Is The Vivo V23 Pro A Worthy Upgrade To The V20 Pro?
The sub-Rs. 40,000 smartphone segment has become a battleground of impressive options. Phones in this category aim to offer a premium experience at an affordable price point, often referred to as "value flagships". They pack powerful performance and excellent cameras, but typically sacrifice features like an IP68 rating or wireless charging to keep costs down. The Vivo V23 Pro joins this competitive fray, sitting at a starting price of Rs. 38,990, which is roughly Rs. 10,000 more than its predecessor, the Vivo V21. This price bump brings significant hardware upgrades, including a 108-megapixel rear camera, 50-megapixel front-facing camera, and a front-facing LED flash for selfie enthusiasts. But is the Vivo V23 Pro a worthy upgrade to the V20 Pro? Does it stand out from the crowd of similar contenders? Let’s dive in and find out.
Vivo V23 Pro Price In India
The Vivo V23 Pro is offered in two variants:
- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage: Rs. 38,990
- 12GB RAM + 256GB storage: Rs. 43,990
Both variants are available in two finishes – Stardust Black and Sunshine Gold. For this review, we got our hands on the Sunshine Gold variant.
Vivo V23 Pro Design: A Touch of Magic
The Sunshine Gold finish is the more eye-catching of the two, thanks to its color-changing glass back. The unique paint treatment causes the phone to appear gold indoors, but shifts to a rich blue with hints of green when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light outdoors. The magic continues indoors, where the back panel reveals a glimpse of the hidden blue color when placed under a UV light source. The reactive layer retains its blue hue for several minutes even after being brought indoors, gracefully fading back to gold. This cool effect is undeniably fun and well executed. If you prefer a more understated look, the Stardust Black option offers a smooth matte black finish.
The back panel is crafted from fluorite AG glass with a matte finish that effectively resists fingerprints. Like the curved-edge glass on the front, the rear panel also curves along the left and right edges. The smartphone boasts a slim polycarbonate frame, contributing to its sleek appearance. While visually delicate, the phone feels solid enough for everyday use.
Vivo has dramatically upgraded the V23 Pro’s display. It steps up from the V20 Pro’s flat AMOLED display to a curved-edge AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. Instead of a hole-punch cutout, the phone features an iPhone-style notch that houses the dual front-facing selfie cameras. The bezels are narrow across the display, but Vivo has cleverly incorporated dual LED flash units (dubbed "Dual-tone Spotlight Flash") on either side of the display notch. The earpiece speaker is practically invisible, blending seamlessly with the frame and display.
Vivo V23 Pro Specifications & Software: A Blend of New And Familiar
Under the hood, the Vivo V23 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC, which we’ve seen in other budget-friendly phones like the Poco F3 GT and the OnePlus Nord 2. While a capable processor, it’s not the top contender in this segment anymore. Another point to note is that the V23 Pro lacks any storage expansion option, which could be a dealbreaker for some users.
The phone supports dual Nano-SIMs and offers 5G radios with dual-5G standby. Other connectivity features include Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi ac, and the usual satellite navigation systems. It houses a 4,300mAh battery that can be charged quickly using the bundled 44W charger.
The Vivo V23 Pro is among the first Vivo smartphones to ship with Android 12 out of the box. However, it still features Vivo’s custom Funtouch OS 12 overlay. The design language feels somewhat jarring against Google’s Material You redesign, leading to an inconsistency in visual aesthetic. The new widgets for Drive, Conversations, etc. stand out oddly on the home screen with their bold outlines and font styles. Vivo has attempted to integrate some of Android 12’s new privacy features such as the Privacy Dashboard and Permission Manager into the Funtouch OS 12 settings app, but these features still seem misplaced.
Despite the design clash, the Vivo V23 Pro does provide access to Android 12’s privacy features. You’ll find the helpful audio and video indicators popping up in the notifications area whenever the microphone or camera is in use. While there’s the Material You influence, the familiar animated FunTouch widgets (inherited from Origin OS) remain. The new notifications tray and Quick Settings menu have a different look compared to the stock Android 12 experience found on Google Pixel devices. The powerful new search functionality within the app drawer is missing, but notification history is included, accessible by scrolling to the bottom of the notifications tray (after activation in settings).
Vivo has included a new Game Space app, but it’s primarily a dashboard that displays the play time for installed games. The useful options you’d expect can be accessed via a slide-out menu within the game, once you activate Ultra Game mode.
Vivo V23 Pro Performance & Battery Life: Meeting Expectations But Not Setting Trends
The Vivo V23 Pro performed as anticipated in our standard benchmark tests. It achieved a score of 624,567 points in AnTuTu and 950 and 3,216 in Geekbench’s single and multi-core tests, respectively. These scores are on par with mid-range smartphones but fall short of similarly priced devices powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, such as the Realme GT or iQoo 7 Legend.
Gaming performance proved quite satisfactory. Despite the phone’s slim profile, the Vivo V23 Pro did heat up during extended gaming sessions of Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9: Legends at the highest graphics settings. But it handled these intensive gaming sessions well without any noticeable performance degradation. Asphalt 9: Legends ran flawlessly with the 60fps mode enabled, but Call of Duty was less enjoyable. The display’s touch sensitivity lagged behind, causing difficulties with precise movement and aiming, resulting in a frustrating gaming experience. Even reducing the graphics quality to the lowest settings didn’t resolve this touch latency issue.
The Vivo V23 Pro features a single bottom-firing speaker that delivers loud audio, but it can sound somewhat distorted at high volumes. A stereo speaker setup would have created a more balanced and immersive audio experience, especially while playing games. Unfortunately, the lack of stereo sound is a drawback given that almost every other smartphone in this price range offers it.
The Vivo V23 Pro’s AMOLED panel impressed with its vibrant, saturated colors, though it did appear slightly washed out under direct sunlight. The 90Hz refresh rate was sufficient, but several competitors boast higher peak refresh rates. What sets this panel apart are the curved edges, which didn’t prove distracting in daily usage. However, the medium-sized notch felt a bit odd considering that most Android phones, both above and below this price point, now feature hole-punch cutouts for a cleaner and more space-efficient design.
Surprisingly for such a slim smartphone, the Vivo V23 Pro exhibited decent battery life. It managed to run for 12 hours and 7 minutes in our HD video loop test, which is below average. With everyday use, the phone lasted a full day on a single charge, but this is also not the best in this segment. Power users may want to consider other options. Charging the phone with the included 44W charger proved swift, reaching a 65 percent charge in 30 minutes and a full charge in an hour.
Vivo V23 Pro Cameras: Feature-Packed But Short on Consistency
With its fashion-forward appeal, the Vivo V23 Pro surprisingly packs an impressive array of camera features, both for the front and back cameras. Both can record 4K 60fps videos. The front camera also supports HDR video recording and boasts two LED flash units. In total, there are three rear cameras and two front-facing cameras. The rear camera setup includes:
- 108-megapixel primary camera
- 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera
- 2-megapixel macro camera
The front-facing cameras consist of:
- 50-megapixel primary camera with autofocus
- 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera
The camera interface is well-organized, providing quick access to essential settings via a menu in the top-left corner (when held horizontally). It’s worth noting that most of the special video features, such as Steadiface and Super Night, are limited to 1080p at 30fps. HDR video is also restricted to 30fps (1080p and 4K), and Super Stabilisation mode only allows 1080p 60fps recording.
Photos captured with the 108-megapixel rear primary camera were saved as 12-megapixel images. Daylight shots exhibited slightly oversaturated colors but showcased good detail and dynamic range. Images from the ultra-wide-angle camera displayed below-average detail and were only usable in daylight conditions. However, they suffered from noticeable barrel distortion, rendering them far from ideal in terms of quality.
The 50-megapixel selfie camera also saved 12-megapixel images by default. Selfies taken in daylight appeared sharp and clear with good dynamic range and pleasing background separation. Activating Portrait mode resulted in excellent edge detection and detail, a trend that continued with the rear camera’s Portrait mode. The results from the ultra-wide-angle selfie camera were surprisingly good and very usable compared to shots taken with the rear-facing ultra-wide camera. The 2-megapixel macro camera holds potential for extreme close-ups, but the image quality remained average.
The primary rear camera performed well in low light, capturing respectable detail and dynamic range. Night mode photos exhibited improved detail, sharper object definition, and higher contrast for a more dramatic effect. However, some highlights in certain images were overexposed near street lamps and other lighting sources. Ultra-wide angle camera photos shot using Night mode looked decent on the phone’s display but lacked detail when viewed on a monitor.
Selfies taken in low light were sharper and more detailed when using the Spotlight flash compared to the screen flash, although the latter made faces appear a bit harsh. However, neither flash option improved photos beyond average quality. Night mode also failed to deliver impressive results, as images lacked depth and displayed poor detail. The primary selfie camera struggled to lock focus in low light, even with the flash enabled.
Moving to video, the Vivo V23 Pro showed a bit of a mixed bag. Vivo has attempted to pack numerous features but seems to have neglected the fundamentals. The phone delivered its best video quality when shooting at 4K 30fps. 1080p videos encountered detail issues even under bright daylight conditions. Stabilization was only decent at best for 1080p videos but was absent when shooting at 4K 60fps.
There’s an ultra-stabilisation mode that provides rock-steady video, but it’s limited to 1080p 60fps, which also means a dip in overall quality. Selfie videos at any resolution tended to overexpose the background in daylight. The HDR video mode brightened both subjects and backgrounds, but the resulting clips were overly exposed and displayed below-average detail. Vivo has introduced a stabilization feature called Steadiface, which works well in both daylight and low-light situations, producing smoother footage.
Low-light selfie videos were quite grainy. The Super Night video mode reduced noise to acceptable levels, but this came at the cost of an erratic frame rate, making the video appear choppy. Detail was limited when shooting at 1080p. Video recorded at 60fps appeared too dark and lacked good stabilization, resulting in a noticeable shimmer effect when panning. Increasing the resolution to 4K still presented the shimmer effect, along with random stabilization artifacts, like sections of the scene seemingly shaking. 4K 60fps footage was excessively dark and shaky, even during panning movements. Ultra Stabilisation mode delivered murky and blurry videos.
Verdict: A Shiny Package With Compelling Features But Needs More Refining
If you’re looking for a slim and lightweight smartphone or are eager to experience the latest Android version, the Vivo V23 Pro might appeal to you. Its color-changing back panel is unique and it stands out as one of the few smartphones in this segment featuring a curved-edge display. However, it’s not the perfect fit for everyone, especially those seeking top-notch gaming performance and long-lasting battery life.
The V23 Pro faces stiff competition in the market. Having reviewed the Realme GT and iQoo 7 Legend, we can confidently say that the iQoo offers the best camera system of the three. Other contenders in this price range include the OnePlus 9R, Xiaomi Mi 11X Pro, and the recently released Xiaomi 11T Pro, which all surpass the Vivo V23 Pro in gaming performance. All these competitors also boast stereo speakers and AMOLED displays with 120Hz refresh rates. The Mi 11X Pro even has an IP53 rating.
While the Vivo V23 Pro’s cameras are reliable for stills, recorded videos need significant improvement. It appears to be a worthy successor to the V20 Pro but falls short of perfection. The higher price tag also makes it compete with premium smartphones that offer a vastly superior performance.
Ultimately, the Vivo V23 Pro is a solid option but faces challenges in a fiercely competitive segment where other devices provide a more compelling and well-rounded package. If you’re drawn to its aesthetic charm and appreciate its unique features, it’s worth considering. However, those seeking a more balanced and feature-rich value flagship might find better options elsewhere in the market.
