Three models that are part of today’s faceoff ( Vivo V3,Max, Samsung Galaxy C7, and Asus ZenFone 3) are powered by Snapdragon 6xx chipsets, they have lots of RAM and large 1080p displays. Belonging to the mid-range segment where the competition is always the fiercest, these phones try to offer lots for the money, showing off a bit of flagship charm in a relatively affordable package. Let’s see which of the three is the best choice.
Design, Dimensions
Vivo V3 Max is an average looking phone. The dull front side features three soft keys placed under, with speaker, selfie camera and sensors placed above the display. The backside has a fingerprint sensor, found in the upper middle part of the backside, along with main camera lens that can be found on the upper left part of the backside. Nothing special, but also nothing that could damage the looks of the V3Max.
Samsung Galaxy C7 looks quite attractive. Metal chassis gives the flagship exclusivity, with the backside looking like it was borrowed from HTC’s One (M7), having middle placed camera and two antenna bands. On the front, you can find two soft keys with the Home Button between them, as well as a huge screen with almost invisible side bezels. The Galaxy C7 is one very handsome phone.
Asus Zenfone 3 also sports a metal body, with the camera and a fingerprint sensor placed on the upper middle part of the backside. On the front, you can find three soft keys under the display accompanied by a tiny speaker, sensors and the front-facing camera found above the screen. Although the chassis looks phenomenal, the phone as a whole doesn’t give away lots of eye-catching details.
The Galaxy C7 is the largest of the three, measuring 156.6 x 77.2 x 6.8 mm. the phone is extremely thin, and since it sports a 5.7-inch display, the size is just right. The Zenfone 3 measures 152.6 x 77.4 x 7.7 mm, the phone is wider than the Galaxy C7 even though is sports smaller, 5.5-inch display. At least the phone is pretty thin, although still thicker than the Galaxy C7. Vivo V3Max measures 153.9 x 77.1 x 7.6 mm, large dimensions for a 5.5-inch device, but still thinner and narrower than Asus Zenfone 3.
Hardware, Display
The V3 Max offers the most powerful chipset of the bunch, The phone is powered by Snapdragon 652 (4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A72 & 4×1.4 GHz Cortex-A53, with Adreno 510 GPU). Great choice for a 1080p smartphone. Aside from Snapdragon 652, you can find 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of expandable internal storage (SIM 2 slot).
Asus and Samsung used Snapdragon 625 (Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 coupled with Adreno 506) as the main engine for the Zenfone 3 and Galaxy C7. Not as good as the solution found on Vivo V3Max, but still powerful enough to provide snappy performance, and capable of running all latest games. The Zenfone 3 comes in two flavors – 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64 GB. The internal storage can be expanded via SIM 2 slot. The Galaxy C7 has 4 GB of RAM and a choice between 32 GB and 64 GB of expandable (SIM 2 slot) internal storage.
Both the Zenfone 3 and Vivo V3 Max feature 5.5-inch 1080p IPS LCD displays. They are large enough for any kind of work and have solid sharpness (401 ppi pixel density). The Galaxy C7 comes with a slightly bigger, 5.7-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display, offering rich colors and deep blacks. Since the Note 7 ended as a complete bust, the Galaxy C7 can prove as a solid replacement, for less money.
Camera
Samsung Galaxy C7 has a 16 MP (f/1.9) main camera, supporting autofocus, dual-LED flash, and HDR. It can record 1080p@30fps videos and it looks like a great smartphone camera, at least for a midrange device. The selfie camera has 8 MP (f/1.9).
Asus Zenfone 3 features a 16 MP (f/2.0) main snapper, offering laser/phase detection autofocus, OIS (4-axis), dual-LED flash, and HDR. The camera is capable of recording 2160p@30fps videos. Looking at features, resolution, and video recording resolution, the Zenfone 3 possess the best camera out of the three. The selfie camera has 8MP (f/2.0).
Vivo V3Max packs a 13 MP (no info regarding aperture size) main camera, supporting phase detection autofocus, LED flash, and HDR, and being able to record 1080p@30fps videos. Strange that only 1080p video resolution is supported, since the Zenfone 3 supports 2160p recording, even if it’s powered by a weaker Snapdragon 625. The selfie snapper has 8 MP.
Battery, Software
Asus Zenfone 3 and Vivo V3Max are powered by 3000 mAh battery, while the Galaxy C7 packs 3300 mAh battery. All three devices come with a fingerprint sensor, with the Galaxy C7 and Vivo V3Max supporting fast battery charging.
Vivo V3Max runs under Android Lollipop coated with Vivo’s Funtouch OS 2.5. The Galaxy C7 and Zenfone 3 run under Android Lollipop. Since the Galaxy C7 is a part of Samsung’s upper middle class of smartphones, and since it came out in June, we are sure the phone will get Android Nougat at some point.
Conclusion
All three models have strong sides. With Vivo V3Max it’s the Snapdragon 652; The Zenfone 3 features the best camera, and the Galaxy C7 offers the largest screen as well as the best design of the three. The choice is hard until we look at prices.
Vivo V3Max can be found for Rs 18,999 (around $280), the Zenfone 3 (4GB/64GB)sports a price of Rs 27,300 ($405), while the expected price the Galaxy C7 will sport when it comes to India (on December 16) is Rs 26,500 (Around $390). Looking at prices, the V3Max seems like the best deal although it is stuck with Android Lollipop; if still thinking about getting Zenfone 3 or Samsung Galaxy C7, we think that the Galaxy C7 is better. Solid camera, larger screen, superb metal chassis, and lots of RAM and storage, all that for a lower price, give the Galaxy C7 our recommendation.