Hardware/Smartphones
It’s been more than two years since I purchased from China the Vivo X70 Pro Plus. X70 was my first non-Google/Pixel device apart from an unfortunate initial Samsung phone. I purchased it only for the camera/gimbal that was useful for a particular situation but over time I learned to appreciate it.
Should I go back to Pixel?
In recent days I was considering the possibility of returning to Pixel with Pixel 8/Pro or Pixel 7 Pro but some features are holding me back.
Vivo X70 Pro Plus: what I didn’t like
Origin OS is a bit intrusive for non-Chinese users but I purged it by removing most of the applications that generated notifications that were incomprehensible to me and now is a monster.
Origin OS 4 update is expected in April for this device.
I noticed some suffering during intensive use. For example, uploading many images or videos in to social platforms too soon causes heavy slowdowns which sometimes lead to the closure of the application itself.
There is no Google location history and it is not possible to activate it, in the long run it is not essential.
Every 3/4 months it receives updates on Google security, nothing like what I was used to with the Pixels.
There are Chinese duplicates of the same system applications, phone, calendar, contacts, gallery, messages, etc. compared to the Google versions. Duplicates cannot be removed.
Google Play Store/Vivo app store management is particular. There are applications managed by Vivo and others by Google with independent updates. Sometimes it is impossible to install an app from Google Play or update everything without rebooting. Automatic updating doesn’t always work.
Managing notifications is complicated, you need to enable them manually for each application and set high energy usage in the background and automatic start for those that must always be active. I have never activated Google Assistant automatically.
Vivo X70 Pro Plus: what I liked
First of all, the Vivo’s 120hz AMOLED display is truly spectacular, I liked it straight away, it has a higher definition than all the Pixels I’ve tried in the past.
Integrated gimbal stabilizer is impressive, in certain situations the phone seems planted on the ground even if you hold it in your hand.
Recording microphones audio performance is very good, superior to any lavalier I have tried.
Photo performance is excellent, perhaps a little pushed in color saturation (my last Pixel was superior in this) and the Zeiss mode helps. Having switched to Fujifilm XT lens, smartphone is no longer my primary photography device.
Video performance combined with the stabilizer is excellent and more than satisfactory, at the moment I cannot make stabilized videos with other means.
Fast charging
55W fast charging proved to be indispensable. It’s one of those things that I would never give up and that has often saved me during work days or on holidays and that I need practically every day.
Pixel still has slow charging.
Vivo X70 Pro Plus replacements
Pixel 8: it has a form factor that I wouldn’t mind, I would have all the Android updates but a worse display with less ram. No fast charging. Photo sector is inferior to the Pixel 8 Pro but using Fujifilm this would be irrelevant. The price of 650 euros, although not very high, would not be worth the upgrade.
Vivo X70 Pro Plus vs Pixel 8 Pro: Display would be up to par but I wouldn’t have fast charging. LPDDR5X RAM now adopted by all Chinese brands is not present. My Vivo Snapdragon 888+ still compares favorably with the Tensor G3. I love Pixel Android stock experience but upgrade is not worth the 1000 euro price for me.
Vivo X70 Pro Plus vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro: I admit, the iPhone world intrigues me and the USB C in addition to the titanium body of the plus version tempts me a lot. In recent days I have watched many “from Android to iOS” applications tutorials but something is still holding me back, it’s not my world and I’ve paused (I don’t want to end up buying an iMac and no longer using Arch, it would be a nightmare).
Vivo X70 Pro Plus vs Xiaomi 14 Pro: This would be the most sensible choice as regards the expense/hardware ratio. The Xiaomi, in addition to having a body that I like, also available in the Titanium version, has LPDDR5X memory, super fast charge (100% – 20 min), has an excellent display, has a crazy Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in terms of integrated AI and not entrusted to the Cloud (Tensor) and well dissipated. However, new HyperOS operating system, although after a lot of work I have optimized Origin OS I am not thrilled with the idea of throwing myself into this new system. European firmware is available on tradingshenzen I think there is a lot of work to be done. Pixel Andoid Stock experience is something else.
Pixel 9?
In short, maybe it’s still early, maybe it will be Pixel 9 (provided that some things change).
Immagine di cookie_studio su Freepik
OriginOS 4 arrived on my Vivo x70 Pro+ yesterday (19th of July 2024). I won`t go back to any mirrorless camera, so the Vivo x100 Ultra looks compelling, but I will also wait at least till Google 9, perhaps longer. For taking pictures and videos on holidays, the x70 Pro+ remains good enough.
Great!!