Vivo V5s Review: It’s a ‘Poutstanding’ Selfie Smartphone
Vivo V5s has a 20 megapixel selfie camera. Before you start pouting, read our review.
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If you like selfies, there's a good chance that a significant number of the photos saved on your phone are just you looking into the camera. If you agree, then the Vivo V5s, the latest selfie-centric phone to hit the Indian smartphone market, is bound to catch your attention.
Priced at Rs 18,990, is the Vivo V5s really picture perfect? Read on.
Pros:
- Bright display
- Premium build
- Fast performance
- Online and offline availability
- 20-megapixel selfie camera
Cons:
- Lacks a full-HD display
- Average primary camera
What’s Good?
The Vivo V5s looks almost identical to the the Vivo V5 Plus – which I reviewed here. The phone has a metal construction, with a matte-finish back and feels good to hold. The premium design is heavily inspired from the Apple iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy range.
The phone has a 5.5-inch HD display that is vivid and bright. The phone’s eye-protection mode tones down the blue colour and adds a yellow tint to the screen. I preferred this mode for reading or late-night surfing, and it definitely reduced the stress on my eyes.
The tempered glass comes pre-applied on the Gorilla Glass 3 display. That's a sweet deal.
Inside, the phone boasts a MediaTek MT6750 processor, paired with 4 GB of RAM. This results in smooth performance and easy navigation even while switching between multiple applications. The 64 GB internal storage can be upgraded to 256 GB via a microSD card.
The 3,000 mAh non-removable battery can easily last for over 24 hours on moderate usage. I used the Vivo V5s for calls, WhatsApp, camera, music, and YouTube videos throughout the day. And by bedtime, I had around 20 percent battery remaining.
A fingerprint scanner is embedded in the home button on the front of the phone. There's no tactile feedback from the regular, capacitive button. The scanner is quick, and it opened the device from standby in under a second of scanning my finger. Full marks for speed and accuracy.
The Vivo V5s has a 20 megapixel selfie camera, which is basically the USP the brand is banking on. There's also an LED flash on the front, which Vivo likes to call 'moonlight flash'. (That’s right, the advertisements with Ranveer Singh running around taking selfies under a beam of smartphone light).
The 13 megapixel rear camera captures decent colours and details in good light conditions. During our tests, the camera performed well, but only in good light and when held with a tight grip; If any of those are compromised – even slightly – then the image went for a toss. So, you need pretty firm hands to get certain shots right on this phone.
What’s Bad?
The phone compromises on display resolution by packing a 720p HD display instead of a 1080p display. The phone loses a bit of an edge there, and cedes ground to cheaper smartphones which pack full-HD displays.
The camera performance faltered in low-light and fast moving subjects.
Why Buy It?
The Vivo V5s competes with the Oppo F1, and the new Gionee A1. Apart from a similar price bracket, what really heats up the competition between these phones is the fact that all of them have chosen to heavily promote the selfie camera as their USP.
The Vivo V5s appears to be a dependable device. Go for it if you’re looking for a value-for-money device. And if you like selfies, of course.
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