Vivo V23 5G Review | Geek Lifestyle

A few weeks ago, Vivo launched the V23 5G in the Philippines, a new smartphone that’s stylish and has an interesting camera setup. As with most new phones, the V23 5G has a multi-cam setup at the back, but this is one of the few phones with two selfie cameras — a wide and an ultrawide. Aside from having dual selfie shooters, the phone’s main front camera has an impressive 50MP sensor.

Aside from the cameras, the V23 5G also boasts an interesting design that shifts color depending on how you view it. Plus, as the name implies, the V23 features 5G connectivity.

Based on its specs, the V23 5G is a promising smartphone, though it does come with a fairly premium price tag for a mid-range device. Should you get it if you’re in the market for a more premium smartphone? Here’s our review!

Geek-sthetic

First off, let’s take a look at the V23 5G’s design. This phone features a distinctive triple camera setup design, as well as a unique finish that, while eye-catching, isn’t glossy. Therefore, the phone is not a fingerprint magnet, not to mention that it feels nice and grippy in hand.

The stand-out thing about the phone design-wise is its color-changing finish. While it looks gold when viewed head on, the phone does turn into a bluish color when tilted. There have been a lot of phones that feature unique finishes that change patterns or have gradient colors, but this is the most dramatic color shift that we’ve seen in a smartphone in recent memory. This makes the V23 5G one eye-catching device.

Moving to the front, the V23 5G has a 6.44-inch FHD+ display with slim bezels on the sides and below. Though the phone does feature a more iPhone-style notch to accommodate its dual selfie camera setup. While I would’ve preferred a smaller notch, I wasn’t really bothered by the V23 5G’s large notch when I was using it. It didn’t become distracting when using apps, and I quickly got used to seeing it on the home screen.

Binge-watching Factor

Speaking of display, the phone’s 6.44-inch display uses an AMOLED panel, meaning it outputs vibrant colors and has deep blacks. This makes the phone an excellent binge-watching partner for your favorite movies and shows. On top of the great color output, the phone also gets quite bright, even when outdoors.

As for audio, the phone’s internal speaker is fine enough, though I would still recommend using headphones or external speakers when watching/listening music. Sadly, the phone does not feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you will need a wireless audio device. While this shouldn’t be a problem for a lot of users given how accessible wireless headphones/speakers are, it would’ve been nice to have a headphone jack in case your audio device’s battery gets drained.

Gaming Prowess

The V23 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G processor, and packs up to 12GB of RAM. While it looks promising, does it deliver? For most games, it does quite well.

For example, League of Legends: Wild Rift is able to run at a smooth 60FPS on the High graphics quality setting. This means you won’t have any issues running today’s popular MOBAs on this device, even at higher settings.

Another game that we tested is Call of Duty Mobile. While the game defaulted to the Medium graphics quality setting, the phone is capable of running the game smoothly on High. So even if you like playing games that are a bit more demanding than MOBAs, the V23 5G should have enough power.

On top of this, the phone’s 5G connectivity is also a plus for mobile gaming as you can enjoy lower latency in your multiplayer matches.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

The Vivo V23 5G features a multi-camera setup at the back with a 64 MP f/1.9 wide camera, an 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide shooter, and 2MP f/2.4 macro. At the front, the V23 5G has a 50MP f/2.0 wide and an 8MP f/2.3 ultrawide dual selfie shooter setup.

Here’s a selection of sample images that we captured with the phone:

Daytime on the main camera.

Nighttime on the main camera (with Night Mode).

Daytime on the Ultrawide.

Daytime on the Ultrawide (with Night Mode).

Indoor with the main camera.

Selfies with the main 50MP and the 8MP ultrawide.

As you can see from the images above, the V23 5G’s cameras do not disappoint. For its triple camera setup, both daytime and nighttime shots are of good quality.

Though the highlight of the phone is the dual selfie camera setup. Not only is the main 50MP front shooter a great camera, the 8MP ultrawide is great if you want to capture more of the background, or if you want to take a group selfie.

For a more detailed breakdown of the phone’s photography capabilities, read our V23 5G camera test here.

Everyday Reliability

Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 920 and packing 12GB of RAM, the V23 5G proved to be a reliable daily driver as it performed fast and snappily throughout our review time. At no point did the phone slow down, even when we tried running a wide range of apps on it.

As for battery life, the V23 5G can last for a day of use on a single charge, though if you use it heavily, you might want to bring along a power bank or a charger. Thankfully, if you need to top up, the phone does support 44W fast charging, meaning it can quickly reach 100%.

Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

In terms of design, cameras, and performance, the Vivo V23 5G does not disappoint. The phone’s design is great, the cameras capture great photos, and the performance is solid for both gaming and everyday use.

One thing to note about the V23 5G is its price. The phone is priced at PHP 27,999 — a rather premium price tag. While you may be able to find a phone that performs as well as the V23 5G at a lower price, the unique design and versatile front and rear camera setups do make for a compelling reason to go for this phone instead.

Vivo V23 5G specs: