Vivo V29 5G review: Reliable phone with gorgeous looks

Vivo recently launched the new premium mid-range V29 5G series phones in India.

It comes in two variants– a regular V29 and a top-end V29 Pro– with prices starting at Rs 32,999.

Vivo V29 is slated to hit stores next week on October 17. I used the standard variant for a week and here are my thoughts on Vivo’s latest offering.

Design, build quality and display

Like the previous V-series phones, the latest V29 is one pretty phone. Compared to others, Vivo seems to have mastered the art of making gorgeous-looking phones.

The majestic red colour variant stays true to its namesake. The smooth textured back panel shines bright in the sunlight and doesn’t get stained easily. The matte finish ensures the case repels the fingerprint smudges effectively.

However, the prettiest variant among the lot is the Himalayan Blue variant. It boasts 3D Particle Technology, a first for phone in India.

The company used innovative technology that utilizes invisible magnetic forces to control 15 million micro-sized magnetic particles to create cascading gradations of light and shadow on the phone’s back panel. And, through a meticulous process of over 1400 manual adjustments, it results in a sparkling texture that resembles a floating mountain.

Vivo V29 5G series.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

All the Vivo V29 series phones can be used without the case cover and not worry about any type of stains. But, I still urge prospective buyers to make good use of the transparent cover case offered free with the retail package.

It doesn’t add much thickness or even weight that much either. It offers a good grip for the fingers and also during accidental drops, it will surely protect the device’s display from cracking.

Furthermore, the company pre-fits high-quality plastic screen guards on the display. It works perfectly and doesn’t affect touch sensitivity and response to the finger touch inputs, which is particularly important while playing games.

The V29 sports a 6.78-inch 1.5K(2800×1260p) AMOLED display and supports HDR10+ and 120Hz refresh rate. It is really good outdoors, just bright enough to read messages, emails, news on the web and watch multimedia content, but under a shade. Under direct sunlight, you put the brightness to the max to get a clear view of the content played on the screen.

Vivo V29 5G series.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

But, it delivers great in terms of reproducing vibrant colours of objects in a motion picture. The blacks look real and dark. It was great watching nature documentaries on the Vivo phone.

Other aspects of the device include dual SIM slots, a USB-C port and an in-display fingerprint sensor. The latter does a fine job in terms of response to the finger impression and there is a pressing issue to complain about.

Performance

Vivo V29 houses Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G octane-core chipset, 8GB/12GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB/256GB (UFS 3.1) storage options.

As advertised, it manages to deliver good performance without any hassle. Even with gaming, the Vivo V29 is a smooth performer. Also, it does great in terms of controlling heat when doing heavy-duty tasks such as 4K video recording, playing games and even streaming content with cellular data.

It runs Android 13-based FunTouch OS 13. It does come with a lot of third-party apps, but consumers don’t have to worry much, as there is enough storage even for the base variant. It can accommodate hundreds of apps and even allow users to add thousands of images and videos too.

Vivo V29 5G series.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

As far as the battery life is concerned, the phone manages to deliver a full day under normal usage. It should be noted that if the device is fully dependent on cellular data for multimedia consumption, you may require a need power bank around evening.

If you happen to have Wi-Fi at home and at the office but rely on SIM for content consumption during the travelling ( commuting on public transport vehicle; not recommended while driving a vehicle yourself), then it’s manageable.

Also, it supports 80W charger. It can power up the phone from zero to 50 per cent in under 20 minutes, reach 90 per cent in 40 minutes and hit 100 per cent mark in 50 minutes.

The new Vivo phone supports 5G services offered by both Airtel and Reliance Jio.

It is compatible multiple 5G bands– n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n28A/n77/n78.

Vivo V29 camera’s photo sample.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Photography

It boasts a triple-camera module— 50MP (Samsung GN5 sensor (f/1.88, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation) + 8MP ultra-wide sensor (f/2.2 aperture) + 2MP depth sensor (f/2.4) with Aura LED light on the back.

Vivo V29 camera’s photo sample.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Truth be told, most upper mid-range phones are all good at taking crisp clear photos in natural settings outdoors. However, what separates them from each other is how their camera hardware processes certain colours such as red, green and blue in the frame.

Vivo V29 camera’s photo sample.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Here, the Vivo V29 manages to get fantastic photos without overprocessing the colours of the flowers. They appear a tad warmer than what they look through our eyes but manage to capture minute details and make them look photogenic.

Vivo V29 camera’s photo sample.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

In the close-up shots, the V29 manages to get fantastic snaps with great details.

Vivo V29 camera’s photo sample.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Though the phone manages to cover a wide area in normal view, the ultra-wide angle mode takes it to the next level. And, also importantly, doesn’t play any trick of bending structures to artificially compact them into the frame.

However, the night mode is decent at best. It can get better with future software updates.

Vivo V29 camera’s photo sample.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

On the front, it has 50MP autofocus camera (f/2.0). It takes terrific selfies in natural light settings and even indoors too.

Vivo V29 camera’s photo sample.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

The portrait mode too is fantastic. The camera manages to get sharp photos with a clear distinction between the foreground the background, and the edges around the head capture captured perfectly without any smudging issues. Even if you wear spectacles too, the pictures come off good without any issues.

Vivo V29 camera’s photo sample.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

The native camera app offers an array of customisation options such as Beauty, Makeup and Postures. You name it, the device has all the superficial editing tools to significantly enhance the face’s beauty, and even finely remove any acne scars or any type of. V29 is way superior to any phone in its class in delivering photogenic photos.

Vivo V29 camera’s photo sample.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Both the front and primary rear cameras support 4K video recording. The video quality is decent and stable.

Final thoughts

As noted earlier, the V29 series is a gorgeous-looking phone. Vivo has done a fantastic job with designing the device and also ensuring the device performs, as advertised.

Vivo V29 5G series.

DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Also, the new Vivo excels with photography, particularly the front camera is feature-rich. Women for sure, will love the value-added personalisation option on offer on V29. And, the device manages to deliver a full day battery life with normal usage.

Vivo V29 is being offered in three colours— himalayan blue, majestic red, and space black. It will be available in two variants— 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 12GB RAM +256GB storage— for Rs 32,999 and Rs 36,999, respectively.

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(Published 13 October 2023, 13:18 IST)