Vivo V19 review: Scores well on design, performance but the price pinches

Vivo is known for its camera-centric smartphones. Over the years, the Chinese smartphone maker has made strides in other smartphone categories but imaging remains one of its key core strengths in its smartphones. Continuing the legacy is the Vivo V19, which the company recently launched in India to expand its V-series line-up. On paper, the Vivo V19 seems to be a premium camera-centric smartphone with something in store for everyone. But is it? Let’s find out: 

Vivo V19 price in India

The Vivo V19 comes in 128GB and 256GB internal storage variants, both with 8 GB of RAM, priced at Rs 27,999 and Rs 31,990, respectively.

Vivo V19 specifications round-up

The Vivo V19 has a 6.44-inch super AMOLED display with a punch hole for selfie camera. It boasts a 3D glass curved back with a gradient design that looks premium. The phone comes in two colours -- Mystic Silver and Piano Black (Business Standard reviewed the Mystic Silver unit). Overall, the phone is lightweight and has good ergonomics. However, it has a camera bump on the back that makes it wobble when kept on flat surfaces. Speaking of camera, the phone has a 48-megapixel primary rear camera, paired with 8MP ultra-wide sensor, 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro sensor. On the front, the phone has a 32MP-based dual selfie camera. The phone is powered by a 4,500mAh battery and supports 33W fast wired charging. The V19 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 system-on-chip and it ships with Android 10 operating system-based Funtouch 10.0 user interface.

Vivo V19 review

The Vivo V19 is a capable smartphone let down by its custom user interface, which has lots of bloatware pre-installed and does not look anything like Android. The phone does not show any weakness when used for daily tasks like calls, messages, social media, etc. However, it shows hesitation in rendering graphic intensive games at their peak supported graphics settings. If you are more into online Ludo and a few racing games, the phone would be a good companion but it succumbs to heavy usage with games such as Call of Duty and PUBG, owing to the Adreno 616 GPU which is midrange GPU not meant for extreme gaming.

The choice of chipset is a bit underwhelming considering the asking price of the Vivo V19. That aside, the V19 offers a combination of decent style and performance.

Its 4500mAh battery is good for a day’s on-battery time on medium usage and it charges quickly through supplied 33W FlashCharge charger.

Vivo V19 camera

The rear cameras on the V19 seems to work good for everyday photography. We did not see any colour moderation in the pictures and the details seem decent, too. However, at times, the pictures look too soft (while taking selfies) or too sharp.

We had expected more from the 8MP wide-angle camera but just like Vivo's other offerings, this too tries to hold the details but ends up losing them in the final picture. The pictures in low light are somewhat fine, yet I feel there's room for improvement.

Vivo V19 review verdict

The Vivo V19 is an expensive smartphone with decent design, capable performance and satisfactory optics. The phone is a good option if you desist bulky phones with the usual gradient design. However, there are smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro, Realme X3, etc. that offer better value with regard to features, design and specifications.