I’ve been itching to get my hands on this, the Vivo Xplay 5 has arrived and I’ve jumped right in to the box for a unboxing and hands on video, take a look.
I’ve been a long time Vivo fan with great experiences with both the Vivo Xplay 3S and the Vivo Xshot, but in recent times Vivo phones have started to loose their ground to other phone makers. The two most recent Vivo devices I reviewed (the Vivo X5 and Vivo X6 Plus A) were both really well made high quality units, but were let down with buggy OS, will the Xplay 5 also fall fowl to this too?
The model I have is the Vivo Xplay 5A, which means it is the 4GB RAM Snapdragon 652 powered version of the phone. The reason I have this one is because the 6GB RAM Snapdragon 820 model is not yet available. Differences between the two phones are just the RAM, processor and the HIFI audio set up, with the Xplay 5 Elite getting dedicated audio chips for both left and right channels (the Xplay 5A has just one working on both but I’m not too conderned about this).
Like the top of the range Vivo Xplay 5, but Xplay 5A has the same 2K 5.43-inch curved display, the same metal body, same super super fast fingerprint scanner, same from 8 mega-pixel camera and same 16 mega-pixel rear.
Vivo Xplay 5 – Unboxing Video
The box the Xplay 5 comes in is longer than most and includes the phone, case, fast charger, USB cable, earphones and simple pin to remove the SIM/SD tray. As usual the packaging is top notch and the phone comes wrapped in a plastic envelope.
Vivo Xplay 5 – hands on impressions
Build quality is what jumps to mind. Compared to the Xiaomi Mi5, the Vivo Xplay 5 is a world apart in the build quality department. Its easy to see where Vivo have really paid attention and the phone is a true premium device.
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The balance of the phone is perfect, and while it might be larger than the Xiaomi Mi5, the screen is way brighter and much more enjoyable to look at. I’m still not sure about the curved design of the panel though. It is a talking point and everyone who has seen it has been ‘wowed’ but I’m not sure what it brings to the table in terms of function.
The fingerprint scanner is just as fast as the excellent scanner on the Vivo X6 Plus A I reviewed a few weeks back. The camera seems fine, not super quick (like the Xiaomi Mi5) and its too early to tell if the image quality is what we’re all expecting from a $570 Chinese phone.
I am also very interested to see if the Funtouch ROM is more reliable and bug free when compared to previous Vivo phones.
Speaking of Funtouch, I am currently installing Google service on the Vivo Xplay 5 as I write following the guide I wrote for the Vivo X6 Plus and it all seems to be working nicely.
Vivo Xplay 5 Gallery
I plan to review the Vivo Xplay 5 ASAP, if you have any questions about the phone please feel free to let me know and I’ll answer them as best I can.
Thanks again to shop.gizchina.com for arranging the phone for review.
y no type c ?
Ummm
its sad…
bezels make it appear plastic, it may feel better than mi5 but the mi5 black looks far better than this plastic s6
well looking at the build quality aspect only, its better to have a metal phone thats built better than a good looking lesser built quality one
The Mi5 looks quite nice but some reviews have complained about the build quality and finish
andi cant you show what the phone in the case looks like?
Tx andy for getting this; i want your opinion after some days of usage, if the funtouch os is reliable on getting updates, im thinking of buying the elite version instead of Mi5.
We need to see if this android skin is good and if we can rely on updates – my experience is only with xiaomi.
I am not a huge fan of the curved displays on these phones, I think it’s ugly.
The Vivo headphones though are very good compared to most that are included with phones.
I love them
And I, I’m glad you’re reviewing this phone. Having just bought the Redmi Note 3 pro with the Snapdragon 650 it will be interesting to see how well the 652 does
A lot better
Hi Max, if you have received your code for the bootloader of your redmi note 3 pro here is a french forum where you can find instructions to upgrade the rom.
http://forum.frandroid.com/topic/240629-redmi-note-3-pro-tutos-rom-6317-multilangue-de-xiaomieu/
It is in french but some instructions are in english.
I am seriously thinking to get the Note 3 Pro, so tired to wait for the perfect phone out there.
I can speak French, so I’ll give it a look.
I didn’t get the code because I get an error when they try to send me a text with a verification code.
It’s getting pretty annoying.
Speaking from experience there’s no perfect phone out there, but there are few that fit perfectly for you.
Edit: thanks for the tip. I appreciated
Hi Andi, you said in the video that you can put a microSD card in the phone. Is that correct? Most of the info about the Xplay 5 online says it doesn’t have a microSD slot. Thanks.
y no type c ?
Ummm
its sad…
bezels make it appear plastic, it may feel better than mi5 but the mi5 black looks far better than this plastic s6
well looking at the build quality aspect only, its better to have a metal phone thats built better than a good looking lesser built quality one
The Mi5 looks quite nice but some reviews have complained about the build quality and finish
andi cant you show what the phone in the case looks like?
Tx andy for getting this; i want your opinion after some days of usage, if the funtouch os is reliable on getting updates, im thinking of buying the elite version instead of Mi5.
We need to see if this android skin is good and if we can rely on updates – my experience is only with xiaomi.
So a snapdragon 652 device priced at $570!!!!!
I am not a huge fan of the curved displays on these phones, I think it’s ugly.
The Vivo headphones though are very good compared to most that are included with phones.
I love them
And I, I’m glad you’re reviewing this phone. Having just bought the Redmi Note 3 pro with the Snapdragon 650 it will be interesting to see how well the 652 does
A lot better
Hi Max, if you have received your code for the bootloader of your redmi note 3 pro here is a french forum where you can find instructions to upgrade the rom.
http://forum.frandroid.com/topic/240629-redmi-note-3-pro-tutos-rom-6317-multilangue-de-xiaomieu/
It is in french but some instructions are in english.
I am seriously thinking to get the Note 3 Pro, so tired to wait for the perfect phone out there.
I can speak French, so I’ll give it a look.
I didn’t get the code because I get an error when they try to send me a text with a verification code.
It’s getting pretty annoying.
Speaking from experience there’s no perfect phone out there, but there are few that fit perfectly for you.
Edit: thanks for the tip. I appreciated
Hi Andi, you said in the video that you can put a microSD card in the phone. Is that correct? Most of the info about the Xplay 5 online says it doesn’t have a microSD slot. Thanks.
So a snapdragon 652 device priced at $570!!!!!
please do a camera and speed comparison with the mi5.
But i have to say the like curved glass on the front doesnt look nearly as good as on the s7 edge or last years edge, there is way more of a bezel that make it look less fantastic 🙂
but it still looks nice.
please do a camera and speed comparison with the mi5.
But i have to say the like curved glass on the front doesnt look nearly as good as on the s7 edge or last years edge, there is way more of a bezel that make it look less fantastic 🙂
but it still looks nice.
Can u show us funtouch os walkthrough? Thanks
I’d love to hear review of the sound quality on the earphones (please also tell us what earphones you will be using – name + if they are bassy or flat etc.)
And I’d love comparision vs. other VIVO phones and Meizu Pro 5 / LG V10 or LG G5 with hifi module…
Great sound is the most important thing for me as I want to change my DAP for smartphone as well as small size…
Can u show us funtouch os walkthrough? Thanks
I’d love to hear review of the sound quality on the earphones (please also tell us what earphones you will be using – name + if they are bassy or flat etc.)
And I’d love comparision vs. other VIVO phones and Meizu Pro 5 / LG V10 or LG G5 with hifi module…
Great sound is the most important thing for me as I want to change my DAP for smartphone as well as small size…
Am i experiencing Déjà vu ? with this article ?!??
https://www.gizchina.com/2016/03/02/vivo-xplay5-unboxing-hands-photos/