Vivo X80 arrives with MediaTek Dimensity 9000 superpowers

The X80 and X80 Pro also feature dual fingerprint authentication, new Zeiss cameras, and IP68 water/dust protection

Vivo X80 front and rear
(Image credit: Vivo)

Vivo is one of those brands that sometimes goes under the radar in the West, but the announcement of the brand new Vivo X80, featuring MediaTek Dimensity 9000 superpower, could be about to change that. 

I'd like to think so anyway: the brand's X70 Pro was (and still is, really) one of the best camera phones I've ever used, thanks to a genius gimbal stabilisation system. The X80 series, as the next-gen upgrade to that, also features a gimbal system.

Oddly, however, the X80 insteads to put this gimbal support on the 12-megapixel Portrait lens rather than the 50MP main sensor (there's a further 12MP wide-angle to make up the phone's trio of rear snappers). If anything, I think it's kind of a shame the gimbal system can't support the full camera unit in total, now that would be amazing. 

Vivo X80 & X80 Pro: What's new?

Unlike previous X-series devices from Vivo, the X80 comes as a duo: the X80 and X80 Pro. There's no Pro+ variant here to add confusion, giving a greater sense of unity to the pair, I feel, as their differences are more defined. 

Indeed, how does the X80 differ from the X80 Pro? Well, the Pro adds a fourth camera, an 8MP resolution periscope zoom, and ups the wide-angle resolution to 48MP. The Pro also switches from MediaTek to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor – arguably a questionable choice, as I've heard various testers saying that the MediaTek could be as much as 10 per cent more powerful. 

While there's no difference in screen size – both X80 models feature a 6.78-inch panel with 120Hz refresh capability – the Pro does up the resolution (it's 3200 x 1440 compared to 2400 x 1080). Both models also feature 80W charging, although the Pro has a greater battery capacity (at 4700mAh, more than the X80's 4500mAh). 

I think both sound like really interesting handsets. However, I always think that Vivo's release cycle is way too behind. The brand has launched a whole raft of phones in a really short period of time: the X60, X70 and now X80. But you can't even buy the X70 yet, let alone the X80, so here's me hoping for a quicker turnaround from announcement to release to make these great camera phones all the more accessible.  

Mike Lowe
Tech Editor

Mike is the Tech Editor and AV Editor at T3.com. He's been writing about consumer technology for 15 and, as a phones expert, has seen hundreds of handsets over the years – swathes of Android devices, a smattering of iPhones, and a batch of Windows Phone products (remember those?). But that's not all, as a tech aficionado his beat for T3 also covers tablets, laptops, gaming, home cinema, TVs, speakers and more – there's barely a stone unturned that he's not had a hand on. Previously the Reviews Editor at Pocket-lint for a 10 years, he's also provided work for publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Metro, and more. In addition to his tech knowledge, Mike is also a flights and travel expert, having travelled the globe extensively. You'll likely find him setting up a new mobile phone, critiquing the next MacBook, all while planning his next getaway... or cycling somewhere.