Vivo V27 Professional Evaluation: Capturing for the Mid-Vary Crown

Vivo saves its finest digicam options for its flagship X-Sequence, however a few of that trickles all the way down to gadgets just like the V27 Professional. It’s only a query of how a lot occurs to fall into place.

That places this cellphone firmly within the mid-range as an alternative choice to different comparable choices, a few of which lower various corners on the digicam facet. Vivo doesn’t need to garner that type of repute, pushing this cellphone as an improve over them quite than a giant downgrade from its personal flagships. Its restricted launch means few in all probability took discover the cellphone even got here out, however you’ll be able to nonetheless get your arms on it if there’s sufficient inside to maintain issues attention-grabbing.

Design and Construct

The V27 Professional felt quite a bit just like the earlier V25 Professional to me, with a skinny and smooth design amplified by the colourful again within the Magic Blue variant I had for my assessment unit. It’s a novel look that I don’t typically see in different telephones, the place the end reacts to UV mild to seem as a distinct shade relying on how a lot mild hits it. I tended to maintain the clear silicone sleeve case on the cellphone, however that didn’t cease the impact.

As for the entrance, Vivo went with a bigger 6.78-inch AMOLED (2400 x 1080) with a 120Hz refresh price. It’s curved on the sides, sadly, as I imagine flatter shows are higher, however in case you’re into that form of factor, this one’s curvy that manner. Fortunately, the silicone sleeve case does wonders for grip when holding the cellphone for panorama photographs or else this could be a slippery affair.

But once more, Vivo selected to not get an official IP ranking, so it’s not clear what sort of sturdiness you’ll be able to anticipate. Whereas I doubt the odd splash of water would trigger any harm, I wouldn’t take this into the pool to snap photographs. You supposedly get harder glass on the back and front, besides Vivo doesn’t say precisely what it’s. Plastic edges body the 2 sides collectively, and whereas it looks as if the machine is constructed tight to maintain water out, I simply can’t say for positive what you may get away with right here.

This is without doubt one of the first Android telephones to run on the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 processor, a stable chipset that brings a 4nm course of chip to one among Vivo’s mid-rangers for improved efficiency throughout the board. My unit got here with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, although different variants ramp these as much as 12GB and 256GB, respectively. Vivo’s Prolonged RAM returns, letting you add an additional 8GB of digital reminiscence pulled from idle storage to provide the cellphone a lift.

Whereas the cellphone helps 5G connectivity, the bands are largely in markets outdoors of North America, although you could profit in case you journey to different components of the world. In any other case, you gained’t encounter any points on 4G LTE inside North America.

Digicam Options

The factor in regards to the V-Sequence is it’s a real measure of what Vivo can do when it’s not collaborating with anybody. Zeiss’ rising presence within the X-Sequence cameras is notably lacking within the V27 Professional, however that’s by design, not an omission. Within the V25 Professional, outcomes had been largely optimistic, indicating that cellphone might produce good photographs in a wide range of circumstances.

In equal measure, the rear digicam array is top-heavy with an amazing give attention to the principle digicam. It’s a 50-megapixel (23mm equal), this time going with a Sony IMX786 picture sensor that’s beforehand been bandied about in different telephones, typically as a alternative for different lenses quite than the principle one. The f/1.9 aperture is the widest accessible, and it’s the one lens with phase-detection autofocus and optical picture stabilization. Pixel binning means the digicam shoots 12.5-megapixel photos except you shoot within the Excessive Decision mode.

The 8-megapixel ultra-wide digicam (16mm equal) retains the identical 120-degree subject of view, but solely will get a slight improve to an OmniVision OM8D1 picture sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. The paltry 2-megapixel macro digicam (24mm equal) makes use of an OmniVision OM8021 picture sensor with an f/2.4 aperture and 4 centimeter focal distance to get near topics.

Vivo selected, once more, to depart out a telephoto lens, suggesting digital zoom as much as 2x is sweet sufficient to supply high quality photos. The entrance digicam is а 50-megapixel (24mm equal) Samsung Isocell S5KJN1 Kind 1/2.76 sensor with 0.64µm pixels and an f/2.5 aperture. Other than the principle rear digicam, it’s the one different digicam that helps part detection autofocus.

Software program Options

Should you’re coming from any Vivo cellphone, the digicam app will really feel like acquainted floor. There aren’t any main adjustments to the interface, with all modes the place they usually could be. For a mid-range cellphone, although, there’s quite a bit to select from. You get the same old modes, like Evening, Professional, Portrait, and Excessive Decision, together with Lengthy Publicity, Supermoon, Sports activities, and Double Publicity, amongst others.

Extra settings, particularly within the Photograph mode, embrace particular choices like stabilization, movement autofocus, a leveler, and Results Grasp. That latter one was an awesome add-on to the earlier V25 Professional and fortunately returns right here, the place leaving it on permits you to regulate publicity by merely swiping up or down on the display. Whilst you do get AI-assisted composition as an choice, it’s also possible to flip that off. The Pure Coloration setting doesn’t include Zeiss’ enter like it will on the X90 Professional, but it surely’s value utilizing it to keep away from an excessive amount of saturation in excessive distinction scenes.

Picture High quality

Primary digicam

Given the V27 Professional is simply roughly six or seven months faraway from its predecessor, it’s no shock picture high quality doesn’t take a dramatic leap. Nonetheless, there are some incremental enhancements value noting, significantly with dynamic vary and shade replica.

I left the AI help off as a result of it largely acts as a lift to paint and distinction for extra vibrancy, however doesn’t in any other case do as a lot in bringing out extra element from a picture. For that, you’d need to belief the onboard HDR, which is simpler this time round. Once more, not a dramatic distinction, however one which pays off when taking pictures in various circumstances.

Regardless of the dearth of a telephoto lens, the 2x zoom photographs aren’t unhealthy. Vivo makes use of the bigger sensor and works some magic with computation to scale back noise or pixilation, although it’s a steep decline whenever you zoom in past that, making quite a lot of photos look horrible and unusable.

In Evening mode, or simply low-light photographs, usually, outcomes come out wanting cleaner, which is a superb signal coming from a earlier cellphone that already introduced properly that manner. You don’t at all times need to go to Evening to shoot in low-light when the Photograph mode may supply it anyway. I’d say it relies on how a lot mild it’s important to work with, or the quantity of element you need to protect. Evening makes use of extra noise discount and punctuates highlights greater than Photograph does, which is why nightscapes and structure will often look brighter in Evening, whereas pores and skin tones will seem softer and extra pure in Photograph.

Portrait mode can also be restricted by the onboard optics, and I discovered I needed to maintain the cellphone actually regular to get a very good portrait shot — in all probability due to the digital zoom concerned. As ordinary for Vivo, there are many choices to easy pores and skin and make a myriad of changes to faces, which at all times makes me somewhat uncomfortable after I see it. But it surely’s a giant deal within the markets Vivo is strongest in, so it’s what it’s.

Extremely-wide and Macro

There’s not a lot to say about these two lenses as a result of they only really feel like add-ons, given Vivo didn’t put wherever close to the assets into them in comparison with the principle shooter. I’m not going to say the ultra-wide photographs are unhealthy — they’re not — however they’re not all that attention-grabbing, both. Even so, the identical publicity, shade, and distinction ideas apply, so you’ve gotten some instruments accessible to seize one thing first rate you’ll be able to work with.

That’s not essentially the case with the macro digicam, which struggles when coping with something that’s not well-lit. The opposite downside is the place the sunshine supply is coming from. You must get actually near the topic to get in focus, besides you additionally enhance the chances you solid a shadow that ruins the shot. That makes most top-angle photographs difficult to drag off, complicating an already complicated mode.

Professional and Excessive Decision

That is the place you get essentially the most management over the way you need to shoot, albeit with key variations between them. You gained’t shoot in RAW at full decision, however that offers Professional mode a greater probability in low-light than Excessive Decision, which can end up noisy as compared. Each are my favorites due to the artistic choices accessible in publish afterward.

Whether or not it’s a RAW picture or a 50-megapixel one, I can not less than attempt to do one thing with it in Lightroom. Vivo managed to tweak issues with each modes to enhance output, although I’d’ve appreciated the possibility to make use of Pure Coloration in Excessive Decision (Professional helps it).

Video Options

I performed round with video to see if something stood out, and located outcomes to be greater than enough. The footage could not blow anybody away, however for a mid-ranger, the V27 Professional isn’t any slouch. You possibly can shoot in 4K at as much as 60fps, and use Evening mode for video as much as a extra restricted 1080p at 30fps. Not surprisingly, you’ll discover high quality take successful when utilizing the ultra-wide or zooming in, making clear the constraints of the broader digicam array.

A Aggressive Participant

The Vivo V27 Professional is well-built and loaded with stable options and efficiency, making it a really aggressive participant within the crowded mid-range subject. The V27 Professional is available in between $400 to $500 when transformed to {dollars}, which is stable worth for what it delivers.

Are There Alternate options?

If it had been extra broadly accessible, it will be onerous to not take a very good take a look at it as an alternative choice to others. However relating to these up towards it, the Samsung Galaxy A54 involves thoughts as a cellphone that continues to quietly profit from the trickle-down results of the S collection.

The Google Pixel 7a follows an identical path, so it’s onerous to move up for the pictures facet alone. Google’s newest “a” cellphone barely has a spot between it and the flagship Pixel 7, which is why it might be probably the greatest worth choices for 2023. Don’t rule out the iPhone 14 in case your price range has room and also you need to prioritize video recording.

Ought to You Purchase It?

Sure, if you’d like a very good mid-range cellphone most others round gained’t have.