Vivo X21

Vivo X21 comes as a progression from the Vivo V9. Priced at 23,299, the phone will not look any different from the V9 but does have one specific change.

Vivo X21 comes with the new In-Display fingerprint scanner which works brilliantly and is quite futuristic. However, it does not have many changes from the V9, making it more of a rehashed phone rather than a newer one.

The Vivo X21 looks quite identical to the Vivo V9. It has a glossy rear back which is made of plastic and does not feel very premium. The phone comes with a thick notch on top similar to the Vivo V9. However, the phone sits comfortably in your hand. It is a tall phone, but you can manage it with one hand easily. One of the significant differences from the Vivo V9 is that this phone comes without a fingerprint scanner at the rear panel. It is quite an obvious choice since the main attraction of the Vivo X21 is the in-display fingerprint scanner hidden underneath the screen. One of the main drawbacks of the phone is that it still uses the micro USB port and not the new USB Type-C port. Otherwise, the phone remains handy and quite decent to hold on to. You won’t face any issues with the phone if you have already used the Vivo V9.

Similar to the Vivo V9, Vivo X21 has a 6.28-inch screen, but this one comes with a Super AMOLED screen. It arrives with a resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels. The screen is quite bright, and it does keep the fingerprint panel covered with its brightness. Indoors, the phone is quite legible and is capable enough to offer an immersive experience. Plus, the deep blacks and fantastic contrast takes the prize too. However, there are capacitive touch buttons which lower the screen space. One of the problems with this phone is that the legibility drops in harsh sunlight, and when it does, it might be challenging to spot the fingerprint scanner on display. However, once you get used to it, it won’t be a problem.

The Vivo X21 comes with a slightly better Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 unlike the Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 that Vivo V9 came with. The performance of this chipset is quite smooth. It can run multiple apps without facing any lags. App loading times are quite low as well. In the case of gaming, the phone can run casual games with ease. It does not face any problems even with high settings of the games. However, if you are playing high-end games, it might face some stutters. The games will be playable at low settings. One of the best features of the phone is the in-display fingerprint scanner. At first, the registering of your fingerprint can be slow but once registered. The fingerprint scanner is very snappy. It does not falter and opens the phone fast, demonstrating the speed of the processor. One of the problems with the phone is that the slider mechanism is not proper. In Vivo V9, there is an iPhone-like slider mechanism which allows you to hold the apps and multitask with background apps. Here, despite the option, the slider mechanism does not work, probably due to the placement of the fingerprint scanner. It is a bug which might be addressed by the company. However, in the case of typing, the touch response is faultless and quite sensitive.

In terms of camera, the phone has a dual camera setup on its back with a 12MP primary camera and a supporting secondary 5MP camera. Technically, the cameras are of a lower setting when compared with the Vivo V9, which comes with 16MP primary camera and a 5MP depth sensing. However, the photos clicked by Vivo X21 is decent enough. It does not lose out on the details of the subject, and the colours appear quite punchy too. Low-light shots can fumble a little, but it is not abysmal as you can still make sense of the subject, despite a bit of visible noise getting captured.

In the front, the phone comes with a 12MP selfie camera which is again a downgrade from the 24MP selfie camera of Vivo V9. The selfies come out ok but are not as sharp as the 24MP camera. It is quite social-media worthy, however.

The phone arrives with a 3200 mAh which is a tad bit smaller than the 3260 mAh battery that Vivo V9 came with. However, it does not cause any issue. The phone can easily go on through the day if intensive work in not done on it. The battery is quite capable for the display as well and does not drain that easily despite the 1080p display being a power-hungry one.

The Vivo X21 is a great phone with decent processors, excellent display and a powerful battery. However, it does not seem to be a significant modification over the Vivo X21. The only two features that it boasts of is the AMOLED display and the in-display fingerprint scanner. However, the scanner has made it difficult for sliding actions to work on this phone, unlike the V9. It is more like a gimmick. Hence, unless you are in only for fantastic display, the Vivo V9 is a better phone to go for, with better camera features too.