The Vivo V5 is on the bigger side(but now standard) of devices, toting a 5.5-inch display and thus bringing along with it a lot of glass real estate. In terms of design, this device follows the same design language as almost every phone in the market, with curved edges and shiny lines running along the edges and over the back. That being said, the V5 does look quite classy, and despite being a large phone, has good ergonomics.
Specs: 5.5-inch HD display| 1.5 GHz Octa Core MediaTek MT6750 processor| 4GB RAM| 32GB internal(up to 128GB)| 20MP front camera| 13MP rear camera| 3, 000 mAh battery| Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS
Price: Rs 17, 980
What’s good?
The first thing that we did, inevitably, was to launch the camera. Now, being a photographer, I prefer being behind the lens than be in front of it, so I went for the rear shooter first. The 13 MP unit on the rear-facing camera is quite decent, as it takes good photos in both well-lit and low-lit conditions. In the bright sun, the camera does seem to lag just a little bit to correct the exposure, but doesn’t bleach or overexpose the shot. The autofocus is decently quick for a phone in this price range, even in poorly-lit places such as a dark-ish room with very few sources of light. And the results aren’t too grainy either.
The front camera, however, which is the highlight of Vivo V5, is a little inconsistent in its performance.
The front camera, however, which is the highlight of this phone, is a little inconsistent in its performance. The field of view is large and wide enough to fit a few friends in the frame without any major lens distortion or the need to crop out the tallest and the shortest friend. However, most of the pictures taken through the front camera turned out to be a little overexposed, even while clicking indoors under fluorescent lights.
The 13 MP unit on the rear-facing camera is quite decent, as it takes good photos in both well-lit and low-lit conditions.(Camera sample from Vivo V5)(Image resized for web)
The rear camera in Vivo V5 tends to overexpose the shots sometimes.(Camera sample from Vivo V5)(Image resized for web)
Also, the “Face beauty” mode comes on by default, and has more options for vanity such as slimming, buffing and enlarging. There is a normal mode that doesn’t involve any of this(if you like it au naturale) and that’s actually much better. The 20MP shooter captures a lot of details such as texture and contrast, surprising for a front camera and given the price. The front flash is soft, but tends to push the photos towards a cooler colour temperature. We recommend using the front flash only as a last resort.
The 20MP shooter in Vivo V5 captures a lot of details such as texture and contrast, surprising for a front camera and given the price.(Camera sample from Vivo V5)(Image resized for web)
In the bright sun, the camera does seem to lag just a little bit to correct the exposure, but doesn’t bleach or overexpose the shot.(Camera sample from Vivo V5)(Image resized for web)
The phone attempts to be a complete multimedia package, as the display is quite bright and colourful even under direct sunlight, although it has a tendency to be slightly on the cooler side of colour temperature. The speakers, however, are quite loud and clear, and it’s good enough for you to listen to music and dance around funnily in your hotel room(as long as nobody’s watching).
Vivo V5 is very comfortable with multitasking, as the 4GB RAM ensures that.
The V5 is very comfortable with multitasking, as the 4GB RAM ensures that. The everyday smartphone tasks such as browsing, dealing with emails, booking cabs, ordering food and checking your social feeds, are where this phone is comfortable. Heavier tasks, including using heavier apps such as Lightroom can slow the phone down. The phone, however, can be a bit laggy after burst modes(especially if you have one of the special modes on).