Vivo X90 Pro review: One step forward, one step back
A TEST REPORT from Nils Ahrensmeier 
on April 21, 2023, 15:34 p.m. | Write a comment
With the Vivo X90 Pro, the BBK subsidiary has released its latest flagship smartphone for the European market. We have tested the device extensively in everyday use.
tl;dr: The Vivo X90 Pro is a step forward in many areas, but some decisions are confusing. I really like the design, the workmanship and the battery. The software hasn't fundamentally changed my use of the device, but it hasn't bothered me much either. The main camera takes great photos, but can't keep up with Google or Samsung when it comes to bright backgrounds.
The two other lenses would have done well to improve, I miss the fingerprint sensor from the Vivo X80 Pro very pretty. For Vivo, that's worth 1199 euros, I can only partially recommend the device. The competition in this area is just too strong for me. The Galaxy s23 ultra from Samsung - so far my top smartphone of the year is already available with the same memory size for 1000 euros. In return, it offers a much better overall package. That too Pixel 7Pro, available for around 750 euros, has a much more well-rounded overall package for the price. It's a shame, because the X80 Pro was my insider tip last year.
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Scope of delivery of the Vivo X90 Pro
The Vivo X90 Pro comes with the device itself, an inexpensive case, a quick charger and a USB-C cable.
Design and workmanship
The Vivo X90 Pro only resembles its predecessor from the front, as the back has been completely redesigned. On the front we have a large display with rounded sides, as well as a front camera in the middle of the display. This time the back is made of soft synthetic leather, which turns out to be very soft in everyday use. The camera module protrudes very far from the frame, so the device does not lie "flat" on the table. Under the cameras there is a silver strip with the phrase "Xtreme Imagination" engraved on it. There is also a logo of the German camera lens manufacturer "Zeiss", which again indicates a cooperation.
The Vivo X90 Pro has a back made of soft plastic leather.
The frame is made of hard metal, which means that the device also weighs 215 grams. However, the device feels very high-quality and appears to be well made. Buttons click well, a good vibration motor provides good haptic feedback when typing messages. The only color in Germany is black, in Austria there is also a red version. The device is protected against dust and water according to IP68.
Display
The Vivo X90 Pro has a large 6,8-inch display with AMOLED support and a variable refresh rate of one to 120 Hertz. This also uses the latest LTPO technology, which has a positive effect on battery life. The resolution is specified as 1.260 × 2.800 pixels, a step back from the WQHD+ display of the predecessor. In the software, you can also activate a "Zeiss mode", which is intended to display the colors particularly naturally. In everyday use, it definitely doesn't look as "unusual" as Samsung or Xiaomi, but many people prefer this style. According to the manufacturer, the display is protected by a screen protector from "Schott", a sister company of Zeiss.
The Vivo X90 Pro has a sharp, bright display. But it can't keep up with the competition (Image: TechnikNews)
In terms of quality, I like the display of the Vivo X90 Pro much better than its predecessor. The display is bright, regulates itself well and watching videos is really fun. However, the brightness cannot keep up with manufacturers such as Samsung or Xiaomi. The manufacturer takes a step back with my highlight of the Vivo X80 Pro, the fingerprint sensor. In the predecessor, this had a huge surface, unlocked within a second and had many setting options. This is no longer installed in the X90 Pro, here they use an equally fast optical fingerprint sensor with a small surface. The better sensor is only available in the X90 Pro+, which will not leave the Chinese market.
Hardware
The Vivo X90 Pro does not launch with the latest Snapdragon processor, like almost all current flagships from 2023. The company is relying on the latest flagship SoC from MediaTek, the Dimensity 9200. This also delivers excellent performance, and in everyday use you don't notice any difference in terms of performance anyway. The processor has 12 gigabytes of LPDDR5 RAM and 256 gigabytes of internal UFS 4.0 storage at its disposal. Another version will not be available. Unfortunately, there is no Wi-Fi 6E support, but with Bluetooth 5.3 and 5G, everything else in terms of connectivity is state-of-the-art.
On the Vivo X90 Pro you can run all the games that the Play Store has to offer. (Image: TechnikNews)
Camera / s
I already mentioned the triple camera on the back in the design, Vivo's marketing is also very much geared towards this system, which is why I took a closer look at it in everyday life. As the main sensor, Vivo uses the IMX 989 from Sony, which at one inch is gigantic for a smartphone. That sounds exciting, especially when it comes to capturing light, even for night photos. With 50,3 megapixels, it's not as strong a camera on paper as Samsung's 200-megapixel sensor in the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but the images only become interesting after software processing. The other two lenses are a 50-megapixel camera for telephotos (2x optical) and a 50-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera.
The Vivo X90 Pro has three cameras on the back. (Image: TechnikNews)
The main camera takes great photos, many details are captured and image noise can only be seen in complete darkness. Colors look more authentic, not too strong, light reflects well in the water. However, some might find the photos “boring” because the photos don’t look as “strong” as from a Galaxy S23 Ultra. I noticed negatively photos with strong backlight, such as a large window. There, photos are much too bright and are rather useless.
The telephoto camera takes good pictures, but you can see that the competition is much better performing. Samsung, Google and Honor in particular are clearly ahead of Vivo. I would have preferred a telephoto camera with 5x or 10x optical zoom, because I can easily get a 2x zoom by cropping the photo from the main sensor. Vivo itself had a very good 80x zoom in the X5 Pro, but unfortunately not in the successor.
The ultra-wide-angle camera also takes good, but not outstanding, pictures. The camera is also suitable for macro photos, with an autofocus you can also get objects well in front of the lens. Photos are sharp due to the high resolution of 50 megapixels and have little image noise at the edges.
Vivo X90 Pro battery
The battery of the Vivo X90 Pro is above average for a flagship, I only had to recharge the 4870 mAh cell late in the evening. But this is also due to the software, which aggressively stops apps in the background. This sometimes leads to late or even no notifications, but Vivo offers the option of defining exceptions. The battery can be fully recharged in under 120 minutes with 20 watt fast charging, which has completely changed the way I use it. Instead of charging it overnight, I was able to charge the device briefly in the morning, which makes using it much more relaxed. I also never had the problem of planning time to charge it before a long night. Wireless charging is also possible with 50 watts.
Vivo X90 Pro software
Vivo relies on a two-part software strategy in China and the international market. While the Chinese devices rely on "Origin OS", we use "FuntuchOS". This runs on Android 13, Vivo promises three major OS upgrades and three years of security patches. It's a pity, because Samsung delivers four years of major OS updates, as well as five years of security patches with Xiaomi. The software itself is very lean, but there are a number of setting options. The software is also very stable, I couldn't find any crashes or major bugs during my test period. Unfortunately, some bloatware is pre-installed, which must be uninstalled first.
The Vivo X90 Pro comes with Android 13 “out of the box”.