Should I buy the Vivo V21 5G?
| Pros | Cons | ||||
| Excellent selfie camera | Not particularly powerful | ||||
| Good AMOLED screen | So-so rear cameras | ||||
| Slim | No IP rating |
Our decision
If you’re interested in taking a selfie or taking a video with the front camera, the excellent phone, the V21 5G, also benefits from a good quality screen, but there are some discounts you can find elsewhere.
Vivo V21 5G full review
Vivo is the next Chinese phone brand that the world is about to sit down and understand. When you think that there is no real place for another mid-level competitor, Vivo somehow manages to stand out from the crowd.
Their phones usually have a feature that isn’t at the same price point, and the V21 5G‘s party trick is the selfie camera. OIS technology is usually reserved for the main rear camera
It takes such beautiful photos even in low light, and phone selfie enthusiasts or those who need to use the front camera to take videos for TikTok YouTube or Instagram can do so.
Features and design
V21 is a thin phone with a thickness of 7 mm. The rear camera assembly is as eye-catching as most phones, with a stepped section that includes a flash.
Vivo has introduced a Dusk Blue phone that looks darker and more serious than the Sunset Dazzle color group.
Some versions of the phone have only a simple Vivo logo, while European models have large CE and box logos, as well as the model number and Vivo’s full company name.
What you didn’t know is that the frame and back are plastic, especially the smooth matte surface of the back, which can easily become glassy, and the depth of color when the light touches it.
On the right side, there is a textured power button under the volume control, and the SIM case is located on the bottom edge, facing the dynamic grille.
While the speaker is a bit above the screen, the sound for phone calls only comes from the V21 mono and is surprisingly quiet, so there is no 3.5mm headphone jack, but there is Bluetooth 5.1 to connect wireless headphones. Find a wired headset with an adapter up to 3.5 mm from USB-C
The V21 5G also has Wi-Fi 5, GPS and NFC, and Google Pay is supported
Unfortunately, there is no IP rating, so technically you should not allow the V21 to get wet. He will probably survive the strange splashes and use it in light rain.
Screen
44 inch 90Hz AMOLED display 1080×2400 pixels 20: 9 aspect ratio 409ppi The Vivo may have cut some features to the V21’s price point, but the screen isn’t one of them, and that’s a very good thing, because it’s very important.
It uses AMOLED technology, which means excellent viewing angles, colors and contrast. This also means that you can always have an open screen if you are not afraid of losing battery life. Use your phone instead of the clock to track the time, this is a real bonus (especially since there are no notification LEDs)
About 500 nits is bright enough when you move the slider to the right, but it will be even brighter outdoors if needed.
Some may say that the drip hook is a bit old and the Vivo should go with a more modern-looking perforated design, but given the quality of the camera, it’s easy to forgive. You can effectively hide it with some standard wallpapers with a black surface.
What you don’t notice are the two LED lights hidden in the frame at the top of the screen. Because they don’t burn for a short time like a flash, they’re called spot lights, and they illuminate you so you can shoot video even in dim conditions. also illuminates your face for selfies
Another hidden feature that flagship phones used to protect is the fingerprint sensor at the bottom of the screen.
Although it can operate at 90Hz, the screen’s default setting is again 60Hz to increase battery life.
Cameras
64Mp main camera 8Mp ultra wide, 2Mp macro 44Mp selfie camera You can’t expect flagship-level rear cameras at this price, and you can’t get any of them. If you want them, take a look at Vivo’s X70 Pro +, the real flagship.
The main 64Mp camera can take very good photos and has OIS, which helps with low light intensity. Even if the telephoto is not objective, don’t be fooled by the choice to switch to 2x in stock camera software.
To switch between lenses, you have to touch the Lens button and you can switch between wide ultra wide and super macro lenses. This is more difficult than having a number of magnification levels at the bottom of the screen
As with many 8Mp ultra-wide cameras on mid-range phones, the image quality is excellent, but nothing special. And the 2Mp macro lens is almost available for demonstration, because buyers these days want at least a triple camera
The glowing selfie camera here creates sharp, detailed photos both indoors and outdoors. themselves
There are many filters and effects to choose from, including making the background monochrome and coloring your face. Portrait mode takes you even further with many beauty options, from losing your face to changing the look of your chin, nose and cheeks. Aperture slider simulates bokeh and you can see what the background will look like in real time
Unfortunately, without a depth sensor, what is background is determined by what is not, and this means that it is surprisingly inaccurate, in the absence of actual background elements, hair strands can be blurred.
Note that if you select 4K video while shooting, OIS does not work, and other options are only 1080p and 720p. One thing that could break the contract is that you can only record at 30 frames / s with the front camera.
It is also possible to shoot in 1080p at 60 frames in the back, but this drops to 30 frames in 4K (and you will also lose OIS)
Performance
MediaTek 800U 5G chipset 8GB RAM 128GB memory + microSD card 8GB RAM and it’s nice to see that decent memory can be realized with a cheap microSD card
But with the Vivo 800U, it cut a pretty big corner in the processor section. This is the chip we see in cheaper phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T, which we reviewed almost a year ago. It’s a good budget chip with 5G support, but it doesn’t quite fit the price point here.
Of course, the V21 does not perform well in everyday work. Apps run fast enough Android 11 works nicely and smoothly, but if you like the game and want the games to run at 90Hz, this is not a great choice. in high detail
You can play the game, and the V21 won’t overheat, but if that’s a priority, it’s better to buy a gaming phone for a similar price (or a little more). As can be seen from the following results, it lags behind other mid-range phones. phones
The good news is that the Vivo has not been aggravated by many additional applications for Western markets. In fact, considering how critical we were of previous Chinese versions (like the V20), I was surprised that the Funtouch 11 was so close to stock. Android 11 guide in the UK
By default, you have both a large home screen and an application tray that can be accessed from any home screen when you slide it from the bottom of the screen. Game and software folders with shortcuts to Vivo’s own showcase
If you want to get a comprehensive experience, you will still have to choose one of Google’s own phones, but don’t miss Funtouch in the official UK releases of Vivo phones.
Battery life
4000mAh battery 33W fast charging No wireless charging No surprise here The 4000mAh battery is relatively standard on many Android phones, but it’s amazing to see it on such a thin phone
It will last up to two days with light use, but the estimates decrease quickly once you start running the 90Hz refresh rate and features like always open screen and demanding apps (like games).
In the PCMark’s Work 3.0 test, a 14-hour, 58-minute battery result was effective for 15 hours.
Unfortunately, the budget does not include a wireless charger, but the 33W fast charger included in the box charges more than 60% of the battery capacity in just half an hour.
price and availability
Although introduced in the summer, the V21 5G has only recently gone on sale in the UK and other Western countries.
The official price in the UK is £ 399, but you can already find big discounts, for example, Amazon V21 5G sells for only 299 pounds, which makes it more attractive and easier to forgive a less powerful processor. It’s £ 29.99, but you get a clear silicone box that comes in the box
The phone is not available in the US or Canada, but if you really want to get your hands on it, you can import the phone from another country.
See a list of the best mid-range phones and the best budget phones for alternatives.
Decision
When shopping for a mid-range phone, sacrifices are often inevitable.
