Vivo U20 Review: Light on your pocket, but a strong performer indeed

The Vivo U20 scores in performance and offers a great battery backup; it's camera may not impress all, but it's not too bad, given the price of the smartphone

After launching a few good smartphones in the mid-range segment, Chinese brand Vivo seems to have shifted its focus to starting range with the Vivo U20, which features Snapdragon 675 SoC, full-HD+ display, and 5,000mAh battery. Among the best options in the just-above-Rs 10,000 price range at present are Realme's Realme 5, Redmi's Note 8, and a few others.

Business Standard takes a look at how the Vivo U20 fares on key smartphone parameters:

Design and display

 

Its 6.53-inch display and 193g weight make the Vivo U20 slightly bulky and a bit difficult to hold for easy use. The plastic panel at the back has a glossy finish and attracts fingerprints. But its curvy frame gives it a sleek look. On the back, there is a triple-camera set-up and fingerprint sensor just above the middle. The power and volume buttons, too, are well within reach.

It's a bit surprising that Vivo has gone for a Micro-USB port on the U20, especially when every other smartphone these days sports a USB Type-C port. The 3.5mm headphone jack and the loudspeaker sit at their conventional positions.

The full-HD+ display, with a 1080 x 2340 resolution, may not be the best in business but fares well, considering the price point.

Performance and battery

 

The Vivo U20 is equipped with a Funtouch OS 9.2, running on top of the Android 9 Pie operating system. The interface looks clean and navigation is easy, something we really like in Funtouch OS. The Snapdragon 675 SoC is a welcome feature of the U20. The chipset makes it easy for you to multitask, and you don’t face glitches or stutters even during gaming sessions. Everyday operations are smooth and there are hardly any hiccups overall — in the 6GB RAM variant at least.

But there is a lot of preinstalled bloatware; it's better to get rid of them before they start spamming you with notifications.

The phone comes with 4GB RAM + 64GB Storage and 6GB RAM + 64GB Storage configurations; the storage can be expanded to up to 256GB using a microSD card.

Vivo U20 also features Bluetooth 5, a 5,000 mAh battery, and an 18W fast charger.

There is an Ultra Game mode that minimises interruptions and improves performance if you're playing a heavy game. We didn't find any difficulty while playing Call of Duty or PUBG. The standard setting may not work very well, though; you might have to adjust graphic settings to find the best one for your experience.

Face recognition in the U2 is really quick, and the fingerprint sensor also works well.

Battery

The 5,000 mAh battery in the Vivo U20 supports heavy usage. It easily lasts a day and a half on a single, even with multi-tasking and gaming. It takes around two hours for the phone to charge fully.

Camera

 

The Vivo U20 comes with 16MP+8MP+2MP AI triple rear camera with a Sony IMX499 sensor and electronic image stabilisation. It also has a 16MP selfie camera. The cameras produce satisfactory pictures. The grains do not spoil the picture, especially in challenging conditions.

 

The wide-angle camera could have been better, though. Just like other Vivo phones, the shots from a short range look decent, but the blurring may not be well in all of them.

We also clicked some shots at night and the camera had an average output. You may still get some good shots from the camera set-up, provided you know a trick or two with the settings.

 

Verdict

 

Priced at the Rs 10,990 (4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant) and Rs 11,990 (6GB RAM+ 64GB variant), the Vivo U20 is a good performer and offers a great battery backup. The camera may not impress all, but some shots come out very well. The phone is not heavy on your pocket. Considering an aggressive pricing and performance, this could well be a good option in the budget smartphone segment.