Vivo NEX S Android Smartphone Review

A few months later, the Vivo NEX S introduced features with almost prototype features. But is the NEX S all the brightness and nothing? It’s just a smartphone with a beautiful face and elegance but nothing else? We take great pleasure in Vivo NEX S to give you the answers. 

Design

It’s hard to deny that NEX S’s biggest complaint is its appearance. No other phone, other than the OPPO Find X, can boast of that large screen in the face. The 91.24% screen is straightforward. And that's without giving a notch and having a very small beard. Yes, it is still chin, but it is not visible.

The back of the phone would be fun compared to the Vivo art form. At the back, it produces a variety of colours depending on how the light is reflected from the top glass. The result is amazing and will make you hesitant to blame.

You may want to, however, especially if you are not used to holding a heavy phone. At 199 grams, the Vivo NEX is easily one of the heaviest smartphones among its screen size flags. That may be due to the many compact parts inside, especially the equipment that pulls and pulls the camera with the camera. That extra heft, however, has the effect of making you feel stronger while the slightly curved curve allows the phone to rest comfortably and securely in your hand.

The great design feature of the Vivo NEX S, however, is technology. Because of the moving parts, they are dust-free and waterproof. So even though the phone may hang for a while, it may fall victim to objects. Not something you want to get wet under the rain. 

Specifications

The NEX S is almost standard when it comes to hardware specs. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, aided by 8 GB of RAM, and boasts 128 or 512 GB of storage. It uses a USB-C port and also has a 3.5 mm headphone jack. We'll get to the cameras later but, suffice it to say, the Vivo NEX S is at the top with this year's Android flags.

Given how big and large the screen is, it should be taken into consideration. The Vivo NEX S has a 6.59-inch Super AMOLED display with a pixel resolution of 2316 × 1080. Not exactly QHD or 1440p but meets 2K requirements. Unusual adjustment means that some of the letters in the box will not be blocked. Being an OLED screen from Samsung, you can assume that the NEX S will show the same performance, say, Galaxy S9 or Galaxy Note 9. with it. The screen also tends to like reds and blues over greens, it gives it a healthy but less vivid colour.

The biggest mistake that NEX S makes when it comes to specs, however, is what is missing. Lack of wireless charging may be justified and if you want a much higher 512 GB storage option, the non-expansion of microSD cards is almost irrelevant. But combine the two with the fact that the phone does not have an NFC chip inside, you will begin to see where Vivo may have cutting corners to accomplish its construction and tactics. That means there are no mobile payment options, either Google Pay or whatever China has in its place. 

Camera

Next to the screen, that gimmick camera is one of Vivo NEX S.'s largest helmets. And, admittedly, it's a timeless gimmick. Open the app that needs to use the front camera and exit. Automatically though you can choose your sound effect choice that gets attention. Switch to a different app or close the app and the camera will reload. The machine rubs to expect it to be fast, in less than two seconds, and solid. The fact that it will stop wearing and discarded for everyday use, however, is not something we can quickly answer.

Sadly, it is almost a show. Because while the lifting method may be attractive, the real camera is not. Not uncommon but an 8-megapixel f / 2.0 camera leaves much to be desired. The biggest draw is its Face Beauty AI, except that it is very aggressive and tends to produce good results. It may be very popular in China, but some may find it disturbing.

The phone is not a lost cause, thank you. The main camera, made with a 12-megapixel f / 1.8 sensor with four OIS axis and a PDAF integrated pixel with a 5-megapixel f / 2.4 sensor, is ideal if not the least respectable. It’s not the best thing, mind, but you’ll be amazed at how beautiful it is. Under bright and vibrant conditions, the NEX S produces impressive results with bright colours and precise details. There seems to be an error in the case of over-modification that, like the aggressive Beauty Mode, seems to be designed to take care of social media more than work photos. Ironically, the camera records 2K and 1080p videos at only 30 fps.

Sounds

The Vivo NEX S has another hidden trick: it doesn't have a headphone jack. Instead, it uses motion to turn the upper part of the screen into a sound channel. The company calls this “Screen Sound Casting” and uses the same piezoelectric speaker, which uses a vibrating car, the Xiaomi Mi Mix has, a subtle but important difference. NEX S will not broadcast what others hear, even if it is in a hearing line. That Christmas sound and clear sound is only for your ears.

But when the NEX S 'high-end speaker launches, its down-to-earth speaker is very common, almost unattractive. Great but emphasizes bass to the point of throwing a high tone. Due to the Screen SoundCasting feature, Vivo cannot use the "ear speaker" to create a stereo audio effect. Fortunately, the NEX S has a built-in DAC so you can at least connect to good headphones for more satisfying sound. 

Finger Scanner

Looks like the NEX S never runs out of team tricks, and here it is again. It has a fingerprint scanner (FOD) or a fingerprint scanner on the screen. Not surprisingly there, in fact, as Vivo was the first in the incident after Samsung and Apple dropped the technology soon. Fortunately, the technology has had a period of maturity between the Vivo X21 UD and NEX S, otherwise, it would have been a disappointing affair.

The sensor is fast but not completely accurate. It can take a while to get used to, especially as you need to benefit from a particular area, unlike the Vivo Apex model which proposes a sensitive area that stays part of the screen. Depending on the light, it can also be discarded by different lighting conditions. FOD technology, however, is still in its early days. Sadly, this is not the only thing that can be fixed by a software update.

The Vivo NEX S does not have a face recognition to talk about, which is probably the best solution you have to wait for the camera to appear before turning on your phone. That is to say, our OPPO and your rival do the same with getting X. Surprisingly, no one has a fingerprint scanner at all. 

Software

While the NEX S so far seems to be a balanced combination of good features and flexibility, the software is where the smartphone falls off its face. That is, it depends on where you come from. Android users who complain about how TouchWiz stitched the stage may have never heard of Vivo's Funtouch OS popularity. Or ColorOS for OPPO and Xiaomi's MIUI, that's the story. If there is a common thread between these Chinese Chinese desires that, or, at least, they did not intend to look and feel.

That will surely be your first impression of the NEX S 'version of Android. Vivo's Funtouch even tried to copy the new touch of the iPhone X, even with the now active control centre rising from the ground up. And it stays beautiful or works all the time. If you come from any other Android experience, the repair time will be long and painful. If you are already a Vivo user, then you will not have a problem at all.

That's not the only software problem. NEX S puts his Vivo effort into an AI assistant called Jovi. And, unfortunately, it has its own dedicated button. And it is useless for anyone other than China. Speaking of which, if you end up getting a Chinese model, you won't have Google Play services. Models sold in other markets, such as India, fortunately, do not have such a problem. 

Performance and Battery

So how does the Vivo NEX S work in the real world? Surprisingly, to be honest. With a small compliment to the Snapdragon 845 and 8 GB of RAM, the smartphone stays fast and responsive. Surprisingly given how difficult it can be to customize Funtouch. However, apart from all of its dances or perhaps because of it, Vivo did not have enough space for a fancy water cooling system, so be careful when paying taxes.

Battery life may be hitting or failing. A 4,000 mAh pack can last you every two days, a day and at least a few hours. The discrepancy is caused by the part of Funtouch's memory management that is aggressive and thoughtless. You can't run the plug before the day is over but don't let it stretch. Fortunately, the NEX S incorporates very fast charging to do just that. 

Conclusion

So should you buy the Vivo NEX S? If you live outside China or one of the markets where it is officially sold, the answer is simple: no. The software upgrades that come with Funtouch, especially the lack of Google Play Store, are more than enough to ruin the beautiful but boring smartphone look experience. But if you have easy access to the phone, the scales are still dripping very badly.

The NEX S definitely looks good and is a good start to a conversation, but you don’t get the best that the market has to offer you. While it looks like a future smartphone, judging by the latest flagship series, even Vivo and OPPO itself seem to have little hope for the future.