Yes, the Vivo V7 is a selfie-centric phone. But that is not the first thing that will strike you about it. We loved its blue shade – Vivo calls it Energetic Blue, and it definitely makes the phone stand out in the crowd as it is not that typical bright blue that we have seen in some of the phones but a slightly darker shade with a more serious tint to it. Thanks to the slightly curved edges on the back, subtle shadows drop off giving a hint of black color. Tilt the phone and the surface shines well, giving it a premium touch. At the top and the bottom, antenna bands go over the edges, the steel color on the blue going very well indeed. Also shining off, is that outline on the rounded off, square fingerprint scanner and the Vivo logo. On the base are the 3.5mm audio jack, micro USB port, and a mono speaker grille. All of these, put together make the phone look different, if not unique. Just 7.9mm thick and weighing 139gms, the phone feels good in the hand, and the back is not at all slippery, making it a joy to hold.

Turn the phone to its front portion and you see the full-view display. Coming with an 18:9 aspect ratio, its bezels are as thin as 2.15mm. This also means that the screen to body ratio is 83.6 percent, allowing a 5.7-inch display to fit in where typically a 5.2-inch display would be with normal bezels. How’s that for cutting (bezel) edge? Unlocking that display can be done in many ways, and topping them all is the face-unlock feature, that becoming the rage these days. Setting up the face unlock is pretty straightforward, and well, the feature actually works, although Vivo to its credit has clarified that the feature is more for convenience than for security.

Of course, all of this brings us to the selfie Camera, and this time it is a formidable one. The Vivo V7 sports a 24MP front camera, with Face Beauty 7.0 feature that brings in a number of enhancements, including its proprietary Face Beauty algorithm. This also makes it possible for you to get bokeh-mode for selfies as well. The Face Beauty mode flows into video calls too, ensuring a much more visually appealing experience – it works just fine with the likes of WhatsApp Messenger, Line, Facebook Messenger, Zalo, Viber, and BBM. And yes, the front camera also comes with Vivo’s trademark moonlight selfie flash, which works in video mode too. The front camera also comes with the front flash, what Vivo calls the moonlight. This also works in the video mode. The rear camera packs a punch too, a 16MP shooter with PDAF, flash and f/2.0 aperture. The highlight again is the portrait mode that can create a bokeh for humans as well as other objects. There are also a whole lot of modes such a Pro Mode and PPT and also tons of filters.

Powering all of the above is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC clocked at 1.8GHz and Adreno 506 GP, with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory, which can be expanded by 256GB. Running on Funtouch OS built off Android 7.1.2, the V7’s UI comes with a number of features ranging from themes to gestures. The phone is packed with a 3000mAh battery, which when combined with the power managing acumen of the 450 SoC should see you through a day of hefty usage comfortably.

All this at a price of Rs 18,999. And a one-time free screen replacement as well. Yes, it does face a lot of competition, but then with its cool design, powerful selfie camera, tall display and innovative UI, the Vivo is more than capable of holding its own against all comers and enters the sub-Rs 20,000 fray as a very powerful contender.