vivo X80 Pro camera review: Worthy of its Pro moniker

When it comes to DSLR-like quality in mobile photography, Apple, Samsung, and Huawei are most likely on the top of our list. For years, they have produced some of the most innovative camera phones that set the benchmark for all other brands to follow.

With the latest AI and proper optics now being the focus of flagship devices as their selling point, it would seem that we are now at the peak of the mobile photography potential.

There is no denying that the top three brands mentioned produced the most competent imaging quality with the use of the latest hardware and software. However, vivo has recently been making waves in this segment, seemingly ready to take down the top contenders.

Successor to the X70 pro, vivo introduced the X80 Pro with features and optics worthy to take the top spot. Let’s take a closer look at what this phone has to offer and see why the Vivo X80 Pro should be included on your list.

Overview

Powering this device is the latest Qualcomm flagship processor Snapdragon 8 Gen1 and the vivo V1+ imaging chip. These are then combined with 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage partnered with Android 12 and FunTouch12.

On top of that, the device is equipped with an Ultra Large Liquid Cooling Vapor Chamber that promises maximum cooling during heavy tasks helping the phone to always be in peak performance.

It features a captivating 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display delivering a stunning 10-bit color (1.07 billion colors), 8000000:1 contrast ratio, HDR10+, 1500 nits peak brightness, and a 120Hz refresh rate plus 300Hz touch sampling rate. 

With 4700maH of power, the X80 Pro should easily last you the whole day even with heavy use. It comes with an 80W fast charger that claims a 100% charge in 38 minutes and is also offered with an optional 50W wireless charging. This device also boasts a reverse charging system where it allows you to charge other devices wirelessly.

Cameras and UI

The camera module is the shiny centerpiece to this work of art and holds a collection of vivo’s signature ZEISS cameras which includes a 50-megapixel wide with f/1.6 aperture and OIS, an 8-megapixel periscope telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom, an additional 12MP telephoto lens (50mm) with 2x optical zoom and gimbal OIS, and a 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor with laser autofocus.  

Additionally, the X80 cameras come with a T* ZEISS glass coating which reduces reflected light, therefore, eliminating unnecessary glare. 

Upon opening the camera app, you are greeted with a user-friendly and well-organized interface. Moving on to the default camera setting, the AI can turn your shots into professional-looking photos without needing to add any more filters. You also get a Zeiss setting offering true-to-life color reproduction that I found amazingly accurate in helping you preserve that natural look.

HDR is subtle and produces vibrant colors while boosting those shadows and taming those highlights. Images produced noticeably come with a natural depth and blur without having to use software thanks to the already wide sensor opening.

Camera performance

Putting the X80 Pro to the test, we have set several photographic challenges for it, namely: portraiture, landscape, still life, sports, macro, and night photography. 

Portrait test

Portraits, being one of the challenging tasks in mobile photography, is one of the notable features of this device. Apart from the main camera and telephoto, the X80 Pro is also equipped with a dedicated 2X lens allowing you to achieve that distinct 50mm prime lens look that photographers commonly use for portraiture.

On top of that, we find an array of Zeiss signature bokeh features in the Styles menu giving you that authentic and professional DSLR semblance. My favorite of which is Biotar which replicates the classic and well-loved Biotar circular motion bokeh, adding a bit of movement and mood to your portraits.

Other Zeiss looks include Cinematic, Distagon, Planar, and Sonnar together with other bokeh settings that are sure to fit your personal style, whatever your taste is. The beautification settings look natural and give skin that glamourous glow while also being able to adjust every facial feature you can think of.

I did, however, notice the edge detection to be a bit off compared to other phones in its category. Hair and even hats are awkwardly cropped with jagged-looking edges. Not really a deal-breaker, but it’s something they should consider fixing maybe in future updates.

Landscape test

Landscape photography is but a breeze with the X80 Pro, with natural-looking HDR and — thanks to that T* Zeiss coating — glare-free images under direct sunlight producing crisp and vibrant images.

Stepping it up a notch, nightscapes is where the vivo X80 Pro might just beat other flagship phones. The difference is simply night and day when compared to other flagship devices. The combination of a large sensor, large aperture, and its integrated gimbal and advanced OIS makes it possible to use low shutters allowing more light into the sensor giving you stunning and dynamic nightscapes.

Even without a tripod, this phone still produces accurate and vivid colors even in near-pitch black situations. On top of that, a collection of cinematically color graded presets is at your disposal, adding more drama to the already stunning nighttime visuals.

Turn on Astro Mode and watch the stars appear before your eyes while Supermoon Mode will give you the best possible shots of the moon produced from a mobile phone, thanks to its periscope lens that goes all the way to 60X digital zoom combined with AI and OIS.

But its capabilities don’t end there. Exploring more of its camera features, you will find the Long Exposure Mode allowing you to capture even more stunning nightscapes and low light images with several options to choose from. It offers settings of 2 seconds – bulb while capturing light trails and other motion blurs while, amazingly, still without a tripod. 

Additionally, its zooming capabilities are also on point for when you want to shoot far away objects and still keep details intact.

Sports and macro tests

Sports photography using the X80 Pro gives you professional-looking shots as well. With the use of Motion Focus, the camera will automatically track the subject while maintaining stability keeping your action shots sharp and engaging. 

If you’re the type of photographer who is into post-processing and getting every detail to your liking, RAW format DNG is available in Pro Mode allowing you to capture more exposure data for highlight and shadow recovery — a feature professional photographers will certainly find appealing. 

Macro photography is useful as well. It can capture subjects up close in great detail without compromising on clarity. Meanwhile, other camera features include High-res, Double exposure, Panoramic, AI group portrait, and more.

Video performance

Those are all impressive, but photography is not the X80 Pro’s only strong point. Switching to video, this phone excels just as well.

Those ZEISS-certified lenses and advanced stabilization are really what its video capability is all about. Boasting 8K 30fps and 4K 60fps with gimbal stabilization, you can be assured of top-quality videos.

Furthermore, the X80 is provided with a collection of familiar cinematic LUTS that further give your film a movie-like feel. In addition, enabling the ZEISS cinema option will allow you to shoot in a film-standard 2.39:1 aspect ratio while producing that distinct oval bokeh, giving you that desired Hollywood aesthetic.

Much like in Photo Mode, turning on AI in video mode will also allow you to capture stunning detail even in extremely low-light situations while keeping noise levels to a minimum. A notable feature for me is the fact that you get LOG color profile at 24p in video Pro Mode turning this device into a serious mobile cinema camera.

My only complaint with the video quality is the automatic bokeh in normal video mode that, sadly, cannot be switched off.  I found it annoying that the fake depth of field with bad edge detection messes up the footage almost all the time. To get rid of it, you have to use Pro Mode which is an unnecessary extra step and removes the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. A future software update hopefully fixes this problem. 

Vs vivo X80

We also have the X80 Pro’s more affordable sibling — the vivo X80. Without the Pro moniker, it touts Full HD+ display (vs QHD+ of X80 Pro), a different chipset made by MediaTek, no water and dust proofing, and no support for wireless charging.

For the cameras, thee X80 also carries a 50-megapixel main but using a different sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, and another 12-megapixel portrait lens. There is no fourth sensor like the periscope telephoto of the X80 Pro, but still its ZEISS optics are able to produce images that are more than enough for social media posts and comes with the same features and effects from ZEISS to easily achieve cinematic shots.

Here are more samples from the vivo X80:

Final thoughts

There is a reason why the vivo X series has been voted the “best camera of the year” in several international ranking lists in the past few years. The innovative gimbal integration and ZEISS optics are pretty much game-changers for mobile photographers and videographers.

While top brands all produce exceptional photos in normal shooting environments, nothing comes close to vivo’s night mode which is what sold me with this phone. Yes, it still has its flaws but in my opinion, it is now the benchmark for nighttime photography and should inspire other brands to step up their game.

The vivo X80 is priced at PhP 45,999 (via vivo website, Shopee, and Lazada) while the vivo X80 Pro retails for PhP 59,999 (via vivo website, Shopee, and Lazada).

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ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition review: More than a redesign!

06/07/2022

You’ve probably seen our unboxing video as well as our first impressions of the new ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition and the very reason for its existence. 

But how does the laptop perform as a daily device and what else can it offer apart from its impressively designed exterior? 

I’ve spent a good time with it and here are my thoughts. 

Design

We’ve covered a lot in our first impressions with regards to its design and build quality. But just quickly, this special edition laptop comes in an aluminum body in Zero-G Titanium color and all over its shell are markings, patterns, and accents that all contribute to its space-themed approach.

One thing you need to know about the design is that there are bits and pieces of easter eggs if you will, that give hints to how this laptop came to be. 

For one, most patterns on the body reflect the MIR space station where ASUS laptops spent more than 600 days back in the ‘90s.

Additionally, dots and dashes seen on its lid are Morse code and translate to “Ad Astra Per Aspera” which is Latin for “Through hardships to the stars”. Really great and meaningful detail.

And of course, one thing that’s hard to miss is this small display on its lid. This is the exclusive ZenVision display which is a 3.5-inch OLED screen in monochrome loaded with animations and customizable graphics to add a sprinkle of personalization to the laptop.

ASUS says this potential-filled display is inspired by a datasheet of a spaceship. And by using its MyASUS app, you can change what’s shown from time, date, battery level, to your own business card, animation, or a custom message.

The keyboard is designed in a way that both the space bar and power button are highlighted with a differently-colored coating that blends well with the overall aesthetic of the laptop.

Again, small details like a planet printed on the space bar positively add to the space-themed experience in terms of hardware.

And just like a true ASUS laptop, the device feels very solid and durable which is not at all surprising.

After all, the company really reinforced this specific model to pass some space-grade tests like vibration & temperature and withstand being in a space capsule where large temperature differences are common.

With its availability of ports, I found the presence of two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports really useful for charging and transferring files from my devices. Its full-size HDMI port also made it possible for me to easily hook up the laptop to an external monitor if I need the extra space for video editing.

The audio jack also came in handy for my headphones during late-night editing (or gaming) sessions. The microSD card reader on the side might be the least that I used since we mostly use miniSD for shooting. 

Although, it’s still useful to us whenever we use smaller devices like action cameras since they still run on microSD cards. 

As a whole, the slim physique of this Space Edition ZenBook made it easy for me to just carry it around when we want to go to a nearby coffee shop and squeeze in some work. 

It’s not the lightest I’ve tried but it’s got a good heft to it which is something I prefer more, actually than a laptop that’s light enough to easily knock over a table or something. 

Keyboard and Trackpad

Using its keyboard feels natural and the keys have decent travel in them in addition to the keys being nicely spaced out. These contributed to faster typing and I was able to hit an average of about 71 words per minute in those online typing tests. 

Just like a true ZenBook, the ErgoLift hinge is seen here as well that props up the chassis when you open the lid. This gives way to better air circulation and cools the laptop easier in addition to providing a more ergonomic experience when typing.

It also comes with the company’s NumberPad 2.0 which transforms the trackpad into a number pad. It supports certain gestures to instantly bring up the calculator and make numeric input easier. 

But as a trackpad in itself, it’s got ample space to move around in and has a nice, smooth feel to it. It would definitely add more awesome factor, though, if ASUS used its ScreenPad as we’ve seen on the ZenBook 14 UX435. 

Display and Multimedia

For its display, it features a 14-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 2880 x 1800. This basically means that you get a 2K display packed in a 14-inch monitor that’s a lot smaller when compared to your typical 32- to 55-inch TV, therefore has a more refined quality. 

And on top of that, you get an OLED panel which translates to more vibrant colors than traditional IPS panels. So with all those working together, it’s no wonder that I was able to enjoy detailed picture quality whether I’m just browsing the internet, streaming videos, or editing our content. 

And speaking of editing, the display’s 16:10 aspect ratio really helps in this area as I could fit more elements and materials in my timeline. I could see more of my clips and even squeeze in more tools for easier access and faster workflow. 

The display is also touch-enabled which conveniently adds a new input method. With this feature, usage on the laptop has been modified for the better and I’ll tell you more about it in just a bit. 

At the top of the display is a small webcam with its own physical shutter to keep prying eyes away. 

The screen comes with slim side bezels which gives a pretty immersive experience especially when watching videos. Its OLED panel also ensures that you only get deep, true blacks while its HDR feature offers a wider dynamic range to see more details.

Not only do you get lively colors and sharper picture, but you’re also assured of accurate colors thanks to its display’s 100% DCI-P3 color gamut and PANTONE-validated panel. As we’ve mentioned in our other reviews, color accuracy is important to us content creators and to all those in the same industry. 

This is because we color grade most of our content – whether to apply the correct white balance or make the video/photo appear different. With this, you can see why having a wide color gamut or validated panels impact color accuracy. 

And for fans of scrolling smoothly and gliding through the laptop’s menu and UI, you’d be glad to know that the display can go up to 90Hz refresh rate — of course, it will take a toll on the battery performance. 

In terms of audio, it’s got Harman Kardon-certified speakers with Dolby audio. Sound performance has been really satisfying in terms of how loud the speakers go. The laptop can easily fill a small room at full volume and the quality isn’t bad even at its loudest. 

I had no problems using it as a speaker for music in our room as it’s sufficient to enjoy music while I do other things. 

Additionally, for your video calls, it features an AI noise-canceling tech that aims to minimize ambient sound so your voice is picked up clearly by the people on the other line. 

ZenVision

Let’s quickly go back to its lid and talk more about this new ZenVision. As mentioned, this 3.5-inch OLED screen displays black and white graphics only and comes with preset animations and functions. 

And using its MyASUS app, you can have it display the current time, a few animated space-themed graphics, or simply show text that you can personalize. You can even put a QR code on it that people can scan to lead to your website, maybe or somewhere else. 

MyASUS app layout and UI are straightforward and easy to use, with most of the settings you’d want to tweak easily accessible. 

As for the ultimate use of ZenVision? Simply because it’s fun! The limit is only up to your imagination and you can use it both for fun and even for work if you direct a QR code to your business card, for example.

Personally, since I’ve been the one using the laptop, I don’t really see it a lot. But I’ve had people stare at it long enough when I’m out at a coffee shop. 

Performance

This laptop isn’t all for show and looking pretty. 

Inside, it packs powerful components that should help you accomplish tasks whether you’re at your office here on Earth or in a space station floating in outer space. But as much as I would like to test it outside of our atmosphere, I was only able to spend time with it on our planet but it did perform really well. 

It’s got Intel’s 12th-gen processor at its core in both Core-i5 and Core-i9 configurations while graphics are handled by Intel Iris Xe. You can get up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM on this as well as up to 1TB SSD for faster boot-up.

The configuration we have here is the Core-i5 model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Though it’s not the top-tier Core-i7 processor, it still proved to be really capable of being a 12th-gen Intel chip. 

I could multitask between editing photos and videos, switching to Google Chrome to browse, and even playing games after. 

I didn’t experience any performance issues during my entire time whether I’m running resource-heavy apps like Adobe Premiere or Photoshop. Even gaming on high graphics settings for Genshin Impact was not bad at all although of course, you’ll experience some frame drops. Still, not enough to obstruct my enjoyment while playing. 

As for the use of its touch screen, workflow for me has somehow changed now that I could mix in touch input to my way of interacting with buttons and commands. 

Literally selecting options on its screen has been incorporated and somehow made things a little faster. If not faster, at least feels more natural. 

I could be manually selecting edit points in a paragraph and using my other hand for hotkeys or shortcut keys. Small things like that make a difference in the user’s experience. 

Another feature I enjoyed is its WiFi 6E connectivity for faster and more stable connections. Whenever the time comes that we need to send numerous files online or upload our videos on YouTube, we need fast and stable connectivity and its WiFi 6E helps achieve just that. 

Battery

Meanwhile, for its battery, it carries a 63Wh Li-Po pack inside its sleek chassis. With my usual daily workflow of starting the day checking emails, then posting on the website, shooting devices or cars and dumping files on the laptop afterward, and finally a bit of editing, the laptop can last for about 4-5 hours depending on the length of time editing.

But if my workflow for the day consists more of video editing or if it’s a weekend and I could just play games, the laptop’s use will be shortened to around 3-4 hours. 

Thankfully, it comes with a 100W charger which is a step up from the previous ZenBook’s 65W power brick. With it, charging the laptop comes in about an hour and a half to two hours while the laptop is in use. 

Creature Feature

As always, in our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in devices that make them worth having – their Creature Feature. For the ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition, it would have to be its ZenVision on top of its space-themed design, of course. 

Price and Final thoughts

The ASUS ZenBook 14X OLED Space Edition in this Intel Core-i5 configuration with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD is priced at PhP 84,995. Meanwhile, the Core-i7 variant with 12GB RAM and 1TB SSD is at PhP 99,995.

Both come with Windows 11 OS out of the box as well as a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud.

Being a special edition device, the trinkets and design elements found here simply makes it a fun laptop to have. 

From the Morse Code patterns, the box that comes with a lineup of easter eggs and cool discoveries, down to its bells and whistles like the ZenVision, these all contribute to making this specific ZenBook 14 work in all aspects. 

And don’t forget about its reliable performance, immersive and color-accurate display, and powerful speakers that easily make it a content creator or gamer’s everyday laptop. 

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