Vivo NEX 3 First Impressions

We take our first look at the Vivo NEX 3, a handset with bleeding-edge features priced at only PHP 39,999!

Vivo NEX 3

As mentioned above, the Vivo NEX 3 is packing the latest and greatest bleeding-edge features like the 6.89-inch waterfall POLED display, Snapdragon 855+, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM,128GB of UFS 3.0 storage, and a 4,500mAh battery with 44W fast charging.

Note: We only received the smartphone unit without the retail box and inclusions.

Let's take a closer look!

Build Quality/Design

Vivo NEX 3 rear

NEX 3 is built with metal and glass materials. The front and back curved glass panels sandwich a beautiful polished metal frame.

It comes in Black or White. The back of our black unit has a unique shine that transitions from a darker black tint to a lighter grey-ish-bluish color.

It is eye-catching. On the upper half is the round camera module that houses the triple rear camera and the LED flash while at the lower half is the NEX branding.

In-display fingerprint sensor

In front is a humungous 6.89-inch Waterfall POLED display with a resolution of 2256 x 1080 with a ppi of 363.

The waterfall display curves down to the side of the phone giving it a near side bezel-less viewing experience. The metal frame on the side is so thin that there was no room for Vivo to place hardware buttons.

The screen-to-body ratio? A JAW-DROPPING 99.6 percent!

This allowed Vivo to dramatically reduce the size of the NEX 3 down to 167.44 x 76.18 x 9.4 mm and weighs only 218 grams even though it has a large display and a large 4,500mAh battery.

Topside

On top of the NEX 3 are antenna lines, microphone ports, IR blaster, pop-up camera mechanism, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Bottom side

While at the bottom are antenna lines, speaker grills, microphone ports, USB-C port, and the dual nano-SIM slot.

Left side

On the left side is the waterfall display with the on-screen buttons for the power, volume up and volume down button. There is a part fo the left metal frame that is textured to allow you to easily find the power button.

Right side

On the right side are the thin metal frame and the waterfall display.

After a few minutes of the device, we immediately noticed that the curved back made it easier to hold in one hand but the glass material and the metal frame make the phone prone to slips.

The on-screen buttons works, but are also not that reliable.

We would find ourselves always having to keep looking at the power/volume up/volume down icons to make sure we pressed the button we wanted. 

The glass back is also a big fingerprint magnet. We recommend installing a case.

Initial findings

Large 6.89-inch Waterfall POLED screen

1. The 6.89-inch Waterfall POLED screen w/ FHD+ 2256 x 1080 resolution at 363 ppi is large and immersive. It produces decently sharp text and images with colors that are vibrant with good contrast. Touch and gesture functionality is quick, responsive and accurate.

Our unit came with the pre-installed screen protector.

2. Under the hood is the latest and greatest 2.96GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 855 Plus AIE octa-core processor with the Adreno 640 GPU. It is supplemented with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.0 storage.

Powering the device is a large 4,500mAh battery that fast charges via USB Type-C with the included 44W fast charger. This makes it one of the few phones with a huge battery capacity that also charges at a whopping 44W!

44W is supposedly faster than the 40W of Huawei Mate 30 Pro.

3. Running the show is FunTouchOS 9.1 based on Android 9.0 Pie. It features the deeper visual update that brings FunTouch a more modern look.

4. At the back is the triple camera set-up made up of a 64MP f/1.8 main camera, 13MP f/2.2 120-degree ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 13MP f/2.48 2x optical telephoto zoom with LED flash. 

On top of the phone is the hidden elevating camera module that houses 16MP f/2.0 with an LED flash.

Note: Watch out for our camera samples!

5. Vivo NEX 3 comes with WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, 5G, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, dual SIM (nano), In-Display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, AK4377A HiFi DAC, Vapor Chamber cooling, and USB Type-C OTG.

Vivo NEX 3 Specs

Display: 6.89-inch Waterfall POLED screen w/ FHD+ 2256 x 1080 resolution at 363 ppi 
CPU: 2.96GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 855 Plus AIE octa-core processor
GPU: Adreno 640
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X
ROM: 128GB UFS 3.0
Back Camera: 64MP f/1.8 ISOCELL Bright GW1 + 13MP f/2.2 120-degree ultra-wide-angle + 13MP f/2.48 2x optical zoom w/ LED flash
Selfie Camera: 16MP f/2.0
Battery: 4,500mAh battery w/ 44W Super FlashCharge technology
OS: Android 9.1 Pie OS w/ Funtouch 9.1 OS
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, 5G, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, dual SIM (nano)
Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, AK4377A HiFi DAC, Vapor Chamber cooling, USB-C, Colors: black, white
Dimensions: 167.44 x 76.18 x 9.4 mm
Weight: 218 g
Price: PHP 39,999

As of the moment

Vivo NEX 3

At only PHP 39,999, the Vivo NEX 3 offers one of the best value flagship phones yet.

It comes with a Snapdragon 855+, 128GB UFS 3.0 storage, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 4,500mAh battery with 44W fast charging, 6.89-inch Waterfall POLED display that is all packed in a beautiful but solid glass and metal device.

No other phone at the PHP 40K mark offers what the NEX 3 offers! It even has an IR blaster, a 3.5mm headphone jack and vapor chamber cooling!

Overall, our first impressions of the Vivo NEX 3 is strong! We hope that Vivo continues this value for money pricing in the future.

For our full review: Vivo NEX 3 Review - Still the best under PHP 40K?

What do you guys think?