vivo Z1Pro hands-on review

Software

The Z1Pro has vivo's Funtouch OS 9.0 based on Android 9 Pie. Our review unit was running on the June security patch, which it received within the month of June itself but never quite got the July patch in the time we had the device.

Funtouch OS 9 launcher, notification center and control center

As with previous versions, Funtouch OS can be a bit of an acquired taste, mostly because it still carries a heavy iOS influence and tries to force-fit it with traditional Android design. vivo is the only major Android OEM that splits the notification center and control center into two different screens, with the notification center accessible by swiping down from the top of the display and control center accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the display. Needless to say, this is exactly how it works on iOS.

Default apps

It also has other iOS design influences, such as the widget screen on the left of the homescreen and swiping down on the homescreen brings up search, although these elements are also copied wholesale by several other Android OEMs.

Also, much like on iOS, the Settings app is a complete jumble of options and it takes a while to get used to where everything is located. If you're coming from any other Android phone you will find yourself completely lost at first.

Plethora of software features and customization options

It's not to say that you can't get used to any of this; having the control center at the bottom of the display is more convenient than reaching to the top of the screen every time you want to adjust the brightness. The OS is also quite feature-rich otherwise, once you locate everything within the Settings app. But the design is so far away from standard Android UI design guidelines that it doesn't even feel like Android anymore and just comes across as a shoddy iOS clone most of the time.

Performance

In terms of performance, the Z1Pro acquits itself quite well thanks to the Snapdragon 712. The CPU performance is slower than the Snapdragon 670 on the Redmi Note 7 Pro but the GPU is more powerful, which means the Z1Pro is able to comfortably pull ahead in GPU related activities.

The overall performance of the Z1Pro was really good in all the apps as well as in demanding games.

GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Pocophone F1
  9003
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
  6620
• Vivo Z1 Pro
  6001
• Realme X
  5915
• Realme 3 Pro
  5881
• Nokia 7.1
  4975
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  4929
• Samsung Galaxy M30
  4188
• Samsung Galaxy A30
  4146

GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Pocophone F1
  2438
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
  2404
• Vivo Z1 Pro
  1917
• Realme X
  1475
• Realme 3 Pro
  1471
• Nokia 7.1
  1344
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  1331
• Samsung Galaxy A30
  1319
• Samsung Galaxy M30
  1311

AnTuTu 7

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Pocophone F1
  265314
• Vivo Z1 Pro
  184517
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
  180754
• Realme 3 Pro
  155647
• Nokia 7.1
  117175
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  115571
• Samsung Galaxy M30
  101651
• Samsung Galaxy A30
  96550

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Pocophone F1
  60
• Vivo Z1 Pro
  26
• Realme 3 Pro
  23
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
  17
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  10
• Nokia 7.1
  10
• Samsung Galaxy A30
  8.1
• Samsung Galaxy M30
  8.1

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Pocophone F1
  53
• Vivo Z1 Pro
  24
• Realme 3 Pro
  20
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
  15
• Nokia 7.1
  9.7
• Nokia 6.1 Plus
  9.6
• Samsung Galaxy A30
  7.4
• Samsung Galaxy M30
  7.3

3DMark SSE 3.1 Unlimited

Higher is better

• Vivo Z1 Pro
  2245
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
  1220
• Samsung Galaxy M30
  645
• Samsung Galaxy A30
  587