vivo V20 Pro 5G hands-on review

Introduction

The vivo V20 Pro 5G was announced back in September, but it's only now that it reaches Indian soil. We had the chance to do a full review of the vanilla V20, and we really appreciated the slightly different approach vivo had with the phone. So now that we have the Pro version, we will take a quick look at what makes this one a "Pro".

Design-wise, there isn't much of a difference, especially if you look at the back. However, the front features a larger notch, which is a bit unexpected, given that notched handsets are pretty scarce these days. Other than that, the V20 Pro 5G is a typical mid-range device in the sub INR 30,000 category with a bright OLED display, 5G-capable Snapdragon 765G chipset.

vivo V20 Pro 5G specs at a glance:

• Body: 158.8x74.2x7.4mm, 170g; Glass front and back, plastic frame.
• Display: 6.44" AMOLED, HDR10, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 409ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7250 Snapdragon 765G (7 nm): Octa-core (1x2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver); Adreno 620.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM.
• OS/Software: Android 11, Funtouch 11.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.9, 26mm, 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 16mm, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: Wide (main): 44 MP, f/2.0; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.3, 1/4.0", 1.12µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS.
• Battery: 4000mAh; Fast charging 33W.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical), no 3.5mm jack, no NFC, no FM radio.

A quick run through the specs raises the question about a proper feature disparity. The vanilla V20 and the Pro version seem to be identical, with the only difference being the chipset, the additional selfie camera and the microSD card support. The latter is scraped from the specs sheet on the Pro model, but, of course, it gives you a more powerful chipset. The rest of the specs are pretty much identical.

So even before doing this hands-on review, we have a pretty good idea of how the V20 Pro 5G would feel from day to day use. But until a full review comes around, join us in the next pages to see if the V20 Pro 5G is the right device for you.

Unboxing the vivo V20 Pro 5G

The retail box is nothing out of the ordinary, except that it contains a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle so that you can use the bundled 3.5mm headphones in the box. Weird that vivo didn't add USB-C headphones, too.

You also get a transparent silicone case, and the 33W-compatible fast charger along with a USB-A to USB-C cable used not only for charging but for data transfers as well.