- Analysis by KJ David
Although it boasts a couple of firsts for the Chinese brand, the Vivo NEX S (It goes by Vivo NEX as well, but the S removes the confusion between it and the less-competitive NEX A version) does not quite level with the best phablets on the market, settling for a 1080p-only resolution 
on its 6.6-inch Super AMOLED screen, which would have otherwise ended up as a pro in our book, considering its notch-free bezel-less design 
and expansive 19.3:9 aspect ratio . Its decision to stick to a 1080p-FHD+ interface, instead of rocking a truly-flagship-class 1440p QHD/QHD+ one, also results to a low 388ppi pixel density count . In comparison, most of the best VR-ready smartphones shown here at Phonerated easily pass the 500ppi mark. Those cons aside, Vivo implants the NEX S's fingerprint reader right into the display , making it one of the earliest smartphones to do so.
Also separating this NEX model from most of its wide-screen rivals is its pop-out selfie camera , which is a welcome compromise for eliminating the display notch. That said, its actual camera lens suffers from a middling 8-megapixel resolution and does not come with its own LED flash nor autofocus -- a couple of typical front cam embellishments among upscale selfie-driven smartphones.
As for its main cam, the NEX S safely hits the 2018 high-end bulls-eye, rocking a 12- plus 5-megapixel dual rear camera bedecked with AI scene recognition, 4-axis optical image stabilization (OIS), and a 4K-2160p maximum video-recording capability . Its multimedia pros and cons are accompanied by a hefty 256GB internal memory (A 128GB version is also offered), although its lack of a microSD card slot , a setback that it shares with several other upscale 2018 smartphones, could put off those planning to store large multimedia files.
Providing this phablet with some much-needed muscle is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 eight-core 64-bit 2.8GHz processor , which, as of this technical review, was one of the fastest smartphone engines available -- check out the fastest smartphones here. Also, it comes with a high-caliber Adreno 630 graphics processor and it packs 8GB's worth of RAM , the latter plugging it into our list of premium-class 8GB-RAM phones.
This 6.6-incher high-tier array of pros and cons is aptly powered by a 4000mAh battery coupled with Vivo's proprietary fast-charging technology. Specs like a Hi-Fi audio chipset as well as an edge-mounted AI button for the Jovi personal assistant are on board as well.
All said, Vivo's NEX S flagship is geared towards a tech-savvy audience that puts performance above anything else.
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