vivo V25 (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan)
vivo is a new brand in Israel that entered here last May, but not in the world and especially not in its native continent of Asia.
Founded 14 years ago, the brand belongs to the BBK smartphone corporation, which is responsible for several other well-known brands such as Oppo, realme and OnePlus.
In the short time in the Israeli market, the company is still trying to establish its position with new devices.
One of them is the vivo V25, which is sold at a recommended price of NIS 1,599, and came to us for review.
Does it justify the price?
Design
The front of the smartphone is mostly a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen, with support for a 90 Hz refresh rate.
The earpiece layer has become thin and elegant, as in many phones we've seen in recent years, and the front camera, a 50 megapixel camera, comes in a "drop" configuration.
However, the front part of the device takes us back a few years - the time when the edges around the screen were a bit thick, especially the bottom part.
Also, unlike other smartphones that are sold for less than NIS 1,599, the design of the vivo V25 has quite a bit of influence from premium devices - it has a sharp-cut frame with a glossy (plastic) finish, alongside a frosted glass back that changes shape depending on the lighting.
In terms of grip, due to the shiny frame the device is not very comfortable to hold in the hand without a cover, but it is light (186 grams).
You can also find in the lower part a speaker layer (on its left side), the USB-C charging socket and a double SIM drawer (there is 5G support).
Another important detail: there is an NFC connector here (for touch payments or multi-line charging).
The front part of the device takes us back a few years - the time when the edges around the screen were a little thick.
vivo V25 (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan)
interface and performance
Did you want cheap?
This requires compromises, and one of them is the processor.
The device runs on a Dimensity 900 chip from MediaTek (the Chinese Qualcomm if you will), intended for the mid-high market, along with a working memory (RAM) of 8 gigabytes.
Unsurprisingly, the V25 is a bit of a lazy workhorse - performance wasn't bad at all, it's not the fastest smartphone out there and it sometimes suffers from a bit of lag, but overall the response time is pretty good.
On top of that, vivo integrated the fingerprint mechanism under the display.
It responds very quickly and unlocking is done with a single touch of the screen.
vivo's operating system is built on Android 13, but on top of it they put a thick layer of interface, known as Funtouch OS.
And it's important to praise: unlike the other Chinese manufacturers that overload the operating system (hi, Xiaomi), the menus in the Funtouch OS interface are arranged and designed in an excellent way that reminds of the clean version of Android.
Shiny frame, USB-C input and dual SIM tray (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan)
battery
vivo boasts a charging technology called FlashCharge, with a power of 44 watts.
This means you will reach a 61% charge within 30 minutes.
True, it's not the record for charging speed (there are devices on the market that charge from 0% to 100% in 17 minutes), but it's definitely a fun feature to have at a low price tag.
In any case, the battery, with a capacity of 4,500, managed to hold a full working day (from 9 am to 10 pm) which included watching videos, social networks and photography.
Camera
The vivo V25 has a triple rear camera setup, which consists of a 64-megapixel main sensor with f/1.8 aperture, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 2-megapixel macro lens.
A compromise that is important to know: there is no optical zoom here, and the photo quality of the macro sensor is very disappointing.
All these technical data translate to good, but not amazing, photo quality.
The 64 megapixel camera provides good photos in daylight, with a high level of detail and without smearing or loss.
In less well-lit spaces, the sensor has a little trouble producing quality images, but the end result is overall quite good.
Also, surprisingly, in the photos in night mode, the sensor actually managed to let in a lot of light, and even here the objects were not smeared.
Photography with the vivo V25 at 64 megapixels (photo: Walla! Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan)
Photography with the vivo V25 at 64 megapixels (photo: Walla! Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan)
Surprisingly, in the photos taken in night mode, the sensor was actually able to let in a lot of light (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yanon Ben Shoshan)
Bottom line
Bottom line, the vivo V25 pleasantly surprised me, especially when you look at its price tag and the relatively cheap device category.
This smartphone responds well, the user interface is clean and convenient, it has a powerful battery, an AMOLED screen and relatively fast charging.
Is the camera less important to you in a smartphone?
The V25 is a good option for you.
Need a quality camera and smartphone that is a workhorse?
You should look for other options.
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