In the second half of 2019, we have seen brands like Oppo and Vivo stepping up into the online market by bringing decent smartphones. Vivo first surprised everyone by launching Vivo Z1 Pro under its newly created 'Vivo Z' series at Rs 14,990. The Vivo Z1 Pro was also the cheapest phone back then with a punch-hole display. And now, the Z1 Pro has become even more affordable as the prices on all variants have been reduced by Rs 1,000. The Vivo Z1 Pro now starts at Rs 13,990 and it's being marketed as a gaming phone in the country. The Vivo Z1 Pro comes in three variants- 4GB+64GB, 6GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB, and all the three variants received the price cut; The current retail prices of the Vivo Z1 Pro are: Rs 13,990, Rs 14,990 and Rs 15,990, respectively. The new prices are already effective on Flipkart. The price cut from Vivo could be to take on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro which we believe is the best phone under Rs 15,000 right now. Should you purchase the Vivo Z1 Pro over Redmi Note 8 Pro? Let's find out.
Vivo Z1 Pro: What it Offers to the Users?
The Z1 Pro was the first smartphone in India to come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 chipset back in June this year. Later on, we have seen the chipset in phones like the Realme XT and the Realme 5 Pro. Thanks to the capable mid-range processor, the Vivo Z1 Pro excels at the gaming and the Adreno 616 GPU handles all the graphic-intensive tasks with ease. But the Redmi Note 8 Pro comes with even more powerful MediaTek Helio G90T chipset which handles gaming better than the Snapdragon 712 and even Snapdragon 730 chipset. The Note 8 Pro also features liquid cooling tech something the Z1 Pro lacks.
As for the display, the Vivo Z1 Pro has a 6.53-inch Full HD+ screen with a punch hole that houses the selfie camera. The Note 8 Pro also has a 6.55-inch Full HD+ screen, but it has the traditional teardrop notch on top. The punch-hole screen on the Z1 Pro surely looks futuristic as we may see tech going mainstream in 2020 with phones like OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro already rumoured to feature the same. The Note 8 Pro's display is HDR-enabled, again a plus point.
In terms of design, it's the Redmi Note 8 Pro all over. The Z1 Pro does look catchy, but the Note 8 Pro's glass back and 3D curved design makes it a more premium offering in the segment.
Cameras- it's the Redmi Note 8 Pro as the Vivo Z1 Pro is not known for its camera performance. We have the Vivo Z1x which delivers some impressive images with its 48MP primary snapper. The Vivo Z1 Pro features a triple camera setup on the back, comprising of 16MP primary sensor, 8MP secondary sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. The Note 8 Pro is the best camera phone under Rs 15,000, beating the Redmi Note 7 Pro by a small margin with its versatile cameras. The Note 8 Pro features 64MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra wide-angle sensor, 2MP depth sensor and 2MP macro lens for shooting close up images.
As you might have read in our review, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is not a battery champion as the Helio G90T built on 12nm process is a power-hungry chip. That's not the case with Vivo Z1 Pro as the phone lasts for two days with moderate usage and with gaming sessions, the 5000mAh battery on the Z1 Pro lasts for a full day with ease. Both the phones come with 18W fast charger included inside the retail box.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro vs Vivo Z1 Pro: The Pros Battle
The Redmi Note 8 Pro offers the best experience on any smartphone under Rs 15,000. It handles games with ease, delivers impressive day-to-day performance, cameras are incredible and the phone looks and feels premium when taken into hands. The Vivo Z1 Pro is not a bad phone either, but falls behind the Note 8 Pro in several aspects- design, no HDR-enabled display and the cameras are no match to Note 8 Pro.
After the price cut, the Vivo Z1 Pro is available at Rs 13,990 for the 4GB+64GB variant, followed by the 6GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB variants at Rs 14,990 and Rs 15,990, respectively. If an all-rounder is your top-most priority, then get the Note 8 Pro at Rs 14,999. And if you can't wait for the flash sales, then you should probably choose the Vivo Z1 Pro, which surely will not disappoint you.
