Review Summary
Expert Rating
The Vivo T3x is tailored for online buyers seeking a budget-friendly smartphone. It presents an economical alternative to the standard Vivo T3 (review) model, initially launched earlier this year. While some compromises were necessary to achieve its affordable price point, the device still distinguishes itself in the sub-Rs 15,000 segment with commendable performance and battery life. Keep reading to know more.
Table of Contents
Verdict
The Vivo T3x stands out as a performance-focused smartphone for anyone on a budget. Be it regular usage or casual gaming, this handset proves its versatility. Besides that, the phone boasts a respectable display, impressive battery life, and a likeable design. However, the cameras might leave you wanting more.
Design and display
The Vivo T3x features a likeable design with a brushed stroke finish at the back. We received the Celestial Green colour variant for review, which looks quite elegant. The variant also does a good job hiding fingerprint and smudges, keeping the phone relatively clean. The phone is surprisingly lightweight as well. Despite its 6,000mAh battery, the handset only weighs 199 grams, making it comfortable to hold for prolonged usage. Additionally, the flat edges provide a decent grip over the device.
The phone features a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer on the bottom edge, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack and a speaker grille. The volume rocker and power button, which doubles up as a fingerprint scanner, can be found on the right spine. The fingerprint scanner works well and unlocks the device in an instant. While I appreciate a circular camera module and all the highlights it comes with at the back, I wish it were centre-aligned. This would have prevented the device from wobbling while lying on a flat surface for a better typing experience.
The Vivo T3x display is a typical 6.72-inch panel of LCD variety that you would find on any other budget smartphone. The display bears FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 1000 nits brightness, a centred punch-hole for the selfie camera, and slight bezels all around. The viewing experience is respectable for the price. It doesn’t get as punchy and vibrant as an AMOLED panel, but the display is sufficiently bright. The handset didn’t pose an issue for me while reading at least the text under direct sunlight.
The phone is Widevine L1 certified, ensuring FHD streaming from streaming platforms. While the mono speaker provides an acceptable listening experience, it doesn’t sound crisp at maximum volume.
Cameras
As far as the optics are concerned, the Vivo T3x is equipped with a 50MP primary camera, aided by a 2MP depth sensor. These are basic point-and-shoot cameras, which reflects in their performance. While not particularly sharp and detailed, the images still possess a charm. The handset leans towards slightly warmer tones to brighten up the images to make them more visually appealing. However, photography enthusiasts might express concerns about the images’ limited dynamic range. The details around the shadowy areas can be iffy, though that’s excusable given the affordable price of the smartphone.
In low light, the cameras only capture images with long exposure. There is no option to disable it. Even after that, the results are pretty average. The images exhibit noise and may appear hazy if your hands aren’t steady enough. When it comes to the selfies, the Vivo T3x relies on an 8MP snapper which captures reasonable levels of facial detail, even though the skin tones might not be very accurate. There is a further loss in detail when it comes to portraits; however, the edge detection seems to be better with the rear camera than with the front.
The Moto G64, which also packs a similar 50MP rear camera setup, does a better job than the Vivo smartphone when it comes to photography. As seen from the daylight images above, the Moto smartphone offers superior dynamic range and sharpness. The colours are also more vibrant and appealing compared to those of the T3x.
Performance and software
Under the hood, the Vivo T3x is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB user-expandable storage. The chipset ensures solid performance for the smartphone within the segment, both synthetically and in the real world. In terms of benchmark tests, the Vivo smartphone scores 549,494 on AnTuTu, while achieving 940 in single-core and 2,767 in multi-core performance on Geekbench. These are significantly better results than most of its competitors under Rs 15,000.
Additionally, the Vivo T3x throttles to just 81 percent of its peak performance in the Burnout test. This means the smartphone will perform well even during intense loads such as multitasking and gaming. Speaking of gaming, the handset handsomely managed our go-to games BGMI, Call of Duty, and Real Racing 3 without getting uncomfortably warm. Although there may be a slight drop in frame rate, the overall gaming experience remains enjoyable.
Now, coming to the software, the Vivo T3x boots the custom FunTouchOS, running atop Android 14 out of the box. The user experience isn’t anything different from the other Vivo smartphones launched this year. There is an array of pre-installed apps, including a few third-party ones such as Netflix, Snapchat, Candy Crush, and more. Popular as they may be, at least the third-party apps are removable if not needed for a cleaner software experience.
Besides these, there are quite a few customisation options including a Material You-like colour picker for the system and app UI, new clock styles on the lock screen and always-on display styles. The handset is promised to receive two years of OS updates and three years of security patches, which are on par with other smartphones within the segment.
Battery and charging
The Vivo T3x boasts a whopping 6,000mAh battery, which achieved a remarkable score of almost 24 hours on the PC Mark battery test. The phone’s battery management also remained impressive during our YouTube and gaming test. Streaming half-an-hour video in FHD+ resolution, 50 percent brightness and volume levels only depleted 3 percent of battery life. Similarly, during gaming sessions, playing titles like BGMI, Call of Duty, and Real Racing 3 for 30 minutes each resulted in a modest 15 percent battery consumption.
The phone supports 44W fast charging, which takes around an hour to fully juice up an almost depleted battery to 100 percent. A compatible charger is provided in the box.
Final verdict
The Vivo T3x is currently selling in India at Rs 13,499 for the base 4GB RAM variant, whereas the 6GB RAM and 8GB RAM options cost Rs 14,999 and Rs 16,499 respectively. The closest competitors of the smartphone include Moto G64 (review), Realme Narzo 70 (review), and POCO X6 Neo (review). All these smartphones offer similar performance as the T3x; however, the Moto smartphone stands out for offering a closer-to-stock-Android experience. It is worth mentioning that the Moto G64 is available in India starting at Rs 14,999.
If you are tight on budget and don’t mind a custom Android experience, the Vivo T3x seems to be a reliable offering. While its cameras may not meet everyone’s expectations, the handset excels in providing commendable performance, long-lasting battery life, and a sleek design.
Editor’s rating: 8 / 10
Reasons to buy
- The display provides a decent viewing experience both indoors and outdoors.
- The handset excels in day-to-day tasks and casual gaming.
- The 6,000mAh battery provides solid backup.
Reasons not to buy
- Cameras may not meet everyone’s expectations.
- The handset comes with an array of pre-installed apps, including third-party ones.
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Rs. 13,499.00
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Go To Store
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