vivo V29 Pro review

The competition

The vivo V29 Pro has an MSRP of INR39,999 ($480) for the base 8GB/256GB version and $515 for the 12GB/256GB one. That puts the phone in a rather weird spot. Its pricing is not quite in the premium category, but it is still a bit expensive for a midranger. Most of its direct competitors tend to be a bit cheaper, which is not a great or competitive position to be in.

Let's kick things off with Samsung and the popular Galaxy A54, which fits the same budget. A 128GB/8GB model will run you just around €350, while a 256GB/8GB variant costs about €399, making it notably cheaper than the vivo V29 Pro. The Samsung phone has expandable storage and offers IP67 ingress protection and Gorilla Glass 5 protection for its display. The Galaxy A54 also has a 120Hz AMOLED panel with HDR10+ support. Battery life is a bit better on the Galaxy, although the Samsung mid-ranger is limited to 25W charging. The Galaxy A54 also has a potent 50MP OIS-enabled main and 12MP ultrawide cameras but lacks a telephoto shooter, unlike the V29 Pro.

Another Samsung phone worth mentioning is the much cheaper Galaxy A34, which brings a similar overall experience on a much tighter budget.

Unsurprisingly, there are a couple of viable options over in camp Xiaomi. For less than the V29 Pro, you can get a Poco F5/Redmi Note 12 Turbo with Gorilla Glass 5, stereo speakers, a large 5,000 mAh battery with 67W charging, a 12-bit 120Hz HDR-capable AMOLED display, a potent Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chipset and a pretty versatile camera setup with a 64MP OIS-enabled main shooter.

Alternatively, you could lower the budget quite significantly and go for something like the ever-popular Redmi Note 12 Pro. Despite its lower price, it still offers much of the same Xiaomi experience, including stereo speakers, 5000mAh battery with 67W charging and a 10-bit 120Hz HDR AMOLED display. The Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro is another option quite similar to the Redmi with a Snapdragon chipset and better battery life, but also some concessions, like no OIS.

Samsung Galaxy A54 • Xiaomi Poco F5 • Redmi Note 12 Turbo • Motorola Edge 40

The Motorola Edge 40 is potentially worth considering as well. It is a notably cheaper device than the V29 Pro but still delivers in some key aspects. Its AMOLED display, for instance, has a fast 144Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ certification. The Moto also has an IP68 ingress protection rating and stereo speakers, both of which are lacking on the V29 Pro. The Moto has a very clean OS if that is something you appreciate.

Our verdict

The vivo V29 Pro is a rather odd device. There are no two ways about it. First and foremost, there is the price aspect. The V29 Pro occupies a rather odd middle space between the realm of really premium and flagship devices and midrangers. So much so, in fact, that some proper flagships like the vanilla Samsung Galaxy S23 currently reside in the same rough price range.

On the flip side, the V29 Pro does punch above its weight class in at least a few aspects. For one, its design and overall appearance, both subjectively and objectively, through things like a curvy display with small bezels, is more premium than your average midranger. vivo is also clearly focusing on the camera department, and the V29 Pro is the first device in the V-series to bring a dedicated telephoto. And credit where credit is due, not only is said telephoto actually quite good in practice, but it is really hard to even find a dedicated telephoto camera in this price range.

All of this is fine and dandy, but the V29 Pro, unfortunately, comes with some major concessions. vivo keeps refusing to equip the V-series with a stereo speaker system. Not even a hybrid one. All the while, most of the V29 Pro competitors do have said feature in their roster. Also, for some unknown reason, the V29 Pro lacks official ingress protection, while the vanilla vivo V29 does have an IP68 rating, and the two devices are almost physically identical to the point where we believe they even share some parts including the 6.78-inch, high resolution 1260 x 2800-pixel, 120Hz AMOLED display. It also seems to be the same on the V29 Pro and the vanilla V29, yet the vanilla gets HDR10+ support, while the Pro lacks official HDR support, at least as far as the official specs sheets are concerned.

Overall, it's not hard to see what we mean when we say that the vivo V29 Pro is a bit of an odd device. Even so, with its versatile camera setup with all-around solid performance, we feel that it might still be a good fit for a photography buff on a budget. If you don't particularly care about getting a good dedicated telephoto and an autofocusing selfie, though, the V29 Pro seems a bit overpriced for what it offers.

Pros

• Luxurious exterior and eye-catching design, though the UV-reactive paint is no more.
• Pretty bright and color-accurate OLED display.
• Solid battery life and quite speedy charging.
• The Dimensity 8200 chipset offers great performance for a mid-range handset.
• Versatile camera setup now complete with a telephoto, which is hard to come by at this price point.

Cons

• No official ingress protection rating.
• A single speaker with average quality.
• No expandable storage or NFC.
• No HDR support on the display.