Vivo NEX 3S Smartphone Review with Key Features

One of the most talked about smartphones of our time has become the Vivo Nex 3. For starters, it is worth noting that a huge audience bet on who will show the world a model with a waterfall screen faster - Vivo or Huawei. Then they were eagerly awaiting the moment when the gadget goes on sale in order to personally verify the superiority of the products over the rest.

Display quality

This model is one of two models with a waterfall display. However, it was Vivo who were the first to release a novelty into the world of electronics, so the manufacturer can safely be called the creator of a new trend.

The diagonal of the display is 6.89 inches in full size, which includes its curved part. Resolution - 1080 × 2256 pixels. The sides are in a ratio of 18.8: 9.

During testing, the unit showed maximum brightness values ​​in manual mode and in automatic mode under the influence of bright lighting. In the first case, the result was 415 nits, in the second - 610 nits. Both the first and the second indicator cannot but rejoice. In addition, such indicators do not affect comfort during night use in any way, because the minimum brightness value is only 2 nits.

However, the color rendering has raised some questions. In standard mode, the color rendering index was 4.3, which is a good value. The result could have been higher if the white point were not so strongly shifted towards the blue. This parameter lends itself to softening, but not much. It is enough to move the slider to the right side (from cold colors to warm ones).

SRGB content is played back in Normal mode. Here the deltaE is 2.1, which is really amazing. Although white is still not ideal, it is much nicer than in standard mode. The Vivid mode expands the gamut slightly. The display is able to play HDR content from YouTube.

Characteristics table

Camera functionality

Like most modern flagships, the Vivo NEX 3S also comes with a triple main camera.Its components are the main module, telephoto lens and ultra wide-angle module. Moreover, the focal length of the telephoto lens is twice as long.

The main module is, in a sense, the new 64 megapixel Samsung sensor. The result is 16 megapixel images. The same can be seen on the flagships of Realme and on Redmi.

The camera is equipped with a 13 megapixel sensor, where the lens is 52 mm. Due to it, a 2x magnification factor is provided when compared with the main one. In addition, there is an ultra-wide-angle 13 megapixel module equipped with autofocus.

If we consider the camera application as a separate element, then it should be noted that all the elements are a little scattered, i.e. there is no structured order. Also, one cannot but pay attention to the fact that the selector for two cameras is located on the right side of the screen, which makes it possible to control it in portrait orientation. With the help of the three-dot icon, you can cycle through the cameras. In addition, you can pinch and then slide the selection.

A button in the corner of the viewfinder also activates the ultra-wide-angle camera. It is located along with the Bokeh and Super macro modes. Here the question arises: why was it impossible to combine all this in the selector? An equally relevant question among consumers has become: why is bokeh in portrait mode not set as the default mode?

Particularly noteworthy is the rather interesting Pro-mode, where there is manual control of shooting parameters, including manual focus.

Daylight helps you get great shots, with excellent detail and sharpness even in extreme areas. Colors also delight with their brightness, which fits into the concept of "everything in moderation." But the dynamic range did not please with its breadth, higher results were expected.

If users want to get pictures with amazing detail, then they just need to select the 64 megapixel mode in bright light. The result will be especially noticeable in the photo with the presence of small details. However, the increase in noise will also become more noticeable.

Thanks to the telephoto lens, you can get better images than with the 64MP mode. However, the enlarged versions of the captured images, if we consider them from the point of view of detail, are slightly inferior in brightness, although they are still of no less quality. Judging by the forecasts, this issue should be resolved in an early update.

Optimum sharpness, realistic colors and good dynamic range, coupled with autofocus, is contained in an ultra wide-angle camera.

Even in low light, the main camera continues to take amazing pictures. The brightness is surprising, but the result would have been much better if the exposure was increased by half a step. In terms of detail, there are no complaints, noise reduction is at a level, with dynamic range everything is in order, and color saturation in the dark is not lost.

With night mode, sharpness and detail are improved, noise is reduced, and colors are saturated. Thus, the loss of quality is insignificant, and sometimes even absent.

Portrait & Selfie Camera

The Vivo NEX 3 provides portrait photography in two different ways. The first is a standard portrait mode that uses bokeh. It copes well with its main task, but shooting here is possible only with 1- and 2-fold zoom. The second is to use the "bokeh" option in the "Photo" mode. The photos are really high quality, because have good detail, and during shooting, objects are easily recognized by the camera. With the help of settings it is possible to create a slightly artificial background rendering. This method works great when photographing inanimate objects. Objects of medium difficulty are easily recognized.

Separately, it is worth highlighting the selfie camera of the gadget. It is presented as a pop-up module with a 16 megapixel sensor. However, autofocus is not observed here. The detailing is at a high level, and the dynamic range is simply amazing when compared with other front cameras.

Filming

Videos can be recorded up to 4K resolution at 60 fps. You can choose between h.264 and h.265 codecs. Any mode of video recording implies sound recording in stereo.

There are 2 ways to stabilize your video. 1080p video is recorded with the main camera and telephoto lens, while the ultra-wide is left idle. The stabilization on the main camera works great, as a result, videos with smooth transitions and no jitter are obtained.

But the ultra-wide-angle module does not have such good reviews, and the video quality is quite a moot point. If we consider a telephoto lens, it should be noted that with its help the videos are smooth even when shooting distant objects, but there is an important condition here - you need to move at low speed.

Videos shot in 4K from the main camera are pretty decent. The smallest details are perfectly visible, all natural colors are well preserved. But if you look at the results more deeply and carefully, you can notice some loss of small elements.

For the ultra wide-angle camera, shooting with a maximum resolution of 1080p is available. Those. shooting in 4K is not available. The detailing pleases, but the dynamic range has failed, tk. turned out to be quite narrow.

Audio sound quality

The only speaker is located on the bottom edge of the smartphone. This approach is highly questionable both in terms of loudness and quality. If we look at it as a whole, then we don't have to complain about the sound, but when comparing the flagship with other high-quality phones, the sound quality is questioned. When outputting sound to an external amplifier, the volume is above average. No interference observed.

But in headphones, the sound is much lower, interference and distortion appear. This significantly spoils the impression of the speakers. Taking into account this nuance, the conclusion suggests itself that the sound does not reach the flagship.

The cost of new items in the electronic world, advantages and disadvantages

The average cost in Russia was 60 thousand rubles.

• Nice camera;
• The ability to shoot in 4K;
• The presence of a waterfall screen.

• Poor sound in headphones;
• Chaotic arrangement of functions in the camera application.

The smartphone is represented by a mature device in the line, where the bezel is no longer a defining feature. The waterfall screen never ceases to amaze, making the gadget unique in a sense. So, the design of the smartphone is unique, and the colors are bright and saturated.

Vivo is equipped with a good camera that is able to cope with all tasks both day and night. However, it was not without its drawbacks: the software is slightly unusual, and the functions in the application are scattered chaotically. And the lack of mechanical control at first causes some inconvenience. There is no IP protection for the enclosure. But if we take it as a whole, then the model certainly deserves special attention.