Vivo V29 Review: Solid Display And Camera In A Sleek Package
Vivo has recently made a huge impact on the smartphone market. Samsung, a brand owned by BBK, has overtaken the number one spot in the world's largest smartphone market and is gaining popularity in Europe and Latin America. One of the main reasons for Vivo's recent success is that the company offers smartphones with great cameras and great user experience without paying crazy prices.
The V series smartphones play a major role in Vivo's success story of offering great cameras at affordable prices. In fact, the Vivo V27 has received a lot of praise from our sister site Pocket-lint for being the best budget phone with excellent cameras. Vivo V29 is the latest offering from the company that offers a better Aura Ring Light experience and unique design.
We have been using the Vivo V29 for a few weeks now and we are very impressed. In this review, we will see what the vivo V29 has to offer and whether it is worth your money.
Live V29:
Very affordable camera phone
vivo V29 is the company's latest mid-range smartphone that offers great camera features, design and features at an affordable price. It has a large 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display, a 50 MP primary camera with OIS and a 50 MP front camera. This model is one of the first budget Vivo phones with IP68 water resistance.
- Material
- Glass with 3D magnetic particles, Fluorite AG glass face
- IP protection level
- IP68
- Dimensions:
- 164.18 × 74.37 × 7.46 mm
- Weight
- 186 g
- Screen
- Resolution 6.78 inches, AMOLED, 120 Hz, 452 PPI, 2800 × 1260 pixels
- SOCIETY:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
- Random Access Memory.
- 8 GB, 12 GB
- Storage
- 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
- Procedure
- FuntouchOS 13 (Android 13)
- Washing tools
- 4600 m.a.s
- Ports
- USB-C:
- Front camera
- 50 MP (auto focus)
- other:
- Aura ring light
- Contact:
- 5G, LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 5.2
- Security
- Fingerprint Scanner, Face Unlock, PIN, Pattern, Password
- Colors
- Star Purple, Lace Blue, Elegant Black, Velvet Red
- Large curved AMOLED screen
- Best front camera
- Unique back cover with 3D magnetic particles
- All day battery life
- Sleek design with IP68 durability
- Performance can be slightly improved.
- No wireless charging.
- It can slide without cover
Price and availability
vivo has officially launched the V29 in August 2023, but it is currently only available in select markets. According to Vivo, the V29 will soon be available in 39 countries worldwide, including key regions in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
You can currently buy the smartphone in Spain for 529 euros. Given the €529 price in Spain, while there's no official word on pricing for the rest of Europe, we're guessing the price will be similar in other European markets. It should be noted that the Vivo V29 is also expected to launch in India on October 4, 2023.
We will update this review as more information becomes available.
Project
- Dimensions : 164.18 × 74.37 × 7.46 mm
- Weight : 186 g
- Colors : star purple, lace blue, elegant black, velvet red
- Building Materials , Special Appearance 3D Magnetic Particles / AG Fluorite Glass / Color Changing Glass / IP68
Vivo V29 shares a lot of design language with its predecessor V27. It has a curved display on the front with a rectangular camera module on the top left corner and a curved display on the back. The camera system now includes a larger main camera, an ultra-wide sensor, and a larger Aura ring light, which we'll talk about later. Next to the flash is a smaller 2MP monochrome sensor.
In particular, the back of the Peak Blue version we tested is given a unique finish. This unique surface is inspired by mountain peaks and contains approximately 15 million microns of magnetic particles that reflect light in particular. If you love shiny surfaces, the Peak Blue V29 will definitely catch your attention.
The Star Purple Edition also has this unique finish. The V29 also comes in Velvet Red (pictured above) which looks more pink/purple and has a subtle gradient. But if you prefer something lighter, the V29 is also available in Noble Black. While the latter two models have Fluorite AG glass, others like Peak Blue and Starry Purple use surprisingly premium-looking plastic.
The design of the phone is standard. At the bottom is the USB-C port, speaker grill and SIM tray. The power button and volume rocker are on the right side while the top and left sides are left blank. Despite the slim profile and dual curves on the front and back, vivo has ensured that the V29's buttons are tactile and accessible.
Overall, the vivo V29 feels good in the hand. The curved back and screen make for an overall sleek and fun package. In addition, it is light at 186 grams and does not show signs of fatigue when used for a long time. It's a bit slippery though, so the included lightweight TPU case helps. But even in the case, the phone is thin and easy to hold.
With a beautiful design and great feel, vivo V29 is a pleasure to use.
In terms of durability, the vivo V29 matches the latest flagships as it is IP68 dust and water resistant, something we rarely see in budget smartphones. vivo claims the V29 can withstand a 1 meter drop test, although we haven't tested it ourselves.
Screen
- Resolution 6.78 inches, 2800 × 1260 pixels, AMOLED, 120 Hz, 452 PPI
- Curved edges
- Fingerprint scanner under the screen
As for the display, the vivo V29 has a large 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. This display supports a resolution of 2800 × 1260 pixels, 452 ppi and HDR10+ playback. The sides are curved and while it's not quite as square as the HONOR 90, I have to say it's one of the prettiest screens I've seen in this segment. The bars on the sides are minimal and the top and bottom bezels are also very small.
If I had to sum up my experience with the Vivo V29 display in one sentence, I would say that it is an absolute joy to use.
Color rendering is excellent and sunlight visibility is excellent. Playing games, browsing the web, watching videos and reading were enjoyable experiences on the vivo V29. The 120Hz refresh rate made the experience smoother and smoother. vivo has several screen technologies to reduce harmful blue light and screen flicker and protect your eyes.
Camera
- 50MP primary camera sensor with OIS and f/1.9 aperture
- 8MP ultra wide angle sensor + 2MP monochrome sensor
- 50 MP selfie camera with autofocus
- Aura ring light with intelligent color temperature adjustment and brightness
Now let's move on to the cameras that make the vivo V29 shine. The Vivo V29 has the same camera setup as its predecessor, with a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP monochrome sensor. Up front, the selfie camera is still 50MP, but now has autofocus and a larger f/2.0 aperture for better-lit selfies.
The main camera is the star of the show. Take great photos with lots of detail and clarity. Especially when compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, colors are very vibrant and on the brighter side, but not overly saturated. Images are sharp, with a wide dynamic range and almost no visible noise. Even in difficult lighting conditions, the V29 manages to capture a variety of details that even the best flagship smartphones can't.
The camera is impressive even in low light conditions or artificially lit environments. Thanks to the built-in optical image stabilization (OIS), the Aura captures a good amount of light even without using a ring light. The alarm is useful in low-light situations where the use of flash is not suitable. It adjusts the brightness of the subject and the automatic color correction works very well.
Vivo V29 has one of the best front cameras in the mid-range segment.
However, the ultra-wide camera and monochrome sensors are a little disappointing. You will notice a decrease in overall quality, clarity, detail and color. However, if you don't use the ultra-wide camera often, it's more than adequate for casual shots. It's best to use the main camera and selfie shooter for best results.
As for the selfie shooters, the V29 has a 50MP selfie shooter with f/2.0 aperture and autofocus. Like the previous model, the V29 offers excellent front-view visuals. Selfies are rich in detail and clarity and consistently impress with quality. Overall, if you love selfies, the V29 won't disappoint.
The Vivo V29 might have the best camera of a mid-range smartphone, but don't take our word for it. Check out the sample images below and decide for yourself.
Examples of cameras
Daylight
Wide and Ultraline and 2x
Dim / artificial light
Hardware and software
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor
- 8 GB + 128/256 GB or 12 GB + 256/512 GB
- Funtouch OS 13 (based on Android 13)
Coming to the internals, the vivo V29 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chipset, which is the same chipset as last year's flagship phone (1). The chip has one Cortex-A78 at 2.4 GHz, three Cortex-A78 at 2.2 GHz and four Cortex-A55 at 1.9 GHz. Adreno 642L handles the phone's graphics and is available with 8/12GB RAM and 128GB. 256 GB or 512 GB of memory.
The Snapdragon 778G performs well in everyday life. It handles multitasking, app switching and some games with ease. There were a few instances of animation stuttering, especially when there were delays during initial setup, but once everything was set up the phone was fast and responsive most of the time.
But if you love gaming, this might not be the best choice. Games like Call of Duty, Asphalt 9 and Battlefield Mobile India (India's mobile version of PUBG) had to be set to low graphics for smooth gameplay. But if your usage includes scrolling through Instagram, messaging on WhatsApp, browsing, and similar tasks, this phone is more than capable.
Coming to the software, vivo V29 comes with Funtouch OS 13. It's very similar to stock Android, but with some additional (useful) features like multi-window icons, customizable animations, and themes. vivo promises two major Android OS updates and three years of security updates for the V29.
The Vivo V29 handles everyday tasks with ease, but might be the best choice for serious gaming.
If I'm making a choice about hardware, the speakers aren't the best. They're clear and loud, but there's no bass and there's only one speaker, so we don't get a stereo output. On the software side, Funtouch OS reduces the animation refresh rate slightly to save battery life. However, we were able to force it to 120Hz and still get good battery life. Speaking of batteries...
Washing tools
- 4600 mAh battery
- 80W fast wired charging
- No wireless charging.
Vivo V29 has a 4600 mAh battery, which is not the biggest compared to other mid-range phones. But it works really well. I was able to get through the day without any problems, e.g. For example, using the phone to write emails, browse the web, take photos, and play games, I logged more than 6 hours of screen-on-time (SOT) in a row. Cargo
For those days when you need a quick charge, the V29 offers super-fast 80W FlashCharge. vivo claims that the smartphone can be charged from 0 to 50% in 18 minutes and I found it to be true. In addition, the charging adapter is still included in the package. If I have to mention one minor issue, the wireless charging is a little disappointing. Honestly though, I don't miss it because the battery life is so amazing.
Judgment
So you should buy vivo V29. If you're looking for a smartphone that's lightweight, feels good in the hand, has a great display with well-integrated software, and has exceptional camera features at a bank-breaking price, the Vivo V29 is the perfect solution.
The only slight concern might be performance, but unless you're playing graphics-intensive games, it might not bother you. In addition, the battery life is strong and the charging time is short. Overall, if you're looking for a mid-range smartphone that offers impressive camera specs, the V29 won't disappoint.
Live V29:
Very affordable camera phone
vivo V29 is the company's latest mid-range smartphone that offers great camera features, design and features at an affordable price. It has a large 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display, a 50 MP primary camera with OIS and a 50 MP front camera. This model is one of the first budget Vivo phones with IP68 water resistance.
