Vivo X70-series goes official: ZEISS-powered photography prowess

Vivo has just announced the flagship Vivo X70 series globally. The all-new X70, X70 Pro, and X70 Pro+ carry on with the company's collaboration with ZEISS in the field of mobile photography and introduce tons of new features and improvements for the camera department. But aside from the improvements to the camera, Vivo has also made sure its new flagship series is as good as it gets when it comes to top-tier hardware.

“Once again, vivo is breaking boundaries by delivering exceptional mobile photography advancements jointly developed with ZEISS, a global leader in optics and opto-electronics,” said Spark Ni, Senior Vice President and CMO of vivo. “Smartphones are trustworthy tools for users to capture memories, a digital gateway to tell their own stories and share those creations with the world. With the X70 series, vivo is actively closing the gap between mobile and professional photography by infusing user-oriented innovation with cutting-edge technology.”

Let's see what's what with each of the three new Vivo flagship phones.

The top-tier flagship is naturally the most intriguing new device that was announced. The camera is the most interesting aspect of the device. The phone is outfitted with a quad-rear camera, consisting of a main 50MP ISOCELL GN1 camera, stabilized ultra wide-angle gimbal camera with a 48MP Sony IMX598 sensor, as well as a 12MP and 8MP supplementary cameras, whereas a 32MP front-facing camera takes care of the selfies.

The partnership with ZEISS has allowed Vivo to employ a couple of portrait effects that emulate signature ZEISS analogue lenses. For example, we get the mesmerizing swirly bokeh of the classic Biotar lens; we get the anamorphic look of ZEISS' definitive Distagon lens, which gives that cinematic Hollywood look. There are also dedicated Planar and Sonnar portrait modes that also emulate these timeless lenses' unique bokeh rendition. The cameras feature ZEISS T* Coating, which is reducing reflections and enhancing light transmission to reduce ghosting, stray light and other image artifacts that might ruin your photos otherwise.

The Vivo X70 Pro+ also features a new in-house imaging chip with AI-powered noise reduction and MEMC (motion estimation, motion compensation) features, while the camera has scored some new modes, including Real-Time Extreme Night Vision, Super Night Video, Pure Night View, and Pro Cinematic Mode.

Specs-wise, the X70 Pro+ arrives with a 6.8-inch WQHD+ AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and up to 240Hz touch-sampling rate, Snapdragon 888+ 5G chipset, very-fast LPDDR5 RAM, 4500mAh battery with 55W charging support (55W charger included in the box) as well as 50W Qi wireless charging. It's also the first ever Vivo flagship that has IP68 dust- and liquid-resistance compliance. The phone is available in Enigma Black color.

The middle child, Vivo X70 Pro, also features a quad-camera at the back, but it skips the 48MP ultra-wide gimbal camera for a more modest 12MP one, along with the 12MP and 8MP lenses alongside it; there's a 32MP selfie camera up front both. At the same time, the Vivo X70 only boasts a triple rear camera (40MP + 12MP + 12MP).

While the new imaging chip isn't available on the Vivo X70 Pro and X70, they still boast the signature Distagon, Biotar, Planar and Sonnar portrait presets that should jive well with ZEISS aficionados. Real-Time Extreme Night Vision, Super Night Video, Pure Night View, and Pro Cinematic Mode are still part of the camera feature lineup. All cameras are also OIS and EIS-enabled to make up for the lack of a dedicated gimbal camera.

From a hardware standpoint, the X70 Pro is slightly smaller, with a 6.56-inch AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. Powering the device is MediaTek's Dimensity 1200 chip, and the phone ships with an undisclosed amount of LPDDR4X RAM and fast UFS 3.1 storage. The Vivio X70 Pro boasts a 4,450mAh battery while the X70 has a 4,400mAh one, and while both support 44W fast charging, there's no wireless charging here. IP68 dust- and liquid-resistance is also missing here, remaining an exclusive feature of the X70 Pro+ flagship. Unlike the flagship, the two phones are also only available in Cosmic Black or Aurora Dawn colors.

Vivo says that pricing will vary by region and doesn't go out of its way to give out a rough price window. The X70-series is gradually rolling out in India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, and more, expanding its regional presence across APAC and the Middle East.