Vivo S1 Specs
Android 9 Pie, FuntouchOS 96.38-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display (2340 x 1080 resolution) at 404ppi
MediaTek Helio P65 octa-core processor
Mali-G52 MC2 GPU
6GB RAM /128GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD up to 256GB
16MP, f/1.78 + 8MP ultra-wide + 2MP depth sensor rear cameras, PDAF, LED flash
32MP, f/2.0 selfie camera
In-display fingerprint scanner
Face unlock
Dual SIM, Dual standby
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, GLONASS
FM Radio
micro-USB
4,500mAh battery, 18W Dual Engine fast charging
Color: Skyline Blue, Diamond Black
179g
Unboxing
The Vivo S1 comes in the standard white box, there's a huge S at the front of the box with the company brand and S1, at the top corner there's RAM and storage capacity printed.
Design and Display
The first thing I notice about the S1 is the nice gradient finish at the back, there's a diamond weaved texture design at it changes when struck by light, now that is pretty cool.
There's a triple camera to the left side vertically aligned, together with the LED flash and below is the Vivo branding. No fingerprint scanner at the back since this phone is equipped with an in-display fingerprint scanner.
Going to the bottom is the usual micro USB port (old tech), Vivo should really embrace the use of Type-C on their smartphones. there's also 3.5 audio jack, microphone, and speaker grille.
To the right side are the volume rocker and power button, while at the left side are the smart button for Google Assitant and the SIM slot.
The S1 features a 6.38-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display which is a nice looking screen with a notch at the top where the 32-megapixel selfie camera is placed.
Just below the screen is the in-display fingerprint scanner, which is really fast in unlocking the S1. It also features Always On Display at low power consumption, so that you can glance at the phone for important notification.
Performance and software
The Vivo S1 is powered by MediaTek Helio P65 processor paired with Mali-G52 GPU, 6GB RAM, 128GB internal storage, runs on FuntouchOS 9 and packs a 4,500mAh battery, with 18W Dual Engine fast charging feature which is not a bad specs for its price-point.
During my time with the Vivo S1 as my main device, it performed well, it did a good job on my day-to-day tasks, such as using it as navigation device during driving going to work, browsing using social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. No lags when using it even when there are other apps running in the background and switching apps is also smooth.
I installed and played some of my fave games on S1 like PUBG mobile (medium settings), Star Trek Fleet Command, Shadow fight 3 and Modern Combat 5, which runs well and since most of these games run online, I was able to use the 4g LTE capability of this phone and so far it did not disappoint me, the connection was great and I can easily switch between mobile data and WiFi easily.
Out of the box the S1 runs on Funtouch OS 9 on top of Android 9 Pie. Its always a good idea to run the update before you use your new phone, to check if there is an available update that you can download and install.
Vivo's EasyShare is a nice feature that can easily transfer your data from your old to the new Vivo S1, you can easily import contacts, messages, photos and more. This takes a bit longer to finish specially if you have a lot of data from your old phone. But you can always run this function later on after you configure the S1.
Just like any Vivo phones that runs on Funtouch OS, using the S1 is easy to use and the app's icon looks really nice. Personally, I like how the Funtouch OS looks, the screen gestures are responsive and smooth. Its a heavily customized Android OS, and also comes with pre-installed bloatware, most of it can be uninstalled which is good.
One one the things I like is the new look of the Quick Access menu, its now at the bottom of the screen and its easier to access.
Just like the Vivo V15, the S1 is also equipped with an in-display fingerprint scanner, and based on my experience I think Vivo has one of the fastest in-display fingerprint scanners today and it just works everytime I use it which is really cool.
Overall performance of the Vivo S1 is great, it performs smoothly and has more than enough computing power to run all of the apps I installed.
Cameras
The S1 sports a triple camera at the back with 16-megapixel main sensor + 8-megapixel ultra-wide + 2-megapixel depth sensor configuration. At the front is a 32-megapixel selfie camera.
The S1 features an Ultra HD resolution that allows you to take selfies with high details. It also comes with multiple selfie modes, such as AI Face Beauty, Selfie Frontlight, AR Stickers, AI Filter, etc., which makes taking selfie fun.
Samples of Pictures taken with Vivo S1
The rear camera can take decent pictures, nothing impressive, its a good enough for sharing. The selfie camera, on the other hand, is great for taking selfies with its multiple selfie modes you can capture a better version if you use one of the selfie modes.
Battery
The Vivo S1 is equipped with a large 4500mAh battery, and it comes with 18W dual-engine fast charging adapter. during our time with this phone. we're able to get a whole day of use which is great considering that we do a lot of gaming, streaming videos, taking pictures and the usual day to day use of a smartphone. Charging the battery takes around 2 hours which is not bad considering that it still uses the old micro-USB port.
Verdict
We like the Vivo S1 with its stylish design and the Super AMOLED display looks great for playing games and watching videos. The in-display fingerprint is an added cool feature, it has decent performance but we find the rear camera lacks the pixels to make pictures better looking and its priced at Php14,999 we think there are other brands like Xiaomi Redmi Note 7, Samsung A20, and HUAWEI Nova 5 that offers better camera performance.
Pros
Stylish design
Great AMOLED display
Good performance
Responsive OS
Great battery life
Cons
Uses old micro-USB port
Poor camera performance
Pricing
The Vivo S1 is priced at Php14,999 and its now available at all Vivo stores nationwide and at Shopee's official store.
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