Vivo V70 Pro review: Feature-rich premium camera phone

Recently, Vivo launched the company's new premium smartphone X70 series in India. The new model comes in two variants-- X70 Pro and X70 Pro+-- with prices starting at Rs 46,999 and Rs 79,990, respectively.

. I have used the Vivo X70 Pro for around a week and here are my thoughts on the new premium phone.

. Design, build quality and display The most discernible thing you'll notice on the X70 Pro is the premium rear-side shell. Compared to the smooth glossy hand-feel on the X60 Pro, the successor features a premium fluorite AG coating. It has a matte finish and no matter how sweaty your fingers are, the back cover never gets stained. Kudos to Vivo's engineering team for coming up with an innovative cover for the phone.

. It features an IR (Infrared) blaster and mic at the top. The former enables device owners to use the phone as a remote control for supported smart TVs and Air Conditioners.

. At the base, the company has incorporated Type-C port along with a dual-SIM tray slot and a speaker. The latter works fine in terms of sound output. Even on max volume, it was able to play music with less distortion.

. On the right side, volume rockers and the power button are placed one above the other.

. With a compact form factor, it is very easy for the thumb and the fingers to reach out to the buttons to control volume and open the screen to look for the time or any other notifications. On the left side, it has no physical buttons.

. On the front, Vivo X70 Pro flaunts a bright 6.56-inch full HD+ (2376×1080p) AMOLED HDR10+ display with a pixel density of 398 ppi (pixels per inch) and supports max brightness of 1300 nits. It also boasts variable screen refresh rate of up to 120Hz. This significantly enhances the user experience during browsing the internet, navigating through the phone, watching videos, and playing games.

. The company has pre-fitted a layer of a transparent plastic protective shield on top of the display. It protects the screen from daily wear and tear. Also, the retail package comes with a free silicone case for the device.

. During the review period, I did not face any pressing issues while watching movies or reading content on the screen even under sunlight.

. The display cascades to both the right and left sides and as I mentioned in the first impression, the company has ensured there are no on-screen shortcuts. Or else, this could lead to the accidental triggering of apps.

. With very small space occupied by the front camera on the top, there is less obstruction to view multimedia content. With cascading display, the device offers an immersive viewing experience.

. Also, the in-screen fingerprint sensor does a fine job in quickly recognising the finger impression and unlocking the screen. I did not face issues of repeated false rejections as much as other rival brands. It is one of the note-worthy aspects of the device.

. Performance Vivo X70 Pro comes with MediaTek MT6893 Dimensity 1200 octa-core (1x3.0 GHz Cortex-A78 & 3x2.6 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) backed by ARM G77 MC9 graphics engine, Android 11-based Funtouch OS, 8GB/12GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB/256GB (UFS 3.1) storage.

. The device works smoothly without any fuss and even while playing graphics-intense games such as Asphalt 9: Legends. It performed without any hint of lag-ness. Also, I played around for 15-20 minutes on a stretch and the device did not show any sign of overheating.

. As far as the battery life is concerned, it comes with a 4,450mAh non-removable cell, a minor bump of 135mAh compared to the predecessor (4,315mAh). It was able to consistently deliver a full day under normal usage.

. The company is offering a 44W charger with a retail box and it takes around an hour to fully charge the device from zero to 100 per cent. And, for 30 minutes, it can reach little over 60 per cent mark.

. Photography Vivo X70 Pro boasts quad-camera module-- main 50MP (with IMX766V sensor, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation, Ultra-Sensing Gimbal Camera and Gimbal Stabilization 3.0 technology, Zeiss optics, f/1.75 aperture, Zeiss T coating) + 12MP (f/2.2) 116-degree ultra-wide lens with OIS backed by 50mm 12MP portrait camera (with Sony IMX663 sensor, f/1.98) and an 8MP(f/3.4) 5X periscope camera with laser autofocus and LED flash.

. It takes really good pictures in all light conditions. As you can see in the sample pictures, the X70 Pro manages to capture a lot of details with near-natural colours of the subjects.

. The macro photos come off great on par with rival brands in the premium class segment. The portrait shots too are top-class; the device's camera app is capable of clearly demarcating edges of the subject be it a flower or a human face with the background. The bokeh blur effect never looked artificial.

. The ultra-wide-angle shots are also brilliant too.

. The digital zoom works fine up to 5X, but beyond that, the noise becomes to creep in and ruin the clarity.

. On the front, it features a 32MP (f/2.45) camera. It takes pretty good photos and offers a ton of filters to enhance the facial features such as big eyes, remove scars, skin tone, skin smoothening, restructure nose shaper, eye span, forehead, and many more.

. I am mighty impressed with the face slimming feature. With just the sliding gesture, I was able to turn my old puffy face into a slender good-looking version. It is superficial, but can't blame Vivo, as it is merely catering to the people's demand.

. Final thoughts: Vivo X70 Pro excels in terms of photography, and premium build quality. The most impressive aspect of the device is the well-crafted surface, which comes with a visually appealing and effective fluorite AG coating on the back. It does a commendable job of repelling fingerprint smudges.

. Even the battery life is good and can last a full day under normal usage. Overall, the X70 Pro is a well-rounded premium Android phone and one of the best under the Rs 55,000 price segment.