Sep 28, 2016 08:08 AM
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VIVO V3 is one good looking sturdy phone and it is very hard to find flaws when you take a look at its metal finish body, but I hope I could have said same for its OS also.
Sad to say on the OS front, this phone is let down for flagship models. So if you are a user who uses his/her phone for more than calling here are the top bummers coming up and you should think thrice before buying this phone.
- No Device-level encryption
This is the biggest one. Though V3 funtouch OS is based on Android 5.1, they have deliberately removed the device level encryption. I had multiple chats with Vivo care, they confirm that this feature is not there. So if you loose your device, say don't be surpise if your data goes public on phising website.
- No noise cancellation in calling(video) apps
Bye bye! a headache free Video calling using the speaker phone(without handsfree). This phone as a massive software bug which let the phone speaker volume in the mic, (no noise cancellation) and the person at the other end will hear his own voice echo and by bad luck if the other person is also using VIVO V3, both phone will get into the endless voice feedback look and you will hear the microphone squeal and application will crash.
- Chrome Casting also suffer from audio feedback loop
If you by chance uses chrome cast, you are in bad luck because somehow if you cast a phone local content, it will not cast sound and also keep the mic open, so you mic will pick the sound coming out of speakers, send it to TV, then also pick put the sound coming from TV and send it back again. The positive audio amplification feedback loop will occur resulting in microphone squeal and eventual application crash.
With android 4.4 Google came up with smart lock option which basically enables your phone to get kept unlock by you smart watch or otherBluetoothh device or if it is on your body. But Vivo has deliberately removed this feature.(because I think they wanted to be Apple-like). You can still enable this feature as a bug when you connect your phone first time, a notification will ask for the smart lock, but after that, you won't be able to access the smart lock screen from setting because it is not there.
- Third party apps can't show music controls on locked screen
Though the V3 phones are targetted to music lovers, but frankly speaking their built-in music application sucks, I have 22000 songs on my SD card, and Vivo "i Music" application takes almost 10 sec to start and their interface is quite uninteresting and unuseful. You can use the google music or Pulsar type third party app, but they won't be able to show the music control on lock screen. If you are a music lover you know what pain it will be.
I have a large song library, so when I sync it using the MTP mode of the VIVO V3, it gives me frustration attack. Because the MTP connection is always been infamous of frequent disconnection and being slow.
- They are trying hard to be a cheap iPhone
With no app drawer in default launcher and application like "i Music", "i Manager", "i Theme", 13 MP camera, deliberately removed device encryption and smart lock feature, the pull up quick setting menu, it is not very hard to see VIVO is trying to copy Apple, but all it could have achieved is a cheap copy status. But they really forgot to use their brains in the copying process.
No Marshmallow update
Those who like to keep up with technology(or software updates) the biggest bummer is that their OS layer(funtouch OS 2.5) is still based on Android 5.1 which no timeline or confirmation for marshmallow(thinking of Android Nougat on this device is not realistic). The current OS has many unpolished edges, it will be the long list if I start to counting.
Pathetic VIVO Care response
I have raised all the issues with VIVO Care and their response with for all of the questions were Duo, skype, Google music and Google Cast etc are third party application and VIVO does not guaranty(or care) their compatibility with their device. Even their own V3 is facing the noise(un) cancellation on video calling, so I should learn to live with that.
