Vivo V27 Pro review: All-round smartphone with focus on imaging capability

Known for its mid-range smartphones, Vivo has leveled up from its last launch of the Vivo V25 series and unveiled its latest range of V27 series phones. We got our hands on the Pro version for review, which is the Vivo V27 Pro.

The new V27 Pro comes with a curved display, a Dimensity 8200 processor, and has a colour-changing rear body under daylight. However, when considering the price of the phone, it will be interesting to see how the V27 Pro will attract customers as there is an option for buyers in the form of the latest OnePlus 11R.

Design

The new Vivo V27 Pro is a tall and beautiful phone with a curved display and almost zero existing bezels. We got the Magic Blue variant to review, which comes with a colour-shifting back panel, turning into a darker shade under daylight. Also, the rear side sports a rectangular frame consisting of three camera holes and a new circular, halo-like LED flash, which is quite bright. The front side is all display with a punch hole in the centre. Furthermore, the fingerprint sensor has been incorporated under the display, which is very accurate and fast.

The curved edges and the tall frame lend a premium look to the phone. The phone is light, allowing easy usage for a long time. The placement of the buttons is the same, just as in the previous models, with the power button and the volume rockers on the right side. The top side of the phone sports just a secondary mic for active noise cancellation, whereas at the bottom lies the SIM tray, USB-C port, and speaker grille.

Display

The new Vivo V27 Pro comes with a 6.78-inch AMOLED display, a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ support. It has a screen resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and 388ppi density. The colours produced are very vivid, bright, and punchy, as the display is capable of producing over 16 million colours. The curved display is a treat for watching movies and playing games, as the bezel-less design offers a wide space. The phone supports a Smart switch mode for adjusting the refresh rate according to usage; it analyses the requirements, especially for games, and then adjusts the refresh rate. The screen visibility is strong and you can easily view it under bright daylight.

OS

The Vivo V27 Pro introduces Android 13 with a layer of the exclusive Funtouch OS v13 on top - an improvement over the V25 Pro’s Funtouch v12 operating system. Although the new OS has several new improvements and increased functionality, the general UI experience is quite similar.

Processor

The latest Vivo V27 Pro is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 8200 (4nm) chipset, which has eight cores where one core is powered at 3.1 GHz Cortex-A78, three cores are clocked at 3.0 GHz Cortex-A78, and the remaining four cores are clocked at 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55. It is one of the fastest processors in Vivo smartphones. True to its status, it handles every task with ease and without any lag.

The phone also comes with HyperEngine 6.0 which supports Vulkan SDK for raytracing in gaming, FPS improvement, and smart resource optimisation. Also, the GPU remains the same, which is Mali-G610 MC6. It is now clocked higher at 950MHz, up from 860Hz when compared to its predecessor.

Gaming on the phone is a joy thanks to the HyperEngine 6.0. The wide screen, along with the refresh rate, assists in an enhanced gaming experience. But the surprise was that while costing almost ₹40,000, the phone missed out on incorporating the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, which we can find in the rival OnePlus 11R that comes with the SD 8+ Gen 1 processor.

Vivo V27 Pro | Appealing, but misses flagship title by a notch | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan

Camera

Vivo has always appeased us with its camera capability, and the latest Vivo V27 Pro also comes with great camera capabilities to deliver sharp, stunning images.

The rear setup of the phone contains a 50MP Sony IMX766 Quad-Bayer sensor with an aperture of f/1.9, an optically stabilised lens (OIS), and PDAF. Also, there is 2x zoom present on the primary lens. The second sensor is an 8MP OV8D1 sensor with a lens aperture of f/2.2, whereas the third sensor is a 2MP OmniVision OV02B1 sensor with a lens aperture of f/2.4.

The main sensor captures the images in 12.5MP by default. The daylight images are impressive, with perfect colour balance and accurate contrast levels. The angles captured maintain every aspect of the subject with precise detailing. We liked the natural output of the images. The 2x zoomed photographs provide a generous amount of detail as well. The images, when compared to the regular zoom, include a fine rendition, excellent contrast, dynamic range, noise reduction, and vibrant colours.

The 8MP ultrawide images get a good dynamic range and great contrast as well. The colours are just as vibrant as on the main camera, and the noise is kept to a minimum as well. The 2MP macro camera does a wonderful job of getting close-up pictures. We also liked the camera’s ability to separate the subject from the background during the portrait shots. For capturing images at night, we will advise using the Night mode straight away as the shadows and dark spots are preserved with stability.

For capturing selfies, there is a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN1 sensor with a Tetracell filter and an aperture of f/2.45. The selfies maintained the natural skin tone, and the portrait mode used also did an excellent job of separating the subject from the background. The noise effects on selfies are not visible at all. At night, the selfie sensor does a fantastic job delivering vibrant pictures.