Vivo S1 Design
Vivo smartphones usually have a very sleek and beautiful design. The new phone is also a part of the same league. Vivo S1 has a 6.38-inch display and a dewdrop notch on the top. Vivo has given an AMOLED panel in this phone. Vivo S1 comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The borders of the display are very thin. But the border of the part is slightly wide.
Vivo S1 is available in two colours – Diamond Black and Skyline Blue. We reviewed the Diamond Black unit. It has a laminated back, and it has a diamond pattern design and gradient colour finish. Depending on the light falling, the diamond pattern on the back appears, which looks very beautiful.
However, we did not like the material used on the back panel of Vivo S1. It gets scratched easily. Here the company should have provided Corning Gorilla Glass like Redmi Note 7 Pro (Review). Vivo S1 comes with a triple rear camera setup. The camera module is raised. But the metal rim on the edge gives it protection from scratches.
Vivo has relied on a plastic frame which is curved at the edges. Due to this, the grip of the phone remains good. The back panel does not meet smoothly on the frame. Vivo has placed the volume button along with the power button on the right side of the handset. These can be easily reached. Like the Vivo Z1 Pro, the Vivo S1 also has a separate button for Google Assistant.
We were disappointed to see a micro-USB port in Vivo S1. Because at this price, companies have started providing USB Type-C port. The microUSB port has been placed at the bottom along with the loudspeaker and 3.5mm headphone jack. While the SIM tray is on the left side.
Vivo S1 specifications and software
Vivo S1 is India’s first smartphone to come with MediaTek Helio P65 processor. Helio P65 is a mid-range processor built on 12nm process. For graphics, Mali G52 is integrated in the phone.
Vivo has launched three variants of Vivo S1 in India. The starting variant has 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. The second variant is equipped with 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. The most premium variant has 128 GB storage with 6 GB RAM. These variants are priced at Rs 17,990, Rs 18,990 and Rs 19,990 respectively. We have reviewed the top variant of the phone. Out of the box, we got 100 GB storage. Looking at the price, it can be said that Vivo S1 will be directly challenged by Realme X (Review) and Oppo K3 (Review) in the market.
Vivo S1 is a dual-SIM device. It has a slot for two nano-SIMs. There is also a separate slot for microSD card. Connectivity features of Vivo S1 include Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi, GPS, FM radio, dual 4G VoLTE and common sensors. The battery of Vivo S1 is 4500 mAh. Apart from this, an 18-watt fast charger will be available in the retail box.
Vivo S1 runs on Funtouch OS based on Android 9 Pie. That is, the UI of the phone is completely customized. If you have never used a Vivo smartphone before, then it will not be easy to understand the device. There is no app drawer in it. All the app icons are on the home screen. Funtouch has an iOS-like command center.
Vivo phones come pre-installed with many unwanted apps like Dailyhunt, Helo, Facebook, Gaana, Amazon Shopping, PhonePe, Paytm, and more. Fortunately, we didn’t encounter notification spam like we did with the Oppo A9 (Review).
Vivo S1 performance, battery life and cameras
The MediaTek Helio P65 used in the Vivo S1 handles normal use very well. You will never have any complaints. The smartphone launches apps quickly. You can play any game or use any app available on the Google Play Store. We did not have to wait long for any app to open. The Vivo S1 also has excellent control over battery consumption, especially when the phone is not in use. Using the 6GB RAM variant, there was no problem in multitasking as well. We did not have to close any app in the background.
The AMOLED panel of Vivo S1 comes with excellent viewing angles. There was no problem in reading on the phone even outdoors. However, the bottom speaker does not produce very loud sound. Due to this, media entertainment on Vivo S1 is not that fun. We tested the face recognition along with the in-display fingerprint sensor in the device. The in-display scanner quickly scans the finger and unlocks the phone. Even though face unlock is not the most secure way to unlock a smartphone. But it is very fast and convenient.
PUBG Mobile ran on the Vivo S1 at the medium preset. The graphics were set to balanced and the frame rate was set to medium. We played the game for about 20 minutes on the phone. During this time, the handset got heated up and the battery consumption was 5 percent.
Vivo S1 is known for its excellent battery life. It easily lasted for about one and a half days. During this time, we did benchmark testing. We took some pictures. During this time, the WhatsApp account was also active on the device. In our HD video loop test, the smartphone died in 16 hours and 38 minutes. The charger provided with it charged the phone’s battery to 34 percent in 30 minutes and 65 percent in an hour.
Vivo has provided three cameras on the back of the phone. There is a 16-megapixel primary camera with f/1.78 aperture, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. On the front panel, there is a 32-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture.
Tap to see full-size Vivo S1 camera samples
The camera app is the same as the Vivo Z1 Pro. You have a number of modes. There are quick toggles for HDR, live photos, filters and aperture mode. There is a quick toggle to switch between the regular and wide angle lenses.
Considering the price, we would say that the photos taken with the Vivo S1’s camera were below average. In daylight, the phone focused quickly. But we found that the photos were underexposed. The details were satisfactory. Distant text could be read. If the same scene is captured with an ultra-wide-angle sensor, then a scene with better exposure is obtained. But in this situation, the details are reduced.
Close-up shots came out well. The Vivo S1 locked focus quickly. Exposure was also accurate. However, colours weren’t always accurate. Portrait mode comes with different lightning effects that you can apply before tapping the shutter button. The output had good edge detection.
Vivo has a separate aperture mode which is used to take bokeh shots. While taking portrait shots in this mode, we found that the blur effect was not consistent. Edge detection was also not very good in this mode as well.
The camera has an AI portrait framing feature that helps you compose a scene perfectly. Once you set the frame, the Vivo S1 automatically takes the shot.
The camera performance of Vivo S1 is also average in low light, as the phone failed to capture details. We did not find any night mode in the camera app. This mode would probably improve the performance of the phone’s camera in low light. Selfies do have details, but Vivo S1 overexposes the scene. You can also take portrait shots in selfie mode. In our experience, the phone was accurate in terms of edge detection.
You will be able to record videos at a maximum resolution of 1080p with both the primary and selfie cameras. We found that the Vivo S1 lacked video stabilisation. This was surprising information considering the price.
Our verdict
Vivo S1 is another smartphone from the Vivo brand under Rs 20,000. It has an attractive design and comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The phone uses the new MediaTek Helio P65 processor which is slightly better than the MediaTek Helio P70 in some benchmark tests. Talking about processor power, the performance of Vivo S1 was around the same as handsets with Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, which can be found today for about Rs 10,000 less than this price.
The Vivo S1 has a good battery life. But its camera performance disappointed us. Given the budget of Rs 19,990, you have strong options like Realme X (Review) or Oppo K3 (Review). Redmi K20 can be purchased by spending a little more.
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