vivo V20 Pro 5G hands-on review
Introduction
The vivo V20 Pro 5G has been announced back in September, but it's only now that it reaches Indian soil. We had the chance to do a full review of the vanilla V20, and we really appreciated the slightly different approach vivo had with the phone. So now that we have the Pro version, we will take a quick look at what makes this one a "Pro".
Design-wise, there isn't much of a difference, especially if you look at the back. However, the front features a larger notch, which is a bit unexpected, given that notched handsets are pretty scarce these days. Other than that, the V20 Pro 5G is a typical mid-range device in the sub INR 30,000 category with a bright OLED display, 5G-capable Snapdragon 765G chipset.
vivo V20 Pro 5G specs at a glance:
- Body: 158.8x74.2x7.4mm, 170g; Glass front and back, plastic frame.
- Display: 6.44" AMOLED, HDR10, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 409ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM7250 Snapdragon 765G (7 nm): Octa-core (1x2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver); Adreno 620.
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM.
- OS/Software: Android 11, Funtouch 11.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.9, 26mm, 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 16mm, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: Wide (main): 44 MP, f/2.0; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.3, 1/4.0", 1.12µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS.
- Battery: 4000mAh; Fast charging 33W.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical), no 3.5mm jack, no NFC, no FM radio.
A quick run through the specs raises the question about a proper feature disparity. The vanilla V20 and the Pro version seem to be identical, with the only difference being the chipset, the additional selfie camera and the microSD card support. The latter is scraped from the specs sheet on the Pro model, but, of course, it gives you a more powerful chipset. The rest of the specs are pretty much identical.
So even before doing this hands-on review, we have a pretty good idea of how the V20 Pro 5G would feel from day to day use. But until a full review comes around, join us in the next pages to see if the V20 Pro 5G is the right device for you.
Unboxing the vivo V20 Pro 5G
The retail box is nothing out of the ordinary, except that it contains a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle so that you can use the bundled 3.5mm headphones in the box. Weird that vivo didn't add USB-C headphones, too.
You also get a transparent silicone case, and the 33W-compatible fast charger along with a USB-A to USB-C cable used not only for charging but for data transfers as well.
Design and ergonomics
As we already pointed out, the handset feels a lot like the non-Pro variant as it features an almost identical design. But despite having the same display size, the Pro is a couple of millimeters shorter. That that doesn't translate into easier one-handed use, though.
The bezels aren't the thinnest ones around but aren't too distracting as well. What we found to be a bit off was the choice to go for a notch. And it has nothing to do with which type of cutout we prefer - the punch-hole or the notch. It's about the looks and how the notch makes us feel in 2021. Almost all of the new smartphones come out with a punch hole for the front-facing camera.
The new punch-hole trend makes the notch appear outdated and, in turn, its use here makes the phone look older than it actually is. Still, the notch itself is minimal and doesn't eat away too much of the screen even though it houses two sensors.
The back uses the same AG Matte Glass as the vanilla V20. It feels extra nice and maybe adds to the grip. We received the Midnight Jazz color, which changes colors when the light hits it at the right angle.
The best part is that the fingerprints and smudges don't stick as easily on the back. Or at least they are hard to spot in most lighting conditions. This doesn't seem to apply to the shiny frame, which makes smudges visible.
We would also like to point out that the camera module is looking really nice onece again. It doesn't protrude as much (still causes the phone to wobble on a flat surface, though), and it stands out from the crowd.
The main advantage of the V20 has been inherited by the Pro as well, and that's the slim profile and lightweight body. The latter makes the phone feel super comfortable to use for long periods when watching movies or playing games, while the slim profile makes it look like a fashion statement. You don't see a 7.4mm thick, 170g heavy devices every day.
Sadly, the ergonomics of the device aren't stellar. The completely flat back makes the phone a bit uncomfortable to hold, and the slim design makes the frame digs deep into your palm.
The sides are curved, and although it's made of plastic, it doesn't feel cheap. It's glossy and blends perfectly with the back color. Unlike the phone's vanilla version, this one doesn't have a 3.5mm audio jack at the bottom, but vivo has kindly provided a dongle. The power button and the volume rocker are on the right side and provide pleasant and clicky feedback.
Hardware overview
There are only a couple of key differences between the V20 Pro and the V20. The most notable one is, of course, the chipset. The Pro employs a more powerful Snapdragon 765G SoC supporting 5G connectivity while the standard V20 settles for a Snapdragon 720G.
The second big difference is the absence of a microSD card slot and the audio jack's exclusion on the V20 Pro.
We don't see why vivo would do that given that both phones have almost the same dimensions and the same screen diagonal. You do get an extra ultrawide selfie cam on the Pro, though, but more on that later.
Speaking of displays, the V20 Pro 5G is built around a 6.44-inch AMOLED panel supporting HDR10 content and offering a tall, 1080 x 2400px resolution.
We haven't tested the display in-depth, but it appears to be sufficiently bright outdoors, and we doubt it will score any differently than the V20, which peaked at 620 nits in auto mode.
The only thing missing here is a high-refresh-rate given that even midrangers boast 90Hz nowadays. Beneath the panel hides an optical fingerprint reader, which seems to be pretty fast for the short time we've used it. Misreadings are rare too.
To our surprise, the Pro is offered only in the standard 8GB/128GB variant with no option to bump up the storage to 256GB like the proper V20.
The camera setup is identical to the one offered by the V20. At least on the back, that is. You have a 64MP main camera with f/1.9 aperture at your disposal aided by an 8MP, f/2.2 unit with 120-degree FoV and a 2MP sensor for depth information.
The notch on the front has the already known 44MP main sensor with f/2.0 aperture and a secondary 8MP ultrawide with f/2.3. It's an excellent addition to the specs sheet if you often do group selfies.
A 4,000 mAh battery is in charge of keeping the lights on. This capacity can be considered a bit low by today's standards, but when we tested the V20, the results were more than satisfactory.
When it comes to fast charging, the phone uses a 33W charger supplied in the retail box. A quick test reveals that it can reach 65% in 35 minutes as opposed to the 30 minutes charge time vivo claims.
It's interesting to note that the standard V20 hit the 65% mark in 30 minutes, so the difference could be due to either thermal throttling or the chipsets. In any case, even if the 33W charging isn't the fastest one around, it does a pretty good job since it's paired with a 4,000 mAh unit.
Performance
To see if everything is in check, we ran the usual benchmark tests, and we found the Snapdragon 765G to be running as it should be showing 10 to 20% higher performance on average than the Snapdragon 720G, which is running the vivo V20.
Subjectively, the SoC seems to be enough to run vivo's new OS based on Android 11 smoothly with no hiccups or slow-downs.
Software and features
Upon arrival, the phone ran on Android 10 but shortly after, vivo seeded an OTA update bumping up the version to 11. The Funtouch version is also 11, and much of the features and customizations aren't new to us. We had enough time to test them out in the V20 review. However, we will do a quick overview of them to get a good grasp of what Funtouch 11 is all about.
The first thing we noticed is the near stock-ish look of the software. Funtouch has departed from the heavily-customized appearance of the past, and it now looks more polished. There are plenty of visual and functional customizations to play around with.
Always-on display and other ambient display effects
Some of those features include gaming-oriented apps and optimizations such as Ultra Game Mode, Esports Mode, 4D Game Vibration and sound effects with granular control over them.
Various gaming-related features
Camera
On top of the usual camera features one would expect, vivo has crammed up a couple of new ones, which are a rare find in the mid-range segment. For instance, you can record videos using the front and the back camera simultaneously, and you can shoot with the ultra-wide-angle cam using the Pro mode.
3D Sound Tracking is an interesting new feature that lets you hone in on the subject you are recording and leave the background's ambient sounds. This one's limited to 1080p at 30fps, probably due to the extra processing power it requires.
Anyway, we've got a couple of camera samples for you to look at, but we will leave the in-depth assessment for another time. For now, we leave the samples to you.
Camera samples: Main • Ultrawide • Main • Ultrawide
Here are some selfies.
Selfies: Normal • Ultrawide • Portrait
We also recorded a short 2160p video too.
Early verdict
Having reviewed the vanilla V20 and also having the chance to do a hands-on review on the 20 Pro 5G, we can conclude that both devices deliver a similar user experience that not many would notice the nuances.
Still, the V20 Pro 5G feels pretty fresh, and it's a gorgeous device, too. But being priced at INR 29,990, we fear that it would be yet another vivo handset that's too expensive for its own good.
This high price puts the V20 Pro dangerously close to feature-rich competitors like the recently announced Xiaomi Mi 10i or even the OnePlus Nord.
And relying mostly on marketing the 5G capabilities of a phone in India might not be such a great idea. Broad 5G adoption in India is still far off, and by the time it comes around, vivo would have probably already released a better and even cheaper 5G-capable handset.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
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