The Vivo V23 Pro is the company's newest premium mid-ranger, boasting a sleek design with a curved AMOLED display and UV-reactive dye that changes color under certain light conditions. The phone's build quality is impressive, with a lightweight yet sturdy frame and Shot Sensation Alpha Glass on the front. The V23 Pro's performance is also commendable, thanks to its Mediatek Dimensity 1200 chipset and up to 12GB of RAM. While it may not be as fast as some other flagship devices, it handles gaming and day-to-day tasks with ease. The phone's battery life is respectable, lasting around 110 hours on a single charge. One of the standout features of the V23 Pro is its camera system, which includes a high-resolution main camera, an ultrawide lens, and a macro cam. While the main camera lacks optical image stabilization and advanced autofocus capabilities, it produces excellent stills in good light conditions. Low-light performance is also impressive, with minimal noise and good detail. The front-facing camera setup, on the other hand, is particularly strong, with a 50-megapixel snapper that takes excellent selfies. The accompanying secondary camera offers decent, if not spectacular, results. Video recording capabilities are also noteworthy, with smooth footage from the main camera and decent shots from the ultrawide lens. Overall, the Vivo V23 Pro is a well-rounded device that excels in specific areas, particularly content creation for social media. However, its price tag may be prohibitive for some buyers, making other premium mid-rangers like the Xiaomi 11i a more attractive option for those seeking overall value.
The Vivo V23 Pro is quite the looker, with a sleek design that sets it apart from its non-Pro sibling. The phone has a singular aesthetic, featuring a recognizable camera island and a unique Sunshine Gold paint job that's sure to turn heads. This special UV-reactive dye changes the phone's color from golden to blue-green when exposed to UV rays, making for a fun design element. In addition to the gold variant, the V23 Pro also comes in Stardust Black, which is a more subtle option for those who prefer it. The phone's curved AMOLED display and thinner, curvier sides make it look even thinner than its already-slim profile. Weighing in at just 188g, this phone is rather light for its size. The build quality of the V23 Pro is also noteworthy. Vivo has used Shot Sensation Alpha Glass on the front, which offers a similar level of protection to Gorilla Glass Victus. Unfortunately, there's no formal ingress protection rating, but the phone still feels sturdy and well-built. One aspect that might be a letdown for some users is the notch housing the dual selfie setup. While it doesn't take away from the overall design, it's not as sleek as some other phones on the market. However, the camera placement is clever, with the 50MP main selfie camera taking excellent stills and videos. The V23 Pro's design is undoubtedly its strongest feature. The phone looks premium, feels solid in the hand, and has a unique aesthetic that sets it apart from other mid-range devices. While there may be some minor quibbles, overall, the build quality and design of the Vivo V23 Pro are certainly worth praising.
The Vivo V23 Pro's battery life is a mixed bag. On the one hand, the phone's 4300mAh battery provides respectable endurance, clocking in at around 110 hours. This should be sufficient for most users, but it doesn't exactly blow us away either. In terms of actual usage, I found that the phone easily lasted a day and a half with moderate use, which includes social media scrolling, music streaming, and some gaming sessions. However, this is where things get a bit murkier. The phone's power management system can be quite aggressive, particularly when it comes to closing apps in the background. This can lead to some unexpected shutdowns or slowdowns, especially if you're using demanding apps like games or video editors. On the other hand, the phone's 44W fast charger is a different story altogether. It's incredibly fast and efficient, taking just half an hour to charge the battery from 0-65%. This is definitely a plus point for those who need a quick top-up on the go. Overall, while the Vivo V23 Pro's battery life is not spectacular, it's still decent enough for most users. However, I would have liked to see more consistency in terms of power management and actual usage time.
The Vivo V23 Pro boasts a curved AMOLED display that is both visually striking and functional. Measuring 6.5 inches, the screen has a full HD resolution and a pixel density of around 398 PPI, ensuring crisp and clear visuals. The display supports various refresh rates, including static 60Hz, 90Hz, and auto-refresh mode. While the panel's performance is decent, it falls short of being spectacular. It achieves a respectable 463 nits of maximum brightness with the slider, but this can be improved to an excellent 798 nits using the auto-brightness feature. Color accuracy is all right, but not amazing, with three color modes available, including Professional, which is the most accurate. The Vivo V23 Pro supports HDR10+ and has the highest possible Widevine L1 DRM certification, making it suitable for streaming content from various platforms. However, the lack of Netflix's HDR content was noted during testing. In terms of sound, the phone's single bottom-firing speaker has average loudness and okay sound quality. While Bluetooth 5.2 is supported, NFC is not available, which may be a drawback for those who rely on it for seamless pairing with other devices. The display's overall performance is satisfactory, but not exceptional. It gets the job done, but users seeking top-notch visuals might find themselves wanting more from their smartphone screen.
The Vivo V23 Pro boasts an impressive triple-camera setup on the back, featuring a large 108-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel ultrawide, and 2-megapixel macro cam. It's clear that Vivo is focusing on videography prowess with this device. In daylight conditions, photos taken with the main camera are great, boasting plenty of detail and wide dynamic range. Shots are vibrant, making them lively, although they might be a tad too saturated for some tastes. However, there's no dedicated telephoto lens on this phone, but two-time zoom shots look quite good as long as you don't inspect them from too close. The ultrawide camera produces nice photos too, with similarly boosted colors. While the level of detail isn't the same, and there is some over-sharpening going on, it's still acceptable in low-light conditions. The V23 Pro has plenty of detail and effectively suppresses noise well, with color saturation looking nice and everything appearing sharp. The ultrawide camera produces decent shots as well, but they're not quite on par with the main camera. Night mode photos look cleaner, and exposure is brighter, although a closer inspection reveals somewhat heavier processing and over-sharpening. The macro camera has decent detail for its resolution and gets the job done but is nothing special in comparison to many other companies. The front camera setup features a 50-megapixel main snapper and an 8-megapixel secondary wide-angle lens. The 50-megapixel main camera takes excellent stills, with great detail and dynamic range. Colors look natural, and there's even some nice background blur in the shots. At night, this camera has excellent performance, with plenty of detail, wide dynamic range, and no noise. The 8-megapixel front camera has a fixed focus plane that is fairly wide but produces washed-out colors and a narrower dynamic range. However, if we weren't comparing it to the main selfie camera, we'd still consider it a solid yet unimpressive front camera. In terms of video recording, the V23 Pro shines with its main camera on the back, capturing full HD videos with plenty of detail, nice colors, and balanced processing. Autofocus is a bit slow but reliable overall. The ultrawide camera captures soft full HD videos with alright dynamic range, but they're not quite as sharp as the regular mode. The Vivo V23 Pro is clearly a unique device targeting content creators with its great front-facing cameras. While it has fantastic looks, good display, great charging, and good battery life, its price point might be off-putting for some, and there are more well-rounded premium mid-rangers available.
The Vivo V23 Pro is a visually striking device that checks several boxes in terms of design and display. However, when it comes to value for money, the phone falls short. Priced at a premium level, the V23 Pro's cost is anything but cheap. While it boasts a potent triple camera setup, good charging speeds, and respectable battery life, there are more well-rounded options available in the market. The presence of a 108MP main camera, a decent AMOLED display, and fast charging capabilities make for an enticing package, but they don't quite justify the price tag. The phone's performance is on par with its competitors, but it doesn't stand out in any particular area. In terms of value, the Vivo V23 Pro feels like a specialized device rather than a jack-of-all-trades mid-ranger. While content creators may find solace in its capable front-facing cameras and super stable video capabilities, others might find themselves priced out of the experience. A more rounded premium mid-range option, such as the Xiaomi 11i, offers a better overall value proposition at a lower price point. The V23 Pro's value lies mainly in its ability to create great content for social media, making it a niche product that caters to specific needs rather than being an all-around winner. In conclusion, while the Vivo V23 Pro is an impressive device with many strengths, its premium pricing makes it less appealing compared to other options. Content creators may find value in its features, but for others, the phone's price tag might be too steep. A more balanced assessment of its pros and cons reveals that the V23 Pro's value lies mainly in its ability to serve specific needs rather than being an all-around winner.
The Vivo V23 Pro is quite the performer, boasting a potent Mediatek Dimesity 1200 chipset that handles both gaming and day-to-day tasks with ease. Paired with either 8 or 12GB of RAM, this device is capable of running demanding applications without a hitch. In terms of performance, I have no complaints whatsoever. The V23 Pro can effortlessly manage both gaming sessions and regular use, making it an ideal choice for those who want a seamless user experience. While the phone does get warm after longer gaming sessions, it's not uncomfortable to hold, and there are no sharp drops in performance. The phone's performance is further enhanced by the FunTouch OS 12, which provides a fluid and snappy user interface. The operating system offers numerous customization options, including multiple always-on display settings, customizable home screen and lock screen aspects, and various animation effects. Some of these features, such as the revamped notification shade with square-shaped quick toggles, are genuinely useful. The Dimesity 1200 chipset is one of Mediatek's best offerings, comparable to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 780 or 778G chipsets in terms of performance. While it may not match the performance of some flagship devices, it's more than sufficient for a premium mid-ranger like the V23 Pro. Overall, the Vivo V23 Pro delivers solid performance, making it an excellent choice for those who want a capable device without breaking the bank. However, if you're looking for the best overall value, there are other options available that might offer better balance between performance and price.