vivo V20 Review: Stylish Mid-ranger with Good Camera Performance!

vivo V20 was launched in Nepal a month ago. vivo V20 is an update to the vivo V19 and it’s a mid-range device with a premium design.

vivo V20 is the upgrade to the vivo V19 and it brings some meaningful changes in design and hardware. vivo V20 price in Nepal is Rs. 47,990 for the 8/128GB variant.

I have been using this for more than 2 weeks now and this is my full review.

vivo V20 Review

Design

• 161.3 x 74.2 x 7.4 mm, 171 g
• Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)

vivo V20 is a premium looking phone. The glass back has a matte finish that looks and feels premium. V20 looks gorgeous from the back and the camera module also gets a design change. It now has three sensors instead of 4 sensors.

On the front, vivo has decided to go with the teardrop notch instead of the hole-punch design used on the vivo V19. I prefer the hole-punch instead of the teardrop notch.

The bezels are quite minimum and the chin is also quite thin. The phone itself is very thin and light. vivo V20 is definitely the best looking phone for the price.

Display

• 6.44 inches Super AMOLED
• 1080 x 2400 pixels
• HDR10
• 60Hz

vivo V20 comes with a 6.44 inches FHD+ AMOLED display. It’s a 60Hz refresh rate display with HDR support. The AMOLED panel used on the vivo V20 is a good one but the ones used on Samsung look better.

The colors are popping and saturated but the saturation is not exaggerated. The color looks natural with slight saturation. I enjoyed watching video content on the vivo V20.

Plus, it is a bright AMOLED panel so I didn’t have any problem using the phone under strong sunlight. All in all, the AMOLED panel of the vivo V20 is good but it’s not amazing.

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Performance

• Qualcomm SM7125 Snapdragon 720G (8 nm)
• Octa-core (2×2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver)
• Adreno 618
• 128GB Internal Storage, 8GB RAM

vivo V20 is using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset along with 8GB RAM and 128GB ROM.

It’s an 8nm chipset with Octa-core (2×2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver) CPU and Adreno 618 GPU. It’s a good upgrade from vivo V19’s Snapdragon 712. General performance is flawless as it runs apps without any hiccups. I did not notice any lags while switching between multiple apps either.

I played COD Mobile and PUBG on the vivo V20. To be fair, it didn’t disappoint as the games ran consistently smooth on high settings.

PUBG mobile was more consistent with slight frame drops whereas I noticed slightly more frame drops on the COD Mobile. What’s more surprising is the fact that the vivo V20 manages to stay cool even after a good gaming session. I did not have any heating issues with the V20.

Camera

• Rear Camera: 64 MP, f/1.9, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72″, 0.8µm, PDAF
  • 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm, AF
  • 2 MP monochrome
  • Video: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS
• Front Camera: 44 MP, f/2.0, (wide), AF
  • Video: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS

vivo V20 has a triple-camera setup with a 64 MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and 2MP monochrome sensor. On the front vivo V19 had a dual-camera setup but the vivo V20 has a single massive 44MP sensor. And it will come with an Eye Autofocus feature allowing users to unlock a new world of creative possibilities.

Besides, for selfie lovers and content creators, the phone comes with multiple modes, such as Super Night Selfie, Dual-view video, Slo-mo Selfie, 4K Selfie Video, Steadiface Selfie Video, and more.

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Normal Photos

The main sensor captures good photos in daylight with good contrast. The color is saturated but it does not feel dramatic. The Auto HDR works really well and the photos have a good amount of details too.

The main sensor sharpens the photo slightly but it doesn’t go overboard which makes pictures quite appealing.

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If you want more detail then you can also capture photos with a 64MP camera but I don’t think you will need to capture with a 64MP camera. The normal mode is good enough for most of the time. Also, 64MP mode cannot use HDR which will result in a darker picture.

Ultrawide and Macro Photos

The 8MP Ultrawide angle sensor is not as impressive as the main sensor. The distortion correction is quite good but the images look a bit soft and images have noticeable noise on the edges.

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However, the ultrawide angle sensor has a good dynamic range. Overall, the ultrawide angle photos are average at best. Since the Ultrawide angle sensor has AF, it can take Macro photos from the Ultrawide angle lens. The results are quite good in the daytime.

Low Light

vivo V20 does surprisingly well in the low light scenarios. Though the details are soft, the detail level is quite good for low light photos. HDR also does a good job in low light photos to control the light source.

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Similarly, the night mode does improve the night photos as it removes the grains and noises. This brings more detail to the picture but it also brings some artifacts, especially in the sky.

Front Camera

The 44MP selfie camera of vivo V20 performs well. The selfies look sharp with a good amount of details. Images do turn out soft in some situations but the front camera works well most of the time.

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As for portraits, the front camera does a good job with background separation and the bokeh effect is nice as well. The edge detection looks weak in some tricky conditions. Else, the HDR also does a good job while taking selfies.

Portrait

I like the portraits from the vivo V20. The photos have good detail and edge detection is really good. The background blur is adjustable while taking the photos but it cannot be adjusted afterward.

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Video

vivo V20 can capture videos up to 4K 30 fps from the rear camera. It can capture 1080p at 50fps and has ultra-stable mode in 1080p. 4K footages look sharp with good dynamic range and the detail is okay as well.

Furthermore, it has features like dual video mode which captures video from both the front and rear camera at the same time.

It can also capture 4K videos from the front camera. And, the front camera also has a steady mode which stabilizes the video footage.

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Battery

• Non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAh battery
• Fast charging 33W, 54% in 30 min, Vivo Flash Charge 2.0

vivo V20 has a 4000 mAh battery which is more than enough for a day of usage. Under moderate usage, I was still left with some battery in the tank at the end of the day. Whereas it would last almost a day and a half under average usage.

As for charging, the 33W fast charging claims to provide 100% in around 55 mins. And, it can provide 54% charge in 30 min.

Security

The face unlocks on the vivo V19 works fast and is consistent. The in-display fingerprint sensor is also quick and reliable.

I did not have any problem with the face unlock or the fingerprint scanner.

Speaker

vivo V20’s speaker sounds pretty average for a premium mid-range phone. The single bottom-firing speaker is loud enough and the clarity is also good. But it lacks fidelity.

Software

vivo V20 uses Funtouch OS 11 on top of Android 11. Funtouch OS has come a long way and it is much better. vivo has taken inspiration from stock OS as the Funtouch 11 feels like stock OS. The quick toggle setting is similar to stock Android and the brightness slider has now been moved below the quick toggle as well.

The app drawer is available and the icon design is also similar to stock Android. Furthermore, it does have extra features that are not available on the stock Android.

You can customize vivo V20 to some level by using Ambient light effects and dynamic effects. Funtouch OS has improved and I do like the experience of the new Funtouch OS.

Conclusion

vivo V20 is a stylish mid-range smartphone that does a good job in all departments. It does feel a bit expensive with its price tag of Rs. 47,990 but if you’re in search of a stylish mid-ranger, vivo V20 is the one to look for.

V20 has decent performance with the Snapdragon 720G chipset and the triple camera setup is quite good. The ultrawide angle camera could have been better. Else, it’s a good smartphone. But of course, it is not the best bang for buck smartphone.

What do you think about the vivo V20? Let us know in the comments!