Vivo V3Max first impressions: That rear fingerprint scanner is incredibly quick

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Vivo V3Max looks and feels like any other Vivo smartphone I have used before. From the familiar use of metal housing to the straight face logo at the back, Vivo has tried to maintain the DNA of its older devices.

So what’s different? The major differentiator here is those chamfered curved edges. Vivo V3Max doesn’t look like a tall, rectangular slab anymore. Also it’s extremely comfortable to hold in one hand. Another change, the one that matters, is how light Vivo V3Max feels. Despite the metal build, Vivo V3Max is an extremely light and easy to use smartphone.

The front of the device is dominated by the 5.5-inch full HD display along with front camera, receiver, light sensor and Android navigation buttons. These buttons are not backlit which could disappoint many buyers.

The square camera in Vivo V3Max lies at the left top corner with a round LED flash sitting right below it

The metal housing dominates the back of the device. The square camera lies at the left top corner with a round LED flash sitting right below it. The slimmer metal frame makes it slippery and Vivo is bundling a transparent back panel right out of the box. The biggest change to the rear panel is the addition of fingerprint scanner. Vivo branding and self declaration round up the back of the device.

Similar to previous Vivo smartphones, the volume rocker and power button are placed at the right side while on the left is hybrid SIM/microSD tray. The top houses the headphone jack while the bottom hosts the micro-USB charging slot and speakers. There are also white plastic antenna bands visible at the top and bottom.

Vivo V3Max’s display is sharp and colours are vivid too.

Processor, Memory and Battery

Vivo V3Max is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor coupled with 4GB RAM and 32GB storage. Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 used here is an octa-core chipset with clock setting of 1.8GHz.

I feel the big deal here would be the Snapdragon 652 chipset, one that was inside Samsung Galaxy A9(2016) too. So it basically pairs four A72 cores with four A53 cores. In simple terms, this processor is as fast as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808, but not as efficient as the latter because of the 28nm architecture.

Vivo V3Max is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor coupled with 4GB RAM and 32GB storage.

During the last twenty four hours of using the device, I found everything smooth and fluid. I tried the now common Asphalt 8 in multiplayer mode and realised there are some unfixed issues. While Asphalt 8 works flawlessly, the device freezes once you are out of the app. It often needs a reboot to really work again.

Vivo V3Max is backed by a decent 3000mAh battery and I got around 15 hours out of it. I would like to give benefit of doubt to the device since its first day result. Over the next few days, I will elaborate whether the battery holds up or not in my full review.

Camera:

Every time, we had a Vivo smartphone in house, we couldn’t help but appreciate the camera and this one is no exception. Vivo V3Max features a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED and I am impressed with the results so far.

Vivo V3Max features a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED and I am impressed with the results so far.

Vivo claims it has worked on the camera sensor to make it fast and it shows. The focusing on this sensor is extremely quick, there is no lag. While the rear camera is the USP of Vivo V3Max, the front camera is pretty good too. The front eight megapixel camera could be perfect for your Snapchat selfie.

OS

Vivo V3Max runs Funtouch OS2.6 based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. It borrows a lot of elements from iOS like spotlight search and settings access from lower panel.

The lack of app drawer, which again has been the theme on iOS since and I like the app drawer based interface more. Otherwise, the OS is extremely smooth and Vivo’s custom skin is unobtrusive.

Wrap-Up

Vivo V3Max is without any doubt the best smartphone yet from the Chinese smartphone maker. However device occasionally freezes, which stalls everything on the phone until rebooted. I have already seen a software update so there is a fair chance that Vivo will fix the same.

In the meanwhile, stay tuned for our full review where we will conclude if the device is worth your money.