vivo V23 5G review: the world's first color-changing smartphone

</ img>

vivo V23 5G is a mid-level smartphone aimed at a youth audience. It has a very nice design,

made from quality materials andunique back cover that changes color under the sun's rays. The vivo V23 5G has a triple camera setup on the back, the main one of which takes pictures very well in most situations. The smartphone will also be of interest to those who constantly take photos and videos with the front camera: there are two of them of very decent quality with the bonus of two front LEDs for low-light conditions. The display is bright, with very good color reproduction, and the battery lasts for a day and a half of use. The only thing missing is stereo sound and protection from moisture. The smartphone now costs 17,000 UAH for the version with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory. In this price range there are models with moisture protection, stereo sound and more powerful processors.

</ p>

5 reasons to buy vivo V23 5G:

nice design with a back panel that changes color;
long battery life and fast charging;
good main camera;
interesting dual camera with backlight;
Convenient shell Funtouch OS 12.

2 reasons not to buy vivo V23 5G:

no moisture protection and stereo sound;
there are competitors with more productive iron, old and IP protection.

Fast passage:

What is included?
What does vivo V23 5G look like?
How good is the screen?
What are the unlock methods?
What about performance, memory, sound and autonomy?
How convenient is the interface?
How good are the cameras?
In the dry residue

What is included?

</ img>

The Vivo V23 line is packaged in a box of standardNice dark blue size. Inside is the smartphone itself, a 44W charger, a USB Type-C cable, a transparent silicone case, a wired headset, a Type-C to 3.5 mm headphone adapter, a tray tool, a protective film (on the screen from the factory) and documentation. It seems that vivo is in no hurry to save on the kit, as some smartphone manufacturers are doing.

What does vivo V23 5G look like?

</ img>

vivo V23 5G can be said to have averagedimensions, given the general fashion for smartphones with large screens. The smartphone has a design with sharp right angles, unlike most modern models that have a streamlined frame shape. Almost the entire front panel is occupied by a 6.44-inch AMOLED screen with an unusual cutout for the front camera. Firstly, it is wide because there are two front cameras. And secondly – it has the shape of a “unibrow”, rather than the now more common hole. Above it is a thin mesh of the earpiece, on the sides of which two LEDs are hidden for illumination when taking selfies in low light. The frames on the sides are thin, the top and “chin” – a little wider.

</ img>

The frame of the smartphone is made of metal and hasplastic inserts for stable operation of wireless interfaces. It is flat and has a glossy finish. The volume and power buttons are located in the usual place, on the right side of the smartphone. Their location sounds both for the right and for the left hand. There are no interesting elements on the left side of the smartphone.

</ img>

On the top edge there is only an additional microphone for stereo recording:

</ img>

The rest are below: the only main speaker, USB Type-C connector, conversational microphone and tray.

</ img>

The smartphone does not have the ability to install a mapmemory, only two nano SIM-cards. In the younger vivo V23e model, it is possible to install a MicroSD instead of a second SIM card. Interestingly, the tray has a rubber seal, although vivo V23 5G does not have any moisture protection.

</ img>

The most interesting feature of vivo V23 5G and V23e isrear photochromic glass panel that changes color. Although this does not apply to “boring” black options. The Sunshine Gold option has a pleasant velvety finish and has a golden hue in the room. But in the sun, or under the influence of an ultraviolet lamp, it changes color to blue-green. This is possible thanks to the special Flourite AG coating. vivo V23 5G has a solid back panel:

</ img>

Junior V23e - with a mosaic pattern:

</ img>

The rear camera block is made in the form of enougha large metal rectangle with three vertically arranged modules and a flash to the right. The module itself does not protrude too much above the surface of the smartphone.

</ img>

Smartphones look quite youthful, especially considering the color-changing back panel. Although there are black options for conservatives. Unfortunately, no moisture protection for smartphones is declared.

</ p>

How good is the screen?

</ img>

vivo V23 5G uses an AMOLED display withwith a diagonal of 6.44 inches and a resolution of 2400:1080. The aspect ratio is 20:9, the pixel density is approximately 409 ppi. The display supports HDR10+ and has a refresh rate of 90Hz. Of course, I would like 120 Hz, but 90 Hz is also not bad. Interestingly, instead of the usual Gorilla glass, vivo decided to use the Schott Xensation Up. It is difficult to say how durable it is, because there is a protective film on the screen and there is no point in tearing it off. The settings have a fairly standard set: brightness, eye protection, dark theme, font size and style, scale of interface elements, splash screen, setting the top status bar, frequency selection (60 Hz, 90 Hz and adaptive mode) and the choice of displaying colors with manual color adjustment. Temperature Standard, Professional (sRGB), and Vivid are available.

</ img>

The Always on Display function is supported with different types of dials and patterns.

</ img>

The brightness reserve of the screen is very good and even belowIn the bright sun, all information remains completely legible. I had no personal complaints before the color rendition. Measurements using a colorimeter showed that in Standard mode the maximum quality is 419.415 cd/m2, a color gamut significantly wider than the sRGB color space. At the same time, the color temperature is raised quite significantly towards cool colors: approximately 8500K with a reference value of 6500K. Although this is not critical due to the ability to adjust manually.

</ img>

In “Professional” mode, the color gamut is close to sRGB, and all other indicators are closer to the reference values. At the same time, the maximum brightness differs minimally: 406.667 cd/m2.

</ img>

The bright mode is almost completely identical to the standard mode in all respects. Maximum quality 418.098 cd/m2:

</ img>

Comparison with other models:

Device name
White field brightness,
cd / m2
The brightness of the black field,
cd / m2
Contrast

vivo V23 5G
419.415
0
∞

Xiaomi 11T Pro
493.872
0
∞

ASUS ROG Phone 5
482.347
0
∞

Samsung Galaxy S21 +
437.906
0
∞

Samsung Galaxy S21
432.854
0
∞

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
408.388
0
∞

Sony Xperia 1
394.97
0
∞

Huawei P30 Pro
447.247
0
∞

Samsung Galaxy S10
378.72
0
∞

What are the unlock methods?

</ img>

Both vivo V23 5G and younger model vivo V32euse crane-mounted optical fingerprint scanners. When scanning, the print is highlighted. So it may not respond to wet fingers. But under standard conditions, the scanner works quickly and accurately. The only point is that the scanner is located quite low, which is not always convenient. An alternative unlock option is face recognition. Works well in most cases too. Difficulties can only be in very poor lighting. Although there is a backlight function for this.

</ img>

What about performance, memory, sound and autonomy?

Inside the vivo V23 5G has a 6nmMediaTek Dimensity 920 octa-core mid-range processor. It includes two ARM Cortex-A78 cores at 2.5 GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores at 2 GHz. Mali-G68 MC4 is used as a graphics accelerator. RAM can be 8 or 12 GB, as well as support for expanding the RAM due to the drive for an additional 4 GB. Internal storage - 128 or 256 GB. The younger model vivo V23e has a more modest Mediatek Helio G96 at 2.05 GHz and has only one memory option: 8/128 GB. Back to vivo V23 5G. In synthetic tests, the smartphone is gaining a fairly average number of points, which confirms its positioning. There are no problems with the speed of the interface or applications, everything works clearly and without problems.

</ img>

CPU Throttling Test showed that with a long maximum load, the performance of the vivo V23 5G drops to an average of 84%, which is quite normal and acceptable. At the same time, the body is almost not nargated.

</ img>

Of course, there is a game mode with the abilitychoose a performance level, disable alerts, lock brightness, make a video of the game, or enable additional effects. Modern smartphone games work well. Of course, you should not turn all the settings to the maximum, especially in Genshin Impact or Diablo Immortal. With medium settings, you can get quite a decent level of FPS in Genshin Impact. In Diablo Immortal, unfortunately, the 60 FPS mode cannot be enabled. But in Call of Duty Mobile, getting a stable 60 FPS is not a problem at all.

</ img>

Both smartphones are equipped with dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5.2 LE with aptX HD and NFC for contactless payment. This applies to the official versions of Ukraine. Since there are options without NFC. Smartphones support global positioning systems A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, the older model also supports QZSS, NavIC. Unfortunately, neither the vivo V23 5G nor the V23e support stereo playback through speakers. The volume of the single speaker is average, although it is enough to not miss a call. The sound in the headphones is also at an average level and will satisfy most users. The branded player has a basic set of functions, to which DeepField effects have been added: surround sound, enhanced bass and a voice enhancer.

</ img>

vivo V23 5G uses not very large4200 mAh battery. But, despite this, the smartphone turned out to be surprisingly hardy. At the beginning of use (with performance tests and more active use of the camera), the smartphone lasted a full day. In a more ordinary mode, you can count on a day and a half, depending on whether you play on a smartphone or not. This is about 20 minutes of calls, a couple of hours of music via Bluetooth, social networks, mail, video, browser, etc. The smartphone supports 44W Flash Charge fast charging. They promise 68% in half an hour. The battery can be fully charged in an hour. Of course, there is a power saving mode for extreme situations.

</ img>

What about the interface?

</ img>

vivo V23 5G and V23e run on Android 12 OSbranded shell Funtouch OS 12. vivo did not radically change the operating system in terms of interface elements and general logic, adding some possibilities for customizing the actual appearance. This is a fairly correct approach, because there is no need to get used to unfamiliar features and capabilities. Overall, Funtouch OS 12 looks neat, makes a good impression, and runs quickly. The workspace has the usual desktops with widgets and icons, there is a separate menu with all applications (can be disabled if desired), consisting of two tabs. Actually, applications and widgets are available. The application grid can be adjusted. The curtain has a regular structure, and for navigation there are gestures or a bottom panel with buttons.

</ img>

In addition to the usual wallpapers, themes, settingsicons and different color schemes, there are so-called dynamic effects. In fact, any action can be selected with a corresponding bright animation.

</ img>

Application manager has two optionsdisplay: classic horizontal carousel with cards, or in two rows. It also allows you to switch to split screen mode. Another option is to swipe up on the screen with three fingers.

</ img>

Funtouch OS 12 is not overloaded with a bunch of unnecessaryapplications. There is a necessary minimum of useful things: EasyShare for quick data transfer, calculator, voice recorder, notes, iManager with quick cleaning and smartphone diagnostics functions.

</ img>

How good are the cameras?

The rear camera of vivo V23 5G includes threemodule. Main 64 megapixels, f/1.9 aperture, 26 mm EPI, phase detection autofocus. Unfortunately, there is no optical stabilization. Ultra-wide-angle camera. 8 MP, f/2.2, 16 mm, 120˚ angle. And a formal macro at 2 MP f/2.4. Shoots video up to 2160p@30fps. The front camera is double. Main 50 MP, f/2.0 with autofocus. Additional – ultra-wide-angle 8 MP, f/2.3, 105˚. Additionally, there are two front LEDs for illumination in low light conditions.

</ img>

In general, the camera app has a familiarfunctionality. The traditional carousel of the main modes and the menu of additional ones. All the most important settings, including zoom, flash and HDR, are on the main screen. In video mode, you can quickly switch resolution, frame rate and enable stabilization.

</ img>

vivo V23 5G main camera takes good pictureswith sufficient lighting. With sufficient detail, wide dynamic range and natural color reproduction. Night mode works very well. Although, of course, the detailing drops somewhat and the work of processing algorithms becomes noticeable: yellow shades appear. Although, in general, given the class of the smartphone, we can say that the main camera does a good job.

</ img>

The ultra-wide-angle camera is at the level of competitors: it does not have autofocus and is able to take good photos during the day. With insufficient lighting, a lot of noise is obtained:

</ img>

Macro camera – rather just “play”, because 2 MP – not enough, and it’s quite difficult to take a clear photo with a fixed focus at such a distance:

</ img>

The smartphone does not have a telephoto camera, so 2x zoom is exclusively digital (dill from the main camera):

</ img>

The main front camera has autofocus andoverall takes very good photos. Even at night, without additional lighting, something comes out, although the detailing, of course, falls. The wide-angle front camera can take decent photos without any problems. At night, even in completely dark conditions, you can take good self-portraits thanks to the front illumination.

</ img>

vivo V23 5G can shoot 4K 30fps videos. There is electronic stabilization. It does not work perfectly and there is still a slight trembling of the video:

The bottom line is four things to know about the vivo V23 5G.

vivo V23 5G is equipped with a high-quality AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 90Hz and decent brightness.
The inside is not top-end hardware, but it is enough for comfortable work.
The smartphone has good autonomy and can work for a day and a half without recharging.
vivo V23 5G and vivo V23e have a nice design and unique back panels that change color in the sun.

Our video review of vivo V23 5G and vivo 23e:

Specifications

vivo V23 5G
vivo V23e

Display
AMOLED, 6.44 inches, 2400×1080 (20:9 aspect ratio), 409 ppi, HDR10+, 90 Hz, Schott Xensation Up glass
AMOLED, 6.44 inches, 2400×1080 (20:9 aspect ratio), 409 ppi

Housing
dimensions: 157.2x72.4x7.55 mm, weight: 181 g
dimensions: 160.9x74.3x7.4 mm, weight: 172g

CPU
64-bit 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 920, 2×2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 + 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55, Mali-G68 MC4 graphics
64-bit 12nm Mediatek Helio G96, 2×2.05 GHz Cortex-A76+ 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55, Mali-G57 MC2 graphics

RAM
8.12 GB
8 GB

Flash memory
128/256 GB
128+ MicroSD

Camera

64 MP (f/1.9, 26 mm, PDAF); ultra-wide-angle 8 MP (f/2.2, 16 mm, 120˚, 1/4.0″ 1.12µm); macro 2 MP f/2.4; flash, video up to 2160p@30fps; front camera: main 50 MP, f/2.0, AF + ultra-wide-angle 8 MP, f/2.3, 105˚, flash

64 MP (f/1.8, 26 mm, PDAF); ultra-wide-angle 8 MP (f/2.2, 16 mm, 120˚, 1/4.0″ 1.12µm); macro 2 MP f/2.4; flash, video up to 2160p@30fps; front camera: 50 MP, f/2.0, AF

Wireless technology
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6 (dual band, 2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.2 LE, NFC
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6 (dual band, 2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 5.2 LE, NFC

GPS
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO

Battery
4200 mAh, non-removable, 44 W fast charging
4050 mAh, non-removable, 44 W fast charging

operating system
Android 12 + Funtouch OS 12
Android 12+ Funtouch OS 12

Sim card
2xNanoSIM
2xNanoSIM

Additionally
optical fingerprint scanner in the screen
optical fingerprint scanner in the screen

For those who want to know more:

Oneplus Nord CE 2 5G: a well-stocked smartphone for $305
Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22+ Review: Universal Flagships
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: the merger of two galaxies
realme 9i: budget phone with 90Hz screen, stereo speakers and excellent autonomy
Realme GT Neo 2: 40 minutes of charging and two days without an outlet
vivo X70 Pro: a great camera phone you won't buy

Geek Tech Online

Everything about technology and gadgets

vivo V23 5G review: the world's first color-changing smartphone

Fast passage:

What is included?

What does vivo V23 5G look like?

How good is the screen?

What are the unlock methods?

What about performance, memory, sound and autonomy?

What about the interface?

How good are the cameras?

The bottom line is four things to know about the vivo V23 5G.

Our video review of vivo V23 5G and vivo 23e: