So the newest model of Vivo smartphone was officially launched today in Makati City, Philippines. The Vivo V3Max sports a 5.5-inch full HD display. It is a mid-range smartphone powered by a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 Octa-core 1.8GHz paired with a 4G of RAM. The storage is also generous or should I say it is becoming a standard now for International brand, the V3Max has 32G internal storage. A microSD slot is provided for an additional 128G of external storage.
Vivo V3Max specs
- 5.5-inch FHD IPS display 1920 x 1080
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 64-bit Octa-core 1.8GHz
- 4GB RAM
- 32GB internal storage
- Up to 128GB external storage via microSD
- 3000mAh battery
- Camera: 13MP PDAF rear, 8MP front
- 7.58mm
- 168g
- Fingerprint scanner
- Android 5.1 Lollipop with Funtouch OS2.5 UI on top
First impressions
If you are familiar with OPPO F1 and F1 plus, the Vivo V3Max‘s looks and feel pose similar characteristics. Rumor has it that this brand is a sister company of OPPO but Carmen Yong, the brand manager of Vivo Mobile Tech Inc. denies that their brand has no relation to OPPO.
The Vivo V3Max sports a metal unibody which is a very familiar design.
On the front, you will find the VIVO logo prominently located on the upper left side. At the bottom are the capacitive buttons which has no backlight.
On the right side are the power button and volume control. On the opposite side is the SIM card slot which has one nano-SIM and micro-SIM. Do note that like the OPPO F1 and F1 Plus, this SIM card slot is a hybrid slot. That means, for an additional storage, you have to kill one SIM.
At the bottom, you will find the speaker grill on the left, micro-USB (no Type C!), and a pinhole mic.
V3Max UI
The V3Max ships with Android 5.1 Lollipop but on top of it is their own UI called Funtouch OS2.5. The usual pull down quick menu from the top is no longer there. This time, they emulated the UI of the iPhone.
I also like that Vivo did not include bloatwares. We’ve seen a few but unlike the other brands, the Vivo V3Max does not have unnecessary apps installed.
Fingerprint scanner and shutter and other features
The fingerprint scanner is also fast. We’ve seen the demonstration during the launch. Also, we tried it as a shutter to take photos and like the demonstration, it was really fast.
Other features that are notable with the Vivo V3Max are: fast fingerprint unlocking, fast camera focus of 0.2 seconds.
The favorite of most users, the USB OTG support is also enabled in this smartphone.
Vivo Philippines Service Centers
According to Mark Anthony Co Cuevas, product manager of Vivo Philippines, they are starting slowly and the first service center is located in SMDC Light Mall.
V3Max pricing and availability
The Vivo V3Max will be available in major stores starting May 21, 2016. Official SRP is P16,999.
The Vivo V3Max is an impressive smartphone design-wise. With its generous specifications specially on the storage and RAM, it might interest the Filipino consumer. The pricing is kind of high for a brand that is launching their first device in the market. But who knows, they might have studied the market prior to this launch. Let us wait and see.
