Vivo V25 Pro review: Stylish phone with focus on camera

Just how important is the design when it comes to picking your next smartphone? While some might say this no longer matters as most phones look like clones of each other, brands like Vivo are trying to offer some differentiation. Vivo’s V25 Pro is the company’s latest that tries to focus more on the design, and also brings some improvements to the camera. But is it worth considering, given it starts at Rs 35,999? Here’s our review.
Vivo V25 Pro specifications: 6.53-inch AMOLED display, full HD+ resolution with 120Hz refresh rate | Mediatek Dimensity 1300 processor | 8G RAM+128GB storage or 12GB RAM+ 256GB storage | 64MP+8MP+2MP camera | 32MP front camera | 4830 mAh battery with 66W fast charging | Android 12 with FunTouch OS 12 on top |
Vivo V25 Pro review: All about the good looks
The Vivo V25 Pro is all about good looks given its double-edge curved display and slim form factor. The back is all glass and changes colour when sunlight or any UV light hits it. This is something we’ve seen on quite a few phones now, including the previous V23 series from the brand. In the Vivo V25 Pro’s case, the phone’s back turns a richer, darker shade of blue. Yes, it’s nothing new really, but it does make for a cool effect. I quite liked the blue shade of the Vivo V25 Pro. It also helps that the back remains smudge-free. The Vivo V25 Pro is also slimmer and lighter than my daily iPhone 12 Pro Max, and that’s always a relief.
The blue coloured variant of the Vivo V25 Pro. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
The phone has a 6.53-inch display, which is big sure, but the curved edges on the front and back give the V25 Pro a premium look. The display is an AMOLED one with a 120 Hz refresh rate. Vivo is letting users switch between 60 Hz and 120 Hz, and there’s also a smart switch option, which decides the refresh rate depending on the scenarios. Of course, if you use the highest refresh rate which is 120 Hz, the phone’s battery will drain faster. The device gets an in-display fingerprint scanner as well, which is quick to unlock the device.
The Vivo V25 Pro sports an excellent AMOLED display on board. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
The display itself is excellent and one where you will enjoy watching content on Netflix, YouTube, etc. Gaming is also good fun on the screen. It is reflective when used in really bright sunlight, but the content remains legible and should not be a problem for most users.
Vivo V25 Pro review: What about the camera?
Vivo is also touting the camera on the V25 Pro—it is a 64MP main camera coupled with an 8MP ultra-wide camera and 2MP macro camera. The selfie camera is 32MP. Let me start with the selfie camera first. This does manage to capture details well, and the colours and tones are also pleasing and not overly processed—that is when one is using the selfie camera without the beauty filter features turned on. However, the beauty filters tend to smooth out the skin too much for my liking. The selfies can look a bit unrealic when taken with the beauty mode on, but then not everyone will see a problem with this.
An image taken using the Portrait mode on the Vivo V25 Pro. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
A camera sample taken in a poor lighting with the Vivo V25 Pro. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
A camera sample taken in bright outdoors using the Vivo V25 Pro. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
Another camera sample taken with the Vivo V25 Pro at 2X zoom. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
Camera sample taken in a poorly lit room during the day. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
Camera sample taken using the Vivo V25 Pro at dusk. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
The main camera on the Vivo V25 Pro performs well in bright light. The photos have enough details in them and the colours look pleasing, though, in some photos, the greens are oversaturated. The camera’s low-light performance is also impressive given the segment it is operating in. For instance, the picture of Superman below was taken in a poorly lit room with an artificial light source in the dance. I used the night mode when taking these shots. The camera does a good job preserving colours and details despite the challenging lighting conditions.
But it’s not all perfect with the Vivo’s camera. For instance, when I used the camera during an evening visit to a park, the photos were not as sharp. Also, there was a prominent reddish tinge in some of the photos. In portraits taken at dusk, there is a tendency to smooth out the skin again, often at the cost of accuracy. I also faced some issues with focus when trying to take a few photos in low light.
The Vivo V25 Pro runs the Mediatek Dimensity 1300 processor. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
Vivo V25 Pro review: Let’s talk performance and battery
This phone runs the Mediatek Dimensity 1300 processor which is the same chipset powering the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G and the Reno8 5G as well. The Vivo V25 Pro is similarly matched in terms of performance and can handle most daily tasks and heavy-duty games without any problems as such. The phone does tend to heat up when you’re playing games like Genshin Impact for a longer duration, which is expected given it is more resource-heavy.
The battery itself should last about a day for most users. In my case, this included downloading some games, watching videos on YouTube, and browsing social media apps such as Facebook. The phone comes with a 66W fast charger, which gets the phone juiced up in about an hour or so.
The Vivo V25 Pro has a glass back which remains smudge-free. (Image source: Shruti Dhapola/Indian Express)
Vivo V25 Pro review: Should you consider it?
The Vivo V25 Pro is a very good-looking all-rounder. It has an excellent camera, stylish design, and performs reasonably well in daily use. Pick this phone if you’re looking for something stylish and don’t mind paying a slight premium. But the problem really is the price for the Vivo V25 Pro, which at Rs 35,999 is higher than both Reno 8 and OnePlus Nord 2T powered the same processor. There’s also Redmi K50i, which has a much more powerful processor to offer at a slightly lower price. Frankly, if you want much better performance, especially for gaming the Vivo V25 Pro might not be the right answer.