Full review: The vivo V29e gets all-around upgrades

If there’s one thing that makes a smartphone truly stand out these days, it would be its killer camera specs – ideal in the era of content creation. That’s why I believe vivo is headed in the right direction as it strives to continuously improve its photography capabilities. Case in point, the vivo V29e highlights some upgrades in the Aura Portrait 2.0.

Since we were impressed by the portrait shots taken with the vivo V27e, we are expecting good things from vivo’s latest. But the question is, what other upgrades does the vivo V29e have to entice all types of users? Find out in this review.

Design and build

The rear design exudes class and elegance. One of my favorite upgrades is the glass back; this finish is also far from being a fingerprint magnet. The unique yet subtle design in Ice Creek colorway is a welcome change considering the sea of flashy smartphone designs. For maximum minimalism, the Forest Black is the ideal choice. 

Aside from the premium-looking design, the vivo V29e also delivers in terms of ergonomic factor; the boxy frame and lightweight (190g) and slim (7.69mm) build contributed to this. What’s more is that it has an IP54 rating, making it dust and splash resistant.

Display

Up front, it features a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. Compared to its predecessor, the vivo V29e has a bigger screen and slimmer bezels (88.3% screen-to-body ratio). This translates to vibrant and sharp visuals for binge-watch sessions and adequately snappy swipes and scrolls. I was able to reap the full benefits of an immersive display with this one. 

Camera

The rear panel houses the 64MP main camera and 8MP ultrawide camera. The latter makes the V29e a good choice for those who love taking “Gen Z” selfies with their whole barkada. At the same time, you can applaud it for producing shots that can come close to the quality of the main shooter. 

• 

• 

Speaking of the 64MP main camera, it didn’t come as a surprise that it showcased impressive image quality in both favorable and low-light situations. Amid good lighting, you can really see how vibrant the colors and crisp the details are. It didn’t take so much effort to snap a shot that’s all set for posting on social media. 

• 

• 

I was excited to try out the enhanced Aura Light, and I had all the reasons to be. First, the 360-degree even lighting allowed the subjects of the photo to have brightly lit faces. And second, the details were noticeably sharp, making the image lively even at nighttime. 

You’d think that taking photos at night would be tricky, but with the vivo V29e’s capabilities, the challenge was much easier to overcome.

If you love taking selfies, the 50MP front camera with autofocus will be the most appetizing treat of all. It starts with the fact that more people can fit in one frame thanks to the 92-degree field of view, followed by the clearer and brighter selfies produced in various lighting scenarios. 

Performance

Under the hood, it’s powered by the Snapdragon 695 5G chipset and runs on 12GB + 8GB Extended RAM. This gave the device a significant boost, which was evident while executing light-to-moderate tasks. 

It’s no slouch when you put it to the test by playing mobile games like Mobile Legends and Asphalt 9 as well. The way it carries out heavier loads was effortless. I didn’t encounter any hiccups along the way. 

In terms of storage, you have 256GB at your disposal. That’s more than enough when take several safety shots for your new Instagram post. Spam the shutter button away. 

Battery

The vivo V29e is built with a 4800mAh battery. Surprisingly, it can extend its use beyond your work hours, giving you plenty of room to de-stress. You can kill time playing mobile games or doom scrolling on TikTok or Instagram. 

When you run low on juice, the 44W fast charger can power up your device from 0 to 100% in a little over an hour. 

Verdict

While content creators can rave about vivo’s consistent efforts to further advance the photography capabilities of the V29e, typical users surely have a lot of new things to enjoy in this newest iteration. You have improved durability, screen, battery, and performance making the offer as enticing as it could be. 

That said, you get more than your money’s worth when you spend PHP18,999 to cop this device.