Vivo V20 review: Stunning design and a worthy camera, but should you buy it?

Vivo has been known for its camera-centric innovations and its latest offering Vivo V20 is a step forward in the same direction. Committed to providing the most premium imaging experience, even in its mid-range smartphones segment, Vivo has nailed that with the V20. Let’s assess in detail, the camera and other aspects of the phone. Design Starting off with talking about the design. The Vivo V20 is undoubtedly a gorgeous-looking phone! The gradient-finish on the phone changes hue under the impact of light and it’s absolutely beautiful. The anti-glare glass on the back is not only resistant to scratches and provides a great grip, but also has an anti-smudge coating which helps clear out any smudges with just a swipe. The phone is extremely light-weight and slim while the curved edges make up for a really soft look. The only downside to the design is the protruding camera unit which makes the phone wobble a little when placed on a flat surface. But that can easily be fixed by just putting on a phone cover. Display Moving on to the display. The Vivo V20 comes with a 6.44 inches, FHD+ (1080x2400) AMOLED display. Thin bezels run through-out the edge of the screen, which, in my opinion, could be thinner. Vivo has gone with a drop notch, which is surprising, as they have been the pioneers of pop-up cameras and other innovations to keep the screen clean. The display in itself though is very smooth with a great contrast ratio. The Vivo V20 comes with a screen-protector pre-applied, which sort of feels like compensation for not having a gorilla glass protection. It also supports an in-display fingerprint sensor which is as fast as they come. Performance The biggest complaint users have with Vivo phones is their price to performance ratio, is sometimes not fair. The same goes with the Vivo V20. Priced at INR 27,999, the Vivo V20 comes equipped with the Snapdragon 720G chipset against a more powerful Snapdragon 765G chipset in the OnePlus Nord which is similarly priced.  Paired with 8GB RAM and 128 storage/256GB storage options, the phone doesn’t disappoint. The gaming experience on the Vivo V20 is stellar as well. There are no lags or render-issues. The new OS update that accompanies the V20 is the highlight of the phone. It is a huge leap from their previous Funtouch OS and is strikingly similar to that of OnePlus Oxygen OS. Camera As we mentioned earlier, Vivo has nailed the optics on the Vivo V20. Supporting a triple rear-camera set-up, the V20 comes with a 64MP Primary Lens, 8MP Ultra-wide angle lens, and a 2MP Mono Lens. At the front, Vivo has managed to put a one-of-a-kind 44MP selfie camera with an “Eye-Auto-Focus Technology”. The picture outputs from the Vivo V20 are exceptional. Although, most of the work is done by post-processing algorithms, which becomes pretty evident in a few human-centric shots. The low-light imaging on the Vivo V20 is also decent, but when compared to the Nord, there a lack of sharpness on them. Battery Powered by a 4000mAh battery, V20 gives you about 7-8 hours of screen time, when you’re doing mild-gaming, browsing, streaming, etc. The 33W fast charger lets you charge the phone fully in about an hour.           All in all, the Vivo V20 could have been an undisputed choice for a mid-range smartphone had they placed more importance on providing a better chipset.