vivo V23 review

Competition

The vivo V23 and V23 Pro are officially out. The official retail price of the V23 is INR29,990 ($400/€355) and INR34,990 ($470/€415) for the 128GB 8GB RAM and 256GB 12GB RAM versions, respectively.

Straight off the bat, this MSRP is looking a lot more competitive than the one on the vivo V23 Pro, which starts at INR38,990 ($520/€460). All the while, the vanilla V23 really doesn't sacrifice that much in comparison, automatically making for an arguably better value proposition. That also means Xiaomi's closely-competing rival models don't instantly beat the vivo V23 price-wise as they did its bigger Pro sibling. The Xiaomi 11i and 11i HyperCharge instantly spring to mind.

These are now going international, although they are not entirely new, but rather renamed Redmi Note 11 Pro+ and Redmi Note 11 Pro, available in China since October 2021. The choice between the two literally comes down to a choice between faster 120W charging or a bigger 5,160 mAh battery, with a "mere" 67W charging. The latter is the easy choice for us, personally. Either way, for just over EUR 300, you get, among other things, Gorilla Glass 5 and an IP53 rating, a 120Hz AMOLED display and stereo speakers. That is on top of an otherwise very similar set of core specs to the vivo V23. Well, minus the selfie camera prowess.

Xiaomi 11i • Xiaomi Poco F3 • Realme GT Master • Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G

If these are unattainable where you live, the Redmi Note 10 Pro is still an excellent choice that actually offers a really similar overall specs sheet. You could, perhaps, get it for under EUR 300 as well.

Speaking of a good deal, you can also pick up a Poco F3 for around the same price. Its Snapdragon 870 chipset is a great choice for those who don't necessarily place too much value on the camera experience and would rather get as much raw power as possible for the money. If you are after an even better proposition on raw performance per dollar and can settle for an IPS display instead of AMOLED, there is the ever-popular Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro.

Naturally, Realme has at least a few viable options as well. The Realme GT Master is a pretty close competitor to the vivo V23. Once again, it lacks its particular selfie prowess but delivers pretty comparable specs otherwise, including what is technically a slightly better AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Still no formal ingress protection rating or stereo speakers, though.

And speaking of these things, we just can't fail to mention the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G. It seems that the Korean giant's popular Galaxy A family has only been getting better and better lately, and the A52s 5G arguably represents one of the best value offers within the lineup yet. Not only do you get a "big brand" phone, complete with Samsung's relatively new extended software support, but also an IP67 rating, stereo speakers and OIS on the main camera. Plus, the Galaxy A52s 5G has the benefit of being easily available internationally on most markets.

Verdict

The vivo V23 is a pretty unique device in more ways than one. The same is also true of its bigger V23 Pro sibling, and both left us pretty conflicted as to a final "verdict". Because of its high MSRP, the V23 Pro was arguably a bit easier to shoot down as a properly viable, good-value purchase. The V23 starts at a much more sensible price point, effectively alleviating that issue. Even so, with omissions like ingress protection, OIS and stereo speakers, to name just a couple of the big ones, it is still easy to get a better overall "value", well-rounded mid-range device for the same price or less.

With that being said, the V23 has a lot going for it, like its bigger sibling. Its design is just as different as it is similar to that of the Pro. Its broad, iPhone-like aluminum frame and overall silhouette are just as eye-catching and trendy as the thin and curvy profile of the V23 Pro, perhaps even more so, depending on who you ask. The unique UV-reactive Sunshine Gold color option adds some extra flair on top as well, if you are into that. Then there is its other standout aspect - the potent selfie camera setup. It's not every day that we come across a device that truly shines for all kinds of selfie capture, as well as vlogging. Vivo really went all out in this department, and though they might sound like a gimmick at first, the pair of dual-tone LED "torches" on the front are actually quite nifty.

Once again, we have to commend vivo for including all of these features in the vanilla V23 and not just limiting them to the Pro. This means that at the end of the day, the V23 ends being just as unique as its sibling with the same particular mix of features, slashing very little, as a whole aside from the price tag. That arguably makes the V23 the more appealing of the two siblings if you just happen to find this particular and undoubtedly unique mix of features and looks appealing. If that is the case, you can rest assured that the vivo V23 is also well-rounded in most other aspects and will deliver an excellent experience.

However, if you don't necessarily prioritize selfies or a conversation starter UV-reactive paint job, you can probably find better value devices elsewhere.

Pros

• Trendy iPhone-inspired design. Sturdy aluminum frame. UV-sensitive back panel is a nice party trick.
• The 90Hz, HDR10+ display has good performance, but slightly worse than the vivo V23 Pro.
• Excellent battery life and very fast 44W charging.
• Funtouch OS 12 now with Android 12 underneath offers great performance and customization.
• The new Dimensity 920 chip is a solid all-round performer. Runs cool and is quite battery efficient.
• Truly great selfie and video experience from the 50MP selfie cam.
• The two dual-tone selfie LED "spotlights" are excellent in practice.
• A truly great vlogging experience.

Cons

• No ingress protection. Last year's Scott Xensation Up protective glass instead of the new flagship Xensation α found on the vivo V23 Pro.
• No SD card slot, no 3.5mm audio jack.
• Poor automatic refresh rate switching and underwhelming color accuracy.
• Just a single, mostly underwhelming bottom-firing speaker.
• 16MP shots from the main camera tend to be overprocessed and a bit soft. Both the back and front ultrawide cameras are a bit inconsistent and lag behind the other cameras.