Vivo also joined the race and launched Vivo V9 which is inspired by the design of iPhone X. Since Asus is yet to launch its phone in India, Vivo becomes the first company to launch an Android smartphone with notch in India.
In Vivo V9, the company has given a bezel-less screen and a notch at the top. The phone looks attractive but is it a value for money smartphone worth Rs 22,900? We have investigated…
Design of Vivo V9
Contents
The tall and large display has an aspect ratio of 18:9. As soon as the power is turned on, the notch on the top is visible. The notch is smaller in width than the iPhone X. It houses the earpiece, selfie camera and two sensors. A small notification light is also provided, which is just above the earpiece.
The notch is covered by the display. It is claimed that after this the screen is reduced to 6.3 inches. The screen to body ratio is 90 percent. You will feel the phone very light in your hand. The total weight is 150 grams. The plastic used in it plays a major role in the weight.
However, the Vivo V9 does not look as premium as the Moto X4 in terms of price. But it does not feel that cheap either. The glossy rear panel is made of high quality plastic. The phone does not slip from the hand. However, it catches fingerprints easily.
Vivo has provided a box with the phone, using which you can avoid the hassle of fingerprints. Vivo has provided the power and volume buttons on the right side of the phone. The SIM tray is on the left. The Vivo V9 has a micro-USB port at the bottom. The loudspeaker, headphone jack and microphone are also provided there. Looking at the price of Vivo V9, we expected that it would have a USB-Type C port. This port is also provided in smartphones like Xiaomi Mi A1.
Take the phone in your hand and you will find that it has 2 cameras placed vertically. A single LED flash is also provided. There is a metal rim around the dual camera, which protects the lens from scratches. There is a rear fingerprint sensor in the middle of the phone and the Vivo logo is given below it. We found that the sensor is placed a little higher than expected. Apart from this, the phone is comfortable to use. Its curved edges do not prick when holding the phone in hand.
Vivo V9 specifications, software and features
Vivo V9 looks high-end. The phone is also made strong from inside. Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 processor has been used in Vivo V9, which has a maximum clock speed of 2.2 GHz. The phone has 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage. The handset supports dual SIM, for which 2 nano SIM slots are present. In the name of storage, it is possible to increase the phone’s memory up to 256 GB through a separate slot for microSD card.
The Vivo V9 sports a 6.3-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1080×2280 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. The viewing angles are decent and we noticed some red dots on the display. Unfortunately, the handset doesn’t have the option to change the display output. So you’ll have to make do with what you see.
There is no mention of toughened glass but Vivo does offer a pre-applied screen protector. In terms of connectivity, the phone has 4G VoLTE but this service supports only one SIM at a time. The second SIM switches to 3G service while the first SIM is in use.
Vivo V9 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo. It has a custom Funtouch OS 4.0 UI on top. The handset comes with February’s Android security patch. Funtouch does not provide notification dots and smart text selection. But it is capable of providing essential features in picture mode. The company could have provided icons like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, VoLTE on the right side of the display. The left part of the notch shows the signal and pending notifications. The notch is not too wide, due to which the user gets more space in it than the iPhone X.
Like the older version of Funtouch, it also feels like iOS. You can control notifications and other things by swiping from the bottom of the screen. The on-screen navigation buttons are at the bottom of the display.
Vivo has taken a step forward and provided gesture based navigation in the handset. Other features include face unlock facility, which works in conjunction with the phone’s front camera. The handset also has smart call feature which gives the facility of handsfree mode and attending the call by taking the phone near the ear. The features of the phone do not end here, it comes pre-installed with Flipkart, Prime Video, UC Browser, Amazon, Newspoint, WhatsApp, Facebook and WPS Office.
Vivo V9 performance, camera and battery
Vivo V9 ran smoothly throughout the day. The UI is smooth and easy to use. With 4GB of RAM, it was able to handle both heavy and small tasks. The face unlock feature of Vivo V9 works well. However, in low light, the phone has trouble recognizing the user’s face, for which a PIN may have to be entered. The fingerprint sensor is also fast.
The phone has a 3260 mAh battery. It is able to easily run the phone for a whole day with apps like YouTube, Whatsapp. In our HD video loop test, Vivo V9 lasted 8 hours and 49 minutes. Vivo V9 has a dual camera. One is a 16 megapixel primary sensor and the other is a 5 megapixel depth sensor. Vivo has not made any major changes in the camera. It is certain that compared to the previous version, the feature of AR Stereo has been added to it. Vivo V9 comes with AI-powered beauty mode. It has been claimed that the handset can recognize the user’s age, gender, texture, skin tone etc.
Photos taken with the Vivo V9 turned out to be a mixed bag in terms of quality. We found that the phone could do well in better lighting, but failed to deliver great results in harsher conditions. In daylight, the Vivo V9 managed to focus well and get the exposure right. However, the output was a bit grainy and landscape shots were not sharp. Macro shots were decent, with the phone able to easily distinguish between the subject and the background. Camera quality dips in low light. Focusing was delayed and images were blurry.
The Vivo V9 sports a 24-megapixel selfie camera that comes with an AI-Beautify mode that automatically enhances the shot. The selfies come out clear and are worth posting on social media.
Decision
With the Vivo V9, Vivo has managed to deliver the first Android smartphone in the country with a notch. The hardware is better and there are many changes in the software as well. The display is better than the rest and for those who want to show off their phone with a notch, this is a good option. Also, those who do not want to spend a huge amount on the iPhone X can buy this.
The face recognition feature works well. At Rs 22,900, the Vivo V9 lacks a USB Type-C port, which has become common in other phones these days. The battery is weak and if you use the phone all the time, you will be looking for a charger by the evening. The camera performance is good but it fails in low light.
Vivo V9 is currently competing with Oppo F7. However, more smartphones will be launched in this category in the future. In V9, users will get a big display, thin borders and a small notch, which is enough to attract attention. However, if you are not interested in buying it, then the 6 GB RAM variant of Moto X4 is available in the market.
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