Vivo X21 has been launched in India as the first smartphone in the country with an under-display fingerprint sensor. The smartphone debuted as the Vivo X21 UD in China, but the UD moniker has been dropped for the Indian market. While the under-display fingerprint sensor is indeed its highlight, the Vivo X21 also has a few other features to tout, such as the large screen, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, AI capabilities, and dual rear cameras. Facial recognition is available on the Vivo X21 and the handset it is one of the first few smartphones for which Google has released the Android P Beta update. However, it faces tough competition from two new smartphones in its price segment, namely the OnePlus 6 and Honor 10.
The Vivo X21 price in India is Rs. 35,990, and will be available from Flipkart as well as the Vivo E-Store in India; it is already up for grabs in the country via the two platforms. Flipkart is giving buyers 5 percent Axis debit cards on EMI transactions, 5 percent cashback on SBI cards, and 5 percent discount on Axis Bank Buzz credit cards.
Its primary competitor will be 6GB RAM variant of the OnePlus 6, priced in India at Rs. 34,999. There are also the 8GB RAM/ 128GB inbuilt storage variant at Rs. 39,999 and the OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Limited Edition variant with 8GB RAM/ 256GB storage at Rs. 44,999. The smartphone has been available in an open sale on Amazon India, OnePlus Store, and Croma since last week. Launch offers for the OnePlus 6 include instant discounts with SBI debit and credit cards, no cost EMI options, Idea cashback, and several bundled benefits from ClearTrip, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Prime Video, and Servify.
Coming to the Honor 10, its price in India is set at Rs. 32,999 for the 6GB RAM/ 128GB onboard storage variant, which is the only one that has launched in India. The 6GB RAM/ 64GB inbuilt storage model has not made its way to the country. It is available in Phantom Blue and Midnight Black colour options. As for availability, the Honor 10 is up for sale exclusively on Flipkart in India. The flagship can also be purchased via the company's Hi Honor online store in the country. Launch offers include no cost EMI plans, Jio cashback, and exchange discounts.
The Vivo X21 UD is a dual-SIM smartphone that runs FunTouch OS 4.0 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo - it also has an Android P Beta build available for it. It sports a 6.28-inch full-HD+ (1080x2280 pixels) Super AMOLED display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC, paired with an Adreno 512 GPU and 6GB of RAM.
In terms of optics, the Vivo X21 UD has a dual rear camera setup with a 12-megapixel primary sensor along with an f/1.8 aperture and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor sporting an f/2.4 aperture. On the front, it has a 12-megapixel camera sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, IR fill light, and 3D mapping.
The Vivo X21 UD is equipped with 128GB of inbuilt storage, expandable via microSD card. It comes with a list of connectivity options, including 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, and Micro-USB. Besides, it packs a 3200mAh battery.
Next up, the OnePlus 6 is also a dual-SIM (Nano) phone that runs OxygenOS 5.1 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo. It also has an Android P Beta build that is available for it now. It sports a 6.28-inch full-HD+ (1080x2280 pixels) Full Optic AMOLED display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by a Snapdragon 845 SoC, coupled with either 6GB/ 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM.
The OnePlus 6 bears a dual rear camera setup with a primary 16-megapixel Sony IMX519 sensor and a 20-megapixel Sony IMX376K secondary sensor, complete with Slow Motion video recording (up to 480fps at 720p) dual-LED flash, OIS, EIS, and f/1.7 aperture. On the front, the OnePlus 6 bears a 16-megapixel Sony IMX371 camera with Face Unlock and Portrait Mode. Three inbuilt storage options are available - 64GB/ 128GB/ 256GB.
Connectivity options on the OnePlus 6 include 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, GPS/ A-GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and USB Type-C. Sensors onboard the smartphone include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass, gyroscope, fingerprint sensor, and proximity sensor. It is powered by a 3300mAh battery, with Dash Charge support.
Coming to the Honor 10, the dual-SIM handset runs EMUI 8.1 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box. The smartphone features a 5.84-inch full-HD+ (1080x2280 pixels) FullView display with a similar 19:9 aspect ratio. The phone is powered by an octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 970 SoC, paired with 6GB of RAM.
In terms of optics, the Honor 10 also has a dual rear camera setup with a 24-megapixel and a 16-megapixel sensor, both coupled with PDAF, AI photography capabilities, 3D Portrait Lighting, HDR, and an f/1.8 aperture. On the front, the smartphone bears another 24-megapixel sensor with the same 3D Portrait Lighting mode. Additionally, the phone comes with 128GB of inbuilt storage.
Connectivity options in the Honor 10 include 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v4.2, NFC, GPS/ A-GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and USB Type-C. Sensors onboard include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and an Ultrasonic Under Glass fingerprint sensor. It is fuelled by a 3400mAh battery.
Is Vivo X21 the future of smartphones or an overpriced gimmick? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
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