Vivo V20 Pro review: A solid midrange phone marred by clumsy user interface

The Vivo V20 pro boasts 5G connectivity, dual selfie cameras, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor. On paper, the Vivo V20 seems to be an all-round smartphone. Is it? Let's find out

After launching in India the Vivo V20 and Vivo V20 SE smartphone, Chinese smartphone maker Vivo recently expanded its V-series with the launch of the Vivo V20 Pro. Priced at Rs 29,990, the midrange smartphone boasts 5G connectivity, dual selfie cameras, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor. On paper, the Vivo V20 seems to be an all-round smartphone. Is it? Let’s find out:

Design

The Vivo V20 Pro looks similar to the Vivo V20. It has sleek design with lightweight built, and colour scheme that looks flashy yet intriguing. Vivo says the V20 Pro is the sleekest 5G smartphone available in the market currently and the phone’s dimensions justify the claim. It measure 158.82 mm × 74.20 mm × 7.39 mm and weighs mere 170 g. Bearing a lightweight built and compact design, the Vivo V20 Pro is easy to carry around and comfortable to use. Moreover, it is one of the big screen smartphones that is easy to handle even with one hand. At its back, the phone has a familiar frosted matte finish, similar to the V20. The glass back has a good in-hand feel and the dual-tone rear camera module accentuates the phone’s overall design language. 

Display

The Vivo V20 Pro sports a 6.44-inch AMOLED display of fullHD+ resolution. It is sharp and vivid but has a wide notch nestling dual selfie shooter that seems to be a deterrent to otherwise good display. Thankfully, the display bezels are minimal and the phone has optimal screen-to-body ratio. The display is protected by Schott's Xensation Up glass, which is touted to be resilient to scratches and smudges but its drop resistance is questionable. On the back, however, the phone has Gorilla Glass 5 protection. 

Besides the dual front camera module, the display also features an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is quick to unlock the device. The Vivo V20 Pro’s display is good but it is a 60Hz refresh rate panel, which is not as good as the 90Hz and 120Hz displays that its competitors offer in the same segment.

Camera

 

The Vivo V20 Pro has a triple camera module on the back, similar to the one available with the Vivo V20. It sports a 64-megapixel primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor and a 2MP monochrome sensor. On the front, the phone gets an additional 8MP ultra-wide selfie camera in addition to 44MP camera.

 

The image processing looks better in V20 Pro, compared to the Vivo V20. It captures images that look better in terms of colours and detailing. However, the camera is not refined and tends to oversaturate the colours at times, especially when you take long exposure shots. The V20 Pro’s ultra-wide sensor is not great either. It fails to capture details and the edges are soft and marred with barrel effect.

 

Pictures taken using Night Mode usually keeps the noise low, and with slight help from any light source, the final image comes out better. That said, in everyday photography, the camera fares fine but it is not the camera system you’d like to depend upon to capture memories.

 

The Vivo V20 Pro’s imaging strength lies in its front camera. It does not softens the pictures, and maintains natural skin tones for natural looking frames. Moreover, the front camera output is clean with optimum sharpness and brightness.

With regard to video, the Vivo V20 Pro’s front and rear camera can record 4K videos at 60fps and the output is good.

Performance

The Vivo V20 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G system-on-chip (SoC), paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. It is a 5G smartphone but the lack of 5G network made this much touted feature redundant. Nevertheless, the phone boots Android 11 operating system-based FunTouch OS 11 user interface.

Details aside, the performance is top-notch and the phone works seamlessly irrespective of what you throw at it. With regard to gaming, it might not be great but, nonetheless, delivers optimal user experience. For example, playing Call of Duty at high graphic resolution might result in frame drops occasionally but it works fine at medium graphic settings.

Likewise, the phone is good for daily operations. However, its user interface is a deterrent to user experience.

Powering the Vivo V20 Pro is a 4,000mAh battery, which manages to keep the show going for around a day. The Vivo V20 Pro comes with a 33W fast charger in the box that charges the smartphone in about an hour, which is excellent.

Verdict

The Vivo V20 Pro is a likeable midrange smartphone with compact and premium design and lightweight built. Priced at Rs 29,990, the phone has all it takes to deliver an all-round performance, except for the user interface. Close competitor to the OnePlus Nord, the Vivo V20 Pro race past the former in terms of design and cameras but lags behind in terms of user experience and display quality. Despite its flaws, the Vivo V20 Pro is a one good option in sub Rs 30,000 price segment.