Vivo V25 Pro Review – A camera powerhouse with a few flaws

Vivo unveiled the V25 Pro today. The newest member of their mid-range lineup. The brand has kept the V23 Pro’s standout features, such as the colour-changing design, 3D curved display, and slim form factor. They improved the camera performance by including a 64MP primary camera that supports OIS and super night portrait. A new chipset and a larger battery are also included. So, do these modifications improve the user experience? Most importantly, does the camera’s performance match the claims? That is something I will discuss in depth in my review.

Price and Availability

The Vivo V25 Pro comes in two models. A base variant with 8GB of RAM as well as 128GB of storage costs $35,999. Another model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage costs $39,999. The Vivo V25 Pro is available for purchase on Flipkart, Vivo’s D2C website, and in select offline stores.

Specifications

Table

Design

The Vivo V25 Pro is marketed as one of the most premium-looking mid-range smartphones on the market today. I can confirm this after using it for four days. While the V25 Pro’s unboxing experience was a little unsatisfying for me, the first look at the device changed my opinion. The device’s curved glass sandwich design, with metal edges as well as a flat bottom, makes it very easy to use. At 6.5 inches, this is not a small phone by any means, but Vivo has kept the weight to a respectable 190 grams.

V25 Pro also performs admirably in terms of aesthetics. The sailing blue colour, which is a darker shade of sky blue, is the variant I have, with a small Vivo branding on the bottom left. The colour is subtle, and the minimalistic design approach works well. I’d like to bring up the colour-changing AG glass on the back, which Vivo is heavily promoting. The pitch is straightforward: the glass reflects different colours depending on the lighting.

Display

The 6.5-inch FHD+ 3D curved AMOLED display on the Vivo V25 Pro has a resolution of 2376x1080p. And I have to say, this is one of the most beautiful displays I’ve seen on a mid-ranger in a long time. At first, I thought the colours were too saturated at the default settings, but after about two minutes of experimenting with the colour temperature, I found the perfect balance for my tastes. The curved panel has since produced rich, bright colours that are crisp and true to the source. The black levels are also excellent, and I have yet to notice any patches that would spoil from my satisfaction.

Netflix HDR content is also supported by the panel. Stranger Things’ first season was fantastic, and I highly recommend it. The panel was clear, and I could see fine details in the episode. With a peak brightness of 1300 nits, this panel can get quite bright, but I wouldn’t recommend leaving it on auto brightness. Auto-brightness, as I’ve mentioned in other reviews, doesn’t work well with streaming apps. The brightness is also useful outside, and the display is readable except if the sun is directly overhead. The display also has an always-on feature, which is advantageous.

Software

Vivo V25 Pro comes pre-installed with Android 12 and Vivo’s own Funtouch OS 12 skin. This is my first interaction with the UI, and so far I’ve had a positive experience. Yes, there is some bloatware on the device, including preloaded short-format content apps that can all be uninstalled. I don’t want to rant about it any longer because almost every brand, with a few exceptions like Nothing Phone, is doing it (1). Aside from that, the UI is surprisingly well-designed, with very few bugs that I’ve found so far. Let me begin with what I like about it.

Performance

The Vivo V25 Pro is powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 1300 5G chipset, which is the same SoC that was recently seen on the Nord 2T, which I reviewed. My review unit’s SoC is paired with 12GB of RAM as well as 256GB of internal storage. It’s worth noting that this phone has LPDDR4 RAM, which is standard for phones in this price range. An LPDDR5 configuration would have made a negligible difference, particularly for generic users.

Camera

This is the section where the Vivo V25 Pro shines. The V25 Pro has three rear cameras, the primary of which is a 64MP sensor with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS). Also, an  8MP ultra-wide sensor as well as a 2MP macro sensor are also included.

In their briefing, Vivo stated repeatedly that instead of going for more megapixels, they have sought to increase pixel size. The end result is stunning. First, in good lighting, the images were crisp and retained warm colour tones, but not too far from the source. The camera sensor maintained consistency across images with minimal saturation.

The selfie camera has a 32MP resolution and eye autofocus. I took several selfies with and without my glasses using the V25 Pro. So far, the results have been satisfactory. It significantly lightens the skin tone and makes it appear paler. This is without any AIR filters activated. However, once you use AI enhancements, the results improve gradually, and it works its magic in post-processing.

Verdict

I can recommend the

to a very specific consumer base. It is designed for buyers who prioritise cameras, and it is without a doubt the V25 Pro’s strongest suite. This smartphone’s design is a close second in terms of overall appeal. Buyers looking for more consistent performance from their devices in terms of gaming and battery life should look into the OnePlus Nord 2T and Nothing Phone (1).

Warranty Plan