vivo NEX Dual Display review

Competition

There are a few ways of looking at the NEX Dual Display. The main ones probably being as a solid 2018 flagship offer or as merely an intriguing tech showcase.

Whether or not it is going to be viable as a daily driver is entirely a matter of personal needs and preferences, combined with a certain tolerance towards odd software decisions and limited international support. Still, for many, the proposed solution to getting a true "all-screen" front and moving the selfie camera out of the way could very well be enough to outweigh any potential negatives.

If we choose to subscribe to this point of view, then the most logical place to look for viable alternatives would be in the growing pool of other "all-screen" devices and their respective approach to the selfie camera placement.

vivo NEX S • Oppo Find X • ZTE nubia X

The vivo NEX S instantly springs to mind with its periscope camera design. Having discussed product strategy with vivo, it seems that they still actually view the NEX S as their more accessible and hence viable, "mainstream" flagship offer. Of course, given its limited availability, those designations are clearly relative. But it is a fact that prices have gone down nicely by now and the NEX S can be had for just around EUR 500, compared to the NEX DD's EUR 700, or so, MSRP. You are getting one display less, but a bigger screen up front and more battery. Just be warned that the under-display fingerprint reader in the NEX S is pretty much useless.

Since we are already on the topic of motorized, highly engineered solutions to the camera "problem", we can't overlook the Oppo Find X. Another Snapdragon 845 flagship, complete with a huge AMOLED panel. If you really want to treat yourself, though, you can spring for the Super Flash Edition or Lamborghini Edition and get that awe-inspiring, industry-leading 50W SuperVOOC Flash Charge technology.

ZTE has a strong contender in the dual display race as well in the nubia X. It is probably the closest alternative to the NEX Dual Display from a purely design and functionality standpoint. Just like the vivo, it leverages the potent pain camera setup for selfies. Its second display is also arguably implemented in a way more stylish manner. On the flip side (quite literally in this case) the front panel is a noticeable upgrade, seeing how it uses an IPS panel.

Huawei Honor Magic 2 • Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

There's also the more "manual" approach to selfie camera positioning. The one that is tapping into the spirit of the slider designs of old. Both major players currently exploring this form factor are arguably more western-friendly than the likes of vivo and Oppo, which is definitely a bonus for many users. Frankly speaking, deciding between the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 and the Honor Magic 2 is difficult based on a pure specs comparison. The pair is clearly going head to head for market shares, so any preference one way or the other will lie with the user.

Verdict

Let's take a step back here and take a look at things realistically - nobody expects any sort of sweeping performance or a major market splash for the NEX Dual Display. These are clearly experimental devices, technical showcases, of sorts, likely meant to explore future design possibilities and the viability of specific approaches.

Of course, only vivo can really know the true purpose behind the NEX family and just why and how it came about. Seeing how the NEX S and its Dual Display sibling were in the design and development pipeline together and considering their major design differences, yet common end-goal of delivering an "all-screen" device, it seems fair to assume an experimental nature. One executed from a veritable position of power as part of the ranks of BBK electronics. Vivo isn't particularly known for playing in the flagship segment either. So the NEX is clearly something new and different.

Pros

• Unique look and amazing build quality.
• Snappy and accurate under display fingerprint reader.
• Both displays are great in quality.
• Battery life is very good and vivo's 22.5W charging standard makes for snappy top-ups.
• Good overall camera quality marred only by the occasional bugs in exposure metering.
• Shooting your selfies with the main camera makes for some of the best selfies in the industry.

Cons

• Both sides use different unlock methods, which is confusing.
• Most apps have black bars on the rear screen as they use the aspect ratio of the front screen.
• The combination of the two screens hasn't enabled any interesting new features.
• FuntouchOS has an unorthodox UI design, it's not organized well and the Google Services integration seems as an afterthought.
• The secondary 2MP doesn't have a clear purpose, while the 3D TOF camera sees very little action.

All that being said, after spending a considerable amount of time with the NEX S and now its Dual Display sibling, one thing clearly stands out above all else - the clunky nature of vivo's FuntouchOS and general approach to software. Sadly, it casts a huge shadow over the otherwise ambitious experimental design spirit and exquisitely crafted hardware and built quality of the company's products.

Even at its best, on an "international" branch, complete with all the creature comforts, like Google Services and a full familiar app suite, FuntouchOS still disappoints with missing or broken features, unorthodox and just messy UI and menu structures and in this particular case - a very weak software backing for the otherwise intriguing second display implementation.

Just like its NEX S sibling, the vivo NEX Dual Display is a masterfully crafted piece of mobile hardware, sitting at the helm of modern design. All that really remains now is for vivo's software team to hop onto the same boat.