New Mid-range King? Vivo iQOO U1 Checks All The Right Boxes at Just $171

Vivo’s new iQOO U1 is one of the best value for money handsets from the brand to date, making it a direct competitor to the Redmi Note series. The device is packed with 48MP triple cameras, speedy UFS 2.1, and the upper mid-range Snapdragon 720G SoC, all for only $171.

Design and Display

The giant 6.53-inch display has a 90% screen to body ratio thanks to tiny bezels and the average size cornered punch-hole cutout. The LCD panel has FHD+ screen resolution and a tall 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The fingerprint sensor is mounted on the side on top of the power button.

The primary camera design has received a much-needed refresh. Instead of those large rectangles seen on other phones in the iQOO series, the iQOO U1 has a simple vertical camera strip with three lenses, a refreshing change.

Internals and Storage

The gaming-oriented Snapdragon 720G powers the internals alongside a 2.3GHz octa-core CPU, 6 to 8GB RAM, and 64 to 128GB storage. There is no microSD card slot for storage expansion on any of the variants.

On the software side, the smartphone runs on Android 10 based iQOO UI with heavy modifications.

Cameras

The 48MP main camera at the back is accompanied by a 2MP macro unit for closeup photography and a 2MP depth sensor lens for bokeh effects. The video capabilities of this camera have not been revealed yet.

The front camera housed inside the cornered punch-hole cutout is an 8MP shooter.

Battery and Pricing

The sizable 4,500 mAh battery draws power from the outdated micro USB port, something that is inexcusable even as a cost-cutting measure. But fortunately, it does come with support for 18W fast charging.

As mentioned earlier, the Vivo iQOO U1 will start at only $171 once it goes official on July 23.

Vivo iQOO U1 Specifications

• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
• CPU: 2.3 Ghz Octa-core
• GPU: Adreno 618
• OS: Android 10, iQOO UI
• Supported Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE
• Display:
  • 6.53″ IPS LCD with 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution;
• Memory:
  • RAM: 6GB, 8GB
  • Internal: 64GB, 128GB, UFS 2.1
  • Card slot: No
• Camera:
  • Rear (Triple): 48 MP (main) + 2MP (macro) + 2MP (depth)
  • Front: 8MP
• Colors: Star Blue, Secret Black and Sunny Frost White
• Battery: 4,500 mAh, 18W fast charging
• Price: $171