Vivo officially unveils its V19 Neo to the Philippine market, not only to let smartphone enthusiasts experience its 5-camera design and new aesthetics, but also to introduce a new line of smartphones that would get its fans excited.
Vivo V19 Neo Unboxing and Review
Vivo kicks off its new smartphone series with the Vivo V19 Neo. The moniker may suggest that this handset may come with a fresh take to the mid-range segment, and this also signals that we could be expecting more smartphones off the V19 sooner rather than later. But for now, let's enjoy the handset in this Vivo V19 Neo review.Of course, the first thing that would come into mind is how would the company position the handset in the fiercely-contested mid-range segment? What will be its edge among the sea of competitors, and the most important query - who is it for? Let's find out!
Vivo V19 Neo Unboxing
Before we dig in further, let's see what's included inside the Vivo V19 Neo's box. The V19 Neo's box is a reminiscent of the V17 Pro's packaging, only that it comes with black hue. The surface looks premium which gives off a matte-like finish. It also gives off a streak of colors when hit by a light source.
Opening it, we'll be greeted with a small packet that houses the documentations, the SIM ejector tool, transparent silicone case, and the USB Type C cable. Digging further we have the Vivo V19 Neo, and underneath are the earphones and the 20W power brick.
Read also: Vivo V17 Pro Review: Six Months Later
Design
The Vivo V19 Neo may fall on the mid-range category but it looks nothing short of a flagship aesthetics. It's backing comes with a polycarbonate build. It looks glossy but it's not slippery when you put it in the palm of your hand, and thus you can easily tell that it's a smudge magnet.
The rear camera is situated in a protruded rectangular module just like what we've seen on Huawei and Samsung phones, and the sensors are arranged in a 2x3 manner. Basing on the rear camera module alone, you can definitely tell that this phone has a knack for photography.
On the sides, the power button comes alongside the volume rocker on the right, the left side has the SIM tray, and the bottom side is crammed with USB Type port, 3.5-mm audio jack, and the speaker grill. The frame is also plastic but on the plus side, it seems sturdy and could withstand scratches.
Display
The front panel is defined by a 6.44-inch FHD+ AMOLED display to which Vivo coined as the Ultra O display. This simply means that we are getting a hole-punch display for the the 32MP selfie camera. Comparing it to other OLED panels, the Vivo V19 Neo's display is superior in terms of brightness but it lacks a punch in the contrast department when using the default Screen Color setting. You can also opt to choose Normal and Bright modes according to your preference. On top of that, you can have access to toggle between cooler and warmer tones.
Saturation comes with a punch, as well as the color accuracy. The hole punch section in the upper right corner of the screen is very discreet. In fact, this might be the smallest punch hole that I've seen in a smartphone yet. According to Vivo, it's less than 3-mm in diagonal. This is where the "it's barely there" phrase comes to action. The in-display fingerprint scanner is very zippy as well.
Performance
The Vivo V19 Neo is powered by the Snapdragon 675 chipset. Does it ring a bell? Yes, it's also the same processor that powers the Vivo V17 Pro nine months ago and the Vivo V15 Pro more than a year ago. Though most of you think that this processor is aging, we could still say that the chipset has been refined to match the hardware of the Vivo V19 Neo. Thus, performance is still reasonably good for most of our daily tasks. For activities that needs light to moderate graphics, the handset is very responsive. In our Antutu test, the handset scored 234,525.
The chipset is also more than enough when running Mobile Legends in high settings. But it may be a different story when you toggle it to Ultra Mode. Playing Call of Duty gives a heavy load to the chipset even when playing in low settings. I can notice some occasional frame drops. There's also a slight build-up of heat when playing graphically-heavy games but it's not something to be very bothered with.
After the Vivo V17 Pro, I think this is the second-best smartphone to watch videos and stream content. Its discreet hole punch screen will make you forget that there's a camera there. The 20:9 aspect ratio makes it look tall, thus it is easy to manage.
The Vivo V19 Neo's loudspeaker is above average. Sounds register very well, with a great mix of highs and lows. Bass is decent but we think it needs more punch. Cellular connectivity is fast given that you have a good cellular reception. It also supports dual band WiFi.
Camera
The Vivo V19 Neo crams four camera sensors on the rear panel. It is top-billed by the 48MP f/1.8 primary sensor. Plus, there's an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, 2MP macro lens, and 2MP depth sensor.
We have no problem producing great photos in well-lit environment. Images are crisp with good detail and contrast. Color reproduction is also accurate. Dynamic range is fine but we've seen models that have better dynamic range in this segment.
The 8MP ultrawide lens is a fun feature to have. It brings new perspective to your photos. But of course, the quality and dynamic range take the toll on this camera trick. The smartphone also takes great macros in fixed distances.
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| Ultra-wide camera |
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| Macro Shots |
It is also a capable smartphone in getting low-light shots. When it comes to the selfie camera, the Vivo V19 Neo produces exceptional images using the 32MP front camera. Selfie shots taken in portrait mode are fantastic with great separation of subject from the background.
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| From left to right: Selfie 1, Selfie 2, Selfie Portrait |
Software
The Vivo V19 Neo boots with Funtouch OS 10 which is based on Android 10. For me, the FunTouch OS is still one of the heavily customized Android skins. Controls are still coming up from the bottom, and Notifications are still on a different shade. Sometimes it's confusing if it's your first time using a Vivo phone. But every now and then, I could see some improvements like the option to use gesture navigation, Smart Launcher is minimalist, and the icons are now simpler.
Of course, there's a number of preinstalled apps that you wouldn't mind not using. But all in all, the Funtouch OS is still smooth and optimized for Vivo smartphones.
Battery
As I've said before, Funtouch OS is optimized with Vivo smartphones. And the Vivo V19 Neo takes advantage of this in managing its 4500 mAh battery. In my normal day of use, I could have an average usage of 5.5-hour screentime.
The battery is supported with 18W Dual Engine fast charging. It charges from 0% to 100% in more than an hour.
The Wrap
The Vivo V19 Neo is quite a winner in terms of design. It's straight-out one of the best looking mid-range smartphones out there. Its form factor is what I loved the most, making it more handy to use. And of course, the small hole punch marks an engineering feat for Vivo. Overall, the Vivo V19 Neo is a joy to use.
The use of a slightly outdated chipset might put off some users. Considering that it's priced at PHP 17,990, many might think that it deserves a more powerful chipset than the Snapdragon 675. But I can say that Vivo has a good familiarity with this chipset that, in turn, it managed to optimize in its FunTouch OS. The result is a fluid experience on the software front.
Camera is also above average. It is fast and reliable for every day use. Battery is decent enough for a full day of use. With all this positive features combined - great design, capable camera, dependable battery life, the Vivo V19 Neo could snatch that space in your pocket.
Highlights:
1. Solid compact design
2. Fantastic Selfie Camera
3. Small hole punch design
4. Long battery life
Lowlights:
1. Smudge and Fingerprint magnet
Vivo V19 Neo Specs
159.01 x 74.17 x 8.54 mm at 176 g6.44-inch FHD+ Ultra O AMOLED Display, 1080 x 2400 Pixels, 409 ppi
20:9 Aspect Ratio
Punch-hole
Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 Chipset
2x Kryo 460 Gold (2.0GHz) + 6x Kryo 460 Silver (1.7GHz)
Adreno 612 GPU
8 GB RAM
128GB Storage
Expandable, up to 256GB via microSD
Rear Camera: Quad
48MP Main (f/1.8 Aperture) with PDAF
8MP Ultra-wide (f/2.2 Aperture)
2MP Macro (f/2.4 Aperture)
2MP Depth Sensor
Front Camera: 32MP (f/2.45 Aperture)
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac
Dual SIM
4G LTE
Bluetooth 5.0
Facial Recognition
In-display Fingerprint Sensor
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor
4500 mAh battery, 18W Dual Engine Fast Charging
Php 17,990
Admiral Blue, Crystal White
