Thanks to vivo Singapore, I can get my hands on the vivo V27 5G that is currently available. This will be a short honest review of this device.
The vivo V27 5G is in the mid-range phone category. It retails at SGD699 without contract. My review unit is in emerald green. I love this color. It has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
First Look
The vivo V27 5G is very slim and light. It fits nicely in my hand.
Here are the top and bottom views. As you can see, the top is very clean, and the bottom has the usual USB-C port, SIM port, speaker, and microphone.
These are the side views. One side has the rocker volume button and the power on/off button. On the other side, it is clean.
The fingerprint sensor is built into the 6.78-inch.
Inside the box, it has a silicon casing, a 66W charger, a cable, and an eject tool for the SIM port.
I love that the silicon case is very slim and does not increase the phone’s thickness much (although it only provides minimum protection).
And for the charger, based on the specifications, it should be able to support 80W charging. However, based on the official vivo V27 page, it says that it is a 66W (max) charger.
Here is a close-up of the rating on the charger.
It comes as a 3-pin plug (UK) version.
Usage
Based on my very limited testing, the 4,600mAh holds up surprisingly well. I am very particular about camera quality. As a mid-range phone, the vivo V27 did an OK job. There is no great surprises or disappointment based on the camera specs.
The Portrait Mode did an ok job, as you can see some softening near the edge of my hair. BTW, I am using the Aura Light Portrait System. It is quite well-balanced.
What is interesting is that it has a “Remove moles” feature. And here is the result.
The camera is supported by AI. I suggest that you leave it activated for it to do its job.
Here are the specs of the cameras
Camera
- Front 50 MP AF / Rear 50 MP OIS + 8 MP wide-angle + 2 MP macro
*The pixel value may vary under different camera modes, and is subject to actual usage.
Aperture
- Front: main f/2.45
- Rear: main f/1.88, wide-angle f/2.2, macro f/2.4
Flash
- Rear flash / Rear Aura Light (Portrait Mode)
Scene Modes
- Front: Night, Portrait, Photo, Video, Micro Movie, High Resolution, Sports, Double Exposure, Dual View, Live Photo
- Rear: Night, Portrait, Photo, Video, Micro Movie, High Resolution, Pano, Documents, Slo-mo, Time-Lapse, Supermoon, Pro, Sports, Double Exposure, Dual View, Live Photo
The camera software has a feature, “Document,” worth mentioning. It is not new (many phones have this feature), but its usage is intuitive.
For example, if you choose this option before you shoot the object, it will try to detect the “document” and frame it with a yellow box. Once you have shot it, you can make adjustments and save it. You can also do it later in the gallery.
If you do not choose “document,” the AI will automatically determine if it could be a document by framing the object with the yellow box. Once you have shot it, it completes the task without changing your framing. However, you can visit the gallery to adjust the “document” again.
I find that it is a well-thought feature because the AI does not interfere with your decision (not to shoot as a “document”) but shows you what it thinks and creates an option for you to adjust later.
As for the video mode, it does well in well-lited conditions. The stabilization is subjective. I think that with the OIS+EIS stabilization, it is just OK. Not something that can replace a gimbal. And it will be challenging in low-light conditions.
Finally, the zoom for video is barely usable unless you need that shot. As for photo mode, use the zoom sparingly as it is using digital zoom, and the quality will drop. However, for spontaneous shots, the camera did a good job.
As for the Funtouch OS, it did a good job. Very intuitive and does not lag during my testing.
Summary
As mentioned earlier, this is a short review. I love the slim and minimalist design. However, as someone who loves to take photos and videos on a phone, the vivo V27 might not be suitable.
There are some things to take note of. It does not have wireless charging, and it does not have IPX protection (No water and dust resistance). This phone is out if you cannot live without them.
However, I love the 66W FlashCharge. It charges the phone very fast. I have just one complaint. Why are we still using USB-A for the charger? Change it to a USB-C already.
Overall, a very well-designed mid-range phone that has a sweet pricing.
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