Vivo V23 & V23 Pro Hands-On: Color-changing back and 50MP selfie camera

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03rd Feb, 2022. 04:14 pm
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Vivo V23 & V23 Pro : The Vivo V series is best recognised for two things: its prolific, twice-yearly release cadence, and selfie camera-centric technology. This is a line that was producing 20-megapixel front-facing cameras while everyone else was producing 8MP, as well as 32MP and 44MP selfie shooters when everyone else was producing 12MP.

The latest upgrade, the V23 series, ups the ante once more, with both the V23 Pro and V23 regular models featuring a dual-selfie camera system led by a 50MP, f/2.0 front camera and an 8MP ultra-wide selfie lens. This time, there’s one more feature to set the new devices apart from the crowd of mid-tier smartphones: a color-changing back.

vivo V23

Vivo V23 series: Hardware and Design

Both phones, as previously stated, have the same front-facing camera system, as well as identical 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro sensors on the rear. They also share the same software and color-changing back technology.

vivo V23

Let’s start at the beginning. This isn’t just a multicoloured glass covering that reflects light differently depending on the angle. Instead, this technology employs a novel type of glass (Fluorite AG glass), which undergoes a chemical process that results in colour change when exposed to ultraviolet radiation. This colour is orange by default, but when exposed to UV radiation, it morphs into this blue-ish green.

If you’re more creative, you can get more intricate patterns on the phone like this promotional image provided by Vivo.

vivo V23

Display, processors, and main cameras

The V23 Pro has a typical (in the Android arena) curved display that merges into a small frame, which is the main difference between the two phones. Meanwhile, the regular V23 sports a boxy shape with a flat front, back, and sides – yes, it’s the same design as the iPhone 12/13.

I normally like curved screens since they provide a better in-hand feel and a more immersive screen, but the boxy shape of the V23 is a breath of fresh air, owing to the fact that I have handled at least 100 devices with the body type of the V23 Pro in the last few years.

And, unlike Apple, Vivo gave the corners of the V23 a modest chamfered edge, which, paired with the V23’s shorter width, gives for a more pleasant in-hand feel than the iPhone 13 Pro.

The Vivo V23 Pro sports a slightly larger 6.56-inch screen than the V23, but because the Pro curves at the sides, the screen sizes feel the same. Both displays are OLED and have a refresh rate of 90Hz. With a 1080 x 2400 resolution, they appear colourful enough, but neither is as bright as we’ve grown to expect from leading Android phones. And, while the inclusion of a notch in 2022 is unappealing, Vivo has placed a lot of hardware into the front-facing system. This is a notch with a real-world function.

The MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC powers the Pro model, while the Dimensity 920 powers the basic model. Both of these chips are more than capable for day-to-day casual smartphone use, but they are clearly not on par with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, let alone the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 that will soon be available in the Android flagship sector.

vivo V23

The main back camera on the V23 Pro is likewise improved over the normal V23, with a 108MP, f/1.9 sensor over the standard V23’s 64MP, f/1.9 sensor. Both main cameras are solid shooters in their price ranges for the most part, but the Pro’s sensor captures more dynamic range while shooting in more demanding lighting circumstances.

Selfie cameras

Finally, the front-facing camera system is the show’s star. When I examined the previous two V devices (V20 and V21), I discovered that their selfie cameras produced more colourful, well-lit, and balanced selfies than top-tier Apple and Samsung phones, especially when shooting directly against bright sunlight.

I’m currently quarantined, so I only have a few scenes and lighting conditions to test the cameras in, but we can see that the Vivo V23 series’ selfie camera outperforms the iPhone when it comes to finding optimal exposure and balance. This was a difficult photo to capture because I was shooting with intense illumination pouring in from half of the frame behind my head, while the other half was darker and concealed by a curtain. As a result, the selfie camera must detect exposure for not only my face, but also the window and computer screens. The light was blown out by the iPhone 13 Pro.

In dark conditions, the Vivo V23 selfie cameras also pulls in slightly more light thanks to pixel binning.

The ultra-wide selfie camera gets more into the frame, although details are notably weaker than with the 50MP main camera.

There are numerous other selfie camera capabilities, such as a dual front-facing flash that can be used as fill lights, a plethora of portrait styles and beautifying filters, and the ability to capture 4K/30 selfie films. To be honest, it’s a little much for someone like me, and I’ve never been a fan of the heavy beautifying filters that may whiten my complexion, make my nose thinner, smooth my skin, and so on. There’s no disputing that a sizable portion of the populace is onto these things: just scroll through TikTok or Douyin (the Chinese counterpart of TikTok) for a few minutes and you’ll see dozens of videos of individuals blatantly employing strong filters. There is a market, and Vivo is filling it.

Vivo V23 series: Software

The V23 and V23 Pro both run Android 12 with the FunTouch 12 software layer on top. The software experience is satisfactory. When compared to previous years, FunTouch 12 has improved by leaps and bounds, resolving a slew of odd oddities (remember when Vivo’s software used to split the notification panel from the toggle buttons?). Some of Android 12’s visual characteristics, such as the rounded corners of notification cards, are present, as are critical features such as status bar alerts anytime an app accesses the phone’s cameras or microphone.

All of the extra customization options that BKK phones have offered for years, such as screen-off shortcut motions to start apps, three-finger swipe down to grab screenshots, and three-finger swipe up to launch split-screen mode, are still available.

Overall, the phone performs similarly to past Vivo models, which means the software is snappy and fast. The aesthetics will most likely continue to irritate Android purists.

Vivo V23 series: Early Impressions

Vivo’s V series has always been little pricey for what they are – for the same $400-$500 price range, you can buy a Qualcomm 800 series SoC in some rival handsets, and the notch is an eyesore for me.

However, the fact that Vivo continues to release similar V phones every half-year indicates that there is obviously a market for these phones that prioritise selfie camera performance and gleaming looks over everything else. In today’s selfie-obsessed social media culture, a phone that packs all the bells and whistles into a front-facing device should appeal to the younger generation.

I believe it is time for Vivo to think about slowing down its V series release cycle. My first experience with a Vivo V phone was with the V5 in February of 2017. So, in less than four years, the series has risen to number 23! We’ll be on the Vivo V100 in a couple of years if things continue at this rate. I’ve tested the Vivo V20, V21, and V23 in the last year, and each one just offers incremental improvements over the prior generation. Vivo is doing some very exciting things on the flagship front — the Vivo X70 Pro Plus is, in my opinion, the greatest camera phone of 2021 — but it’s time for the V series to take a pause until more significant advances arrive.

Vivo V23 & V23 Pro Hands-On: Color-changing back and 50MP selfie camera

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