Vivo Z1 Pro review: A ‘hole’ new experience at an affordable price

PlayerUnkwn's Battlegrounds or PUBG has become such a phemen – in India - that smartphones are w being judged solely basis of how well y can play it. This is especially true for budget and mid-range devices, because well, more expensive flagship devices are expected to play it well from get-go anyways. rising popularity of e-sports in India means re’s a burgeoning market for gaming devices - especially smartphones - which is why we’re seeing more and more brands – Asus, Nubia, Xiaomi-backed Blackshark et al – launching high-end gaming smartphones in country w more than ever. 

But re’s also a portion – which is relatively larger - of enthusiasts that would like a gaming smartphone in ir hands, but without burning a hole in ir pocket. Vivo believes its newly launched Z1 Pro can help ‘democratize’ gaming in India. This starts with phone’s pricing. Vivo has launched Z1 Pro in India at a starting price of Rs 14,990 for base variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB stor while top-end version of phone with 6GB RAM and 128GB stor will be available for Rs 17,990. re’s also a 6GB RAM and 64GB stor option that will sell for Rs 16,990. 

With that kind of low pricing, you’d usually expect a catch or two, and most definitely Z1 Pro has its weak points – but, as an entry-level gaming smartphone, Z1 Pro makes a lot of sense. This is because Vivo has somehow been able to check all boxes or pre-requisites you’d expect from a phone of its class.  

• Big immersive display – check
• Powerful hardware with gaming enhancements – check
• Big battery with fast charging – check 

Punch-hole display on a tight budget 

one might have specifically asked for an all-screen and -bezel phone, but all smartphone brands believe that that’s future. And race to build perfect all-screen and -bezel phone is seeing se brands toying with all sorts of display cut-outs or tches. While ne of se solutions are ‘it’, a punch-hole design is perhaps most bearable. It is somehow easier to have a dot punched into display sort of melt into background, while watching content, rar than having all or possible permutations and combinations. Of course, mile may vary from user to user – it's all subjective. 

Problem is, punch-hole display smartphones are few, and far more expensive than ir dew-drop (and likewise) counterparts - so much so that Samsung’s recently launched Galaxy M40 was a welcome change to proceedings. But even Samsung’s Galaxy M40 costs almost Rs 20,000. 

Vivo’s Z1 Pro is w most affordable phone that you can buy in India with a punch-hole display – taking said crown from Samsung’s Galaxy M40. 

More specifically, Z1 Pro has a 6.53-inch IPS LCD display with a 1080p+ resolution – and that punch-hole allows Vivo to offer nearly 90.77 per cent of screen-to-body-ratio on phone. As for display quality itself, it is pretty good by LCD standards. screen of Z1 Pro can get pleasantly bright with minimum colour shifting at angles. Colours look rich and vibrant by default and re’s also an option to tweak settings as per your liking including an eye protection mode designed for reducing eye fatigue from long us. 

re’s one nit-pick that I must point out though – this is because Xiaomi Redmi te 7 Pro retails for around same price and re’s Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on that – which is lack of any protective covering on screen. Vivo does ship Z1 Pro with a screen-guard but you kw how good pre-installed screen protectors are, so! If that wasn’t eugh, screen of Z1 Pro also lacks any oleophobic coating – it’s a fingerprint magnet, this one. 

PUBG-friendly hardware 

Vivo was apparently so confident about Z1 Pro’s gaming prowess, it made it “official smartphone for PUBG Mobile Club Open 2019.” Z1 Pro has capable hardware – for its price – after all. Also, latest hardware – which is always good for bragging rights. Z1 Pro is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 processor paired with up to 6GB RAM and up to 128GB stor (which is expandable via a dedicated micro-SD card slot). 

Even though  Snapdragon 712 is technically next-gen hardware, it’s t very different from last year’s Snapdragon 710 – same processor that powers  Realme 3 Pro. Snapdragon 712 is based on same 10nm manufacturing process and 8x Qualcomm Kryo 360 CPU cores – it has same Adre 616 GPU as well. only difference worth talking about really is Snapdragon 712’s slightly higher clock speed (2.3GHz over 2.2GHz in  Snapdragon 710). 

Technicalities aside, here’s what’s important though – Qualcomm says Snapdragon 712 is 10 per cent faster that Snapdragon 710 and it is better suited for mobile gaming.  

And it does as advertised inside Vivo Z1 Pro. phone can handle almost every GPU-intensive game (including PUBG at high settings) you throw at it and it does this without breaking a sweat – also, it runs cool as a cucumber while at it, which is a big plus. This is because it ensures longer -throttling gaming sessions on Z1 Pro. Z1 Pro also has a thing called game cube, that helps allocate resources on a per game basis. 

Long-lasting battery 

Ar thing that ensures Z1 Pro is designed for long gaming sessions is its massive 5,000mAh battery. Just to cut short chase here, Z1 Pro is easily a one to one-and-a-half-day smartphone, for even most demanding users. You could even get two days out of it, if you tone things down. Z1 Pro also supports 18W fast charging and ships with a dedicated fast charger in box. 

But it’s t perfect, Vivo Z1 Pro 

-- At a time when Xiaomi is making a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor mainstream, Vivo’s triple rear camera setup feels lacking in all-round quality. Z1 Pro has specs (a 16MP main camera with f/1.78 aperture, an 8MP wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture and ar 2MP sensor for depth sensing aka portrait photography) but it fails to leave a long-lasting impression on you in actual us – particularly in tricky and low light (and even in indoor artificial lighting). If it’s any consolation, Z1 Pro’s 32MP front camera can capture some good-looking selfies with good detail in all kinds of lighting conditions. 

-- Z1 Pro runs Android Pie-based Funtouch OS 9 and even though I like that it has a system-wide dark mode, I am t a fan of Vivo’s iOS-inspired UI choices. Plus, re’s whole bloatware thing that’s thing short of a nuisance. Vivo’s push for both uneccesary features and unwanted apps make Z1 Pro feel slower than phones like Redmi te 7 Pro and Realme 3 Pro in day to day us – even though phone’s backed by powerful hardware. 

-- Z1 Pro is made entirely out of plastic, but as is new industry rm, Vivo is using a glossy gradient finish on this one – so it would be hard to tell you’re dealing with plastic, and more like glass. But plastic is plastic, and when you have fancier phones like Redmi te 7 Pro, comparisons are bound to happen. Z1 Pro is also on heavier side of things – seemingly justifying its big battery credentials, but re are w phones with big batteries with slimmer chassis, so that’s that. 

Should you buy Vivo Z1 Pro? 

Z1 Pro is a budget gaming phone at heart – a product category that’s new but growing w. And Z1 Pro does well as a gaming phone which clearly deserves an applause – t many phones out re can practice what y preach. Incidentally, all qualities that make a good gaming phone apply to rmal life scenarios as well. Everyone appreciates a big screen, good hardware, and a battery that refuses to die. If you are someone who appreciates those things, Vivo Z1 Pro is a -brainer. 

If, however, you’re someone who likes to take many photos, Z1 Pro may t necessarily impress you. Which is where phones like Redmi te 7 Pro and Realme 3 Pro step in and spoil its party. Also, both se phones have good displays, good all-round performance, and good battery life – plus better software – which makes m better value over Z1 Pro. 

That said, its punch-hole display is its biggest USP and if you’re someone who likes to stand out from crowd, Vivo Z1 Pro can lend you a good hand.   

Photos by Saurabh Singh