vivo X80 Pro review

Competition

Similarly to last year's X70 Pro+, the X80 Pro is available in India for INR 80K (€965 at current rates) for a 12GB/256GB spec version. We don't have official figures for Europe yet, but something in the €1100-1200 ballpark is not an unreasonable speculation. With that in mind, there may be slightly different sets of competitors from region to region, but one thing is clear - those will be some high-end competitors.

A base Galaxy S22 Ultra goes for INR 110K, so it's perhaps not a direct rival in India, but at around €1100 it's more in line with what we project the X80 Pro would cost in Europe. Itself a camera specialist, the Galaxy will get you more reach thanks to its 10x tele, but even with that accounted for, it's hard to pick one over the other on grounds of camera alone.

The Galaxy will easily win an endurance race, but the vivo's battery life is hardly a dealbreaker, while small victories for display on Samsung's end and speakers on the vivo don't much help settle this. Essentially, get the Galaxy if you're into the S Pen, and get the vivo if you're in India - it's more complicated if neither applies to you.

The Galaxy S22+ retails for roughly X80 Pro money in India, but it can hardly match the vivo for camera versatility, and you're clearly on the market for imaging superiority if you've come this far.

The Xiaomi 12 Pro is not quite the match for the X80 Pro's photo and video capabilities either, but its triple 50MP rear camera is plenty capable itself. Small wins here or there - vivo for battery life, Xiaomi for charging, vivo for speakers, Xiaomi for refresh rate handling and Dolby Vision HDR - can tip the scales one way or another of one of these things is of particular importance to you, but neither decides it in and of itself for us. Then comes the price - at INR 63K for a 8GB/256GB version (67K to match the X80 Pro's 12GB of RAM), the Xiaomi is a bargain next to the vivo, but at €1000/€1100 it's not as straightforward.

In Europe, vivo's not-quite sister brand Oppo will sell you a Find X5 Pro for €1200 or a little less. That will get you a more premium ceramic body, but not a lot else when comparing against the X80 Pro, be it in terms of specs or real-life results. The OnePlus 10 Pro, on the other hand, does come with a monetary advantage over the X80 Pro, regardless of which corner of the world you're in (INR 67K, €920), but the vivo still has the more advanced camera system to show for the price premium.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G • Xiaomi 12 Pro • Oppo Find X5 Pro • OnePlus 10 Pro

Verdict

The X80 Pro is the newest in a lineup of vivos with awesome camera hardware that takes wonderful pictures and captures nice videos. It has an excellent display, charges quickly to make up for what is mostly average battery life, its stereo speakers are among the better ones, while the large ultrasonic fingerprint reader is pure joy to use. A design that turns heads is also a plus in our book, even if that fancy back may be lacking in grip.

The missteps we can point out in the X80 Pro's performance are in the... performance department, where we observed significant heat buildup and thermal throttling. Then again, the limited display refresh rate in gaming should help ensure that doesn't happen too often - turning a con into a pro.

In any case, it's the quad camera on the vivo X80 Pro's back that is the star of the show. Indeed, a cameraphone as thoroughly great as this one is hard to find, maybe even impossible, depending on your particular priorities. Perhaps a Xiaomi 12 Ultra will be better, but that doesn't exist yet, while the 11 Ultra is nowhere to be seen anymore, and perhaps the Galaxy's 10x zoom may be your gamechanger. Still, the X80 Pro is an easy recommendation if you're out for an all-round superb camera experience. It doesn't hurt that it's a solid phone outside of that too.

Pros

• Standout design.
• Superb fingerprint reader.
• Great display - high-res, super-bright, high refresh rate, can be color-accurate.
• Speedy charging.
• Loud stereo speakers, nice-sounding output too.
• One of the most complete camera systems on the market with great output across all scenarios.

Cons

• Slippery as a phone can be.
• No high refresh rate in gaming.
• Prone to severe overheating and heavy throttling.