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vivo V20 review: Selfie phone with a gorgeous design

This is our review of the vivo V20.

Vivo’s latest V20 series is punctuated by beautiful designs and capable cameras. The vanilla vivo V20 offers just that. While there’s no 5G onboard, it comes with a 6.44-inch full HD+ AMOLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset, and a 64MP main and a 44MP selfie camera.

As always, the spec sheet looks great, but how does it perform in real life? We’re here to find out.

vivo V20 Review

vivo V20 review

Price

The vivo V20 is priced at Php 19,999. It is now available in the Philippines. It is also available via Home Credit at 0% interest in 9, 12, 15, and 18 month installments for the V20 Pro, and 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 months for the V20.

Design and Display

Like the vivo V20 Pro, the vanilla V20 offers a beautiful sleek design, featuring the same AG Matte Glass back that shifts gradient colors between blue, pink, purple, and orange, inspired by a gorgeous sunset. The phone, by the way, also comes in Midnight Jazz and Moonlight Sonata colorways. Fingerprints are not a problem, but glass does make it a bit slippery. Thank goodness it comes with a good case.

vivo V20 review

The V20 is ever so slightly taller and thicker than the Pro model with measurements of 161.30 x 74.20 x 7.48mm and weight of 172 g.

On the right hand side, you have the volume keys and the textured power button, ergonomically placed. And at the bottom, you get a 3.5 headphone jack (hooray!), together with the primary microphone, a USB-C port, and the mono speaker.

The vivo V20 has a 6.44-inch AMOLED display with full HD resolution, 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and a wide 20:9 aspect ratio. As AMOLEDs go, its bright with punchy colors and deep blacks.

vivo V20 review

Its especially rewarding to watch Netflix, given the Widevine L1 certification. Unfortunately, movie watching could be held back by a middling speaker, which sound hollow and tinny. Still, you can always use a pair of earphones which you can plug on the headphone jack.

vivo V20 review

In the box

  • vivo V20
  • Protective case
  • Pre-installed screen protector
  • Earphones
  • USB-C to USB-A cable
  • Charger
  • SIM ejector
  • Documentation

Performance and Benchmarks

The vivo V20 features an 8nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor with eight cores and a maximum clock speed of 2.3Ghz. It is also comes with an Adreno 618 GPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, and Funtouch 11 on top of Android 10.

While V20’s chip is not as powerful as the Snapdragon 765G, you’ll find that its more than enough to provide a smooth and consistent UI experience. It handles day-to-day tasks with ease. Apps are quick to open. And casual games play generally well.

Here are the synthetic benchmark scores for your reference.

Vivo V20 Benchmark Scores

Cameras

The cameras are one of the key selling points of the vivo V20. At the back, you have a triple camera setup with a 64MP main, an 8MP ultra-wide and a 2MP depth camera. While in front, there’s a 44MP selfie shooter with autofocus.

vivo V20 review

Photos shot in daylight are generally good and pleasant with ample detail, accurate colors, and a good exposure.

Low light shots are above average, albeit a slight loss in detail. Photos taken in Night Mode are usable and retain some detail, but colors are slightly muted with some image noise.

When it comes to selfies, on the other hand, vivo lives up to their reputation. For a midrange phone, selfies look great. Skin tones and features have good color and detail.

Battery Life

The vivo V20 has a 4,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging. I was able to get a full day with moderate to heavy usage. It needs charging in the evening though if you want to use it the next day.

Speaking of charging, I got to 50 percent in about half an hour, and 100 percent in a little over an hour.

Wrap Up

The vivo V20 is a capable midrange phone that is sure to attract those who like very good selfie cameras. But priced at Php 19,999, it has a lot of equally compelling competition at this price point.

Nevertheless, the vivo V20 is worth the money. Not only is it a gorgeous phone, but it does a lot of things right. You won’t be complaining about its performance and you would certainly love its cameras. It has all-day battery life with fast charging that ensures you don’t stay connected to a socket for too long.

The vivo V20 is highly recommended for those looking for a do-it-all smartphone but on a limited budget. But do temper your expectations and keep in mind that this is still a midrange phone.

vivo V20 review

vivo V20 specs

  • Display: 6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED Display
  • Processor: 2.3GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G, 8nm
  • GPU: Adreno 618
  • RAM: 8GB RAM
  • Storage: 128GB Storage
  • Rear Cameras: 64MP Main + 8MP Ultra-wide + 2MP Depth, Triple Cameras, Dual LED Flash
  • Front Camera: 44MP Main + 8MP Ultra-wide, Selfie Cameras
  • Network: 4G LTE
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Dual Band, Bluetooth 5, GPS
  • Others: In-display Fingerprint Scanner, USB-C
  • OS: Funtouch 11, Android 10
  • Colors: Sunset Melody, Midnight Jazz, Moonlight Sonata
  • Battery: 4,000mAh Battery, 33W Fast Charging

Bryan is a geek at heart and a tech enthusiast by choice. He has a strong background in corporate communications, marketing services, and customer relations having worked in the telecommunications and banking sectors for over two decades. In his spare time, he enjoys watching clips on YouTube and binge watching shows on Netflix.

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