The smartphone market is obsessed with "new." Every six months, a shiny titanium-clad rectangle arrives to tell you your current phone is basically a paperweight. But honestly? The Vivo X90 Pro Plus is the one device that makes me roll my eyes at that cycle. Even as we push deeper into 2026, this thing is a monster. It was the first to really show us what a 1-inch sensor could do when paired with a processor that didn't throttle under pressure.
Most people look at the spec sheet and see numbers. I see a shift in how we take photos.
When Vivo dropped this phone, they weren't just trying to beat Samsung or Apple. They were trying to kill the point-and-shoot camera industry for good. It’s heavy. It’s thick. The camera bump looks like a literal dinner plate on the back of the phone. But the images it produces have a certain soul—a depth that mobile photography usually lacks.
The 1-Inch Sensor Reality Check
Let's talk about that main camera. It uses the IMX989 sensor. That’s a full 1-inch type sensor, which sounds like marketing fluff until you actually use it in a dim restaurant. While your friend's iPhone is busy using computational "Night Mode" to brighten a photo into a grainy mess, the Vivo X90 Pro Plus just... sees the light. It doesn't need to fake it.
The natural bokeh is the real star here.
Because the sensor is physically large, you get a genuine shallow depth of field. You don’t need a "Portrait Mode" software toggle to blur the background. If you get close to a flower or a coffee cup, the background melts away naturally. It looks like it was shot on a Sony ZV-1 or a Fuji. It’s buttery. It’s soft. It’s exactly what mobile photographers have been begging for since 2015.
The Zeiss T* coating is also more than a sticker on the back. It actually works to kill lens flare. You know those annoying green dots you get when shooting toward a streetlamp at night? They’re almost non-existent here. Vivo and Zeiss spent a lot of time on the glass, and it shows in the micro-contrast of the shots.
Why the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Still Holds Up
You might be thinking, "Isn't the chip old?" Well, yeah, in tech years. But the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 was a massive leap over the Gen 1. It doesn't overheat. It doesn't eat your battery for breakfast. In daily use, you honestly won't feel the difference between this and a Gen 3 or Gen 4 unless you're doing heavy 4K video editing or playing Genshin Impact at max settings for four hours straight.
The efficiency is what matters.
The V2 chip, Vivo's custom ISP, handles the heavy lifting for image processing. This offloads work from the main CPU, keeping the phone cool while you're snapping 50 photos in a row. It’s a smart architecture that many manufacturers are only now starting to copy properly.
Vivo X90 Pro Plus and the Telephoto Game
Zooming on a phone usually sucks. Digital zoom is just "crop and pray." But the 64MP periscope lens here is a sleeper hit. It’s a 3.5x optical zoom, which sounds modest compared to the 10x monsters out there, but the sensor quality is significantly higher than what Samsung was putting in their Ultra phones at the time.
I’ve used this at concerts. The way it handles stage lighting without blowing out the highlights is incredible.
- It captures skin tones correctly under weird LED lights.
- The 90mm focal length is perfect for portraits.
- Macro mode is actually usable, not just a gimmick.
Most people don't realize that a 3.5x zoom is often more useful than a 10x. How often are you really trying to photograph a bird three miles away? Exactly. You’re usually trying to frame a person across a table or a building across the street. This focal length hits the sweet spot.
The Display is Still Top Tier
We’re looking at a Samsung E6 AMOLED panel. It hits 1,800 nits of peak brightness. Even in the harsh midday sun, it’s readable. The LTPO 4.0 tech means it ramps down to 1Hz when you're just looking at a static photo, saving a ton of juice.
The color calibration is surprisingly restrained. Vivo used to be known for "radioactive" greens and blues, but the Zeiss Natural Color mode fixes that. It’s accurate. It’s honest. If you’re a professional who needs to edit photos on the go, this screen is actually reliable enough to trust.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Software
FunTouch OS (or OriginOS if you have the Chinese variant) gets a bad rap. People call it bloated. People say it’s too much like iOS.
Kinda. But also, no.
The level of customization is insane. You can change everything from the charging animation to the shape of the icons. Yes, there are some pre-installed apps you'll want to delete immediately, but once you spend twenty minutes cleaning it up, it’s one of the smoothest experiences on Android. The animations are fluid. They don't jank.
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The big hurdle is the "China ROM" lifestyle. If you imported this phone, you know the drill. You have to manually enable Google Play Services, fiddle with notification permissions, and deal with some stubborn Chinese text in the deeper menus. It’s not for everyone. But for the enthusiast? It’s a small price to pay for this hardware.
The Battery and Charging Dilemma
The battery is 4,700mAh. On paper, that’s smaller than the 5,000mAh standard.
Does it matter? Not really.
The 80W wired charging is stupidly fast. You go from zero to 50% in about 12 minutes. You can literally plug it in while you’re brushing your teeth and have enough power for the rest of the day. The 50W wireless charging is also faster than most other phones' wired charging. It’s one of those things you don't think you need until you have it, and then you can never go back to a 15W "fast" charger again.
Is It Still Worth Buying in 2026?
This is where it gets tricky. If you can find a used or refurbished Vivo X90 Pro Plus for a good price, it’s a steal. It outperforms almost every mid-range phone released today and gives current flagships a run for their money in the camera department.
However, you have to be okay with the size. This is a big phone. A heavy phone. It’s a "two-handed" device for most people. If you drop it on your face while reading in bed, it’s going to hurt.
The build quality is premium, though. The vegan leather back feels great. It doesn't pick up fingerprints like glass does. It feels like a tool. A professional camera that happens to make phone calls.
Real-World Limitations
Nothing is perfect. The front-facing camera is "just okay." It's fine for Zoom calls, but it doesn't have the same magic as the rear sensors. Also, if you’re a heavy video shooter, the file sizes on the high-bitrate modes will eat through your storage faster than you think.
There's also no official warranty in most Western countries. If you crack the screen, you’re looking at an expensive and difficult repair process. You’re an early adopter, a pioneer, or just a spec-head. That comes with risks.
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Practical Steps for Potential Owners
If you’re looking to pick one up now, here’s what you actually need to do:
- Verify the Network Bands: Since this was primarily a Chinese release, check your local carrier’s 4G and 5G bands. It works great on T-Mobile in the US, but Verizon users might struggle.
- Setup Notification Fixes: On OriginOS, the system is aggressive about killing background apps to save battery. You have to go into settings and "lock" apps like WhatsApp or Signal to ensure you get messages in real-time.
- Get a Proper Case: The leather back is durable, but that massive camera glass is a magnet for scratches if you set it down on a rough surface. Look for a case with a raised lip around the lens.
- Use the Zeiss Mode: Switch the camera settings to "Zeiss Natural Color" immediately. The default "Vivo Vivid" mode is fun for Instagram, but the Zeiss mode is where the true color science shines.
The Vivo X90 Pro Plus isn't just a phone; it's a statement. It represents a moment when mobile hardware pushed past the limits of what we thought was possible in a handheld device. It remains a benchmark for what a pro-grade camera phone should actually feel like in the hand.