Review of Vivo V15 Pro - a smartphone with a retractable front camera and an in-screen fingerprint scanner

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A bright phablet for those who like to take pictures.

Table of contents

• Specifications
• Design
• Screen
• Sound
• Camera
• Performance
• Software
• Unlocking
• Autonomy
• Differences between V15 and V15 Pro
• Outcomes

Specifications

Colors	Topaz Blue and Coral Red
Display	6.39 inches, Full HD + (1,080 × 2,316 pixels), SuperAMOLED
Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 (2 × 2 GHz Kryo 460 + 6 × 1.7 GHz Kryo 460)
GPU	Adreno 612
RAM	6 GB
Built-in memory	128 GB + support for microSD cards up to 256 GB
Cameras	Rear - 48 MP (main) + 8 MP (ultra wide angle) + 5 MP (depth sensor). Front - 32 MP
Shooting video	Up to 2 160p at 30 FPS and up to 1,080p at 60 FPS
Wireless interfaces	Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX, GPS, NFC
Connectors	MicroUSB, 3.5mm analog audio jack
SIM card	Two slots for nanoSIM
Sensors	Fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, compass
Unlocking	Fingerprint, face, PIN
Operating system	Android 9.0 + Funtouch 9
Battery	3,700 mAh, fast charging supported
Dimensions (edit)	157.3 x 74.7 x 8.2 mm
The weight	185 gram

Design

The set of modifications is unusual: there is no white or black version, but there are three options in obscenely bright colors. In Russia, Vivo is sold only in two: Topaz Blue and Coral Red. We got a model of the second color. Looks pretty: under the glass red-pink back, you can see an iridescent wavy pattern.

On the back panel there is the Vivo logo and an unusual camera module - not in the form of an elongated eye, but in the form of a strip ending at the edge of the smartphone. It does not fit into a thin case and sticks out strongly, because of this the device lies unevenly and staggers on a horizontal surface.

Vivo V15 Pro is sold with a protective film attached. Unlike the backrest, it easily picks up minor scratches.

On the left there is a slot for microSD-cards, a button for calling "Google Assistant" and image recognition. Below is a slot for two nanoSIM cards, a microUSB slot and speaker holes. On the right is the paired volume key and the power button. Above is a mini-jack and a front camera module.

The Vivo V15 Pro is a slim but large smartphone. Fans of phablets and plus size devices will not experience any problems, but owners of small models are better off "trying on" the device before buying.

Screen

The Vivo V15 Pro has a large SuperAMOLED display with a good margin of brightness, correct color reproduction and a wide viewing angle - color distortions appear only at the most extreme tilts.

The color temperature can be adjusted. For reading, the "Eye Protection" mode is provided, which makes the tones warmer.

Supports Always on Display mode, which displays the time and date on the locked screen. The choice of dials is small, I liked the option with the line of the electronic clock along the side edge.

Vivo V15 Pro - frameless. The earpiece and sensors are hidden in a thin top edge, and the side frames are visible, but not felt when working with a smartphone. If you are one of those who reject cutouts and "bangs" in any of their manifestations, then do not pick on it.

The edges of the display follow the edges of the bezel. And here something went wrong: in the corners there is often a feeling of unevenness, as if some elements are sticking too closely to the edges of the screen.

Sound

Everything is bad: there is only one speaker, its sound is flat and with a strong preponderance towards high frequencies. The volume margin is solid, but it sounds awful.

It's a shame, because with such a screen, the V15 Pro could be a great machine for playing games and watching videos. And maybe - that's just for audio playback, it's better to use headphones or a Bluetooth speaker. The aptX codec is supported for lovers of lossless formats and wireless devices.

Camera

Rear cameras

The main camera takes great pictures in any light. The declared resolution is 48 megapixels, but here the same technology of combining pixels into groups of four is implemented as in the Xiaomi Mi 9. This means that in normal mode the camera takes 12 megapixel images with a pixel size of 1.6 microns. In Hi-Fi mode - 48 megapixels, but with a pixel size of 0.8 microns.

In theory, this mode helps to take more detailed shots in good lighting, but we did not notice any difference even at high magnification. Except that 48-megapixel photos have a resolution of 8,000 × 6,000 pixels, rather than 4,000 × 3,000, and take up four times as much space.

Having held in my hands several smartphones with 48-megapixel cameras, I finally made sure that the resolution race is a path with a dead end in the form of a limited matrix size, and large numbers are needed only for a beautiful line in the specifications. The main thing is that the lens takes good pictures in automatic mode with its honest 12 megapixels. And this is what the Vivo V15 Pro camera does.

Photos in natural and artificial, in good and low light are excellent. The "Night" mode should help with shooting in the evening, but I did not notice any changes: neither in appearance, nor in the file properties (the aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings are indicated there).

The picture was taken with the main lens

The picture was taken with an ultra wide-angle lens.

The picture was taken with the main lens

The picture was taken with an ultra wide-angle lens.

The picture was taken with the main lens

The picture was taken with an ultra wide-angle lens.

The picture was taken with the main lens

The picture was taken with an ultra wide-angle lens.

The picture was taken with the main lens

The picture was taken with an ultra wide-angle lens.

The picture was taken with the main lens

The picture was taken with an ultra wide-angle lens.

The picture was taken with the main lens

The picture was taken with an ultra wide-angle lens.

The ultra-wide-angle lens is not just an “eye” for quantity, but a fully functional camera that makes good shots even in a city at night. If you have been experiencing problems with insufficient frame space, take a closer look at the V15 Pro. The performance of the ultra wide-angle lens is not satisfactory here.

The depth sensor is responsible for determining the boundaries of the subject in focus when taking portraits. Software processing is not very good. The bokeh is unnatural, the edges are blurred. For an amateur. A lover of imperfect portraits.

Front-camera

Let's start with what catches your eye: the front camera slides out.

When you turn off the front camera, the module automatically crawls back. You can also press it with your finger - nothing will crack or break.

This is not the first time Vivo has used such a solution: we once tested a Vivo NEX model with a similar mechanism. In my opinion, pull-out modules are not cool innovations, but a strange delusion. Time will send smartphones with such elements to the dustbin of history, and here's why:

• Risk of breakage. Developers can increase the resource of modules up to tens and hundreds of thousands of nominations, but what is it to a careless user who breaks off the “eye” by carelessly dropping a smartphone?
• Dust ingress. It is unlikely that dust will affect the operation of the device, but it is still unpleasant. And if dirt gets under the module, it will be difficult to remove it.
• Refusal to unlock by face. The whole world will use it. You are not. Many models, including the Vivo V15 Pro, support face unlocking, but for this, the front camera needs to be pulled out of the case - this is terribly inconvenient.
• Questionable targets. Smartphones with a waterdrop notch give the impression of devices with limitless screens. Millions use iPhones with bangs. The battle for screen pixels is no less a losing proposition than the battle for megapixels in cameras.

So far, the drawers do not create the impression of advantages, but of inconvenient nuances that can be put up with.

But Vivo really invested in the front-facing camera: its resolution is 32 megapixels, and the frames are excellent in any light.

Application interface

A standard point for criticism in reviews of Chinese smartphones is the interface of the standard camera program. Vivo breaks records for being illogical and overwhelmed. If you need a function, you will definitely find it, but most likely not soon. The inscriptions do not fit, features and settings are located as if in random corners of the application. The iOS design was taken, the laconicism was not.

There is an analogue of Live Photo from iOS, a million beautification settings, a document reading mode, augmented reality mode, which works as an inept alternative to Snapchat, and, it seems, in general, everything that you have ever seen in other smartphones.

Things that might come in handy: Pro mode with exposure, ISO, white balance and manual focus, Night mode and local AI. He gives useful hints: he tells you when it is better to switch to ultra-wide-angle shooting, turn on night mode, or even wipe the camera.

Verdict: Vivo V15 Pro cameras are flagship. You can take great pictures with them in almost any conditions. But you will have to get used to the standard application.

Performance

The Vivo V15 Pro has an eight-core Snapdragon 675 clocked at up to 2 GHz. This is not a top-end processor, but it is relevant in 2019. RAM - 6 GB. The Vivo V15 Pro version with 8 GB of RAM is not officially on sale in Russia.

Few numbers:

• Geekbench in single-core mode - 2,371 points.
• Geekbench multi-core - 6,511 points.
• AnTuTu - 180 110 points.

Based on the AnTuTu rating, the Vivo V15 Pro's performance is somewhere on par with the Huawei Mate 10 Pro and Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro. This is not very good, considering that the first smartphone came out a year and a half ago, and the second one costs 1.5–2 times cheaper than our device.

However, you shouldn't dwell on the benchmark reports: despite the modest results in Geekbench and AnTuTu, PUBG launched on the Vivo V15 Pro at maximum speeds, and during testing I did not encounter a single lag.

Software

The smartphone runs Android 9.0 with the Funtouch 9 add-on. This is not the worst shell from the Chinese manufacturers, copying the features of iOS. Widgets, application icons and folders, an additional EasyTouch button, V-Appstore programs, i Music, i Theme, i Manager and vivoCloud with a blue cloud on the icon - we have already seen something similar.

There are preinstalled bookmarks in the stock browser and many services from Vivo and Google.

There are also special features, for example, the children's mode. It limits application usage time, reminds you to maintain posture, and softens screen light. There are also Smart wake gestures, which include various applications for complex finger movements on the display. The quick access panel opens by an unusual, but quite convenient swipe from the bottom.

Gestures are also supported, allowing you to abandon the three standard icons at the bottom of the screen. Not the same as in iOS: a slightly more complex, but still convenient system of swipes in three areas at the bottom of the display is implemented here.

We have already talked about the button on the left: one click it calls the "Google Assistant", two - the function of recognizing images on the screen. Works awful.

Funtouch 9 is a shell to work with. Especially if you do not mind the secondary nature of the system chips at every step and you have already got used to the strange nuances of software from Chinese brands.

Unlocking

There are two unlocking options besides the PIN: by fingerprint and by face. Let's start with the first one as the main one.

An optical fingerprint sensor is sewn into the screen. In theory, they work worse than ultrasonic ones, but I had no problems: the smartphone responds quickly even to slightly damp fingers. It works like this: when you pick up the gadget, an icon with a fingerprint lights up in place of the sensor. When you put your finger on the smartphone in a split second with a nice animation (there are several options), the desktop opens.

The front camera is used to unlock the face. This is long and inconvenient, because the module needs to move out of the case. Security is difficult to guarantee: when setting up, the smartphone actually analyzed facial features, and not just photographed it, but the scan did not require head turns and took suspiciously little time. To identify by face, you need to swipe up on the lock screen. You can set the front camera to pop out automatically when the screen is turned on.

Autonomy

A battery with a capacity of 3,700 mAh is installed on board, which, according to the developers, can last 23 hours of talk time.

3,700 mAh is a good indicator, but with moderately active use of the smartphone, Always on Display turned on and pairing with Bluetooth devices, it will be enough for a day. With continuous play or watching a video, the smartphone can be discharged in 6-7 hours.

Supports fast charging from the included 18-watt adapter. He, according to the manufacturer's promise, charges the smartphone up to 24% in 15 minutes, then more slowly. The sample for the review came to us without a box, so we take our word for it.

Differences between V15 and V15 Pro

Despite belonging to the same series and the presence of a retractable 32-megapixel front camera on both models, these are completely different smartphones. Here are the key differences.

• Location of the fingerprint sensor. In the V15 it is in the back, in the V15 Pro it is in the screen.
• Screen size. In the V15, it is larger - 6.53 inches versus 6.39 inches.
• Built-in memory. The V15 Pro has twice the size - 128 GB.
• Main rear camera resolution. 48MP stills can only be taken on the V15 Pro. The V15 has a 12MP sensor with no claims of high resolution.
• Battery capacity. 4,000 mAh in the V15 versus 3,700 mAh in the V15 Pro. Different capacities do not guarantee different battery life.
• CPU. The V15 Pro has the more advanced Snapdragon 675, the V15 has the Mediatek Helio P70.
• Dimensions. The V15 is slightly larger.
• Screen. The V15 has an IPS display, the V15 Pro has SuperAMOLED. The second technology is considered more modern and preferable: the colors of OLED screens are more contrasting, and the charge is consumed more slowly with them.
• Price. The V15 is sold for 23,990 rubles, the V15 Pro - for 33,990.

Outcomes

Vivo V15 Pro is a smartphone that is on an equal footing with more expensive flagships in many respects: screen quality, camera performance, convenient unlocking using a fingerprint sensor in the screen. The device has an NFC chip, it is made in a bright design, the battery here confidently withstands the day in most use scenarios.

The disadvantages include the nuances of the software: sometimes one gets the impression that there is no place for either logic or beauty.

If you love phablets and vivid colors, constantly shoot everything, are unassuming in performance and have nothing against Chinese shells, the Vivo V15 Pro is a good option.