vivo V23e 5G review
The Vivo V23e 5G is a mid-range phone that boasts an impressive 44-megapixel selfie camera. The design of the phone is sleek and premium, with a thin and lightweight build that feels great in the hand. The AMOLED 6.44-inch screen gets very bright, but has noticeable bezels around the sides and bottom. The phone's triple-camera setup includes a 50-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. However, the front-facing camera is the real star of the show, with its 44 megapixels and AI autofocus. While it produces sharp photos, the colors can be somewhat muted, lacking vibrance. Photos taken with the primary camera also suffer from similar issues, with washed-out colors and a lack of detail. The phone's HDR capabilities help to some extent, but the overall performance is underwhelming considering its price point. Video capture is limited to 1080p at 60fps, which may not be enough for some users. The phone runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 810 chip, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It comes with a 4050mAh battery and 44W fast charger, but its performance is somewhat average in our benchmarks. The Vivo V23e 5G retails for 1599 ringgit, making it a hard sell based on specs alone. Overall, the phone has some nice features, but it falls short of expectations in several areas.
Build Quality and Design
The Vivo V23e 5G is a mid-range phone that aims high with its sleek design and impressive specs. From the moment I picked it up, I was impressed by its ultra-thin profile of just 7.36 millimeters and lightweight design weighing in at 172 grams. The ridges on the side rails mesh perfectly with the back and display, providing a solid grip that feels smooth to the touch. The phone's design is undoubtedly one of its strongest features. It exudes a sense of sophistication and premium quality that is hard to find in phones at this price point. The two color options - Sunshine Coast and Moonlight Shadow - are also very appealing. The flat edge screen, which has become a favorite among fans, is also present here, and it's great to see Vivo incorporating this design element. The phone's build quality is equally impressive, with a solid construction that feels robust and durable. The Amoled 6.44-inch screen is bright and vibrant, although the bezels around the sides and bottom are noticeable. Overall, the Vivo V23e 5G has a beautiful design that is sure to turn heads. While I was impressed by the phone's looks, I couldn't help but feel that it falls short in terms of performance and camera capabilities. However, from a design perspective, the Vivo V23e 5G is a winner. If you're looking for a mid-range phone with a stunning design, this might be the one to consider.
Battery Life
The Vivo V23e 5G's battery life is a notable aspect of this mid-range smartphone. With a 4050mAh battery, it promises to deliver all-day performance. In my testing, the phone easily lasted a day and a half with moderate use, including social media scrolling, email checking, and some light gaming. One of the highlights of the V23e 5G's battery life is its charging speed. The phone comes with a 44W fast charger that quickly refills the battery. I was able to get from 0 to 69% in just 30 minutes, which is impressive for a mid-range device. However, what's more important than the fast charging speed is how long the battery actually lasts. In my usage, the phone consistently lasted around 1.5 days with moderate use. I managed to squeeze out an extra hour or two of juice by reducing screen brightness and turning off unnecessary features. While it's not the longest-lasting mid-range phone on the market, the Vivo V23e 5G's battery life is certainly respectable. The addition of a fast charger helps make up for any shortcomings in terms of actual battery life. Overall, I'd say the V23e 5G's battery performance is above average and should satisfy most users' needs. In short, if you're looking for a mid-range phone with reliable battery life, the Vivo V23e 5G is definitely worth considering. Just don't expect it to last an entire two days without any extra juice from your charger!
Display
The Vivo V23e 5G boasts an impressive design that's hard to ignore. With its ultra-thin profile, weighing just 172 grams, this phone feels great in the hand. The ridges on the side rails complement the back and display, providing a solid grip without the typical rounded edges we've come to expect from most phones. One of the standout features is the AMOLED 6.44-inch screen, which gets very bright. However, it's worth noting that there are noticeable bezels around the sides and bottom. The standard 60Hz refresh rate may also be a drawback for some users who prefer higher refresh rates. Despite this, the flat edge screen design is still a favorite among many, and I'm glad to see Vivo incorporating it into their latest model. The AMOLED display itself is impressive, showcasing vibrant colors and great contrast. However, the noticeable bezels can't be ignored, making the overall design feel slightly less premium than expected. The phone's sleek design and lightweight build are definite positives, but the display's limitations hold it back from being truly exceptional. Overall, while the Vivo V23e 5G's design is undeniably impressive, its display falls short of expectations. The AMOLED screen is bright and vibrant, but the bezels and standard refresh rate detract from the overall experience. If you're in the market for a mid-range phone with a great design, the V23e 5G is certainly worth considering, but don't expect it to blow you away in terms of display quality.
Camera
The Vivo V23e 5G boasts an impressive 44-megapixel selfie camera, but unfortunately, the reality doesn't quite live up to its specs. While the front camera excels in terms of sharpness and detail, it falls short when it comes to color accuracy and vibrance. Photos taken with the 44-megapixel sensor often appear muted and lacking in punch, which is a shame given the potential of such a high-resolution camera. The AI autofocus feature, while enabled out of the box, can struggle to track moving subjects, leading to some subpar results. Things don't get much better when switching to the rear cameras. The 50-megapixel main camera, paired with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide and 2-megapixel macro lens, delivers underwhelming results in terms of color accuracy and vibrance. HDR functions do help mitigate this issue, but it's not enough to fully compensate for the lackluster performance. One redeeming feature is the double exposure mode, which allows for creative and unique effects. However, this is a minor consolation given the overall camera performance. The 44-megapixel selfie camera, in particular, is a letdown. With such a high-resolution sensor, one would expect vibrant and detailed selfies. Unfortunately, the results are often muted and lacking in depth. Video capture tops out at 1080p at 60 frames per second with HDR functions enabled. While this performs decently under outdoor settings, it struggles with exposure compensation and noise/grain issues in low-light scenarios. Given the competition from other mid-range phones that offer higher camera resolutions, it's puzzling why Vivo opted for such a conservative approach with the V23e 5G. Perhaps the focus on their X series phones has led to this decision, but for now, the V23e 5G's camera capabilities feel somewhat lackluster compared to its competitors.
Price and Value
The Vivo V23e 5G is a mid-range phone that promises high-end features, but ultimately falls short of expectations. With a price tag of RM1,599, it's hard not to feel underwhelmed by what the phone has to offer. On paper, the V23e 5G seems like a solid choice. It boasts a 44-megapixel selfie camera, an Amoled display, and a 50-megapixel primary camera. However, our experience with the phone was marred by disappointing camera performance, both in terms of image quality and features. The 44-megapixel front camera promised to deliver vibrant and detailed selfies, but what we got were photos that lacked vibrance and had muted colors. The same issue plagued the 50-megapixel primary camera, which failed to live up to its megapixel count. While it's understandable to have some compromises in a mid-range phone, the V23e 5G's camera performance was a letdown. Furthermore, the phone's video capture capabilities are capped at 1080p at 60fps with HDR functions turned on, which is disappointing considering most mid-range phones offer 4K resolution. The lack of 4K video recording is a significant omission that makes it hard to recommend the V23e 5G. In terms of value, the V23e 5G's price tag of RM1,599 seems inflated given its limitations. While it may appeal to some users who prioritize design and features like AI autofocus, others will find themselves underwhelmed by what the phone has to offer. Ultimately, the Vivo V23e 5G feels like a missed opportunity to deliver a truly impressive mid-range phone. With so many other options available in this price range that offer more bang for your buck, it's hard to recommend the V23e 5G as a worthwhile investment.
Performance
The Vivo V23e 5G is a mid-range phone that packs some impressive specs under its hood. The device runs on the Mediatek Dimensity 810 chip, an octa-core Mali G57 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. In our benchmarks, the phone delivered respectable scores with a single-core test result of 608 and a multi-core score of 1,814. Unfortunately, the phone's performance doesn't entirely live up to its potential. The Mediatek Dimensity 810 chip, while capable, can feel sluggish at times, particularly when multitasking or running resource-intensive apps. We experienced some lag and stuttering in our testing, which was slightly frustrating given the device's promising specs. One of the areas where the phone shines is in its storage capabilities. The 128GB internal storage provides ample space for storing apps, photos, and videos, and can be further expanded via a microSD card slot. In terms of software, the V23e 5G runs on Android 11 out of the box, with a FunTouch OS 12 update based on Android 12 expected to arrive in the coming months. While this is great news for Vivo fans, it's worth noting that the phone's performance might not be significantly improved by the software update. Overall, while the Vivo V23e 5G has some impressive specs on paper, its real-world performance can feel a bit underwhelming. Still, if you're in the market for a mid-range phone with a focus on camera capabilities and design, this device may still be worth considering.
Pros
1. The phone has an ultra-thin design at just 7.36 millimeters with a lightweight design weighing 172 grams, making it comfortable to hold and use.
2. The AMOLED 6.44-inch screen is bright and comes with Bluetooth 5.1 support, although the bezels around the sides and bottom are noticeable.
3. The phone's flat edge screen is a favorite among tech enthusiasts, and it also features an optical under-display fingerprint reader that is snappy and mostly accurate.
4. The Vivo V23e 5G has a triple camera setup with a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 2-megapixel macro lens, making it suitable for casual photography enthusiasts.
5. The phone's 4050mAh battery is supported by a 44W fast charger that can get the battery to 69% in just 30 minutes.
Cons
1. The camera performance of the Vivo V23e 5G falls short of expectations, with photos from both the front and rear cameras showing muted colors and lack of vibrance.
2. The phone's video capture capabilities are limited to 1080p at 60fps, which is underwhelming considering most mid-range phones now offer 4K resolution.
3. The phone's processing capabilities seem to be an issue, as photos from both the front and rear cameras do not live up to their megapixel count.
4. The Vivo V23e 5G lacks fullness in its mono speakers, making them less enjoyable to use.
5. The phone's camera features, such as double exposure mode and vlogging mode, are overshadowed by the poor camera performance.