Vivo X21 Review: A worthy mid-range flagship to challenge OnePlus dominance

Priced at Rs 35,990, the Vivo X21 is a premium mid-range device strong in almost all areas; the phone’s modest processor seems a downside, but it shows no signs of weakness in real-life scenario.

Technology News : After showcasing the prototype of in-display fingerprint sensor technology at the Consumer Electronic Show, 2018, Chinese smartphone maker Vivo on May 29 launched the Vivo X21 with a fingerprint sensor under the display. For a mid-range smartphone, the X21 boasts premium features like dual rear cameras, artificial intelligence capabilities, face-unlock mechanism, Hi-Fi sound with dedicated AMP and modern notch-based screen. These features propel it in the league of mid-range premium smartphones – at least on papers.

Vivo X21 Design

The Vivo X21 glass-metal-glass sandwich design looks similar to other mid-range smartphones. The design, especially the frame, looks close to the OnePlus 6, but the front is dominated by a notch-based screen stretching almost edge to edge on three sides and leaving only a thin chin on the bottom. On the back, the reflective glass design with horizontally aligned dual camera set-up on top left is in line with the current trend and looks similar to the Honor 10.

Vivo X21 The thin frame that holds the front and back glass feels pointed, something similar to the Nokia 8 Sirocco. While the frame makes it easy to hold and operate the phone, the razor thin volume rocker keys and a power button on the right side of the frame are somewhat uncomfortable to use.

On the bottom, the phone sports an outdated microUSB port for charging and data transfers, coupled with a mono speaker on the right and dual-SIM slot on the left. The left side of the frame is vacant and the top side features a 3.5mm audio output port and secondary microphone.

Overall, the design looks modern, but not refreshing. The metallic frame gives to the convenience to hold the phone with confidence, but the thin volume rocker keys and power button reduce the utility overall.

Vivo X21 Battery

The Vivo X21 is powered by a 3,200 mAh battery that keeps the phone going for almost a day. Interestingly, the phone boasts a dual charging technology, which improves charging time and takes the battery level from zero to 100 per cent in less than one-and-a-half hours.

Read the Verdict → Vivo X21 Review

Honor 7C Review: Another budget smartphone with decent camera, performance

For a budget smartphone, the Honor 7C comes loaded with premium features like metallic design, 18:9 aspect ratio screen, Android Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 OS, face unlocking capabilities, etc.

 

Technology News : Honor, an online subsidiary of Huawei, is on a roll in India. After launching the budget Honor 9 Lite, followed by a mid-range Honor 10, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer recently launched the Honor 7C. For a budget smartphone, the Honor 7C comes loaded with several premium features like metallic design, 18:9 aspect ratio screen, Android Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 operating system, face unlocking capabilities, etc.

In terms of design, the Honor 7C looks like another modern day smartphone with 5.99-inch fullHD+ IPS 18:9 aspect ratio screen, which is bright and colourful, covered under curved glass. The phone belongs to Honor 7x lineage, therefore it has an aluminium back that feels sturdy. The phone’s tall stance, coupled with a mammoth screen on front, looks good for a budget proposition.

The Honor 7C is one of the very few Honor devices to boast the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Honor has been using the in-house developed Huawei Kirin system-on-chip (SoC) in almost all the models. However, the Honor 7C trades in the Kirin 659 SoC for the entry-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC to power the device.

As for the performance, the Honor 7C sails through most daily tasks without any hiccups. However, it does feel underpowered, especially while handling processor-intensive tasks like multitasking and online video streaming. The performance, though, is at-par with other budget smartphones in the segment, except for the recently launched Xiaomi and Asus smartphones, which boast a much powerful Snapdragon 660 SoC.

Though the performance is nothing exemplary, the phone handles graphic intensive apps better than Kirin 659 SoC-based counterparts do. The browser-based gameplay is consistent and smooth, app-based video streaming services work satisfactory and games work fine at moderate settings.

In terms of imaging, the Honor 7C sports a 13-megapixel primary sensor, paired with a 2MP depth-sensing lens. There is an 8MP sensor on the front for selfies and face unlock feature. The camera in Honor 7C takes satisfactory shots, however, it is a mixed bag of hits and misses. The auto focus is instant but the touch to focus seems a bit out of calibration. The shots look detailed and the colour reproduction is natural. In low light conditions, the camera is not great, but still better than what other budget smartphones’ cameras turn out to be. It takes decent shots, but the noise is prominent.

Read the Verdict → Honor 7C Review