Reviews

vivo V25 5G: Night Portrait Master with color-changing design, powerful cameras

vivo recently launched the V25 flagship series in the Philippines. And right smack in the middle is the vivo V25 5G, a mid-range phone that follows in the footsteps of the popular vivo V23.

Dubbed the “Night Portrait Master,” the vivo V25 boasts powerful cameras wrapped in an aesthetically pleasing design with a thin and light 2.5D frame. The smartphone comes in two variants — Sunrise Gold, which features vivo’s innovative Photochromic 2.0 Technology, a color-changing design element that gives the phone an added flair; and Diamond Black, a more subtle colorway that features an elegant diamond pattern.

Like most vivo smartphones, the vivo V25 has the looks and photography chops the brand is known for. But is this the phone for you? Let’s find out.

Specs & Features

Let’s take a quick look at what the vivo V25 5G has to offer.

The vivo V25 features a 6.44-inch Samsung-made AMOLED display panel with FHD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. It has a U-shaped waterdrop notch, which looks slightly bigger than others, but it’s fine and is not distracting. I feel vivo missed an opportunity here by foregoing the 120Hz refresh rate. But 90Hz still kept the UI looking smooth and responsive.

The display itself is pretty good. It’s plenty bright (up to 1300 nits) and sharp with punchy colors and deep blacks. Like most AMOLEDs, it has good viewing angles and outdoor legibility. The screen is also HDR10+ certified and boasts a low blue light emission of around 7.5%.

vivo V25 5G review

When it comes to performance, the vivo V25 is no slouch. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 900 5G processor, an efficient midrange chip with Arm Cortex-A78 CPU cores you normally find on higher-end 5G smartphones.

The chip is slightly dated, but it can get the job done. It’s paired with 8GB of RAM and a whopping 256GB of storage, double what you’d normally find on other mid-range phones. To put that into perspective, that amount of storage can hold around 12,000 songs, about 71,000 photos (more for lower MP cameras), or around 32 x 8GB of high-quality videos.

vivo V25 5G review

The phone can run games quite well in modest settings, especially casual games. Meanwhile, thermals are kept in check with a built-in liquid cooling system. 

The vivo V25 runs on Android 12-based Funtouch OS 12 and comes with up to 8GB of extended RAM, a feature that converts unused storage into virtual RAM, giving the phone a bit more to work with to boost performance. It also comes with Widevine L1 support which means it can stream HD videos.

See also: vivo Y16 4GB+64GB variant now available in the PH for P7,999

The OS features with several customization options, should you want a more unique and personalized look. However, you do get some preinstalled third-party apps and unnecessary notifications from vivo’s own app. Thankfully you can easily uninstall any unwanted app and disable notifications if it bothers you.

vivo V25 5G review

At the back, the vivo V25 has a total of four cameras — three at the back with a 64MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, and 2MP macro cameras, and one in front with a 50MP Eye Autofocus Selfie shooter. We’ll go into the cameras some more in a bit.

As for the battery, there’s a 4500mAh capacity with 44W fast charging. It also has a single speaker at the bottom, which is unfortunate, and no 3.5mm headphone jack. To make up for the latter, the phone does come with a pair of wired earphones and a USB-C dongle in the box.

Cameras

The vivo V25 5G prides itself on its powerful camera system. On the back, it has a 64MP primary camera with OIS, together with an 8MP ultra-wide and a 2MP macro sensor. While in front, a 50MP camera takes care of selfies.

vivo V25 5G Cameras

Photos from the vivo V25 are more than enough for most people, especially if you are an avid poster on social media. The phone does a decent job of enhancing the photos in a way that doesn’t look offensive or overdone.

vivo V25 5G Front Camera

That being said, images taken in daylight have a lot of detail. Colors are vibrant with acceptable sharpness and dynamic range.

In the sample photos below, you can see how well the phone captures details. In the photo of the yellow flower, you can spot the tiny hairs on the stems and leaves, as well as the texture of the leaf itself. The same goes for the photo with the small toys. You can make out tiny details such as the teeth of the Among Us Impostor land and the scratches on Spider-man’s face.

vivo V25 5G camera samples
vivo V25 5G camera samples

Here are more sample photos that show off what the vivo V25 is capable of.

Low light and night shooting is another strong feature of the vivo V25. The colors look good with decent details. You do lose some sharpness and there is some grain, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary for most phones in this range.

For selfies, the vivo V25’s 50MP front camera gets to work with impressive results. Selfies are decent exhibiting good facial details and accurate skin tones. Even when shooting against the light, selfies are pleasant with good colors and tone.

As a Daily Driver

As a daily driver, there’s nothing much the vivo V25 5G can’t do. You will get noticed thanks to its eye-catching design and flat edges. The gold color and chamfered gold trimmings add to the phone’s pleasant aesthetics, as do the large lenses at the back.

vivo V25 5G review

I love how the phone feels in my hand. The size is just right for what I need with the handset. It’s great for browsing and social media, as well as watching and consuming content. The flat sides give it a good grip, while the metal frame feels very nice and premium.

I also like that the volume and power buttons are on one side, which I find is easier to manipulate when watching a movie in landscape mode.

vivo V25 5G Cameras

You won’t notice any issues in daily use either, as performance is on par with most devices in this range. The display looks really good, and thanks to the high brightness, you won’t struggle with it in direct sunlight.

Moreover, the Widevine L1 certification ensures you get the most out of the screen when watching Netflix, Prime Video, and other streaming platforms.

See also: vivo among top 5 smartphone brands in the Philippines

The vivo V25 also comes equipped with new Privacy and Security features to keep your mind at ease, such as App Pining, which lets you keep a current app in view until unpinned; the Privacy Dashboard, which lets you review app permissions; and Hide Album, which, as the name implies, lets you hide albums from unwanted view. 

If I have to nitpick, one feature I wish vivo added to the V25 is stereo speakers. The phone only has a mono speaker. It’s fine for the most part. It’s decent even and sounds good. But a second speaker would’ve put it over the top as an entertainment device.

vivo V25 5G review

As for the battery, the vivo V25 has a 4500mAh capacity. Battery life is respectable. It can easily go through a whole day in moderate usage, and almost two for light usage. Charging is fast thanks to the 44W fast charger. From 20%, you can reach full in about an hour. 

Final Remarks

On its own, I have little to complain about the vivo V25 5G. It’s a very capable all-rounder that can go head to head with the best mid-range phones in the market. It ticks most boxes of what people look for in a mid-ranger — an eye-catching design, a powerful set of cameras, decent battery life, and a great display.

Price and Availability

The vivo V25 5G is priced at Php 23,999, now available offline on all vivo stores and kiosks, and online on vivo’s website, Shopee, and Lazada.

vivo V25 5G specs

  • Display: 6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED Display, 2408 x 1080, 90Hz Refresh Rate
  • CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 900 5G
  • RAM/Storage: 8GB+256GB
  • Rear Camera: 64MP Main + 8MP Ultra-wide + 2MP Macro
  • Front Camera: 50MP Selfie
  • Network: 5G, 4G LTE, Dual SIM, Triple Slot
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi AC Dual Band, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS
  • Others: In-display Fingerprint Scanner, USB-C
  • OS: Funtouch 12, Android 12
  • Battery: 4500mAh Battery, 44W 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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