vivo V23 Pro in for review

vivo kicked off 2022 with two new smartphones, dubbed vivo V23 and vivo V23 Pro. And we've received the Pro model at our office for review.

The vivo V23 Pro is offered in Stardust Black and Sunshine Gold colors, with the latter featuring a particularly exciting color-changing glass panel at the back. But before we get to that, let's check out what the retail package includes.

The V23 Pro comes in a shimmery, blue-colored box, including a 44W adapter, USB-C cable, wired earphones, a protective silicone case, SIM ejector tool, and the usual paperwork.

The vivo V23 Pro is built around a 6.56" FullHD+ 90Hz curved AMOLED screen with a fingerprint reader underneath for biometric authentication, which we found to be snappy and accurate in the short time we spent with the phone.

The display is protected by Schott Xensation Alpha and has a notch for two cameras - a 50MP primary selfie unit with Eye Autofocus and an 8MP Super Wide Angle unit for group photos. You also get two flash modules flanking the notch, called Dual-Tone Spotlight, to help you take brighter pictures in dim lighting conditions.

Around the back, we get a gold-colored, plastic-made camera island housing LED flash and three cameras - 108MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro. The panel is covered with Fluorite AG Glass, having a texture and feel reminiscent of the Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G Dimensity model's rear panel.

The glass on the Sunshine Gold variant changes color when exposed to sunlight or other artificial UV light sources. vivo tells us that its duration depends on how strong the UV light's exposure is, but ideally, the panel will return to its original color within 5-6 minutes, which is something we can confirm from the time spent with the phone.

Also, while vivo says the panel's color changes upon exposure to sunlight or artificial UV light sources, it's worth mentioning that you don't need to specifically put the smartphone in direct sunlight for the change to occur. The hue changes under natural light as well within a few seconds, even when it's inside the bundled transparent case, which is impressive.

vivo V23 Pro Sunshine Gold in original color • vivo V23 Pro Sunshine Gold after color change

The back cover also reflected a blue-ish hue at different angles under artificial lighting but did not turn from gold to blue. Besides, it's only the glass panel that changes to blue color and not the camera island, the buttons, and the frame.

The vivo V23 Pro Sunshine Gold model looks gorgeous. The smartphone also has a slim profile and offers a really nice in-hand feel. However, the rear panel would have benefitted with more curvature for a comfortable grip.

Under the hood, the vivo V23 Pro has a Dimensity 1200 SoC and runs Android 12-based Funtouch OS 12 out of the box. However, the company has made no promises with the number of Android version upgrades for the V23 Pro.

The V23 Pro comes in two memory configurations - 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage. Both models support virtual RAM expansion up to 4GB.

Fueling the entire package is a 4,300 mAh battery that draws power through a USB-C port at up to 44W. vivo hasn't advertised any charging times, but we'll be sure to test that in our full review, so stay tuned!