vivo V21 (5G) review

The competition

Vivo has created a rather unique midranger in the vivo V21 5G. It's hard to exactly match its selfie prowess and feature set in this price range.

As far as solid mid-range alternatives go, however, there are plenty of well-rounded competitors to potentially consider. Xiaomi is practically thriving in the midranger space right now, with plenty of great phones, like the Redmi Note 10, or better still the Redmi Note 10S, which manage to deliver a large chunk of the same features as the vivo V21 5G at a noticeably lower price point.

If we had to pick just one entry from that particular family, though, it would be the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Granted, it costs a bit more than the vivo V21 5G, without offering 5G connectivity, but does also include some nice extras like the 120Hz, HDR10 AMOLED display, IP53 rating, stereo speakers and a 3.5mm jack, a bigger 5,020mAh battery and lastly, but definitely not least, an amazing and versatile camera setup with a 108MP snapper at the helm. A great choice for photography enthusiasts.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro • Xiaomi Poco F3 • Samsung Galaxy A52 5G • Realme 8 Pro

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite is just a small step down in hardware from the Redmi Note 10 Pro and deserves a mention, as well. If photography is not your first priority, though and you are after the best performance for your buck, look no further than the Poco line. The Poco X3 Pro is a great way to get a Snapdragon 860 on a budget. With a vivo V21 5G budget, however, our recommendation would probably be the Poco F3 instead. That gets you an AMOLED, instead of an LCD - 120Hz and HDR10+ included. Also, a Snapdragon 870 chipset, with plenty of punching power, especially at this price and a whole array of modern flagship features, like Wi-Fi 6.

Samsung actually has an amazingly competitive Galaxy A line right now. If you appreciate the One UI software experience and all of the extra features that come with it, plus, a newfound long-term support commitment, the A72 and A52 are great and quite youthful and trendy-looking devices to consider. Both, rocking IP67 ratings, which is quite the rarity in their price range and a dedicated telephoto on the A72. Also, 90Hz AMOLED displays.

If we had to choose, personally, though, we would go for the Galaxy A52 5G. It has a faster 120Hz display and better Snapdragon 750G, compared to its siblings. The loss of the particular dedicated telephoto on the A72 is frankly not that major in practice.

Last, but not least, we would be remiss not to mention Realme. The brand is also an expert in delivering good budget and mid-ranger value, with devices like the Narzo 30 5G and the GT Neo Flash on the horizon, in case you feel like waiting. If not, the Realme 8 Pro can already deliver features like a 108MP camera, incredibly fast-charging 4,500 mAh battery and a Super AMOLED display for about as much or less that the vivo V21 5G.

The verdict

The vivo V21 5G is a solid 2021 midranger that manages to build upon and actually expand on the formula set forth by its V20 predecessor without giving up on the core design and feature goals. It remains a very slick and classically stylish device, with a clear focus on selfie photography and video capture.

The 44MP autofocus selfie is great and pretty unmatched in this price segment. Now with the addition of OIS, it delivers a great video experience and a solid photo one. It alone could be enough of an allure to draw in a trendy, younger, social-network-focused crowd.

Beyond that, the V21 actually manages to add more overall value still, compared to its predecessor. Its AMOLED display, while not the best around, now does 90Hz and supports HDR content. Just like the selfie, the main 64MP snapper is only made better by the addition of OIS. And, of course, there is the Dimensity 800U - an excellent all-around chipset from MediaTek that delivers solid performance and additional features. It is actually at the heart of both the vanilla 4G vivo V21 and the 5G-capable vivo V21 5G. A pretty unusual move, but one that might actually be preferable to the alternative of a chipset downgrade, with a potentially worse feature set.

The competition vivo is facing in the midranger space is as fierce as ever, though, and the V21 5G does skip on at least a few noteworthy features that others deliver on at a similar price. Things like an official IP rating, stereo speakers and a 3.5mm jack, to name a few. Plus, even in its relatively mature state, Funtouch OS may not appeal to everyone.

All things considered, we are confident that the V21 and V21 5G will find a loving crowd of fans to appreciate the particular and somewhat unique take on a 2021 midranger. For everybody else, there are plenty of alternatives with more "mainstream" value to consider.

Pros

• Sleek and stylish design, compact dimensions
• Bright and smooth OLED display with HDR support
• Great battery life from the 4,000mAh battery and competitive fast charging
• 8GB/128GB base memory configuration and solid-all round performance
• Mostly dependable main camera performance
• Potent 44MP, autofocus and OIS-enabled selfie camera - great for vlogging and solid for stills
• Funtouch 11 based on Android 11 feels a lot better than previous iterations

Cons

• No official ingress protection
• No stereo speakers or 3.5mm jack
• High refresh rate handling needs some work, most games only run at 60Hz
• Disappointing ultra-wide camera performance