Two-minute review
The Vivo V21 5G is a strong mid-ranger that shows most of the attributes that we’ve come to anticipate from this fascinating model - each good and unhealthy.
It’s a slim, gentle, and stylishly constructed system that’s a pleasure to dwell with each day. It doesn’t look fairly so contemporary from the entrance because it does the again, with a considerably dated show notch. But there’s a very good purpose for that.
Vivo telephones usually ship with some type of stand-out digicam function that you simply hardly ever see elsewhere, and the V21 5G isn't any totally different. Its 44MP selfie digicam is arguably one of the best and most versatile you’ll discover for this type of cash.
Ably assisted by optical picture stabilization (OIS) and a devoted twin flash system, this might be the right telephone for wannabe vloggers on a decent price range.
The major digicam system is fairly extra strange, able to mixing it with most of its contemporaries, however definitely not among the many absolute best.
Like earlier Vivo telephones, there’s a little bit of a weak spot on the subject of efficiency. It’s not that the V21 5G performs notably poorly in each day phrases, however it’s merely nowhere close to as highly effective as one of the best of its contemporaries.
There are additionally just a few lingering questions over the western launch of the V21 5G. The model we had been despatched has quite a lot of bloatware and an incompatible mains plug. We anticipate every of those components be adjusted for the suitable markets, however it’s an indication that the model remains to be considerably tentative over pushing into wider markets.
Ultimately, whereas we respect the Vivo V21 5G’s distinctive qualities and really clear strengths - particularly that selfie digicam - it’s maybe too area of interest and downright quirky to be an unequivocal suggestion.
The OnePlus Nord 2, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite, and the Xiaomi Poco F3 all supply better-rounded packages with extra common attraction. But selfie addicts, TikTokers, and aspiring vloggers ought to undoubtedly give the V21 5G a more in-depth look.
Vivo V21 5G value and launch date
- Launched within the UK on June 17
- Retails for £399 (round $550 / AU$750)
After first launching into the Indian market on May 6, 2021, the Vivo V21 5G made its technique to the UK on June 17. It prices £399 (round $550 / AU$750) for the solitary 128GB model that’s out there on this nation.
This locations the Vivo V21 5G immediately up towards some severe competitors. The OnePlus Nord 2 and the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G are each out there for round this value, as is the mighty Poco F3.
At the time of writing there is no phrase on a US or Australian launch for the telephone.
Design
- Slim, trendy profile
- Front of telephone appears to be like dated because of teardrop notch
The Vivo V21 5G continues the model’s knack for producing slim, classy-looking telephones - at the least from the again.
Take a fast look on the telephone’s rear panel and also you may suppose you’re taking a look at one other member of the flagship Vivo X60 household. There’s the stylishly machined rectangular digicam module, the marginally matte but shimmery end, our model’s trendy purple-tinged Dusk Blue tone, and the delicate Vivo brand within the nook.
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Touch that rear panel and also you’ll be touching silky, textured glass - the type you may anticipate to see in a much more costly system. Things get barely much less premium as you flip the telephone in your hand. There’s a barely low-cost feel and appear to the shiny plastic used for the body.
A heavily-textured energy button on the right-hand edge restores a few of that Vivo poise. If you had been holding out hope for a 3.5mm headphone jack, although, we’ve acquired unhealthy information for you. At simply 7.3mm thick, there seemingly wasn’t area to incorporate such a function.
This is a fairly gentle telephone, too, at 176g. Despite having a really related footprint to the OnePlus Nord 2, it’s a very good 13g lighter, probably because of the usage of plastic and a a lot smaller battery.
Complete the 180-degree rotation and also you’ll come to comfortably the worst a part of the V21 5G’s design. While the chin appears a smidgen much less pronounced than the OnePlus Nord 2’s, and regardless of Vivo’s discuss of two.5D display screen curves (we’re not likely seeing it), your consideration will inevitably be drawn to the telephone’s show notch.
Yes, the very function that defines the Vivo V21 5G for the higher additionally does so for the more serious. This teardrop notch appears to come back from the smartphone design e-book of a number of years in the past, earlier than punch-hole cameras grew to become the norm, however given the OIS and dual-LED flash included right here, an strange sized punch-hole probably would not have completed the trick.
Display
- 6.44-inch 1080 x 2400 AMOLED is vibrant and balanced
- 90Hz refresh charge is just not absolutely the quickest, however nonetheless fluid
The Vivo V21 5G has a 6.44-inch 1080 x 2400 AMOLED show with a 90Hz refresh charge and HDR10+ assist. It’s a really related spec to different mid-range contenders just like the OnePlus Nord 2 and the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G.
As with most telephones, it defaults to 60Hz, however might be switched to both 90Hz or a Smart Switch mode that robotically adjusts to essentially the most acceptable refresh charge for the duty. It is feasible to get a 120Hz AMOLED show for this type of cash, however the Xiaomi Poco F3 is a little bit of an outlier on this and different respects.
The Vivo’s show will get good and vibrant too, as much as 500 nits in typical situations. That’ll go even increased in auto mode, do you have to stray outdoors into vibrant daylight.
When it comes to paint accuracy, the default Standard display screen setting right here was sufficiently balanced that we didn’t really feel compelled to tinker with it. You can swap to the hotter Professional or the cooler Bright settings if it’s to not your liking, nevertheless, and there’s a Color Temperature slider for those who want to effective tune the profile.
Camera
- 64MP major digicam able to respectable, sharp photographs
- 44MP entrance digicam the standout, with uncommonly completed selfies
The Vivo V21 5G’s defining function is its digicam, however not the one you may suppose. Its major digicam providing is a 1/1.72-inch 64MP sensor with OIS, which is respectable, however not spectacular.
It does an inexpensive job capturing sharp, natural-looking pictures although. Its auto HDR facility doesn’t at all times deal with extremes of sunshine and shade brilliantly, however other than that we have now few complaints. No, it’s less than the usual of the OnePlus Nord 2 with its flagship-level sensor, however few different sub-£400 telephones are hitting these heights proper now.
The V21’s major sensor is backed by a decidedly run-of-the-mill 8MP ultra-wide sensor and a nigh-on ineffective 2MP macro sensor. Again, that is very like contemporaries such because the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G and the OnePlus Nord 2, so whereas it’s underwhelming, it’s additionally par for the course.
Ultra-wide photographs lack the element and distinction of the primary sensor, and the best way that you simply entry this secondary digicam is needlessly fiddly. While most digicam UIs would place a 0.6x choice alongside the 1x and 2x, Vivo’s requires you to faucet the lens choice, adopted by a brilliant wide-angle button. That’s an additional stage that basically didn’t must be there.
While the Vivo V21 5G’s evening mode photographs, for our cash, nearly outshine the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G’s, they fall nicely behind the OnePlus Nord 2 on brightness and element as soon as once more.
Still, as we talked about on the outset, the Vivo V21 5G isn’t right here to impress you with its major digicam. It’s right here for the selfies, and on that entrance it’s actually fairly distinctive.
We had thought that the OnePlus Nord 2’s 32MP selfie digicam was fairly spectacular, however the V21 5G’s blows it out of the water - and does the identical to a very good few flagship telephones value two to a few occasions the cash.
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Vivo has taken the weird step of packing a big 44MP selfie sensor into the V21 5G. That’s uncommon sufficient in itself, however think about OIS and two LED flashes (one both facet of the notch), and you've got an unusually well-equipped selfie machine.
Those specs aren’t mere idle field ticking both. Selfies taken with the V21 5G have an uncommon quantity of element, and are significantly better (albeit not completely) uncovered than you may be accustomed to from a less expensive telephone. Highlights within the background usually stay clear fairly than blowing out right into a milky nothing.
This excellence extends to indoor and low gentle selfie snapping. We took a series of equivalent photographs in difficult lighting with the Vivo V21 5G and the OnePlus Nord 2. The V21 5G’s had been invariably a lot sharper and clearer, its pores and skin tone remaining remarkably full and distinct.
That’s the case even with Ultra Night mode activated, at which level the V21 well employs a white viewfinder alongside these two flashes. This is deeply spectacular stuff.
Selfie movies profit from this setup too, with super-stable, clear footage at 1080p. Vloggers take notice. You can shoot 4K selfie movies too, however you’ll lose the good thing about OIS, which is a disgrace.
Camera samples
Specs and efficiency
- MediaTek Dimensity 800U is just not aggressive for the worth
- 128GB of storage and a microSD slot
The Vivo V21 5G runs on a MediaTek MT6853 Dimensity 800U chipset. It’s backed by a wholesome 8GB of RAM, however the alternative of chip remains to be a little bit of a disappointment.
Our drawback right here isn’t the truth that this isn’t a mainstream Qualcomm chip. Indeed, we’ve seen this chip earlier than within the likes of the Oppo Reno 4 Z 5G, the Realme 7 5G, and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T, and we discovered it to be a powerful performer in every case. But these telephones all had a a lot decrease launch value than the Vivo V21 5G.
Leading members of the Vivo V21 5G’s peer group are a lot sooner. The OnePlus Nord 2 launched with the considerably newer and extra succesful MediaTek Dimensity 1200 5G, whereas the Poco F3 packs the flagship-troubling Snapdragon 870, and the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G is correct up there with the Snapdragon 780G.
It’s a measurably giant efficiency hole. In Geekbench 5, the Vivo V21 5G scored a mean of 1,823 for the multi-core check. The OnePlus Nord 2 scored round 2,600, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G scored round 2,900, and the Poco F3 scored 3,369.
That hole is even wider on the subject of GPU efficiency. In the 3DMark Wild Life check, which simulates intense cell gaming eventualities, the Vivo V21 5G scored round 1,607, whereas the OnePlus Nord 2 acquired round 4,230, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G 3,160, and the Poco F3 scored round 4,090.
Unsurprisingly, actual world gaming isn’t too nice on the Vivo V21 5G. Genshin Impact defaults to the bottom graphical settings, and nonetheless doesn’t precisely run silky clean.
In sensible phrases, the Vivo V21 5G snaps by common duties simply effective. But it lacks the buttery clean app and menu transitions of these aforementioned contemporaries, and we by no means fairly felt that very same sense of flagship opulence that we get with the OnePlus Nord 2.
At least a part of that may be all the way down to Funtouch 11.1, Vivo’s customized Android 11 UI, which is barely too busy for its personal good. We’ll give Vivo a specific amount of good thing about the doubt right here although, because the model we had been despatched clearly isn’t supposed for western markets.
It comes preloaded with apps corresponding to PhonePe, Dailyhunt and Moj, which clearly wouldn’t seem in a European model. The extra localized Vivo telephones that we’ve reviewed not too long ago have been way more stripped again of their software program choices, so we’ll simply point out the boatful of bloatware that has discovered its manner onto this specific Vivo V21 5G and transfer on.
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Funtouch itself is in any other case a reasonably gentle, inventory tackle Android as of late. It’s not as targeted or cohesive as OxygenOS and even Sony’s UI, however it’s no worse than Xiaomi’s MIUI or Oppo’s ColorOS.
The storage provision is robust, with 128GB of built-in reminiscence and a microSD card slot do you have to want to crank that capability up additional.
Battery life
- 4,000mAh battery good for 2 days of sunshine to reasonable use
- 33W charger will get you to full in lower than an hour
The Vivo V21 5G runs on a 4,000mAh battery, which is just a little smaller than these of the rival handsets talked about elsewhere. There aren't any worries on the stamina entrance, although. We had been routinely in a position to get by a full day of utilization with lots to spare.
Indeed, a full 15-hour day with round 4 hours of screen-on time would usually go away us with round 50% left within the tank, even with the show set to 90Hz. If you’re not a very heavy person or a dedicated gamer - and if you're, this actually isn’t your telephone - then you might very nicely get by two full days on a single cost.
Even on the media consumption entrance, the Vivo V21 5G does fairly nicely. We ran a 90-minute looped 720p video, with the display screen at full brightness, and the Vivo misplaced 8%. This compares favorably with the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G, which misplaced 11%, whereas the Poco F3 misplaced an analogous 7%.
The V21 5G comes with a 33W quick charger, which is similar because the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G and the Poco F3, however nicely wanting the OnePlus Nord 2 5G’s 65W monstrosity. It’s apparently good for zero to 100% in 52 minutes, however we’ll simply need to take Vivo’s phrase on that. The model we had been despatched got here with an Indian plug, so we had been unable to check it.
Should you purchase the Vivo V21 5G?
Buy it if...
You take extra selfies than every other image sort
If you’re a younger, self-promoting, social media-obsessed sort, then it's best to significantly think about making the Vivo V21 5G your subsequent telephone. Its 44MP selfie cam takes freakishly good selfie photographs in all lighting situation, and also you merely gained’t get higher for the cash - and even for a very good deal extra.
You’re a vlogger on a price range
It’s not simply selfies that the Vivo V21 5G does nicely. Its OIS-assisted entrance digicam can be nice for capturing super-stable footage. The subsequent time you put up a horribly shaky out-and-about confessional to your social community of alternative, take into consideration what you might have achieved with the Vivo V21 5G.
You’re fed up of chunky telephones
Mid-range telephones are getting greater, with increasing waistlines accommodating bigger batteries and extra premium constructions. The Vivo V21 5G nonetheless has wonderful stamina and an aesthetic design, however it does so in a super-skinny and comparatively gentle physique.
Don't purchase it if...
You’re a severe gamer
You don’t want a flagship telephone to get an excellent gaming expertise, however the Vivo V21 5G merely doesn’t have the GPU energy to deal with one of the best video games at elevated settings. The Poco F3, OnePlus Nord 2 or Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G offer you far more polygon-pushing energy for a similar cash.
You need super-clean software program
Vivo’s Funtouch UI tends to be just a little extra reserved in its western iteration, however it’s nonetheless barely busy and gaudy. Certainly in comparison with the OnePlus Nord 2’s OxygenOS or the Pixel 4a’s inventory Android, at any charge.
You hate notches
That stand-out selfie digicam comes at a value: you need to put up with an obtrusive teardrop notch that makes the Vivo V21 5G seem like a a lot older (or at the least cheaper) telephone from the entrance. Unless you discover this much less distracting than all these punch-hole cameras, after all.
First reviewed: July 2021
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