Recently Vivo Announced that its flagship X90 and X90 Pro devices are now available in Malaysia for RM4,999 and RM3,699 respectively. To put that into perspective, an iPhone 14 starts from RM4,199.

Although Vivo did not boast any environmental efforts, the press release announcing the device could probably be used for every China flagship phone coming out this year. Apart from the software and the design that would be covered by a phone case anyway, the devices seem to be made out of the standard flagship affair.

Both devices share a lot of similarities starting with the Zeiss lens coating. They both use the MediaTek Dimensity 9200 processor — we are going to see a lot more of these on China phones — with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of storage. They also share the same 6.78in display and “Vivo’s own” V2 imaging chip. The cooling system and the software behind it all are the same as well.

Of course, the X90 Pro is the one that has high-end technology. It’s the one with the 50PM (front and rear) Sony camera sensor, and more low-light camera features. It also got the (slightly) bigger 4.9Ah battery, a “better” audio algorithm, and a vegan leather casing back.

The X90 can do almost everything the X90 Pro can, just not with the top-of-the-line components. Also worth noting is that the (glass backed) X90 has an IP64 rating while the (vegan leather backed) X90Pro has an IP68 rating, important stuff to know during this rainy season.

Colour me unimpressed. An iPhone 14, which is more capable, has fewer unwanted apps, and has a focus on privacy, is more affordable. And you can get it in 5 colours!

I say “no contest”, even with the gratuity gifts like extended warranty, earbuds, accessories, and kitchen appliances that Vivo is offering, it doesn’t seem like it’s worth it.