Is the rear panel blue, purple, orange, yellow or… ? After using Vivo V23 Pro for 10-odd days, I wonder if the definition of flagship would undergo further changes in 2022. The realisation that smartphones don’t only need to offer drool-worthy spec sheets, these need to be lifestyle companions. And Vivo has quietly amped up its camera and design game to become the device one would aspire for. V23 Pro is not exactly inexpensive but it certainly goes toe-to-toe with most OnePlus phones and the upper mid-range from Samsung and Xiaomi.
Do judge a book by its cover
The V23 Pro has all the sleekness one expects from a mid-ranger. It’s (very) sleek with a curved display and a superb finish. But the highlight of the design department — the flambe moment — is for everyone to see when you raise the phone to take photographs. The rear panel on the Sunshine Gold variant can change colours. And we don’t mean swappable back covers. The colour-changing fluorite AG glass works when exposed to sunlight and other sources of artificial UV rays, besides offering a matte texture which makes it comfortable to hold and keep it free of fingerprints.
The other interesting design feature is a sleek notch. There is an iPhone-like notch which is home to dual selfie cameras. And on the front are spotlights. When you are taking a selfie, lighting can be a problem. Plus, it helps to have a warm hue. This can be achieved by either leaving the flash in “spotlight auto” mode or just turn on the feature manually. There are three levels of spotlight — cold white, default and warm yellow (I prefer the last one).
Taken around 6.30am using the Vivo V23 Pro, the camera has excellent shutter speed The Telegraph
Is the rear panel blue, purple, orange, yellow or… ? After using Vivo V23 Pro for 10-odd days, I wonder if the definition of flagship would undergo further changes in 2022. The realisation that smartphones don’t only need to offer drool-worthy spec sheets, these need to be lifestyle companions. And Vivo has quietly amped up its camera and design game to become the device one would aspire for. V23 Pro is not exactly inexpensive but it certainly goes toe-to-toe with most OnePlus phones and the upper mid-range from Samsung and Xiaomi.
Do judge a book by its cover
The V23 Pro has all the sleekness one expects from a mid-ranger. It’s (very) sleek with a curved display and a superb finish. But the highlight of the design department — the flambe moment — is for everyone to see when you raise the phone to take photographs. The rear panel on the Sunshine Gold variant can change colours. And we don’t mean swappable back covers. The colour-changing fluorite AG glass works when exposed to sunlight and other sources of artificial UV rays, besides offering a matte texture which makes it comfortable to hold and keep it free of fingerprints.
The other interesting design feature is a sleek notch. There is an iPhone-like notch which is home to dual selfie cameras. And on the front are spotlights. When you are taking a selfie, lighting can be a problem. Plus, it helps to have a warm hue. This can be achieved by either leaving the flash in “spotlight auto” mode or just turn on the feature manually. There are three levels of spotlight — cold white, default and warm yellow (I prefer the last one).
The camera doesn’t oversaturate colours
Camera zone and teleprompter
Camera is a key feature on the phone. Helping you is a 108MP camera on the back while a 50MP dual camera set-up is on the front. We tried taking photographs from as early as 5.45am to around 11pm. Morning shots are never easy because most phone cameras tend to overplay the yellow hue. Not here. Pictures are sharp and there is hardly any oversaturation. I am not a fan of megapixels because it doesn’t help but on the V23 Pro it doesn’t detract from the output. Even the 8MP wide-angle does a fair job most of the time, especially during daytime.
Where the camera falters is on the macro front as most details are lost. Making up for it is photography. There is a good degree of brightness without too much noise while impressing greatly is fast shutter speed.
Now to selfies. There is no room for complaining. All facial details are picked up and skin tones are up to scratch while the spotlight lighting feature (which we discussed earlier) helps the cause.
And the feature that I think Vivo should highlight more — teleprompter. When you are vlogging, there is an option to turn on teleprompter mode. Basically, you key in the text and once the video starts rolling, read out the lines. This is particularly helpful if you want to spare yourself of retakes.
Big on performance
V23 Pro comes with a 6.56-inch AMOLED display with full-HD resolution, allowing all those streaming videos to appear crystal clear. There is HDR10+ certification but there’s a drawback in the display department — 90Hz refresh rate. At this price point, 120Hz is a must. And it would have done justice to the good audio output, which is quite clear and loud. The Pro version is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 1200 and is available in 6GB and 8GB variants. It’s quite a known processor which can handle almost anything thrown at it.
For anybody looking for a good vlogging-focussed phone, this is an excellent choice. You will easily get seven hours of screen-on time and the charger in the box will juice up the battery in less than an hour. Further, it’s stylish and camera performance is better than on most Android phones. Frankly, Vivo V23 Pro shines like a star at a party.
AT A GLANCE
Vivo V23 Pro offers good camera performance
Device: Vivo V23 Pro
Price: Rs 38,990 (8GB+128GB)
High notes
• Innovative rear panel
• High on design
• Good camera and system performance
• Has one of the best selfie cameras
Muffled notes
• 90Hz screen refresh rate
