Vivo X60 Pro 5G Review: Camera above its class

Cameras are one of the main ways we differentiate high-end phones, and the Vivo X60 Pro 5G comes with a rather unique proposition: its primary camera features gimbal stabilisation.

For those not familiar with the term, a gimbal ostensibly suspends the camera lens on a double-ball mount to help counterbalance hand movements. On paper, this should lead to lead to smoother, shake-free video, and it should help capture sharper photos.

But as with any unique feature, there's always the question of whether it's genuinely helpful, or whether it's more of a gimmick. In the case of the Vivo X60 Pro 5G, its gimbal tech seemingly goes a long way in helping the phone rival some of the best camera phones around.

Going steady

Gimbals are more so associated with videography, so we're going to start with video quality. The footage you get from the X60 Pro 5G is far smoother than what I could capture on the Galaxy S21+, which had a jerky feel if I wanted to walk around while shooting. At times, 8t even feels a bit smoother than what I captured on the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which is the gold standard for video on a smartphone right now. The iPhone 12 Pro Max does however have a slight edge in terms of video quality itself, especially in low light. Footage is a bit brighter, and features less camera noise. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is of course about $700 more than the X60 Pro 5G.

There is naturally a limit to how much a gimbal can help stabilise video; you're still going to get really shaky video if you're running, but it looks great if you're walking. The X60 Pro 5G isn't immune from camera shake, and I found footage could still be marred by the occasional shake from more jarring movements - especially in low light - but otherwise, the gimbal solution is surprisingly effective. The X60 Pro 5G is potentially a great pick if you're someone who films a lot of handheld video on the go.

Here's a comparison between the X60 Pro 5G, the Samsung Galaxy S21+, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max:

When it comes to photography, the Vivo X60 Pro 5G's primary camera is pretty damn good too. It takes great photos in most conditions, but it arguably does a little too good a job in low light. The resulting images feel overly bright (and in some cases, a little noisy). The photos certainly aren't bad, but I prefer my low light images to have a bit more of a natural look and more contrast. A vibrant blue sky when it's pitch black outside can look a little weird.

More than just a pretty lens

Cameras aside, the Vivo X60 Pro 5G is a solid package. It has a nice matte finish that's pretty good at hiding fingerprints, reassuring build quality, and a good feel in the hand. The display itself is lovely, although is curved. I'm not the biggest fan of curved screens, but some people like them! More importantly, the curves are pretty subtle, so they don't create much colour distortion and haven't resulted in any false touches.

The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 870 processor, which is technically a step down from the Snapdragon 888 featured in most flagship phones right now. While that may seem like a downgrade, you certainly can't tell when using the X60 Pro 5G. It's as fast and responsive as you'd expect a flagship phone to be. And despite the $1,099 price-tag, you get 256GB of storage out of the box. It is however worth noting the phone isn't water-resistant, which is a fairly standard feature on most handsets in this price bracket. 

The only real concern with the X60 Pro is battery life. As has been the case with most high-end Android phones in the last two years or so, battery life lets the Vivo X60 Pro down. I was only able to get about four hours of screen time with the 120Hz display and 5G both switched on. That's not great, but also not the worst I've seen on a 5G device. You can always disable those features, but as always, you shouldn't need to disable core functionality just to get a bit more battery life.

At the very least, the Vivo X60 Pro features rather zippy fast charging. A half-an-hour top-up with the bundled adapter should take you from flat to over 60%.

Vivo X60 Pro 5G - Final Thoughts

All in all, the Vivo X60 Pro 5G is pretty damn good for the money; you're getting a lot of phone for $1,099. The cameras are great, the gimbal genuinely helps elevate the photography and video experience, performance is snappy, 256GB out of the box is a nice bonus. The X60 Pro 5G is one of the cases where you get more than what you pay. It also cements Vivo as a brand to watch in the flagship space, and I'm certainly excited to see what it will do next.

Vivo X60 Pro 5G camera samples 

Alex Choros

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Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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