Vivo X6 hands-on: First encounter

Hardware overview

Did we mention that the Vivo X6 looks like an iPhone 6s? Well, that's because it does, and the similarities are not all that subtle. But then, there are only so many ways you can make a smartphone and certain designs tend to be more popular.

The Vivo X6 is built inside an aluminum-magnesium alloy unibody. A total of 98.3% of it (excluding the front altogether, presumably) is metal, Vivo quotes in its press material. The company takes pride in its craftsmanship and states that the smartphone undergoes 57 production processes to achieve the signature metal finish the device has.

In the end, all this effort is well worth it. The materials and execution give the smartphone a truly high-end look and feel, and that comes at a few dollars more than half of an actual iPhone 6s. Not exactly cheap, but you can find value in it on build alone.

The smartphone is available in two shades of gold - plain and rose, and that's another area, where we see a nod to Apple. Vivo, however, is missing less flashy options in the silver/gray/black part of the spectrum (and if you think we mention black arbitrarily, no, it's because we lament Apple's choice to abandon that particular color on iPhones).

Back of the phone • Fingerprint reader • Protruding camera module

We got the gold version, and you may be wondering why it looks so very silver in some of our photos. Well, at certain angles and lighting the phone gives plenty of ground for quarrels as to its particular color, and we had our share of those at the office. It's certainly not the yellow gold seen in Vivo press material, though we're yet to see a silver model in the flesh - the difference may be a lot more obvious with the two side by side.

The back of the smartphone has a finely textured surface, which is slippery as usual - iPhones suffer from that too. Two antenna strips divide the metal panel, and on the X6 these actually look infinitely more subtle than Apple's. The camera is in the top left corner, accompanied by its single-LED flash.

Where the X6 takes a path very different from its muse is fingerprint recognition. Here the sensor is located on the back, for natural operation with either index finger. This is arguably the better location for it, especially once you're past the 5.5-inch mark, though it works equally well on smaller devices such as the X6 (and the Nexus 5X).

And believe us when we tell you that fingerprint recognition on the Vivo X6 is instantaneous. Vivo says that it takes 0.4s for it to read your print and unlock, and while we have no dependable way of measuring that, the bottom line is that it's lightning fast. Whether it's the fastest or one of the top performers becomes irrelevant at some point (not to mention, difficult to ascertain).

The sides of the phone are another area where Vivo has taken a personal approach. It has sharp edges going all the way around, replacing Apple's smooth curves. It may not look as good (subjectively), but does make for a more secure grip. Both the power button and the volume rocker are on the right side, while the left is reserved for the card slot.

Right side • Power button and volume rocker • Left side • Card tray

Up top there's the 3.5mm headphone jack, which Apple likes to install on the bottom these days. And it's down there that we see perhaps the strongest resemblance to iPhones. Vivo has gone as far as fitting a pair of screws on either side of the USB port, and the number of holes for the speaker equals those on the iPhone 6s Plus, though at this point we have to admit that we may have gotten overly specific about the similarities.

Top of the device • 3.5mm jack • Bottom of the device • Familiar detailing

The front is a whole different matter. The iconic circular home button remains Apple's and Apple's only. Vivo has opted for capacitive keys, much like it always does, so the addition of a fingerprint sensor hasn't resulted in radical design changes.

Sensor array around the earpiece • Capacitive keys

Overall, the Vivo X6 is a premium device and that impression is equally true when you hold it, as it is when you look at it.

Vivo X6 in the hand

Display

The X6 comes with a 5.2-inch FullHD display. It's an AMOLED panel with some of the typical consequences - colors are vibrant, if not entirely accurate, and there's a bluish tint to them. White gets shifted even more towards blue when you look at the screen at an angle, but everything remains clearly legible.

Contrast is obviously great, thanks to the true blacks, but brightness doesn't break any records.