Vivo X60 Pro+ review: A worthy alternative to the OnePlus 9 Pro

Vivo pioneered several innovations in the handset category over the last three years, including retractable cameras, in-screen fingerprint readers, and miniature gimbal modules for smooth video footage. Cameras have always been the differentiator for Vivo, and it is doubling down in this area in 2021. Vivo has teamed up with German powerhouse Zeiss to tune its cameras — emulating what its BBK sister company OnePlus did with Hasselblad.

The X60 Pro+ has four cameras at the back, and unlike most phones, all four modules here are noteworthy. You get a 50MP primary camera with a 1/1.3-inch sensor, 48MP wide-angle lens, a 32MP telephoto lens with 2x zoom, and an 8MP module with 5x optical zoom. The device also picks up a gorgeous vegan leather back — similar to last year's Find X2 Pro — and features the latest internal hardware available today, including a 120Hz AMOLED screen and the Snapdragon 888 chipset.

The main challenge for Vivo this year is going up against the best Android phones from its Chinese rivals. The Mi 11 Ultra and OnePlus 9 Pro cost the same as the X60 Pro+ in India, so it all comes down to whether Vivo can deliver a great all-round package that holds its own in the flagship segment. Let's see if it has managed to do that.

Vivo X60 Pro+: Price and availability

The Vivo X60 Pro+ made its global debut on March 25, and the phone is available in India and other Asian markets. Vivo is kicking off availability of the X60 series in the UK and European countries starting June 3, but at this moment, it's limited to the X60 Pro and not the Pro+ model.

The X60 Pro+ is available for ₹69,990 ($960) for the version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and the phone is sold in a blue vegan leather option outside of China.

Vivo X60 Pro+: Design and display

Vivo has a track record of delivering phones that stand out, and the X60 Pro+ follows in the same vein. The blue vegan leather back distinguishes it from most high-end phones on the market today, and it is a delight to hold and use. I loved the orange vegan leather on the Find X2 Pro last year, and it's great to see Vivo follow in the footsteps of its BBK sister brand.

The X60 Pro+ has a gigantic camera island — and I say that as someone that has used the Mi 11 Ultra for the better part of the last month. The island on the X60 Pro+ isn't quite as massive as the one Xiaomi put in its latest flagship, but then again, it doesn't have a secondary screen.

The rectangular island dominates the design at the back, but it doesn't look garish. Three camera modules are arrayed vertically, and the 8MP zoom lens is tucked away to the right. You'll also find two instances of Zeiss branding and a mention of the primary camera's huge 1/1.3-inch sensor. Thankfully, the camera island itself doesn't protrude too much from the chassis, and the phone doesn't wobble a lot when laid flat on a surface.

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Elsewhere, the X60 Pro+ has dual curves at the front and back — like every other flagship phone in 2021 — and the overall design feels elegant. The aluminum mid-frame has a matte coating that makes it easy to hold, and the textured power button is located where your thumb would usually rest on the side. The single speaker is located at the bottom, and you'll also find the SIM card housing here (it takes two SIM cards).

Vivo has always prided itself on delivering lightweight designs, and that particular trait hasn't changed. The X60 Pro+ is lighter than just about every other flagship, and the main reason for this is the 4200mAh battery. With most brands going with at least 4500mAh batteries, the X60 Pro+'s battery feels modest.

A table stakes feature for high-end phones in 2021 is an AMOLED panel with a high refresh rate, and the Vivo X60 Pro+ delivers in this regard. The phone features a 6.56-inch Full HD+ AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, and the screen itself is manufactured by Samsung.

By going with a marginally smaller screen than its rivals, Vivo was able to bring the height of the phone down to 158.6mm — which is roughly 5 to 8mm less than other flagships. While I wouldn't call it a compact phone, it is more manageable than just about every other Android flagship in 2021 — other than the ZenFone 8, of course.

The panel is similar to what you'll find on the latest flagships from Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and others, and it delivers vibrant colors and excellent contrast levels. It also gets more than sufficiently bright for outdoor use, and I didn't notice any issues whatsoever with the panel. It has HDR10+ and works seamlessly with Netflix and YouTube, and while a stereo configuration would have made streaming videos that much more enjoyable, the single speaker gets plenty loud.

You can choose between three color modes — Standard, Professional, and Bright — and you also have the ability to change the color balance manually. As for screen refresh, you can set 60Hz or 120Hz, or use a smart switch mode that dynamically alters the refresh based on the content. That said, any video content is always set to 60Hz regardless of which mode you select.

The screen has ultra-thin bezels on all four sides, and while it is a dual-curved panel, the curvature isn't high, so you won't have problems with accidental touches. The only issue I have with this screen has to do with the in-display fingerprint sensor; it sits far too low on the screen, so you have to awkwardly move your thumb to unlock the phone. I had the same issue with the OnePlus 9 Pro, and it wouldn't be surprising if Vivo is using the exact same Samsung panel and optical fingerprint module.

Vivo X60 Pro+: Performance and battery

Like every other Android flagship in 2021, the X60 Pro+ is powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 888 platform. The chipset has a single X1 core with up to 35% increased performance from the A77 cores used in the last-gen Snapdragon 865, and you also get three A78 cores and four A55 derivatives.

The Snapdragon 888 is a known quantity at this point, and it delivers amazing performance in just about any use case. I didn't see any lag or slowdowns whatsoever, and the device handled intense games without breaking a sweat. The phone does get hot under sustained gaming, but thanks to the leather back, the heat isn't as noticeable as metal-backed phones.

The X60 Pro+ comes with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage as standard outside China. Like OnePlus, Vivo is using virtual RAM as a means to cache even more background services. Make no mistake here; this is one of the fastest phones on the market today, and the hardware on offer should hold its own for several years.

In terms of connectivity, the X60 Pro+ has Bluetooth 5.2 with AptX HD, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, and dual-band GPS. It also has 5G connectivity that's limited to Sub-6, with bands varying across regions. The Indian model I'm using has 5G bands n41/n77/n78, with the global model offering n1, 28, 41, 77, 78.

While the device is fully featured in other areas, it is found to be lacking in a key area: water resistance. Vivo has yet to add IP68 ingress protection to its phones, and it isn't starting with the X60 series. The X60 Pro+ doesn't have any ingress protection, putting it at a disadvantage to its flagship rivals.

Even Xiaomi got on the IP68 train this year with the Mi 11 Ultra, so it may not be too far before Vivo adds the necessary seals to its devices to secure them against dust and water ingress. But for now, if you need a phone that you can take to the pool, you'll have to look elsewhere.

The X60 Pro+ has a smaller battery than most of its rivals, but the 4200mAh unit manages to deliver a day's worth of battery life. While there were instances where the battery fell to under 10% by the end of the day, it wasn't the norm — Funtouch OS's aggressive memory management ensured that. The phone had a better showing than some of the other devices I've used in 2021 — particularly the OnePlus 9 Pro.

And when you do need to charge the device, the bundled 55W charger takes just under 45 minutes to charge the phone fully. A 30-minute charge gets you up to an 80% charge, so you don't have to leave the phone plugged in overnight. But the biggest omission here is wireless charging; most flagships in 2021 include this feature as standard, and theX60 Pro+ misses out in this area.

Vivo X60 Pro+: Cameras

Vivo has always differentiated its phones with the cameras, and that's no different on the X60 Pro+. The phone features a 50MP Samsung GN1 sensor along with a 48MP Sony IMX598 module that serves as the wide-angle lens, a 32MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, and an 8MP periscope module that goes up to 5x optical zoom. Up front, you'll find a 32MP lens that may just be the best selfie camera of any phone today.

The main 50MP module and the periscope lenses include OIS, and the 48MP wide-angle lens gets Vivo's unique gimbal system for video stabilization. As for the two zoom lenses, the 32MP module pulls double duty as a portrait lens, with Vivo noting that it can deliver bokeh on par with full-fledged cameras.

The camera interface itself is pretty standard fare: you'll find the picture modes laid out in a grid at the bottom, with the various focal lengths selectable via toggles on the viewfinder. You'll also find toggles for HDR, AI mode, flash, macro mode, and software-based filters.

The X60 Pro+ includes a lot of shooting modes. There are the usual Night and Portrait modes, and you can also shoot full-res 50MP photos, panoramas, slow-motion video, live photos (similar to Motion Photos on Pixels), and long-exposure shots. You'll also find an astro mode for taking photos of starry skies and a dedicated mode for taking photos of the moon. Of course, there's a pro mode as well that lets you tweak individual settings and gain fine-tuned control over your photos.

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As you can imagine, the X60 Pro+ takes incredible shots in just about any scenario. Images taken in daylight have plenty of detail, great dynamic range, and vibrant colors. The wide-angle lens also does an admirable job, delivering photos of the same caliber as the 50MP lens. You also get detailed shots at both 2x and 5x zoom levels, and while the dynamic range isn't on par with the primary lens, the resultant shots are more than adequate for sharing on social media.

The phone does a stellar job at night as well, with the images retaining detail and minimizing noise. The X60 Pro+ is particularly great at dialing in on a subject even in low-light conditions, and you get a usable shot the first time more often than not. The wide-angle lens also holds its own at night, and while the 2x module delivers decent shots, you wouldn't want to use the 5x zoom lens in low-light conditions.

But where the X60 Pro+ truly shines is video; thanks to the gimbal system, the phone delivers shake-free handheld videos. You can choose between various stabilization levels, but I found that the standard mode by itself did a great job on its own. The phone can shoot 8K video at 30fps, 4K at 60fps, and 1080p at up to 60fps. Because the wide-angle camera has a gimbal, you can shoot either at a zoom factor of 0.6x or switcher to a tighter 1x focus; the versatility makes it ideal for shooting on the go.

The front 32MP camera is also one of the best I've used on a phone to date. It enables beauty effects by default, so you will have to toggle that setting off to get natural photos, but the quality on offer is better than just about any other Android flagship. Overall, Vivo offers one of the most versatile camera packages here, making the X60 Pro+ stand out from its rivals.

Vivo X60 Pro+: Software

If there's one drawback to Vivo phones, it's the software. Funtouch OS came across as a poor iOS imitation, but Vivo has cleaned up its act with the latest iteration, Funtouch OS 11. The interface is based on Android 11, and at a quick glance, it feels very similar to OPPO's ColorOS 11. It is clear that the two BBK entities have worked closely together on the software front, and the result is the most refined software yet on a Vivo device.

With Funtouch OS 11, Vivo has pared back the overt customization, and the interface ends up looking modern. Gone are the goofy effects and cartoonish icons; you instead get a clean design that's close to pure Android. The notification pane looks virtually identical to what you'll find on the Find X3 Pro, the vertically-scrolling app drawer is standard fare, and the task switcher uses Android 11's horizontally-scrolling cards.

All the Android 11 features are here; your conversations are surfaced at the top of the notification shade, you can use one-time permissions for location, and the power menu has smart home controls — just like on a Pixel. With Android 11, most manufacturers have switched to Google's dialer and Android messages as the default phone and SMS apps, but Vivo is continuing with its own offerings.

You'll find a lot of customization options, and Vivo includes plenty of unique features. The ambient light effect is a nifty option that lets you light up the sides of the phone for incoming notifications and calls. While this is a standard option on most phones, Funtouch OS 11 lets you select the apps you want to use the feature with. You can also change the animation for plugging in a charger, the fingerprint recognition zone, and the home screen.

Vivo has done a remarkable job cleaning up Funtouch OS, and I can confidently say that the software on offer here is leagues ahead of anything I've used on a Vivo device to date.

Vivo X60 Pro+: The competition

There's no shortage of choices if you're looking to pick up a flagship phone in 2021. The OnePlus 9 Pro, in particular, is a solid offering, with the device offering the latest hardware — including a 120Hz AMOLED panel and Snapdragon 888 — along with standout cameras and fast charging in the form of 65W wired and 50W wireless. The software is also refined, and you get IP68 dust and water resistance. However, the battery life isn't ideal, and OnePlus will only deliver two platform updates to the phone.

My recommendation right now goes to the Mi 11 Ultra; the phone has amazing cameras, a 120Hz AMOLED panel, all the hardware features you care about, and it even gets IP68 water resistance. The cameras are among the best you'll find on any phone today, and that alone gives the Mi 11 Ultra an edge over its rivals. That said, Xiaomi will also deliver just two platform updates.

If you need long-term software updates, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the obvious choice. It holds up to its Chinese rivals on the hardware front, and with four years of security updates and three Android updates, it will stay relevant for a lot longer.

Vivo X60 Pro+: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if ...

You need stellar cameras

The cameras on the X60 Pro+ hold their own against other flagships, delivering outstanding photos in any lighting condition. You also get a lot of versatility thanks to the two zoom lenses.

You want a phone for video recording

With a unique gimbal system, the X60 Pro+ is the best phone right now for video recording. It does a great job ensuring handheld video footage is stabilized, and if you see yourself shooting a lot of video, this is the phone to get.

You need the latest hardware

Vivo has nailed the basics with the X60 Pro+, and you get a sublime 120Hz AMOLED panel backed by the latest hardware in the form of the Snapdragon 888. The leather back also makes the phone stand out from its rivals.

You should not buy this if ...

You need the extras

While the X60 Pro+ gets a lot right, it lacks a few table stakes features: there's no wireless charging or water resistance, and you get a single speaker.

You want long-term updates

Vivo will deliver three years of security updates to the X60 Pro+, but the phone will get just two platform updates — one less than what Samsung offers on its devices.

With the X60 Pro+, Vivo has cemented its position in the flagship category. This is the Chinese manufacturer's most refined showing yet, and the gorgeous design combined with the hardware on offer makes the X60 Pro+ measure up to its rivals. The software has also gotten much better — the influences from ColorOS 11 are clearly visible — and it is a breath of fresh air from previous iterations of Funtouch OS.

The biggest reason for picking up the phone is the cameras, and Vivo has delivered in spades. The collaboration with Zeiss has resulted in the best cameras yet from Vivo. The quality of the modules and the unique gimbal system make the X60 Pro+ hold its own against the likes of the Mi 11 Ultra and OnePlus 9 Pro. The X60 Pro+ is particularly well-suited for video, and it is truly remarkable what Vivo has managed to achieve in this form factor.

4 out of 5

But as is the case with every phone, there are downsides. You miss out on IP68 water resistance and wireless charging, and those omissions are hard to forgive in 2021 when every other flagship offers them as standard. Vivo is doing a better job with updates, but the X60 Pro+ will get just two platform updates, limiting the phone's usability.

Overall, the X60 Pro+ gets a lot right. If you don't mind missing out on a few features for the unique cameras, you will love what the X60 Pro+ has to offer.