Vivo pays a lot of attention to the design of its smartphones, this is proved by the guest of our review – Vivo V23. The device is a representative of the middle class, it is distinguished by, among others, an unusual body coating and a dual front camera. On the outside, the smartphone makes a bright impression on the first acquaintance, but whether everything is so good inside, you will learn from this review.

Vivo V23 Specifications

Dimensions Height: 157,2 mm
Width: 72.42 mm
Depth: 7,55 mm
Weight 181 g
Display Size: 6,44 inches
Type: AMOLED
Frequency update: 90 Hz
Resolution: 2400х1080 pixels
CPU MediaTek Dimensity 920
Graphics processor Mali-G68 MC4
RAM and storage 8/128 GB, 12/256 GB
Wireless modules Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
Operating system Android 12, Funtouch OS 12
Rear camera module Wide-angle sensor: 64 Mp, ƒ/1.89
Ultrawide: 8 Мп, ƒ/2.2
Macro: 2 Мп, ƒ/2.4
Front camera Main sensor: 50 MP, ƒ / 2.2
Wide angle sensor: 8 MP, ƒ / 2.28
Battery 4200 mAh
Recommended price in Ukraine 17 000 UAH

Configuration

Vivo V23: smartphone with dual selfie camera

Vivo V23 comes in a solid cardboard box with a dark design. Inside, in addition to the smartphone, the user will find: a transparent silicone case, charger, USB-C cable, wired headset, headphone adapter with Type-C 3.5 mm, paper clip, protective film (already pasted on the screen) and documentation. Quite a decent list according the latest configuration trends.

Design and ergonomics

Vivo V23: smartphone with dual selfie camera

The device is presented in two design solutions: “Stardust” and “Solar Spectrum”. In our review we have the last option.

The smartphone is medium in size by today’s standards, not heavy and quite thin. Dimensions (157.2 × 72.42 × 7.55 mm) and weight (181 g) differ slightly depending on the design. The model with the color “Solar Spectrum” has a special coating on the back wall, so it is slightly thicker and heavier. The front surface is flat and has no rounding, most of it is occupied by a 6.44-inch display. In its upper part, symmetrically in the center, there is a “monobrow” with two cameras, which to some extent is a feature among the models of this class. Between the display and the side frame, above the cameras, there is a slot for a microphone. A protective film is already pasted on the screen from the box.

The back surface is flat with a matte finishing. The case is made of aviation aluminum. Thanks to the layer of crystals in the photochromic glass, the coating of the smartphone shines and changes color depending on the angle of incidence of light, which looks very nice. The back panel, shimmering in the light at different angles, forms a smooth gradient transition from yellow to turquoise and vice versa. In the case of a black case, there is no such effect. The camera module is neat and does not protrude too much above the body.

The sides are polished and, unlike the back panel, easily collect fingerprints. Facets on both sides, at the joints with surfaces, have a chamfer, which adds fragility. As for the controls, they are located on the right side – a volume control key and a power button. They are felt without problems and have a clear travel. At the bottom are: a combined tray for two nanoSIM-cards, a microphone hole, a USB Type-C port and slots for an external speaker. There is no space for a microSD memory card, and the lack of a 3.5 mm connector compensates for the complete adapter.

In general, it is difficult to find fault with the design, ergonomics and build quality, everything is done at a high level. The smartphone does not look cheap and feels comfortable in the hand.

Display

Vivo V23: smartphone with dual selfie camera

The 6.44-inch AMOLED display has a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels. The screen works with a refresh rate of 90 Hz. By today’s standards, this is not much, especially since the processor supports 120 Hz.

You can select one of three image modes in the settings.

Measurements of the Standard mode:

Measurements of the Professional mode:

Measurements of the Bright mode:

According to the visual assessment, the colors of the tested screen in the Professional mode look natural. When you select the Standard and Bright modes, the colors are oversaturated and the image temperature shifts to a cool tone. Maximum brightness in Bright and Professional mode – 433 cd/m² and 420 respectively. In auto brightness mode, we managed to get almost 600 cd / m2. The minimum brightness is 2 cd/m². The measurement results indicate that the screen will be comfortable to use both on a sunny day and in the dark. The practice confirms this. In general, the display of the smartphone left a pleasant impression, it responds quickly to touch, transmits colors juicy and has good contrast.

Hardware platform and performance

Vivo V23: smartphone with dual selfie camera

The smartphone is based on an 8-core processor MediaTek Dimensity 920, produced by the technical process of 6 nm. Core architecture: 2x 2.5 GHz – Cortex-A78 and 6x 2 GHz – Cortex-A55. Graphics accelerator – Mali-G68 MC4. The smartphone is available in two memory configurations: 8/128 and 12/256 GB. You can increase the RAM by borrowing up to 4 GB of RAM.

Connecting external devices to the USB Type-C port in USB OTG mode is supported. Vivo V23 supports Wi-Fi 6, equipped with NFC module and Bluetooth 5.2. In synthetic benchmarks, the device shows the expected good results. Under prolonged load, the body of the smartphone heats up insignificantly, there is no throttling.

MediaTek Dimensity 920 it’s hard to call a gaming platform, yet performance figures do not reach the level of sub-flagships,such as not very new Qualcomm Snapdragon 870, but operates stably and energy efficiently.

The smartphone runs on Android 12 with the proprietary shell Funtouch OS 12. It is not very different from the native Android and has full access to Google services.

The device supports a large number of wireless networks, including the 5G standard. In practice, within Kyiv, the smartphone demonstrates confident work, there were no complaints about the quality of communication. The speaker clearly transmits the voice, the interlocutors were also satisfied with the quality of conversations.

The fingerprint scanner of the smartphone is located under the screen, it works not quickly, but reliably. The method of unlocking using face ID is also present.

Sound

Vivo V23: smartphone with dual selfie camera

Vivo V23 is equipped with only one multimedia speaker, conversational speaker does not participate in the creation of stereo. The sound is of medium volume, it is flat and does not impress with its quality. The complete wired headset also did not surprise with the sound, but for communication and consumption of multimedia content that does not contain complex music scenes it is suitable.

Cameras

Vivo V23: smartphone with dual selfie camera

The Vivo V23 uses a three-camera configuration in the main unit:

  • wide angle (64 MP, aperture value ƒ1.89)
  • ultra wide (8 MP, aperture value ƒ2.2)
  • macro (2 MP, aperture value ƒ2.4)

The main camera, which is typical for modern smartphones with the Quad Bayer module, shoots by default at the usual resolution of 16 MP, but at any time in the settings it can be switched to 64 MP mode. The application interface is intuitive and easy to use.

The main camera Vivo V23 allows you to count on good sharpness of images and natural colors. I was specially surprised by the wide dynamic range of frames.

The ultra-wide angle camera works well in good lighting conditions. Frame distortion and loss of sharpness at the edges of the frame are present, but similar artifacts occur for most ultra-wide-angle lenses.

The macro camera allows you to count on interesting shots, but to get them you need to securely capture the smartphone and have a well-lit scene. For an acceptable result, it is better to take a few pictures to choose the best one.

The smartphone can shoot video in 4K at up to 30 frames per second or Full HD at up to 60 frames per second. There is electronic stabilization, and quite effective. Enhanced stabilization is available, which works only in Full HD mode, but its activation degrades the image quality (significantly reduces the viewing angle and detail). In 4K, you can shoot with standard focal length or double zoom, the ultra-wide-angle camera is only available in Full HD. Unfortunately, it is not possible to switch between cameras during video recording. Video quality is far from the flagship camera phones (especially in terms of detail), but not worse than other models of the class.

Example of video from a wide-angle camera in active motion and with electronic stabilization in 4K format:

Example of panoramic video from a wide-angle camera in 4K format:

Example of panoramic video from an ultra-wide-angle camera in Full HD format:

One of the main features of Vivo V23 is the front module, which is equipped with a configuration of two cameras:

  • main (50 MP, aperture value f / 2.0)
  • wide angle (8 MP, aperture value f / 2.28)

The quality of the images on the main module during the day does not cause complaints. The photos are detailed, sharp and with a good dynamic range, which is not the case with evening photos.

The second front module will be indispensable when you need to put more parts in the frame or, for example, a large company.

The front panel has a dual LED flash, which will save the picture in the dark.

Vivo V23: smartphone with dual selfie camera

Example video from the main front camera in 4K format:

Example video from a wide-angle front camera in Full format HD:

Battery life

Vivo V23: smartphone with dual selfie camera

The Vivo V23 has a 4200 mAh battery. Complete high-speed charging 44 W (11 V/4 A) charges a fully discharged smartphone to 100% in 1 hour 10 minutes. In the PCMark Work 3.0 test at a brightness of 200 cd/m², the device lasted 15 hours and 24 minutes.

Vivo V23: smartphone with dual selfie camera

In practice, a full charge is enough to keep the smartphone without problems for about a day and a half under normal load (social networks, calls, messengers, navigation, two or three hours of YouTube).