vivo X60 Pro+ review

Competition

The vivo X60 Pro+ competes at the highest level, and rivals are many and capable. We can think of several loosely related offerings from vivo's sister companies, and also Xiaomi's latest, plus a couple of Samsungs.

If you're trying to match the X60 Pro+' camera prowess, it'll take a Galaxy Ultra of some sort, but both the S20 Ultra and the S21+ Ultra come in at a serious premium over the vivo's asking price. The S21+, on the other hand, is about there. It's not as great at zooming in, and its ultrawide is nowhere as capable as the X60 Pro+' either, but you could hardly call its images disappointing. The Galaxy does offer niceties like an IP rating and stereo speakers, and has longer battery life. The scantest of retail bundles doesn't help its case, and ultimately the vivo is the better choice for image capture.

That's also true against the Mi 11 proper, itself having zero telephoto cameras against the vivo's two, even though you may be a fan of the Mi 11's 27MP main camera photos. The Xiaomi does have one of the brightest displays around, plus stereo speakers and an IR blaster if you can find any use for it.

The OnePlus 9 Pro goes for X60 Pro+ money, and it has a few things going for it in a battle against the vivo - a higher-res adaptive RR display, IP rating and stereo speakers. It's not as tele-cam-deprived as the Mi 11, with a 3.3x unit in between the vivo's 2x and 5x, though it probably doesn't qualify for a tie in the camera department, and the X60 Pro should be higher on your shortlist if you care about taking pictures.

The Oppo Find X3 we haven't seen, but we can extrapolate from our experience with the Find X3 Pro. It's got a better display than the vivo, and potentially slightly better battery life, though the non-Pro Find comes with a slightly lower-grade SD870 chipset. The Find has awesome cameras, but it tops out at 2x zoom, so the vivo wins for reach, but the Oppo has a unique 'microscope' unit that might just be your thing.

Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G • Xiaomi Mi 11 • OnePlus 9 Pro • Oppo Find X3

Verdict

The vivo X60 Pro+ has very few things missing for the high-end handset that it is. How important stereo speakers and water-resistance are to you isn't a question we can answer, but we feel the Pro+ has enough pros going for it to offset their absence.

If you value the camera aspect of your smartphone, you should know that there probably isn't a more proficient and well-rounded option for the money. While that's the X60 Pro+' standout capability, the handset also packs a great display and excels at speed and performance while delivering similar endurance to the bulk of the competition. The distinctive looks aren't hurting it either.

Smartphones from vivo have rarely struck us as being particularly high on the bang-for-buck meter, instead typically providing more premium-priced propositions. The X60 Pro+ isn't by any means cheap either, but in its top-tier market segment, it has both the spec sheet and the real-world performance to warrant its asking price.

Pros

• High-quality build, premium looks, rich retail bundle.
• Wonderful AMOLED display - bright, accurate, 120Hz.
• Class-leading performance.
• Great photo quality across the board.
• Excellent video stabilization.

Cons

• No IP rating for dust and water protection.
• No stereo speakers.
• No wireless charging.