The latest duo of phones from vivo has been officially launched in the Vietnamese market. The V29 is positioned above the V29e, yet its price is only around 13 million VND. In this competitive segment, vivo undoubtedly faces numerous rivals, but the phone itself also has its shining points to attract users, such as its ultra-thin design and a good display.This year, vivo has pleasantly surprised me with these two phones as they are well-made, providing a secure grip and featuring a beautiful back design. I particularly appreciate the finishing touch on the back of this vivo model. Having not paid much attention to vivo before, the V29 series has left a positive impression on me.Introducing the vivo V29 - a marvel of sleek design and cutting-edge technology.
Upon first touch, this 3D curved display phone impresses with its slim profile, measuring only 7.46mm, making it one of the thinnest phones of the year.
vivo ingeniously utilizes a curved screen, enhancing both aesthetics and ergonomics. Despite its ultra-thin build, the device maintains a solid grip in hand, weighing a mere 186g.
The frame of the device remains plastic, yet the back of the V29 is glass, providing a premium feel. Interestingly, with the V29, users need not worry about sweat or fingerprints on this back panel; it stays immaculate. However, there's a concern about its susceptibility to scratches, especially in black.
The screen curvature of the V29 is quite pronounced; vivo refers to it as 'golden curvature' (55 degrees), promising a comfortable grip. Nonetheless, reducing the curvature slightly and thickening the bezels might enhance usability.
Moreover, the camera module of the vivo V29 is subtly integrated, minimizing wobbling when placed on a flat surface. This departure from the trend of protruding camera modules seen in most smartphones is a design choice appreciated by many, including myself.Users have a choice between two colors: black (Black Satin Silk) and purple (Purple Star Rain). While I haven't handled the purple variant personally, the black option is already stunning to me.
Both the screens of vivo V29 and V29e are remarkably vibrant. What surprised me next is that, compared to Xiaomi 13T, they are even more vibrant. The peak brightness of vivo V29 is 1300 nits, which, when compared to the world's Android peak brightness screens of around 2000 nits this year, puts the V29 not far behind. It still supports HDR10.
Turning to the camera, a notable feature is the Aura Light LED ring on both the vivo V29 and V29e camera modules. According to vivo, this enhances image quality. This is the 2.0 version, increasing the illuminated area by over 9 times compared to the first version. Additionally, it evenly illuminates 360 degrees, with brightness increasing by 88%. It can automatically adjust color temperature based on the environment.
In reality, the Aura Light 2.0 ring can have a significant light impact on subjects within a distance of about 7cm. Of course, its effect is more pronounced in low-light conditions. This Aura Light 2.0 ring stands completely apart from conventional flashlights and is also present on the vivo V29.
In terms of sensor specifications, the rear camera of the vivo V29 will feature 3 image sensors, including a 50MP OIS main sensor with an f/1.88 aperture, an 8MP sensor (ultra-wide lens) with an f/2.2 aperture, and a 2MP black-and-white sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. The selfie camera of the vivo V29 is a 50MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture to capture more light.
The vivo V29 is not only thin and light but also boasts a large 4600mAh battery capacity and 80W fast charging. It is equipped with the Snapdragon 778G SoC, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, running FuntouchOS 13 Global based on Android 13 out of the box.
Introducing the vivo V29e
The 'e' variant of the V29 comes at a price below 10 million dong, specifically around 8.9 million, yet it boasts a beautiful back design, a sleek and lightweight profile, a good display, and sufficient specifications.
If you're not fond of the grip feel of the V29, then the V29e might be a better choice. It offers a more comfortable grip due to its squared-off frame and flat back compared to the V29.
The camera module remains minimally protruding, featuring the Aura Light 2.0. The specifications include a 64MP + 8MP setup, with no black-and-white sensor. The main camera aperture is quite large at f/1.79, while the selfie camera remains 50MP with an f/2.0 aperture.
The black color option of the V29e is unique; it tends to shift towards green when viewed from different angles, hence dubbed 'Black Forest.' Additionally, there will be a 'Glacier Blue' variant available.
The slim profile of the V29e remains impressive at 7.69mm thickness and weighing 190g, still among the thinnest and lightest. While the V29e's screen doesn't boast the same high resolution as the V29 (2400 x 1080), the display quality remains decent, with vibrant colors.
The maximum brightness of the V29e's screen reaches 1150 nits, achieving 100% DCI-P3 and 107% NTSC, featuring an AMOLED E4 panel with a pixel density of 394 PPI, and a refreshing rate of 120Hz on a 6.67-inch display.
In terms of specifications, the V29e is equipped with the Snapdragon 695 chipset, with options for either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and storage capacities of 128GB or 256GB. Storage standard is UFS 2.2, and RAM is LPDDR4x.
The battery capacity of the V29e is 4800mAh and supports 44W fast charging, Bluetooth 5.1, and comes pre-installed with FuntouchOS 13, similar to the V29.The mid-range to high-end smartphone market in Vietnam now welcomes two more representatives from vivo: the V29 series. Although I haven't extensively experienced many vivo phones, my initial impression is positive. Particularly, FuntouchOS provides a less heavily customized feel compared to HyperOS, ColorOS, or One UI. Nevertheless, the standout feature is undoubtedly the V29's display, which performs exceptionally well for its price range.