The X80 Pro is one of our favourite phones of 2022 but the Chinese giant is pressing ahead with a slew of replacement models. Here’s reverything you need to know about the Vivo X90 series.
When will the Vivo X90 be released?
Vivo announced the phones via live stream in its native China on 22 November 2022. The Vivo X90 and X90 Pro went up for pre-sale on that day but the X90 Pro+ won’t be available to buy until 28 November. All three phones ship and go on full sale on 6 December. The company did not mention any plans for a global launch of the X90 series, but we did get a UK and European version of the X80 Pro, so fingers crossed. In late December, an official looking poster was leaked on Twitter that alleges a global X90 series event will take place on 31 January 2023, though it doesn’t state anything else such as which phones and which countries. We’ll have to wait and see.
How much does the Vivo X90 cost?
The Vivo X90 costs ¥3,699 ($520/£430) for the 8GB RAM/128GB version. It also comes in 8GB/256GB, 12GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB versions for ¥3,999 ($560/£470), ¥4,499 ($630/£530) and ¥4,999 ($700/£590) respectively. The X90 Pro costs ¥4,999 ($700/£590) for the 8GB/256GB model. A 12GB/256GB version is ¥5,499 ($670/£650) while a 12GB/512GB version is ¥5,999 ($840/£700). The X90 Pro+ costs ¥6,499 ($900/£760) for the 12GB RAM/256GB storage version. A 512GB model costs ¥6,999 ($980/£825). The X80 Pro costs £1,199 in the UK, so if the phones make it here, they will all cost considerably more than the converted prices shown.
What are the Vivo X90’s specs and features?
Vivo has thrown the kitchen sink at the X90 series with three phones with different specs and features. The regular X90 shares a lot of its core specs with the X90 Pro, though the Pro adds things such as wireless charging, an improved portrait telephoto lens and a slightly larger battery. The X90 Pro+ goes all out with IP68 and an insane quad camera set up including a one-inch main camera sensor similar to the one on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. It’s also the only model to have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip instead of the MediaTek Dimensity 9200. It’s all a little confusing, so here’s a full spec breakdown of the three.
Vivo X90
MediaTek Dimensity 920050Mp f/1.75 main camera (Sony IMX866)12Mp f/2.0 108-degree ultrawide lens (Sony IMX663)12Mp f/2.0 2x portrait telephoto lens (Sony IMX663)32MP f/2.45 selfie camera6.78in 120Hz AMOLED, 2800 x 1260pUp to 12GB LPDDR5 RAMUp to 512GB UFS 4.0 storageAndroid 13 with OriginOS 3In-display fingerprint sensor4810mAh battery120W wired charging5G/4GWi-Fi 6Bluetooth 5.2GPSaptX HDHi-res audio164 x74.4 x 8.8mm195g
Vivo X90 Pro
MediaTek Dimensity 920050Mp f/1.75 main camera (Sony IMX866)12Mp f/2.0 108-degree ultrawide lens (Sony IMX663)50Mp f/1.6 2x portrait telephoto lens (Sony IMX663)32MP f/2.45 selfie camera6.78in 120Hz AMOLED, 2800 x 1260pUp to 12GB LPDDR5 RAMUp to 512GB UFS 4.0 storageAndroid 13 with OriginOS 3In-display fingerprint sensor4870mAh battery120W wired charging50W wireless charging5G/4GWi-Fi 6Bluetooth 5.3GPSNFCaptX HDHi-res audio164 x 74.5 x 9.3mm215g
Vivo X90 Pro+
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 21in 50Mp f/1.65 main camera (Sony IMX989)48Mp f/2.2 ultrawide lens50Mp f/1.6 2x portrait telephoto (Sony IMX758) with gimbal OIS64Mp f/3.5 3.5x periscope telephoto sensor32Mp selfie camera6.78in 120Hz QHD+ LTPO 4.0 AMOLED, 3200 x 1400pUp to 12GB LPDDR5 RAMUp to 512GB UFS 4.0 storageAndroid 13 with OriginOS 3In-display fingerprint sensor4700mAh battery80W wired charging50W wireless charging5G/4GWi-Fi 6EBluetooth 5.3GPSNFCaptX HDHi-res audioIP68 water and dust resistance164.3 x 75.3 x 9.7mm220g
We thought the X80 Pro earlier in 2022 was as much phone as Vivo could throw at us, but X90 Pro+ is a full-on flagship that tries to push the smartphone envelope once again. The 1in main camera sensor is remarkable as it’s one of the first uses of the Sony IMX989. Vivo has used it with a glass lens coated with Zeiss T, a formula that is said to reduce glare. The company is taking full advantage of its fairly new partnership with Zeiss since the legendary camera maker ditched Huawei. Vivo says this 50Mp lens has a 77% larger photosensitive area compared to the 1/1.3in sensor on the X80 Pro. That phone had superb low light results thanks to its large sensor, so we really hope the X90 Pro+ comes to Europe so we can get our hands on it to test out. The camera setup is paired with Vivo’s new V2 image signal processor (ISP) too, a mouth-watering upgrade prospect. With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 it’s also now one of the most powerful and capable smartphones in the world. How Vivo makes use of it beyond raw processing for the camera remains to be seen, but bear in mind any release outside of China will probably see the phone run Vivo’s Funtouch software rather than the OriginOS it runs in its native country. All that potential phone magic runs on an obscenely bright 1800 nit 2K AMOLED screen, a Samsung E6 panel to be precise. It’s got 10-bit colour accuracy and can refresh between 1Hz and 120Hz thanks to its LTPO 4.0 technology. The phone comes in black or a lovely red leather version. We really hope it comes to Europe. Until then, be sure to take a look at our roundup of the best smartphones currently available to see what the X90 series will be up against. Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.
