On June 28th, Gizcoupon reported that the vivo X90s was officially launched on June 26, Beijing time. As an iterative model of the vivo X series, the X90s has upgraded to the new Dimensity 9200+ flagship platform based on the X90. Moreover, it has placed a strong emphasis on the imaging aspect by enhancing the “image tone,” bringing a unique professional imaging experience with the new texture color mode. Additionally, it features comprehensive enhancements to 5G and Wi-Fi signals, along with the introduction of the vibrant Cyan rippling color scheme, perfect for the summer season.
Gizcoupon has obtained this new product, and now let’s delve into the hands-on experience.
One: Design and Appearance
The vivo X90s offers four color options: Cyan rippling color, China red, White, and black. It also comes with two different finishes, namely matte, and glass. While the latter three color options are well-known, the new Cyan rippling color is specifically designed for the vivo X90s and this summer season. According to Jia Jingdong, the Vice President of vivo, the name Cyan rippling is derived from a line in classical Chinese poetry, meaning “clear and rippling stream.”
As the official statement describes, the new Cyan rippling color scheme draws inspiration from the frequently occurring green shade in traditional Chinese culture. It brings a touch of freshness and vibrancy to the upcoming scorching summer days.
The overall color scheme of Cyan rippling is predominantly green with a subtle hint of blue, evoking a slightly profound impression. Although this color may not be overly vibrant, it represents a refreshing choice within the smartphone industry, with high recognizability.
Regarding the design, the Cyan rippling color scheme edition adopts a glossy glass finish rather than the AG matte glass process. Therefore, it exhibits a certain degree of mirror-like reflection under light, inevitably attracting fingerprints. However, since it is recommended to use a protective case, this should not pose a significant issue.
Vivo X90s Camera Design
In terms of Color, Material, and Finish design, the vivo X90s inherits the aesthetic design of its predecessor, the vivo X90. The camera module of the X90s incorporates all the cameras within a single “big eye,” which slightly protrudes from the body.
To mitigate the abruptness of the camera module, vivo has introduced a frosted metal halo at the junction between the “big eye” and the rear panel.
Below the camera module, there is the silk ribbon cloud step of the vivo X90s.
This silk ribbon cloud step showcases a brand-new green wave texture in the Cyan rippling color scheme. When observed from different angles, the interplay of light and shadow unveils the graceful movement of this green wave.
This silk ribbon cloud step serves as a focal point in the visual design of the entire device. When viewing the back of the phone, one’s attention is naturally drawn to this “cloud step.” Moreover, it creates a balanced and harmonious visual effect, enhancing the circular camera module’s appearance, which was previously positioned on the left side.
The silk ribbon cloud step is also imprinted with the words “Xtreme Imagination / vivo-ZEISS co-engineered,” adding a touch of ceramic-like texture to the overall cloud step.
In terms of dimensions, the vivo X90s measures approximately 164.10 x 74.44 x 8.48mm, with a weight of around 202.2g. The Huáxià hóng variant, which utilizes the matte finish, is slightly lighter, weighing about 197.5g.
The screen design of vivo X90s
There aren’t significant changes in other aspects compared to the previous generation vivo X90. It still features a 6.78-inch JD Q9 Super AMOLED eye-protection display, offering a 2160Hz PWM high-frequency dimming capability. Additionally, it supports SGS eye-protection certification and HDR10+.
The front-facing camera is centrally positioned and consists of a 32-megapixel GD2 sensor with an f/2.45 aperture.
This display employs a new generation of luminescent materials, achieving a peak brightness of 1300 nits. It adopts a new blue diamond arrangement, resulting in a pixel density of up to 452ppi. Vivo has also devised a new triple eye-protection solution encompassing software, hardware, and chip optimization.
Furthermore, the screen color style introduces a new “Zeiss Natural Color” mode. It ensures accurate color reproduction from the moment of capture to display.
Two: Vivo X90s imaging experience
“Visual Experience” is a key upgrade in the generation of the vivo X90s. In terms of hardware specifications, it remains the same as the X90. It still features the combination of IMX866+IMX663+IMX663, which has not changed from the previous generation. The main camera still uses the VCS biomimetic spectral sensor with OIS support. The 12MP IMX663 portrait lens supports Zeiss’s Flare Portrait. Additionally, it can simulate the halo effect of Zeiss cinematic lenses in backlit scenes.
However, this time, the X90s places a particular emphasis on “tone” – the all-new vivo Texture Color.
Hardware Specifications and Camera Features of vivo X90s
According to Jia Jingdong’s revelation, vivo Texture Color aims to create a third dimension of color for vivo, beyond “visually appealing” (vibrant colors) and “true to life” (Zeiss’s natural colors). It focuses on “personal depth” and “humanistic emotions.” It helps users capture richly colored individual masterpieces, depict daily scenes with a human touch, and achieve an “eternal recognition” of this summer.
In fact, prior to the vivo X90s, vivo had already introduced a beta firmware for the vivo X90 Pro+ that incorporated the “Demo X” color style, similar to vivo Texture Color. This color system emphasizes distinct light and shadow, highlighting texture. It is suitable for scenes that need to express a sense of atmosphere and narrative.
It must be said that vivo has been quite prompt in its actions.
This year, many manufacturers have started to focus on “tone” in their imaging, emphasizing the sense of “light and shadow.” However, some professionals have often criticized vivo’s signature memory color system as having a digital feel, flat images, and a lack of depth.
In reality, so-called memory color or tone is merely an aesthetic choice. There is no absolute judgment of what is good or bad. Many people enjoy the high saturation of memory colors because it restores the original colors of the scene. However, there are also those who prefer the strong contrast and “tone” feeling of light and shadow, as it gives a high-end and narrative appeal.
Introducing Texture Color
Vivo has also given users the power of choice. Building upon the foundation of “vibrant colors” and “Zeiss’s natural colors,” they have introduced the all-new “Texture Color.”
According to official explanations, the inspiration for “Texture Color” comes from Kodachrome film. It utilizes vibrant colors and higher saturation, achieving a perfect combination of aesthetics, storytelling, and emotions.
From the comparison samples, under the “Texture Color” mode, the images exhibit strong contrast, and slightly cool, and rich tones. Additionally, there are distinct vignetting effects at the edges, providing a sense of depth and dimension, giving it a distinctly human touch.
In the “Vibrant” mode, the images are brighter, with relatively lively colors. Thus, it aligns with the concept of “memory color.”
Let’s take a look at the sample images together:
All taken on a rainy day, using the “Texture Color” mode.
Portrait photography remains a strong suit of the vivo X90s. The portrait lens is the IMX663, a familiar companion from the blue factory, so there’s no need to elaborate on its performance.
The vivo X90s comes with a variety of Zeiss portrait lens packages, including Zeiss Flare Portrait, Zeiss Cinematic, Zeiss Biotar, and Zeiss Distagon. For those who enjoy capturing portraits, the Zeiss Flare Portrait, for example, simulates the classic cinematic lenses of Zeiss. The sample images exhibit a distinct rainbow pattern that changes with variations in the backlight, showcasing its high-quality texture.
Three: Vivo X90s Performance
In terms of core configuration, the vivo X90s is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ chipset. Additionally, it comes standard with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage, starting from 256GB. It also benefits from the proprietary V2 chip.
Regarding storage options, it offers three versions: 8GB+256GB, 12GB+256GB, and 12GB+512GB. Gizcoupon received the top-of-the-line version with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
The battery has an effective capacity of 4810mAh and supports 120W dual-cell flash charging. Other features include an X-axis linear motor, full-scene NFC, and dual stereo speakers. It also supports IP64 water and dust resistance and Wi-Fi 7.
Dimensity 9200+ chipset
The Dimensity 9200+ is touted as the “most powerful flagship chip of 2023.” This chip was also first introduced by the Blue Factory in the iQOO Neo8 Pro. In just a little over a month, the Blue Factory has released two smartphones featuring the Dimensity 9200+ chipset. Without going into further details, the Blue Factory has acted quite swiftly.
The CPU and GPU performance of the Dimensity 9200+ has significantly improved compared to the previous generation. The octa-core CPU consists of 1 Arm Cortex-X3 ultra-large core with a clock speed of up to 3.35GHz, 3 Arm Cortex-A715 big cores with clock speeds of up to 3.0GHz, and 4 Arm Cortex-A510 efficiency cores with a clock speed of 2.0GHz.
As an upgraded version of the Dimensity 9200, the Dimensity 9200+ offers a 10% performance improvement for the performance cores and an 11% improvement for the efficiency cores. Both the ultra-large core and big cores have been upgraded to over 3.0GHz. Therefore, its overall performance is not to be underestimated.
Furthermore, the Dimensity 9200+ is equipped with an 11-core GPU, the Immortalis-G715, with a peak frequency increase of up to 17%. Its powerful performance meets the demands of users for the smooth running of mobile games and complex applications.
The Benchmark Scores of the vivo X90s
Now let’s take a look at the benchmark scores of the vivo X90s.
As shown in the above image, the vivo X90s achieved an impressive score of 1,606,498 in the AnTuTu benchmark. It’s worth noting that this test was performed using AnTuTu version 10. This version has some improvements in benchmark scores. Nevertheless, a score of 1.6 million is undeniably a remarkable performance in the Android camp.
For comparison, in version 9, the vivo X90s still achieved a score of over 1.36 million.
In the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the vivo X90s achieved a single-core score of over 1,527 and a multi-core score of 4,846. Its overall performance is close to that of the iQOO Neo8 Pro, with its single-core score just slightly lower.
With the increase in clock speeds for the ultra-large and big cores of the Dimensity 9200+, the CPU performance has significantly improved.
In terms of flash storage performance, the vivo X90s scored over 130,000 in the storage test of AnTuTu. The write speed exceeded 4,000MB/s, and the read speed reached over 2,600MB/s. This is still considered top-level performance in the Android camp, and there’s nothing much to elaborate on.
Four: Vivo X90s gaming experience
After the benchmark test, let’s take a look at the gaming performance of the vivo X90s.
Gizcoupon chose the highest graphics quality setting to conduct a 30-minute test on “Genshin Impact.” The testing environment was an air-conditioned room at around 22°C. The gameplay scenario involved outdoor exploration and combat. Moreover, combat scenes accounted for more than 40% of the total gameplay time with Monster Mode enabled on the phone.
The results of the 30-minute test showed that the average frame rate of the vivo X90s reached 59.55 fps.
During the 30-minute gameplay of “Genshin Impact,” the vivo X90s did not experience any throttling or frame rate locks, and the frame rate fluctuations were minimal. There were slight fluctuations in the early stages of the game, but they stabilized in the later stages. Even in combat scenes, noticeable frame drops were few. Overall, the gaming performance was remarkably stable. The performance delivered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ chip was truly outstanding.
Vivo X90s temperature control
In terms of temperature control, the main area of heat concentration on the vivo X90s was the upper half of the device. It exhibited a certain degree of warmth when touched. The highest measured temperature was around 42°C, which was acceptable overall.
The vivo X90s, equipped with the self-developed V2 chip, also provides features for enhancing the gaming experience, such as “Frame Rate Boost” and “High Frame Rate/Low Power Consumption.”
Taking “Genshin Impact” as an example, the game’s maximum frame rate is 60 frames per second. However, by enabling “Frame Rate Boost” and utilizing the V2 chip’s frame interpolation, a higher refresh rate gaming experience can be achieved.
In addition to increasing frame rates and reducing power consumption, the vivo X90s also supports visual enhancements for gaming. For instance, the “Eagle Eye Mode” enhances contrast and utilizes visible disparities, allowing players to spot enemies hiding in shadows or dark areas quickly.
Five: Overall Experience
In terms of the operating system, the vivo X90s is equipped with OriginOS 3. OriginOS 3 brings many optimizations and upgrades to the underlying system. For example, the “Unfair Scheduling” feature resolves the lag issue caused by insufficient foreground resources in a multitasking environment. It also features an “Instant Resurrection” mechanism, ensuring that background apps can quickly return to their previous states when launched.
On the vivo X90s, OriginOS 3 introduces upgrades in areas such as instant text extraction, global translation, privacy, and permission management. For example, with “Instant Text Extraction,” users can conveniently extract text from any on-screen context. When browsing Gizcoupon news, for instance, users can simply invoke the sidebar and select “Extract Text” to extract all the text from the webpage.
Compared to the conventional “screenshot extraction” method commonly used in the industry, vivo X90s’ instant text extraction is undoubtedly more convenient.
Another feature is the “Global Translation” function. Users can enable global translation anytime during their daily usage by adding it to the sidebar.
This feature supports partial translation, full-screen translation, and AI subtitle translation.
Vivo X90s security and privacy protection
In terms of security and privacy, the X90s introduces the “Intelligent Privacy Blurring” feature. This feature is highly practical, especially when we inevitably “share” photos containing personal information in our daily lives and work. With “Intelligent Privacy Blurring,” users can easily blur out sensitive information on the image-sharing interface, such as names, addresses, ID numbers, phone numbers, etc. It even allows for adding full-image watermarks and restricting the usage of images, thus preventing misuse by others.
Compared to manually photoshopping images, this “Intelligent Privacy Blurring” feature is both aesthetically pleasing and efficient.
In terms of other experiences, the vivo X90s brings a “Pro” 5G communication experience. The company claims to be the first in the industry to adopt direct-screen 5G carrier aggregation. Furthermore, its download speed is twice as fast as traditional 5G. It also utilizes intelligent signal search algorithms. When users leave areas with weak signals, the signal search engine immediately looks for the optimal network, ensuring that users are always connected to the best possible network. The X90s has also upgraded to DSDA technology, enabling 5G dual SIM dual standby. It combines dual 5G/4G and 2.4GHz/5GHz Wi-Fi for six-network synergy.
Six: Conclusion:
Six months ago, the vivo X90 was praised by Gizcoupon for “redefining the standard flagship.” Now, the vivo X90s has arrived with a refreshing upgrade. It goes even further than the standard flagship, offering the performance experience that is currently at the ceiling of the Android camp, more advanced communication capabilities, improved details, a refined system experience, and, most importantly, a more compelling and vibrant “texture of colors” in imaging. The experiential upgrade brought about by these changes is quite evident and cannot be simply summarized by a small “s.”
Therefore, I still highly praise the vivo X90s. It is a device that is well-suited for users who pursue aesthetics and individuality, enjoy photography, and have certain performance requirements.
If you meet these criteria and have a budget ranging from $400 to $600, the vivo X90s is a highly recommended choice.
Price Information:
- 8GB+256GB priced at 3,999 yuan (approximately $556)
- 12GB+256GB priced at 4,299 yuan (approximately $598)
- 12GB+512GB priced at 4,699 yuan (approximately $654)
