.
However there are still a couple of things that holds me back on this phone:
- Lack of expandable memory. I'm so used to having them on my Samsungs because I need more space for photos and videos. On my 128GB phone I can add another 128GB or 256GB of storage to play with. I can't get that with most phones like the NEX that doesn't have this.
- No waterproofing capabilities. Perhaps this would be in the next version, but it really needs to be a standard on all phones. They are portable devices and are subjected to falls and elements from the weather.
Other than that, the NEX is a dream phone for gadget and technology lovers. I'm now waiting to see what the OPPO Find X has. They would be the second company to come out with a notch-free "bezel-less" screen design.