vivo V7+ review

Wrapping it up

Vivo surely knows how to build phones for the selfie-addicted fashion-conscious consumers. Sleek design, trendy looks, cutting-edge screen, snappy performance, professional-level selfies. That's the V7+ and you get all packed into a lightweight phablet body. Did we mention these come at a bargain?

Vivo has shopped smart for the V7+ and we can't pick a favorite feature because there are so many. The 18:9 6" screen may be average in resolution, but it's still top of the shelf in immersive experience and contrast ratio. The new Snapdragon 450 is gaming-friendly, and a great multi-tasker, and it also provides great battery life. Vivo did a good job with the main camera, but it's the selfies where the V7+ really shines.

Vivo let some tiny omissions disturb the otherwise great package - the lack of dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, and fast charging. We no longer find the iOS-inspired UI design that cool. But we could easily forgive those for the otherwise impressive all-round experience.

vivo V7+ key test findings

• The all-plastic design is good looking, the FullView screen definitely helps the traditional shape to achieve a flagship aura.
• The display posts great numbers for brightness and contrast, but average for color accuracy and sunlight legibility.
• Battery life is looking promising - we couldn't test standby and call times, but the V7+ did north of 13 hours in both our video playback and web browsing tests.
• The phone runs on Nougat and Funtouch 3.2. The launcher is lightweight with rich customization options. Face Unlock works great. It's no iPhone, but Vivo has made sure the UI looks like one.
• Benchmarks reveal great performance across the board, while the phone stays cool under pressure.
• The loudspeaker pumped out enough decibels for a Very Good rating; drive it too hard, however, and its shallow sound may get distorted.
• Good clarity and average loudness are the highlights of the audio quality output through the jack.
• The 16MP rear camera produces detailed images with pleasing colors and decent dynamic range.
• The 24MP selfie shooter is one of the best around with very detailed images, great contrast and colors. It excels in the portrait shots with simulated bokeh effects, too.
• The 1080p videos are average in detail but come out with good contrast and colors.

Noteworthy alternatives

Another great thing about the V7+ is its competitive price, where available. But the competition is already going in vivo's niche, that's for sure.

Take the Oppo F5 for example - it has a similar body that wraps a similar 6" 18:9 screen, but it's of a higher 1080p resolution. The processor and the GPU are more powerful, the rear camera has wider aperture, while the selfie sharpshooter is equally capable. There is no FM radio and Hi-Fi audio on the Oppo, but the upgrades may be worth considering, especially that both cost the same.

Oppo F5

LG has the Q6 as a trump card in lots of markets, as LG's reach is wider and its marketing machine - better. The Q6 offers a higher-res widescreen, but runs on a slower chip, and its selfie camera is basic. Still, the wider market availability and stronger PR the Q6 may as well make it to more check lists than the V7+.

LG Q6

And if the V7+ is too big for you, you should check vivo's most recent V7 smartphone. It's basically the V7+ but with a smaller screen and halved storage.

vivo V7

If the 18:9 widescreen is not a must, then there is plenty to choose from. Xiaomi's most recent Mi A1 running on pure Android, its MIUI counterpart - the Mi 5X, the highly popular Redmi Note 4 or even the Mi Max 2. These four offer blazing fast performance, beefy batteries, great screens, metal bodies, and high-quality photos. Mi A1 and Mi 5X have dual-camera setups on the back, so you will be getting native bokeh shots, too.

Xiaomi Mi A1 • Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 • Xiaomi Mi Max 2

Europe and USA customers may have a hard time finding any of those but the LG, so the Nokia 6, Motorola Moto G5S, and the Samsung's Galaxy J7 Pro would do for them. The Nokia is the most uninspiring of the trio, while the Moto has a dual-cam on the back with 4K video recording. The Samsung has a cool Super AMOLED screen and it has put wide apertures and LED flashes on both the rear and selfie snappers, so it's a big threat to the V7+.

Nokia 6 • Motorola Moto G5S Plus • Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro

The verdict

LG, Samsung, and even Motorola may be trumping the V7+ because of their wider availability and popularity. But that's the beauty in the market segmentation. While others build devices for the world, vivo tailors its phones to a specific target group and markets. And where the vivo V7+ is available - it will sell great.

The V7+ has been carefully put together with a specific audience in mind and it simply excels in all its highlight features - screen, performance, camera, even design. If you live in a market where vivo sells, there is not a single reason why you shouldn't give it a serious consideration.