When Oppo unveiled the R15 this week, it got some attention. Granted, not as much as the Vivo V21 which premiered in China. When Vivo revealed their V9 in India and Thailand, the expectation was that the popular phone manufacturer would bring a lot of innovations to the table. While it has some modifications that would make it more attractive to a user, the performance of this model is far behind Android phones at the same price range.
Good Looks, Disappointing Performance
You may have noticed the notch most Android phone manufacturers have adopted. It is the same one featured on last year’s iPhone X. Well, Vivo included this notch on the V9 and the result is spectacular. Unlike other phones which seem asymmetrical because of the notch, Vivo’s V9 is designed using a different approach to deal with this flaw. The result? A screen with a body-to-screen ratio of about 90% and a sophisticated design.
Additionally, the Vivo V9 includes a 24MP front and 5MP camera guaranteed to make the most mundane scenery look amazing. And that is to say nothing of the Ultra HDR altercations on both cameras.
However, even with these improvements, Vivo has a long way to go if it is to make its newest model compete favorably in the Asian market. At $353, the phone does not justify its expense. Instead of upgrading to the latest chips on the market, Vivo chose to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 on the V9. This is two series behind the 630 and 636 chipsets. So, our verdict on the V9 is this: a phone that looks great and feels slightly less great (it has a 6.3†screen), and which ultimately does not live up to expected performance. It is slower and less powerful than other models within its price bracket.
