The successor to the Chinese Vivo XPlay has been announced and with drool-worthy specifications to boot too. The Vivo XPlay 3S (amusingly, there has never been an XPlay 2) is a drop dead gorgeous device and the first to boast of a 6 inch ‘2K display‘ which, keeping the marketing lingo aside, translates into a 2560 x 1440 pixels resolution, which works out to be a whopping 490 ppi (pixels per inch) display density. The Vivo XPlay 3S beats the latest flagships – Samsung’s Galaxy S4, HTC’s One and the Google Nexus 5 – on pixel density and display resolution.
2013 will be remembered as the year when 1080p resolution displays had become the norm for flagships and premium devices. However, it will also be remembered as the year when the Vivo XPlay 3S was launched which broke that trend. The dazzling display aside, the Vivo XPlay 3S also brings in dedicated audio chips – ESS Technology’s ES9018 DAC and Texas Instruments’ OPA2604 amplifier, which – if the audiophiles are to be believed – are the cr¨me-de-la-cr¨me in their respective segments. The chips work best with the built-in DTS Headphone:X which brings 7.1 or even 11.1 surround sound effects on stereo headphones.
The Vivo XPlay 3S is a beast of a device and is powered by Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.3 GHz, it boasts of a 3 GB RAM (like the Galaxy Note 3) and offers 32 GB of internal storage. The device is clad in a metal body, which is a mere 4.5 mm thick at its thinnest. The device weighs in at 172 grams, with a 13 mega pixels (MP) primary snapper as well as a 5 MP secondary video call camera. The device also supports 4G LTE connectivity.
Similar to the iPhone 5S and the HTC One Max, the Vivo XPlay 3S is mounted with a finger print sensor; which is mounted on the back, just below the camera. The finger print sensor not only unlocks the device, but can also be configured to decrypt and encrypt sensitive documents. The device runs on a modified version of the Android OS which the manufacturer calls Funtouch OS. Some of the additional software modifications done by the manufacturer include an app termed Photo+, which is a video sharing app that uses augmented reality to enhance videos. Other software enhancements include gesture assignment for contacts, mood-based music playlist, “air wake” gesture input to toggle apps, location-based reminders, City Show AR app (like Layar) to browse nearby offers, and a “timeline desktop” app that lists your photos and interaction with friends chronologically.
It is unclear as of now whether the device would be sold outside of select Asian markets, though we can safely say that in the near future we will get to see these 2K displays on upcoming devices. What do you think about 2K displays on mobile devices – is it the next ‘in’ thing or is it overkill? Shout it out in the comments below.
