vivo has been making a powerful affect within the smartphone market lately. The BBK-owned model even overtook Samsung to safe the highest spot in one of many world’s main smartphone markets and is gaining consideration in Europe and Latin America as nicely. One of many large causes for vivo’s current success is that it gives smartphones with glorious cameras and an excellent person expertise, all with out asking for loopy excessive costs.

vivo’s V sequence smartphones play a major function of their success story, identified for providing glorious cameras at an inexpensive worth. The vivo V27, in reality, received a whole lot of reward from our sister-site Pocket-Lint for being an incredible finances cellphone with actually good cameras. The vivo V29 is the newest providing from the corporate, and it brings a good higher Aura ring gentle expertise and a singular design.

We have been utilizing the vivo V29 for the previous few weeks and are actually impressed with it. On this evaluation, we’ll dive deep into every part the vivo V29 has to supply and see if it is value your cash.

Value and availability

vivo launched the V29 formally in August 2023, but it surely’s at present accessible for buy in solely a choose few markets. vivo says the V29 will quickly be accessible in a complete of 39 international locations worldwide, together with main areas in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Presently, you should buy the smartphone in Spain for €529. Whereas there is no official details about its pricing in the remainder of Europe, contemplating the €529 price ticket in Spain, we anticipate it will likely be equally priced in different European markets. It is value noting that the vivo V29 can also be scheduled to launch in India on October 4, 2023.

We are going to replace this evaluation as and when extra info turns into accessible.

Design

• Dimensions: 164.18 × 74.37 × 7.46 mm
• Weight: 186g
• Colours: Starry Purple, Peak Blue, Noble Black, Velvet Crimson
• Construct Supplies: Distinctive-looking 3D Magnetic Particles / Fluorite AG Glass / Shade Altering Glass / IP68

The vivo V29 shares a whole lot of design language with its predecessor, the V27. It has a curved display within the entrance and a curved again with an oblong digicam module within the high left nook. The digicam system now features a greater major digicam, an ultra-wide sensor, and a a lot bigger Aura Ring Mild, which we’ll speak about extra beneath. There’s additionally a small 2MP monochrome sensor subsequent to the flash.

The again has been given a singular end, particularly the Peak Blue model we examined. This distinctive look attracts inspiration from mountain peaks and options about 15 million micron-sized magnetic particles that mirror the sunshine in a particular means, creating a singular look. For those who like shiny finishes, the Peak Blue V29 will catch your eye for positive.

The Starry Purple model additionally options this distinct end. The V29 is available in Velvet Crimson too (proven above), which seems extra like pink/purple and contains a easy gradient end. However should you desire one thing easier, the V29 can also be accessible in a Noble Black variant. Whereas the latter two fashions have a Fluorite AG Glass again, the others, like Peak Blue and Starry Purple, use a plastic again that feels surprisingly high-end.

The structure of the cellphone is customary. There’s a USB-C port, a speaker grill, and a SIM tray on the backside. The facility button and quantity rockers are on the appropriate facet, whereas the highest and left sides are left clean. Regardless of its slim profile and dual-curved front and back, vivo has ensured the buttons on the V29 are tactile and simply reachable.

On the entire, the vivo V29 has an excellent in-hand really feel. The curved again and display make it an total glossy bundle that is a pleasure to make use of. It’s fairly light-weight as nicely, coming in at round 186 grams, and did not trigger any fatigue throughout extended utilization. It’s kind of slippery, although, so having the included clear TPU case helps. However even with the case on, the cellphone stays slim and straightforward to deal with.

The vivo V29 is a pleasure to make use of due to its glossy design and comfy in-hand really feel.

Sturdiness-wise, the vivo V29 is on-par with most modern-day flagships as it’s IP68 mud and waterproof — one thing we hardly ever see in finances smartphones. vivo even claims that the V29 can take as much as a 1-meter-high roll and drop take a look at, though we did not strive that ourselves.

Show

• 6.78-inch, 2800 × 1260-pixel decision, AMOLED, 120Hz, 452 PPI
• Curved Edges
• Beneath-display fingerprint scanner

Transferring on to the show, the vivo V29 contains a large 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh price. This display options 2800 × 1260-pixel decision, 452 PPI, and helps HDR10+ playback. It’s curved on the edges, and despite the fact that it is not quad-curved just like the HONOR 90, I’ve to say that it is among the most beautiful-looking shows that I’ve seen on this section. The bezels on the edges are minimal, and even the highest and backside bezels are very small.

If I needed to sum up my expertise with the vivo V29’s show in a single sentence, I might say it is an absolute delight to make use of.

The colour replica is great, and the daylight visibility can also be excellent. Enjoying video games, browsing the net, watching movies, and studying had been all satisfying experiences on the vivo V29. The 120Hz refresh price made the expertise easy and fluid. vivo additionally contains a number of show applied sciences to scale back dangerous blue gentle and display flickering to guard your eyes.

Digicam

• 50 MP major digicam sensor with OIS and f/1.9 aperture
• 8 MP ultra-wide angle + 2MP monochrome sensor
• 50 MP selfie digicam with auto-focus
• Aura Ring Mild wit Sensible Shade Temperature Adjustment and even lighting

And now onto what makes the vivo V29 actually shine – its cameras. The vivo V29 packs an analogous digicam setup as its predecessor, that includes a 50 MP major digicam, an 8 MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2 MP monochrome sensor. On the entrance, the selfie digicam stays at 50 MP however now has auto-focus and a wider f/2.0 aperture for better-lit selfies.

The first digicam is the star of the present. It takes glorious images with loads of element and sharpness. The colours are fairly energetic, leaning in the direction of a bit extra vivid facet, particularly when in comparison with the iPhone 14 Professional Max, however not oversaturated. The pictures are crisp, with a broad dynamic vary and hardly any seen noise. Even when coping with tough lighting, the V29 manages to seize a variety of particulars — one thing that even the greatest flagship smartphones fail to do.

Even in low gentle or areas with synthetic lighting, the digicam manages to impress. It captures a superb quantity of sunshine even with out utilizing the Aura Ring Mild, due to the built-in optical picture stabilization (OIS). The Ring Mild turns out to be useful for low-light conditions the place utilizing the flash is not ideally suited. It evens out the lighting in your topic, and the automated coloration changes work seamlessly.

The vivo V29 has top-of-the-line major cameras within the midrange section.

Nonetheless, the ultra-wide angle digicam and the monochrome sensors are somewhat underwhelming. You may discover a drop in total high quality, sharpness, element, and coloration. Nonetheless, should you do not use the ultra-wide digicam typically, it ought to do the job for infrequent photographs. For the very best outcomes, sticking to the principle digicam and selfie shooter is your greatest wager.

Speaking in regards to the selfie shooter, the V29 contains a 50 MP selfie shooter with auto-focus f/2.0 aperture. Identical to the earlier mannequin, the V29 delivers a number of the greatest front-facing photographs. Selfies are filled with element and sharpness, persistently impressing with their high quality. On the entire, if selfies are your factor, the V29 will not disappoint.

The vivo V29 would possibly simply have the very best digicam of all of the midrange smartphones, however do not simply take my phrase for it – check out the pattern photos down beneath and determine for your self.

Digicam samples

Daylight

Huge vs Extremely-Huge vs 2x

Low/Synthetic Mild

{Hardware} and software program

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor
• 8GB + 128/256GB or 12GB + 256/512GB
• Funtouch OS 13 (primarily based on Android 13)

Transferring onto the internals, the vivo V29 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset, the identical chipset that powered the final yr’s Nothing Telephone (1). The chip has one Cortex-A78 clocked at 2.4GHz, three Cortex-A78 clocked at 2.2GHz, and 4 Cortex-A55 at 1.9GHz. Adreno 642L handles the cellphone’s graphics and it is available in decisions of 8/12GB RAM and 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB storage.

In on a regular basis use, the Snapdragon 778G works nicely. It handles multitasking, switching apps, and a few video games with no hitch. There have been just a few cases when animations stuttered, particularly through the preliminary setup when there have been lags, however as soon as every part was settled, the cellphone felt quick and responsive more often than not.

Nonetheless, should you’re into gaming, this may not be your greatest wager. Video games like Name of Obligation, Asphalt 9, and Battlegrounds Cellular India (Indian model of PUBG Cellular) needed to be set to decrease graphics for easy play. However, in case your utilization entails scrolling Instagram, texting on WhatsApp, searching, and comparable duties, this cellphone is fairly succesful.

On the software program facet, the vivo V29 comes with Funtouch OS 13 straight out of the field. It seems quite a bit like inventory Android however with just a few (helpful) added options, akin to multi-window gestures, customizable animations, and themes. vivo guarantees two main Android OS updates and three years of safety updates for the V29.

The vivo V29 can deal with on a regular basis duties simply, however for severe gaming, it may not be the best choice.

If I needed to nitpick on the {hardware} facet, the audio system aren’t the best. They’re clear and loud however lack bass, and there is just one speaker, so we do not get any type of stereo impact. As for the software program facet, it appears as if the Funtouch OS lowers animations refresh price fairly aggressively to save lots of battery life, however we managed to power 120Hz and nonetheless received good battery life. And talking of battery…

Battery

• 4,600 mAh battery
• 80W quick wired charging
• No wi-fi charging

The vivo V29 comes with a 4,600 mAh battery, which could not be the largest in comparison with another midrange telephones. However, it truly performs fairly nicely. I managed to get by a full day with no points – that entails utilizing the cellphone for e mail, browsing net, taking images, and taking part in video games – and I persistently received screen-on-time (SoT) of greater than 6 hours on a full cost.

For these days while you want a fast cost, the V29 comes with tremendous quick 80W FlashCharge. vivo says the smartphone can go from 0 to 50% in lower than 18 minutes, and I discovered that to be true. Plus, the charging adapter continues to be included within the field. If I needed to discover a small difficulty, it is that there is no wi-fi charging, which is a bit disappointing. However truthfully, I did not actually miss it as a result of the battery life is absolutely spectacular.

Verdict

So, must you purchase the vivo V29? Properly, if you’re on the lookout for a smartphone that is light-weight, feels good in your hand, has a improbable show with software program that enhances it nicely, and boasts distinctive digicam capabilities, all with out having a worth that does not break the financial institution, the vivo V29 is your greatest wager.

The one slight disadvantage could be in its efficiency, however should you’re not into heavy graphics-intensive gaming, which may not even trouble you. Plus, the battery life is stable, and charging occasions are brief. All in all, should you’re on the lookout for a midrange smartphone that gives spectacular digicam options, the V29 will not disappoint.