Vivo V7+ Review: Big Screen, Vivid Selfies And Great Performance

Vivo V7+ in hand

Vivo has long been at the forefront of the camera and selfie game in India. They were one of the first manufacturers to come out with selfie centric phones that have taken the young ones by storm. The latest offering from them is the Vivo V7+ that has the capability to take great selfies and a great screen. We spent considerable time with this device and here is our review of this phone.

Vivo V7+ Rear View

Here are the key specifications of the device

  • Snapdragon 450 Processor
  • Adreno 506 GPU
  • Front Camera : 24 MP Primary Camera
  • Rear Camera : 16 MP Rear Camera
  • RAM : 4GB
  • Storage 64GB expandable to 256 GB
  • Screen Size 5.7 inches (14.48 cm)
  • Battery Capacity : 3150 mAh
  • Network Support : 4G (supports Indian bands), VoLTE, 3G, 2G

Vivo is trying hard to break out of the bracket of iPhone lookalike devices and make standout designs for their phones, the V7+ is an example of this. While it may look like all recent devices look alike, the V7+ is definitely breaking away from the way that the earlier Vivo phones looked like. The crafting and material are premium, the subtle highlighting of the antenna bands with the metallic tinge adds to the accent and looks very stylish. Given the fact that it has a large screen, it is relatively comfortable to hold and grip, does not feel heavy in the hand. The fingerprint scanner is square shaped as opposed to the round ones that are the norm these days. That also makes the device stand out from the crowd.

The phone weighs 160 grams and measures 7.7mm in thickness. The power button and the volume rocker are placed on the right while a dedicated slot for two SIM cards and a micro-SD is on the left of the device. The bottom end has a 3.5mm audio jack and a micro-USB 2.0 port for charging and data syncing, and a mono speaker.

Vivo V7+ in hand

The phone has a nearly edge-to-edge or almost bezel-less phone, along the lines of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the LG V30, Vivo’s new phone has very visibly tall screen and an extremely unique aspect ratio of 18:9. The company calls it Full View: a concept that gives Vivo’s new phone a screen-to-body ratio of 84.4 per cent. This is a 6-inch phone, the company has taken off so much of the top and bottom bezels as well as the bezels on the sides, holding it in the hand is a breeze and there is no discomfort or unusual uneasiness when grasping the phone.

The industry and users are increasingly obsessed with bezel-less screens now.It is no longer just top-tier flagship segment feature any more, recently Micromax and LG have recently made it more mainstream,  via the Micromax Canvas Infinity and the LG Q6. The Vivo V7+ is clearly designed with multimedia consumption in mind and is focused on improving the user experience in this department.

Vivo V7+ Close-up

The phone has a screen resolution of  HD or 720p which is a tad bit on the disappointing side if you ask us. The Micromax Canvas Infinity has a similar 1440×720 pixels resolution but that device costs just Rs 9,999. The LG Q6, meanwhile,supports a lot more pixels, more precisely 2160×1080 pixels resolution and comes at a cost of Rs 14,990. The Vivo V7+ which has a higher cost should have had a 1080p screen to make a rounded package in the mid-range segment that it is playing at.

Let us now get to the very large elephant that is sitting right there in the room. The camera of the V7+ or more specifically the front camera and the selfies it takes has been at the center of a series of heated discussions on and off social media in the past few days. There were questions from the Qualcomm specification sheet of The Snapdragon 450 which then showed that it could support only upto a 21 MP camera, the sheet has since then been updated to show that it supports 24 MP camera too.

We will leave the debate aside and get right into the actual experience. On the camera front, the V7+ comes with a 16-megapixel camera on the rear with f/2.0 aperture and a 24-megapixel camera on the front again with f/2.0 aperture. The USP of this phone is the front camera that is clearly targeted at the selfie happy young generation that is so diligently documenting themselves looking like ducks in different settings.

Jokes apart, the front camera does manage to take vivid and detailed selfies that are clear and crisp. The accompaniment of what is now popularly known as the moonlight flash helps take selfies in low light or night setting. Leaving the flash on auto when in the selfie mode does help in the evenings and low light. The customary face beauty mode that kicks in in all devices is there and helps you look like a duck with flawless skin if you into that kind of vanity!

The rear camera is no slouch either, it was able to deliver good quality pictures with well fleshed out details and crisp color when we took it for a spin. Here are a few pictures that we took with the phone.

You also have the ability to click Live photos, essentially a mini-recording of sorts before and after the actual photo. Clicking pictures and editing them to share on social networks is a breeze and that is no surprise as that is the key strength of this device.

Call quality on 4G and VoLTE was good. There weren’t any major issues seen with sound output. The customary sensors and connectivity options exist in the phone and as a daily driver, it does not disappoint.

The battery runs well and long, on a single charge with above average mixed usage between 4G and WiFi with heavy social media sharing and moderate multimedia consumption and average number of calls within and on the edge of the networks, it lasted a day and a little more for us. This is good and will stand in good stead for the road warriors of today.

Performance was smooth, there weren’t any hiccups to be seen in multi-tasking. Video loops were done well without any significant heating. Average gaming load handled well and there weren’t any stutters or lags or frame drops that caused any angst to us. The phone did well under above average load.

Verdict

Vivo has launched the V7+ in India at a price of Rs 21,990. And at that price point, it has very tough competition. Given the positioning as a device targeted at young ones that want great selfies and consume multimedia regularly from their phones, this device is very uniquely positioned and hard to beat. Big screen, Vivid selfies and Great performance – if that’s in your wheelhouse, this one is a must buy.

About Shakthi

I am a Tech Blogger, Disability Activist, Keynote Speaker, Startup Mentor and Digital Branding Consultant. Also a McKinsey Executive Panel Member. Also known as @v_shakthi on twitter. Been around Tech for two decades now.

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