VIVO V21 5G REVIEW: A GOOD CAMERAPHONE.

Unveiled at the end of June 2021, vivo V21 5G is that device that at first glance can go a bit muted. MediaTek Dimensity 800U processor and focus on the photographic department can in fact potentially keep away a certain type of user who instead points to mere performance

Furthermore, the price of 449 euros and the fact that vivo has only recently landed in Europe would seem to close the circle, but in reality we know well how much in the smartphone field you must never let yourself be taken by prejudices.

We've been putting the vivo V21 5G to the test over the past few weeks, discovering an interesting device that can appeal to those who love photographs. Of course, don't expect miracles from a performance point of view, but its daily use made us understand the reason behind some choices made by the manufacturer.

A design that stands out

vivo is a giant in China but has only recently arrived in Europe and therefore has a long way to go to earns the trust of users. The first step has already been taken with the sponsorship of UEFA EURO 2020 and the excellent vivo X60 Pro , but it is clear that time is still needed. In fact, it is necessary, for example, to explore other price ranges and focus on unique devices, which are able to stand out in the market.

In this context, vivo V21 5G arrives, which looks like an original smartphone from the first glance . Just take a look at its backcover to understand it. An impressive photographic compartment dominates the body, in this case in the Sunset Dazzle colorable to show off when exposed to light.

There is also the Dusk Blue variant and perhaps the Sunset Dazzle coloring does not wink at an audience like that of gamers, but undoubtedly the work done live is excellent and the attention to detail is there.

Plastic is present, but hardly noticeable. We are sure that the less attentive will struggle to understand what material it is. This aspect gives the smartphone a premium look , which is sure to be appreciated by many.

However, the most demanding users will notice this detail, which can be seen as a flaw by some, also considering the price range.

The nature of the device can already be understood from here. The vivo V21 5G isn't a smartphone for everyone , but it definitely has its audience. In fact, the dimensions of the smartphone are equal to 159.68 x 73.9 x 7.39 mm in the Sunset Dazzle color while the Dusk Blue variant has a thickness of 7.29 mm, for a weight of, respectively, 177 and 176 grams.

Although it is not a compact device, the smartphone has better handling than many other models on the market. Too bad only for the protrusion of the cameras, which makes the device move a little if placed on a flat surface.

At the front, an AMOLED screen with a drop notch for the front chamber and integrated fingerprint sensor peeps out. Precisely as regards the biometric unlocking, we have never had problems with either the fingerprint or the facial recognition.

On the right side we find the power button and the volume rocker, while at the top one of the microphones takes place. At the bottom there are another microphone, the speaker, the USB Type-C port and the hybrid slot for the SIM, which allows the insertion of two nanoSIMs or one nanoSIM with microSD expansion.

As for the sales package, however, we find a 33W charger, a USB Type-C / USB Type-A cable, a convenient transparent cover, manuals, a pin for removing the SIM compartment, a USB Type-C to 3.5 mm audio jack adapter and discrete headphones with jack cable. In short, the equipment is complete.

Performance not at the top, but excellent photographic sector

The first real aspect that made us turn up a bit is the presence of a MediaTek Dimensity 800U processor , flanked in this case by 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 internal memory (expandable via microSD).

This is a SoC that we know well, since we have already seen it in action in the first half of the years on smartphones such as the OPPO A94 5G, with a starting price of 369.99 euros. As you can imagine, the benchmarks are very similar: vivo v21 5G reached 378,215 points on AnTuTu v9 , while on GeekBench the performance stood at 556 points in single-core and 1695 points in multi-core. The performances are more than enough for everyday use and it is also possible to carry out some more advanced operations, but remember that in the price range around 500 euros there are now also gaming smartphones. In short, the performances are not at the top, even if they are just fine for a certain type of user.

As for autonomy, it is essentially always possible to reach the end of the day, but in some contexts the residual charge will not be much. In any case, the results are more than good, especially for traditional office use, and there is no lack of fast charging at 33W, but we would have expected more from a device of this type and its 4,000 mAh battery. The vivo V21 5G is therefore not a battery phone , which would certainly have made it more attractive by the target it is aimed at.

Few doubts, however, regarding the 6.44-inch AMOLED display with Full HD + resolution of 2404 x 1080 pixels with refresh rate up to 90 Hz , touch sampling rate of 180 Hz and support for HDR10 +. The colors are well calibrated, the Always On mode is not missing, the Widevine L1 DRMs are present for the high definition content of the main streaming platforms and the brightness is not bad.

It is a great panel for multimedia use and is also suitable for watching movies and TV series on platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. On the average, the mono audio department, which does not stand out either in terms of general quality or maximum volume. In any case, many users will be happy with vivo V21 5G for watching multimedia content.

Coming to the main strength of the device, that is the photographic sector, we find a triple rear camera with 64MP main sensor and f / 1.79 aperture, complete with Autofocus and OIS , accompanied by an ultra-wide module at 120 degrees from 8MP with aperture f / 2.2 and a 2MP macro camera with f / 2.4 aperture.

At the front, a 44MP selfie sensor with f / 2.0 aperture peeps out, also equipped with AutoFocus and OIS stabilizer. Video can be record up to 4K / 30fps and are well stabilized. Furthermore, in case you want to reach further heights from this point of view, you can activate the Super anti-vibration mode, which however drops the resolution to 1080p. However, the photos are especially surprising, with very pleasant shots during the day.

 

The wise use of artificial intelligence can further improve the result and hardly anyone will be disappointed, also given the price range. The night mode is also surprising, able to properly arrange the shots in difficult light contexts. The wide-angle photos are also not bad, while macros always have the same problem, which is a resolution that is still too lowfor our tastes. Selfies are excellent thanks to the use of a double front flash for night shots. We can define vivo V21 5G a cameraphone under 500 euros in all respects. Just keep in mind that the zoom is limited, with a maximum magnification at 10x modifier in digital. If you wants to know more, you can take a look at some uncompressed photos in our Drive folder dedicated to vivo V21 5G .    

There is also nothing to complains about in terms of connectivity: the smartphone has support for 5G, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC and Dual SIM (hybrid slot). In short, it is a device ready for the latest standard in terms of connectivity.

The RAM "increases" thanks to the software

vivo goes straight on its software level path, focusing on Android 11 with Funtouch OS 11 customization . At the time of written, the security patches are as of July 2021. We've already learned about the features available with other models, such as the vivo X60 Pro, but it's a clean, bloatware-free customization.

There are some additional intriguing features, such as the ability to "increase" the RAM via software through the use of storage space. By activating this additional feature, 3GB can be added to the 8GB already available. The real usefulness of the extended RAM functionality is certainly limited, but in some contexts it can always come in handy.

Among the other possibilities offered by the Funtouch OS 11 software, we find the ultra-game mode . The latter mainly allows you to reduce distractions during the game, also through the Esports function, which also offers improvements in terms of visual effective and temperature management. Ultra-game mode also allows you to open applications such as WhatsApp in Picture in Picture mode.

However, the software is not the most accurate when it comes to translations. In everyday use we will find written in Spanish such as " Captura de pantalla " and some not too clear sentences. Elements that are a bit 'turn up the nose, but which do not represent a real problem when using the device.

The feeling, however, is that the effort put into the creation of the gaming mode is a bit wasted for this specific device. In fact, Fortnite is not even compatible while Call of Duty Mobile runs well only with details on Medium and FPS on High . ARK Survival Evolved, on the other hand, is playable discreetly with the Medium preset. In short, if you want to play, you will necessarily have to go down to compressed.