The Vivo V25 Pro 5G aims to build upon the legacy of its predecessor, the V23 Pro 5G, by offering subtle design refinements and crucial enhancements to battery life and camera capabilities. While the V23 Pro 5G was lauded for its sleek design and color-changing rear panel, it also faced criticism for its high price tag and somewhat underwhelming performance. The V25 Pro 5G attempts to address these concerns, but does it truly deliver a compelling value proposition, or is it just another mid-range smartphone trying to stand out in a crowded market? Let’s delve into the details and see if the Vivo V25 Pro 5G can truly justify its asking price.
Vivo V25 Pro 5G Price in India
The Vivo V25 Pro 5G is available in two configurations:
- Base variant (8GB RAM + 128GB storage): Rs. 35,999
- Higher variant (12GB RAM + 256GB storage): Rs. 39,999
This review focuses on the 12GB RAM variant in the captivating Sailing Blue color finish, which features the color-changing rear panel. The phone is also available in a more understated matte-black finish called Pure Black, which lacks the color-shifting feature.
Vivo V25 Pro 5G Design
The Vivo V25 Pro 5G’s design bears a strong resemblance to its predecessor, the V23 Pro 5G. However, it is slightly thicker at 8.62mm, deviating from the ultra-slim profile of the V23 Pro. The mid-frame boasts a glossy chrome finish made of polycarbonate, which unfortunately attracts fingerprints easily. This glossy texture, however, provides some grip to counteract the slippery glass rear panel. The curved edges of the mid-frame seamlessly integrate with the curved-edge display and the rear panel, resulting in a sophisticated and premium feel.
The color-changing rear panel, a signature feature of the V23 Pro 5G, is still present in the V25 Pro 5G. However, its transition from a lighter shade of blue to a darker one is more subtle, making it less noticeable than the dramatic gold-to-green shift of its predecessor. This subtle color change might not be as striking for many users.
Beyond the color-changing gimmick, the V25 Pro 5G lacks an IP rating and wireless charging capabilities, which are increasingly becoming commonplace in this price segment. The rear camera module retains the metal frame from the V23 Pro but features a redesigned glass inset to accommodate the slightly altered imaging system. The 6.56-inch full-HD+ pOLED display boasts thin and uniform bezels all around, with curves on the left and right edges, further enhancing the phone’s premium aesthetics.
Vivo V25 Pro 5G Specifications and Software
Under the hood, the Vivo V25 Pro 5G packs MediaTek’s Dimensity 1300 SoC. This chipset is a common find in mid-range smartphones and is also featured in devices like the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G and the Oppo Reno 8 5G. The phone utilizes LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, but unfortunately, storage expansion is not an option. In terms of connectivity, it supports various 5G bands, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and common satellite navigation systems.
Powering the device is a 4,830mAh battery, and the box includes an 80W charger. Although the charger is rated at 80W, the device’s charging speed is capped at 66W, which is still fast enough to charge the phone to 100% within an hour. Other box contents include a Type-C to Type-A USB cable and a clear TPU case. However, the phone lacks NFC functionality.
The Vivo V25 Pro 5G runs Vivo’s Funtouch OS 12, based on Android 12. The software feels typically Vivo, including the extensive customization options the operating system offers. A novel addition is a color palette picker, allowing users to choose between basic preset colors or multi-color themes, depending on the applied wallpaper. While the UI color changes in the Settings app and keyboard, the widgets fail to change their colors and require a system restart to reflect the new theme.
Despite its premium price point, the V25 Pro 5G comes pre-installed with a plethora of apps, many of which fortunately can be uninstalled. However, the phone also suffers from a barrage of spammy notifications. While notifications from common apps are expected, it is surprising to receive numerous notifications, including news and promotional content, from the native browser app, even without actively using it.
This software experience, particularly the frequent and unsolicited notifications, is an area Vivo needs to address, especially considering the device’s price. An upgrade to Android 13 should hopefully address these persistent notification issues.
Vivo V25 Pro 5G Performance
The Vivo V25 Pro 5G delivers a fluid software experience. Multitasking is seamless, and the device responds swiftly thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate display, without any noticeable lags or stutters. The pOLED display shines brightly outdoors and offers impressive brightness levels but defaults to a “Standard” screen color setting that produces overly saturated colors. The curves on the display’s sides are not overly intrusive and do not hinder the viewing experience, whether watching movies or playing games in full screen mode.
Vivo has finally abandoned the dated display notch found even on the V23 Pro 5G. In its place is a hole-punch cavity for the selfie camera, which does not obstruct the overall viewing experience. However, there is no stereo speaker setup, and the single bottom-firing speaker sounds somewhat thin and distorted at higher volumes. The phone’s display boasts HDR10+ certification, ensuring accurate and impressive HDR content reproduction.
In benchmarks, the Vivo V25 Pro 5G performs on par with the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G but falls slightly short when compared to devices like the Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G and the iQoo Neo 6, both of which pack premium hardware. The phone scores 7,04,304 points in AnTuTu and 678 and 2,770 points in Geekbench’s single and multi-score tests, respectively.
Gaming performance on the Vivo V25 Pro 5G is commendable. Most games run smoothly at their default settings and without causing the phone to heat up significantly. Call of Duty: Mobile, for instance, runs flawlessly at the "Very High" frame rate and graphics settings. The phone’s frame rate priority mode further enhances gameplay smoothness by prioritizing frame rate over resolution, resulting in a slightly reduced resolution to achieve consistent frame rates.
Vivo V25 Pro 5G Cameras
The Vivo V25 Pro 5G features a triple rear camera setup:
- 64-megapixel primary camera with OIS: Captures the main shots.
- 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera: Widens the scene for panoramic views.
- 2-megapixel fixed-focus macro camera: Designed for close-up shots.
Selfies are handled by a 32-megapixel front-facing camera with autofocus capability.
In daylight, photos captured with the primary camera appear sharp with good detail and dynamic range. However, the colors are overly saturated, almost as if a filter has been applied. Photos taken with the ultra-wide-angle camera appear soft with noticeable barrel distortion and purple fringing, lacking in detail.
Portrait photos taken outdoors with the rear camera appear sharp, but those captured indoors appear soft. Selfies seem a bit overexposed, and selfie portraits showcase blown-out backgrounds in brighter shooting conditions. The macro camera produces oversharpened images, making it challenging to achieve proper focus on objects.
Low-light photos captured in auto mode exhibit average detail in well-lit scenes. Night mode generates clearer images with reduced noise and slightly improved dynamic range, but the photos also appear softer. Overall, low-light photo quality is inconsistent and varies significantly from scene to scene, depending on the available light. Ultra-wide-angle photos in low light lack detail and exhibit blotchy textures.
Videos recorded with the V25 Pro 5G demonstrate decent quality but showcase good dynamic range in daylight. Similar to photos, the videos also appear oversaturated. Footage captured at 1080p features a heavily cropped frame, which improves stabilization but compromises the shooting area. Videos recorded at 4K 30fps offer the best quality with a wider frame but exhibit a dream-like effect. The phone supports HDR video recording at various resolutions, but it is limited to 30fps. HDR video results are not ideal, with some flickering and added noise. Low-light video quality is average at best, and the Night video mode does not significantly improve outcomes in dimly lit scenes.
Verdict
The primary question surrounding the V25 Pro 5G is its premium price tag. If features like the color-changing back panel and curved display are the main justifications for the high cost, it is questionable whether many buyers would be willing to pay a premium for these features. Vivo needs to reconsider its pricing strategy for the V-series, which was arguably more appealing in the V20 Pro era.
Surprisingly, OnePlus has managed to deliver superior hardware choices and consistent camera performance with its Nord 2T 5G, priced significantly lower starting at Rs. 28,999.
In essence, other than the curved-edge display that helps the V25 Pro 5G stand out, it lacks a truly unique selling point. Even more concerning is the competition. Smartphones like the Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G and the iQoo Neo 6 5G significantly outperform the V25 Pro in terms of raw performance. Even the Realme 9 Pro+ 5G (from Rs. 24,999) offers excellent value, and the Nothing Phone 1 (from Rs. 32,999) provides premium features such as wireless charging and an official IP52 rating.
Although the Vivo V25 Pro 5G exhibits some solid improvements over its predecessor, it remains difficult to recommend when other exceptional alternatives exist in this segment.
