Vivo V20 Pro review: Hard to take your eyes off this one

Vivo V20 Pro review: It’s Déjà vu! Only a few weeks back I wrote that if design was the only criteria to buy a smartphone, the Vivo V20 would have beaten competition hands down, at least in 2020. Now, the Vivo V20 Pro is here, making things more interesting. Flaunting a similar body, the new smartphones comes with a superior processor and few other upgrades at slightly higher price point.  

With Vivo V20 Pro, the smartphone maker continues to play big on camera capabilities while using the Snapdragon 765 processor that adds support for 5G. This makes the V20 Pro a handful of smartphones to offer 5G connectivity in India, especially in the mid-range segment. Priced at Rs 29,990, the smartphone competes with the likes of OnePlus Nord, Samsung Galaxy M51, Google Pixel 4a and Redmi K20 Pro, among others.  

For some, it may even come down to choosing between the Vivo V20 and the V20 Pro. We have been using the smartphone for few days now and here is our Vivo V20 Pro review.

Vivo V20 Pro review: Design 

It’s nearly impossible to differentiate the two smartphones if you keep the V20 Pro next to the V20. The only thing that gives it away is the ‘5G’ branding the Pro model flaunts. The smartphone comes with a charming back panel and is available in two colour options - Midnight Jazz and Sunset Melody. The first is 7.39mm thick which makes it one of the slimmest smartphones of the year. 

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We had the Sunset Melody variant for review purposes which is 10mm thicker but is still a lot slimmer than most smartphones these days. It is a delight to hold and use. Above this, the smartphone weighs just 170 grams – which is highly impressive given the hardware used on the device.  

The back panel uses a AG Matte Glass with an AF coating which protects the phone from fingerprint smears. The panel has shades of pink, purple, and orange as well. These keep switching as light falls from different directions. It makes the smartphone look absolutely gorgeous.  

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On the top right corner, you get a triple rear camera module which also houses an LED flash. The volume and power buttons are on the right while at the bottom, you get a Type-C USB charging port. To keep the phone thing, the headphone jack has been sacrificed. Vivo has also positioned the buttons well, keeping them in reach for a single hand use.  

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The only real issue I could find with V20 Pro’s design is that it is very slippery, just like its sibling. Slippery to the extent that it can glide off any surface. So, you will have to be very careful to not drop and damage the phone.  

Vivo V20 Pro review: Display 

Not much changes on the front as well. You get a similar 6.44-inch AMOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and full-HD+ resolution. This is complemented by HDR10 support and a peak brightness of 600 nits. 

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It’s phones like the V20 Pro that make you appreciate AMOLED displays and help understand the difference from LCD panels. It’s a beautiful screen with some solid colour reproduction. Even the default wallpaper on the V20 Pro looks stunning.  

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The company has kept the borders really thin and the bezel at the bottom is also not that thick. What remains to be a mystery though is the dewdrop notch on top which we also saw on the V20. Only this time it has got wider and houses two front cameras. It definitely interferes in your usage.  

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Lastly, Vivo sticks with a 60Hz panel and this could be the dealbreaker, if gaming is your priority. The OnePlus, which is priced lower, comes with a 90Hz panel while the Realme X3 offers a 120Hz screens for almost a similar price.  

Vivo V20 Pro review: Cameras 

The camera set up at the back is same as what you get on the Vivo V20. It comprises of a 64-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.89 lens, an 8-megapixel secondary multi-function sensor with an f/2.2 which can be used for both ultra-wide and macro shots, and a 2-megapixel monochrome sensor with an f/2.4 lens.  

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The camera app is very neat and offers modes like Photo, Portrait, Night, Video, etc. The camera features include Motion Autofocus, Eye Autofocus, Body/Object Autofocus, Super Night Mode, Super Wide Angle Night Mode, Tripod Night Mode, Ultra Stable Video, Art portrait video, Super Macro, Bokeh Portrait, Multi-Style Portrait, AR Stickers and 3D Sound Tracking. 

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The auto-focus on the V20 Pro is really impressive. It quickly locks on the subject. The primary camera does an excellent job of clicking images in both day and night. It captures good number of details with near-true colours. In some cases, the images were slightly warmer but were passable.  

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The portrait shots on the V20 Pro are stunning as well. The edge detection is top class and the background is not compromised either. In fact, I managed to capture a lot of wallpaper-worthy images on the V20 Pro.   

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The major upgrade happens on the front where you now get an additional 8-megapixel lens along with the usual 44-megapixel selfie shooter that includes an f/2.0 autofocus lens on top. The selfies look good in both standard and portrait mode. I really like the fact that the V20 Pro doesn’t soften the skin tone, a crime most mid-range smartphones tend to commit.  

The front camera is capable of recording 4K as well as slow-mo videos. It also gets the Dual Video mode which allows you to shoot from the front and rear camera at the same time. This can be really handy in some situations.  

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Another new addition is the Double Exposure which lets you click selfies by superimposing the background on it. This is a feature that not every smartphone buyer will end up using but definitely gives more options to content creators and photography enthusiasts.  

Vivo V20 Pro review: Performance 

The Vivo V20 Pro runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC, which is paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. This is the same chipset that also powers OnePlus Nord – currently the fan favourite in the sub-Rs 30,000 segment. This processor makes your phone 5G ready for whenever the technology comes to India.  

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It is also probably the biggest upgrade on the Vivo V20 which came with a Snapdragon 720G processor. A more powerful processor should definitely appeal to more users. It is more than capable of handle daily tasks and can even survive heavy-graphical games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9. 

Having said that, there are others in the same segment like Redmi K20 Pro and Realme X50 Pro which come with better chipsets and are capable of delivering better performance as well.  

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For gamers, there is an updated Ultra Game Mode which allows you to block notifications of SMS and all other apps for minimized disturbances; enabled Accidental Touch Prevention to ensure precise control; and lock the brightness to enjoy the optimal visual effects. However, almost all brands are now offering gaming modes like these.  

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Surprisingly, the Vivo V20 Pro runs FunTouch OS 11 based on Android 10, unlike the Vivo V20, which was one of the first to come with Android 11 out-of-the-box. The smartphone maker says that the latest version of Android will be provided through an OTA update. As I mentioned in V20 review, the OS has come a long way since I first used it but still requires some work.  

Vivo V20 Pro review: Battery  

The Vivo V20 Pro packs a 4,000mAh battery, just like the V20. It also comes with the same 33W FlashCharge charger bundled in the box for quick charging. It is capable of taking you through a busy work day.

Vivo V20 Pro review: Final Verdict  

There is no doubt that Vivo V20 Pro is one of the most eye-catching smartphones of 2020. I will go on to say that the smartphone is so slim and well-crafted that it is satisfying to hold in hands. I had said that if “the V20 was an employee, it would be the one who wears the most glamorous clothes to workplace, has a glowing face and each hair strand styled using the most potent hair spray.” 

The Vivo V20 Pro is the employee V20 is trying to impress.  

The camera system is the biggest stand out here and clicks some really good images. The battery is more than enough and performance is as good as any other smartphone in this segment. The only thing I will rate both OnePlus Nord and Google Pixel 4a is the better Android experience they offer. 

Thankfully, Vivo has priced the smartphone very aggressively. And, the decision eventually comes down to your personal preference.