Vivo V70 Elite review: Camera-first phone strikes balance with performance

Consider the Vivo V70 Elite if you prioritise photography, enjoy experimenting with focal lengths and filters, and want a large yet comfortable phone capable of handling gaming and multitasking

Vivo expanded its smartphone portfolio in India with the V70 Elite launch on February 19. The smartphone features a 6.59-inch screen of 120Hz refresh rate, a 6,500mAh battery, and a telephoto equipped and Zeiss engineered triple-camera system on the rear. The company calls it a smartphone with “exceptional camera” and “power packed performance.” But do these claims hold up in real life? Let’s find out in the review below.

Capturing from the rear camera

The Vivo V70 Elite has a triple-camera setup on the back, comprising a 50MP Zeiss main camera, 50MP Zeiss super-telephoto camera, and an 8MP Zeiss ultra-wide camera. The multi-lens enables portraits at different focal lengths – 23mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 100mm. The Vivo V70 Elite is able to retain detailing in pictures at each one of these focal lengths. The colour reproduction in pictures seems close-to-reality. 

 

The telephoto camera can zoom-in till 100x, but it is not optical zoom all the way through. That said, any picture clicked till 10x zoom looks fine with the edges of objects being clearly visible. Till 20x, the results are passable, but the quality shows degradation. Therefore, any picture clicked beyond 20x lose out on crucial details, but you can still find some use of the massive 100x zoom scale for capturing sky or the moon. 

On the opposite side of imaging spectrum, the is Macro mode wherein you can either go close up to the object or zoom in on it from the distance and get stellar detailed shots. Various filters like Zeiss, Classic, Clear Blue or Macarons are able to successfully change the undertone of pictures. During my testing, I’ve used the Zeiss filter for the majority of the time. 

The colour reproduction in pictures clicked in the Film mode seemed a bit off, though. I attended a marriage function in which I clicked several pictures but the one thing that remained consistent was that if the lighting was even a bit dim, the photo appeared slightly washed out. Or if I have to explain it better then the image processing makes people look a bit more pale than they actually are. 

Lastly, coming to the videography part, the Vivo V70 Elite can capture videos in 4K quality at 60 frames per second. The videos turned out to be standard, suggesting that the camera did its job. I was also recording videos with the Pixel 10 Pro at the same time, and it felt like Pixel had a slight upper hand in this.

 

Selfie mode on

For selfies and video calls, the Vivo V70 Elite sports a 50MP Zeiss group selfie camera. The smartphone is able to capture details in selfies to a great extent. It was able to capture the detailing of my hair strands even when I shot it at 1x zoom with a full-arm distance. The bokeh effect in portrait shots is applied accurately. It did not blur the edges of my face and was able to rightly detect the background to apply the effect. The bokeh effect at 2x zoom also works fine. Selfies often tend to have a warm tone in normal capture mode but the moment you enter into the Film mode by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, the pictures start showing cooler tones as if it was being shot by a sort of vintage camera (not black-and-white ones).  

There are a range of controls even for the front camera. For example, in the Portrait mode, there are controls to play with the dimension of your face. You can slim it, widen it, elongate it, shorten it. Remember those mirror rooms where we saw weird shaped reflections of ours every time we looked into a mirror? This control reminded me of it. Obviously that’s not all, you can play with other facial features like lips or nose.  

Coming to videography, the Vivo V70 Elite is capable of capturing videos in 4K quality at 60 frames per second from the front camera. For some reason, the videos captured from the front camera had an element of noise in it. At first I thought that maybe the lens was not clean but despite wiping it properly, the noise element was present. Overall the videos were fine, except for those little corner spots.

 

Design

The Vivo V70 Elite features a clean and sophisticated look. The back panel sports a matte glass finish, with the Vivo branding resting in the bottom left corner. The raised camera module on the back houses three sensors, a ring light flash, and Zeiss branding. The unit that I received was Passion Red. We do not get to see such shades often on smartphones nowadays. Largely, the back panel sported a matte red finish and was complemented by the camera island, which featured a glossy finish. 

The Vivo V70 Elite sports a 6.59-inch screen and weighs 194g. The overall weight distribution of the smartphone feels balanced, making it suitable for usage over extended periods. The curved edges make the phone sit comfortably in the hands. The side frame on the right features the power and volume buttons. The left side remains clean without any physical buttons. The bottom frame houses a SIM tray, a USB-C port for charging and file transfer, and a speaker grille. 

I reviewed the Vivo X200 FE last year, which falls somewhere in a similar price category as the V70 Elite. The X200 FE sported a 6.31-inch screen, making it compact and suitable for handling during longer hours. While the V70 Elite is not that compact, it did remind me of the X200 FE. It feels like an ideal size, unlike smartphones with screens larger than 6.8-inch, which can feel excessive to handle comfortably. If you are someone who does not want to compromise on display size for watching multimedia content, yet want a smartphone that rests comfortably in your hands, then the Vivo V70 Elite might be a suitable option.

 

Display and audio

The Vivo V70 Elite’s 6.59-inch OLED display offers up to a 120Hz refresh rate, 1.5K resolution, peak brightness of 5,000 nits, and HDR10+ support. The display is fairly standard, as we get to see a 120Hz refresh rate and 1.5K resolution in numerous smartphones launched recently or last year. During my testing, the display’s colour reproduction appeared sharp and clear. Colours do not appear overly flashy but look vibrant and true to life. The pinks and greens looked very true to reality, whereas the bright oranges and reds felt slightly punchy. The smartphone was able to reproduce deep blacks well to a certain extent. My multimedia experience was satisfactory. 

The brightness is suitable for outdoor usage. While it is not exceptionally bright, like the iQOO 15, it still performs well outdoors, with on-screen content remaining easily readable. Taking it out in extreme sunlight conditions does not pose a significant challenge to readability, but slightly higher brightness would have further improved the experience. 

Coming to the audio, the Vivo V70 Elite offers loud audio output. In terms of loudness, I did not have any complaints with the smartphone. However, there is something that I missed. The Motorola Signature that I reviewed last month had two speaker grilles, one on the bottom and one on the top frame, delivering surround sound. The Vivo V70 Elite delivers loud and crisp audio but misses that surround sound effect. If you have not used a smartphone that offers dual speaker grilles, you may not notice much difference, and the Vivo V70 Elite would be sufficient in that case.

 

Performance and gaming

The Vivo V70 Elite is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, coupled with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage. In everyday use, the Vivo V70 Elite felt consistently smooth. Whether I was switching between multiple apps, spending hours gaming, or trying out its AI features, the phone kept up without slowdowns. It handled heavy multitasking as comfortably as basic tasks, which made the overall experience dependable. 

Heat management was mostly under control. During routine use — streaming movies, scrolling social media, or playing lighter games — the phone stayed fairly cool. That said, I did notice some warmth in specific situations. Charging the device caused it to heat up more than usual, and extended gaming sessions led to a slight rise in temperature. Even then, it was not uncomfortable or alarming, just something noticeable upon close attention. 

There was one unusual aspect that I noticed. Typically, most smartphones with a dedicated gaming mode display frame rate on screen while gaming. Some show it by default, while it may need to be enabled on others. However, the Vivo V70 Elite did not give me any option to view the frame rate on screen. I explored the game mode settings and all possible options in the Settings menu, but I was unable to find such an option. The only possible conclusion I can draw is that the frame rate may fluctuate during gaming, which could explain why Vivo has chosen not to make it visible.

 

AI features

The Vivo V70 Elite runs Android 16-based OriginOS 6. The smartphone offers a range of AI features, covering productivity, image editing, and more. Some of the features that I found myself using frequently, apart from Transcribe, are: 

AI UHD: This feature is supposed to boost picture clarity. While it does enhance clarity, it also softens the image considerably. Skin textures, such as wrinkles or subtle folds visible in the original picture, get replaced by a softened, artificial appearance. 

AI Audio Noise Eraser: This feature is designed to remove various sounds from videos, including voices, music, or background noise. In my usage, it successfully removed background music from a video clip. However, when it came to eliminating voices of people in the frame, it did not deliver dependable results. 

AI Magic Weather: This feature replaces the sky in your picture. For example, if you click a picture on a bright sunny day, it can replace the sky to appear as if it was taken at dusk. During my testing, the feature did not deliver consistent results. While some outputs appeared believable, others clearly looked artificial. The borderlines between objects and the sky appeared too visible in some cases.

Battery and charging

The Vivo V70 Elite is powered by a 6,500mAh battery with 90W charging support. This is the same battery capacity and charging speed as the Vivo V60, which was launched in August last year. At a time when smartphones in this segment, such as the OnePlus 15R and Realme 16 Pro Plus, offer batteries exceeding 7,000mAh, Vivo continues with the same battery specifications as last year. Even smartphones such as the OnePlus Nord CE 5 and Realme P4 Power, priced at nearly half the cost of the Vivo V70 Elite, offer batteries exceeding 7,000mAh. 

In terms of battery life, the Vivo V70 Elite lasted approximately a day with moderate usage. I played games for a few hours, casually scrolled through Instagram and YouTube, and watched a few episodes of web series during testing. Heavy users will likely need to charge the device by the evening. 

In terms of charging, the Vivo V70 Elite completed a full charge, from 0 per cent to 100 per cent, in around 50 minutes. A quick top-up of 10 minutes charged the smartphone by approximately 18 to 20 per cent.

Verdict

The Vivo V70 Elite is, at its core, a camera-focused smartphone that largely delivers on its promise. The 50MP Zeiss main and telephoto cameras produce detailed, natural-looking shots across focal lengths. Portraits are versatile, and selfies appear sharp with accurate edge detection. Combined with a 6.59-inch OLED display, swift Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 performance, smooth day-to-day usage, and fast 90W charging, the device offers an all-round experience. If you prioritise photography, enjoy experimenting with focal lengths and filters, and want a large yet comfortable phone capable of handling gaming and multitasking, the V70 Elite could be a sensible pick. 

However, it is not without compromises. The ultra-wide camera trails the main sensor, zoom beyond 20x loses practical detail, and video quality, especially from the front camera, is not segment-leading. Some AI features feel inconsistent, and the absence of visible frame rate statistics in gaming mode raises questions. Battery life is dependable but not class-leading, particularly when competitors offer 7,000mAh batteries at similar or lower prices. If you prioritise video performance, stereo audio, or battery endurance, there are stronger alternatives available.

Vivo V70 Elite: Pricing and variants

• 8GB RAM + 256GB storage: Rs 51,999
• 12GB RAM + 256GB storage: Rs 56,999
• 12GB RAM+ 512GB storage: Rs 61,999

Vivo V70 Elite unboxing

 

 

 

 

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