vivo takes aim at the gaming market
After making a name for its stylish smartphones for photography, vivo ventures out to a new niche market, this time targeting mobile gamers with the launch of its first-ever gaming smartphones.
The vivo T1x and T1 5G are equipped with gaming-centric specs and vivo’s trademark design philosophy and armed with a price tags that make them more interesting options.
The one we are reviewing today is the entry-level vivo T1x that comes with a pretty reliable Snapdragon 680 chipset, so is this the gaming phone you should buy?
If you missed our unboxing/first impressions you can check out the link below.
To recap, inside the box, you’ll find the vivo T1x unit, a jelly case, paper documents, an 18W wall charger, USB-C to USB-A cable and sim card ejector tool, pretty standard but a pair of earphones would be a great bonus esp for gaming phones.
BUILD AND DESIGN
The T1x has a standard look–which isn’t actually bad, it just means that you’ve seen this similar design from other smartphones. But this would attract those minimalists who hate gradients, and textured finishes. Instead, the T1x has a frosted back panel that comes in either Space Blue or Gravity Black colorway–either of which are good choices.
The back, while still prone to fingerprint smudges and because of the smooth finish, it can get a slippery when your hands get all sweaty from gaming, so better slap on that jelly case for an extra grip.
The T1x has a flat back as well as flat sides that offers a comfortable grip. It’s not the most ergononomic, but thankfully it is light enough to hold comfortably. If you’d prefer a gaming phone with a curved back check out the T1 5G instead.
Exploring the phone, starting with the back is a rectangular module that houses the rear cameras and the vivo branding below it. On the top is the sim tray holder, while on the right side you’ll find the volume rocker and the power button which doubles as a fingerprint scanner.
The placement of the power button and fingerprint scanner are well-positioned and easy to reach esp when you need to do a one-handed screenshot. The fingerprint sensor is also quick to unlock your phone.
Below there’s the USB-C port along with the speaker grill and also the headphone jack. Its nice to know that vivo has decided to keep the headphone jack since a lot of gamers still prefer to use wired earphones/headphones.
At the back of the smartphone is the camera module with a rectangular shape and again, it does look generic and very similar to other vivo smartphones.
In terms of Design and Build, the T1x may not be the most eye-catching, but it certainly doesn’t look cheap. It is quite thin and light and the build quality is what you’d expect from a company like vivo, so you know you are getting phone that has been tested to last.
DISPLAY AND AUDIO
The vivo T1x presents a 1080P ultra clear display with its 6.58-inch Full HD+ resolution screen with high 401 ppi. As a result, this Incell screen with a 90.6 screen-to-body ratio displays everything vividly with rich colors and pleasant brightness when viewing content.
Since this is a gaming phone, vivo made sure it could provide gamers with a silky-smooth and delightful experience with a 90Hz refresh rate that is usually reserved for higher priced devices. Make sure to turn own smart switch under the Screen Refresh Rate settings to automatically switch the most appropriate rate according to the actual usage scenario and save on your battery.
And to make sure the user still gets eye protection, when playing games in the middle of the night, there is a blue light. Additionally, there is also an option for screen color profile adjustment found in the settings giving you the option to choose between standard, professional or bright settings.
Audio quality is what you’d expect from its single downfiring speaker, meaning it does its job, but you’d be better off using your favorite wired earphones for a much better experience.
That said, the vivo T1x display is one of the highlight features of this phone and that 90Hz is something you’ll notice when playing games.
CAMERAS
For the cameras, the vivo T1x comes with a triple rear camera setup with 50MP main shooter + 2MP macro + 2MP depth and on the front is an 8MP selfie shooter. Camera modes include night, portrait, photo and video and if you tap more, you can also access 50MP mode, panorama, live photo, slo-mo, timelapse, Pro and Documents.
Check out our sample photos below:
Our camera tests gave us satisfying results with photos taken outdoors and good lighting thanks to the 50MP lens and its f/1.8 aperture that assists in capturing more light into the sensor. You get sharp photos with good detail, though it does lack a bit of punch.
The same goes for selfies, the better the lighting the better the output.
GAME ON: PERFORMANCE AND SOFTWARE
Of course no matter how good the design and display are, it will still come down to how well the smartphone performs in daily use–and in the case of the vivo T1x when playing games
It comes with a Snapdragon 680 4G processor inside which is one of the more popular chips for the entry to low mid-range market and it does a spiffy job of running things smoothly. Browsing the web, watching videos, email, messaging, with several apps opened is no problem with the T1x.
Now for gaming, it tells a similar story. What makes the T1x unique from other vivo phones is Ultra Game Mode. Go to settings and choose Ultra Game Mode to turn on the Game Side Bar (swipe sideways to bring up this short cut during gameplay.
Bring up the sidebar to access Esports Mode for a more professional, immersive and smoother game experience. This include minimal disturbance with all notifications except for low battery warnings will be muted. Turn on Disable Three Fingerprint Screen Capture to prevent accidental touches. Optimized Diplay settings by turning on brightness lock to provide the best display settings and get the best gaming performance by intelligently balancing temperature and frame rate.
For an even more immersive experience there’s 4D vibration which you can turn on for certain games like PUBG Mobile to simulate game scenario effects such as gunshots. If you are wearing headphones /earphones turn Game surround sound which is specifically designed for games in order to accurately reflect the direction and distance of game sounds, this is especially made for battle royale games. And just like how it protects your eyes, the vivo T1X has ear customized sound effects that customize sound profiles based on your hearing capability and age. This is valid only in headset mode.
Looking for more games, there is a Game Center app that directs you the download/install page for even more suggested games. You can filter it via category or rankings.
The efficient octa-core Snapdragon 680 processor is capable of handling all of the games we installed without any lag or stutter as long as you leave it to the default settings. The 4GB + 1GB shared RAM coming from the on-board storage brings the total 5GB and gives it that extra oomph and alleviates the stress on the actual memory.
As you can see from this screenshot we loaded it with tons of casual games, Mobile Legends, Call of Duty, PUBG etc and as expected, it was fine and acceptable. We also tried it on some of the more demanding ones like Genshin Impact and Ni No Kuni and the vivo T1x was able to run these games but on the lowest settings. So if you are a gamer, the T1x won’t disappoint.
The Qualcomm chipset found on the vivo T1x 4G enables efficient performance and the 5000 mAh battery would easily last you a day or two with moderate use and at least half a day of continuous gaming. As for charging the phones comes with an 18W Fast charger which would get you about 33 percent in half an hour and just over an hour to complete charging.
FINAL WORD:
With every smartphone brand trying to take a bite out of the tasty mobile gaming market, vivo is facing a lot of established competition.
Gamers can be particularly picky especially with the specs and pricing but the T1x is able to present a very interesting proposition.
Just like a game which has a balance of playability and difficulty levels, the vivo T1x gives gamers everything they need in an entry-level gaming phone. A smooth 90Hz display, a hard working Snapdragon 680 SoC, a handy set of cameras, a battery that could keep up with those gaming sessions and a price that’s very easy to like.
In conclusion, vivo scores a hit with its first salvo in the mobile gaming market and the T1x is a very nice option for those who are want an affordable gaming phone and makes us even more excited as to what they could offer next.
The vivo T1x 4G is priced at P8,999 for the 4+64GB variant and is available on Lazada, Shopee and vivo outlets nationwide.
vivo T1x 4G specs:
Display: 6.58-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD, 401 ppi
CPU: Snapdragon 680 octa-core 6nm
GPU: Adreno 610 graphics
RAM: 4GB + 1GB extendable
Storage: 64GB ROM, expandable up to 1TB via microSD card up
Rear Camera: 50MP camera wide sensor + 2MP depth + 2MP macro, 1080p video
Front Camera: 8MP f/1.8
Connectivity: USB-C port, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi ac, GPS
Battery: 5000 mAh, 18W fast charging
OS: Android 11, Funtouch 12
Colors: Gravity Black, Space Blue
