Vivo V23 5G review: A good performer

Vivo V23 5G review: This is the company’s first 5G device to be launched in the Kenyan market. Vivo officially launched this camera-focused phone back in February for Ksh. Ksh. 59,999. 

At the launch, Vivo said demanding consumers, style-conscious trendsetters and high-performance photographers will find the V23 5G provides an ideal combination of design elegance, premium photography features and 5G performance for gaming as well as mission-critical and resource-intensive apps.

‘’The V23 5G delivers exceptional camera capabilities in various aspects for stunning quality selfies and portrait shots, while wrapped in a lightweight, elegant design that is fashionable yet diverse in appeal with its unique colour-changing surface,” said James Irungu Brand and Communications Manager Vivo Kenya.

Well, we have been spending time with the phone for more than a month now and in this article, we are sharing our thoughts about it. Is it worth Ksh 60k? Should you buy it? 

We already did the unboxing video for you but in case you missed it you can check it below. (Remember to also subscribe to YouTube for more unboxing videos in future. 

We love the Vivo V23 5G Design and Display

One of the features Vivo has been talking about so much about this phone is the design. vivo V23 5G comes in two colour variants, namely the Sunshine Gold and Stardust Black. The Gold version is quite an interesting one as the variant features a colour changing glass rear panel that changes colour when exposed to UV light and sunlight. We had the Stardust Black Vivo V23 5G variant for review which also looks pretty cool. These colour options combined with the squared edges are some of the features that stand out on this phone. 

At the front, we have a 6.4-inch AMOLED with Full HD+ resolution (2400×1080 pixels) which is a pretty average size for a modern Android – with a 90Hz refresh rate. The refresh rate might sound disappointing for some people considering 120Hz is now becoming something common. No need to complain though because you still have an AMOLED panel that lets you enjoy some good colour reproduction and of course smooth animations and transitions thanks to the 90Hz refresh. The screen is also bright enough so you can use the phone under direct sunlight without much struggle. 

We are also getting an under-screen fingerprint scanner and Face ID that are both fairly fast and reliable. Another key selling point on the Vivo V23 5G is the dual-selfie camera setup with two LED lights next to the notch for better photos and videos under low light settings.

At the back panel, there’s a 64-megapixel primary snapper with an f/1.89 aperture lens, an 8-megapixel wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture lens, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor with an f/2.4 aperture lens. 

At the bottom, there’s a USB-C port, SIM tray, speakers and yes, Vivo killed the headphone jack. The Vivo V23 5G also does not have an IP rating for protection against dust and water so just don’t use the phone in the dust or water. 

Vivo V23 5G specs, performance and battery life

Vivo V23 5G does not compromise when it comes to performance. This is one of the best series from Vivo and the company added some powerful hardware under that sleek body. 

The Vivo V23 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 920 chipset, which we have not yet seen on most mainstream smartphones. This chipset competes directly against Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G chipset. The MediaTek Dimensity 920 chipset on the Vivo V23 5G is paired with Arm Mali-G68 GPU to handle your graphics, some 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. There’s also support for extended RAM which lets you expand RAM up to 4GB by using some part of the storage to extend RAM virtually.

The phone handles everything thrown at perfectly well offering you quite a smooth experience. No glitches or lags and switching between apps and screens just fine. You can still play your favourite games and the processor will still be able to handle everything just fine. . The smartphone also supports Dual 5G Standby, remember it’s 5G powered. 

Vivo V23 5G runs FunTouch OS 12 based on Android 12 out of the box. FunTouch OS 12 ships with a new clean UI design and a refreshing look.  

When it comes to battery life, Vivo V23 5G packs a 4,200mAh battery and supports 44W fast charging. The battery life is good, nothing really to complain about here and it becomes more efficient thanks to the combination of FlashCharge, 6nm chip, some energy-saving features and optimization of Vivo OS power consumption. You can quickly charge the phone from 2% to 60% in just 30 minutes. A full charge should take about an hour.

On normal use, the Vivo V23 5G should be able to last you the entire day with some little juice left. Overall, the battery life is one of our favourite features of this phone. 

The Vivo V23 5G Cameras are good

The vivo V23 5G is a camera focused phone so of course, Vivo had to make sure it does give its best here. On the back, we have a 64-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, as well as a 2-megapixel macro camera on the back.  The dual front-facing camera is equipped with a 50-megapixel sensor and an ultra-wide 8-megapixel sensor with a viewing angle of 105°.

The main camera works really well, especially in brightly lit places. The image quality and the colours are all excellent so are the level of details. Portrait shots also come out so naturally. 

The camera does not also struggle with indoor shots. They are also decent, with good detail and colour saturation. There are also a number of camera modes to play around with including high resolution, panorama, slow-mo, and dual view which really like, double exposure, and pro among other modes. 

The selfie cameras on the other hand are the best we have seen on any phone. Check sample shots below.

Both the front and rear cameras on the Vivo V23 5G can also shoot 1080p video at 30 frames per second and 4K at 30 frames per second.  

Should you buy the Vivo V23 5G?

There are so many reasons why we can recommend this device, most of which we have listed in this review article. Vivo did some good work on the design, especially with the Sunshine Gold variant. 

The vivo V23 5G is also a good performer especially if you’re more productivity-focused and enjoy gaming. The Snapdragon 778G chipset does a pretty good job. Being a camera-focused phone the cameras are also pretty decent. 

You may however not be able to enjoy 5G yet considering Kenya has not yet gone commercial with 5G. One thing we however feel vivo should have added is an IP rating for protection against dust and water. 

Vivo is selling this phone for Ksh. 59,999, a price that we also feel might be off some customers. Overall, the Vivo V23 is a good option to consider. 

Vivo V23 5G Review, Specs

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