Vivo has been quiet for several months. In fact, even before the Philippines was placed in quarantine, there isn't much noise about the smartphone brand as far as new releases are concerned. And here comes June, wherein they announced LANY as their global endorser along with two midrange devices, the Vivo V19 and the center of this review - the Vivo V19 Neo.
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| Vivo V19 Neo Review; Ignite Your Senses |
The Vivo V19 Neo arrived first in the country, and it is priced at Php17,999 or the sub-Php20K category, which is quite crowded these days. Does it have enough characteristics to stand out from the crowd? Let's all find out in this review.
Get yours now at - https://bit.ly/vivov19neoph.
PHYSICAL:
The Vivo V19 Neo has lots of similarities with last year's Vivo V17 Pro. Both devices come with a 6.44-inch Super AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution, albeit the latest device adopts the current trend of punch-hole on the screen. Nonetheless, both devices offer deep black and saturated colors, as well as great sunlight and outdoor legibility.
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| Ultra O Super AMOLED Display |
The display occupies most of the phone's facade as it has 91.38% screen-to-body ratio and thin bezels. It measures 159mm x 74.2mm x 8.5 mm, which slightly thinner than the V17 Pro and V19, and weighs less too at only 176 grams.
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| Crystal White Back Design |
It has a plastic frame that made to look like aluminum. The same goes with its plastic back that made to look like glass. Don't get us wrong, the phone actually looks cool and premium in real life, and we particularly like the gradient-glossy finish of the back panel. Yes, it is an elegant looking smartphone that most people would think costs more than it actually is.
You might be wondering where is the fingerprint sensor, well, you cannot see it as it is hidden under the display. It is an optical sensor, which works quite fast, even with the pre-installed plastic film.
Vivo V19 Neo Unboxing
To learn more about its physical attributes, you can watch the above unboxing video.
SOFTWARE:
The Vivo V19 Neo runs on Funtouch OS 10 based on Android 10 out of the box. If we are not mistaken, it is the first Vivo smartphone to reach the Philippines with such an operating system pre-installed. Both the Vivo S1 Pro and V17 Pro run on Funtouch OS version 9, which is based on Android 9 Pie.
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| Software - Funtouch OS 10 based on Android 10 |
Aside from the slight revamped in the icons designs, the interface and user experience are pretty much the same with OS 9. It still has a magazine-style lockscreen or lockscreen poster as Vivo calls it, wherein displayed image is different every time the screen is turned on.
The Jovi Smart Scene is still present as your digital assistant, and it gives more information than before, such as events and the user's digital wellbeing. It also has a system-wide dark mode, which is quite perfect for phones like the V19 Neo as it has a SuperAMOLED display.
As for the pre-installed apps, there are not many, but it is also not wholly bloatware-free. Thankfully, there are about 9 applications that can be removed, such as Lazada, GCash, and Kumu.
To learn more about Funtouch OS, you may visit https://www.vivo.com/ph/funtouchos.
PERFORMANCE:
Aside from the screen size and resolution, both the V19 Neo and V17 Pro are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 chipset. The SD675 is based on an 11nm process that has an octa-core CPU composed of 2x2.0GHz Kryo 460 Gold and 6x1.7GHz Kryo 460 Silver paired with Adreno 612 graphics. Relatively speaking, it is not a new chipset, it is about 1 year 3 months old when the latest SD720 chip arrived. However, its CPU architecture is newer than the Kryo 360 of Snapdragon 712 chipset found in the Vivo V19, albeit, it is still less powerful.
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| CPU-Z Info |
Below are the scores it got in our usual benchmarking applications:
| Benchmark | Vivo V19 Neo | realme 6 | realme 6i |
| Antutu | 233,599 | 288,975 | 205,996 |
| Geekbench 5 (Single-Core) | 515 | 539 | 360 |
| Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core) | 1,673 | 1,686 | 1,293 |
| Geekbench 5 (RenderScript) | 387 | 2048 | 1,118 |
| PC Mark | 7,407 | 10,562 | 9,008 |
| 3D Mark Sling Shot | 2,017 | 3,154 | 1,769 |
| 3D Mark Sling Shot (Vulcan) | 1,213 | 2,600 | 1,342 |
| 3D Mark Sling Shot (OpenGL) | 1,274 | 2,550 | 1,349 |
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| Benchmark Scores |
As you can see in the above table, the Vivo V19 Neo is slightly powerful than the realme 6i, which is powered by MediaTek Helio G80 chipset, at least in some aspects, but less aggressive when compared to the Helio G90T of the realme 6.
Meanwhile, if you look at the table below, it is way better than the OPPO A9 2020, which uses Snapdragon 665. The same is true when compared to OPPO Reno 3 Pro and OPPO Reno 3, which are powered by Helio P95 and Helio P90, respectively.
| Benchmark | OPPO A9 2020 | OPPO Reno3 Pro | OPPO Reno3 |
| Antutu | 133,922 | 227,884 | 217,741 |
| Geekbench 5 (Single-Core) | 314 | 402 | 409 |
| Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core) | 1,287 | 1,502 | 1,501 |
| Geekbench 5 (RenderScript) | 373 | - | - |
| PC Mark | 6,809 | 9,694 | 9,105 |
| 3D Mark Sling Shot | 1,748 | 2,343 | 2,361 |
| 3D Mark Sling Shot (Vulcan) | 1,040 | 1,549 | 1,549 |
| 3D Mark Sling Shot (OpenGL) | 1,109 | 1,250 | 1,259 |
The Snapdragon 675 may be starting to age, but nevertheless, it is still very much capable chipset, especially when paired with a huge 8GB of RAM. The phone is very snappy, and multitasking works like a breeze, no hang-ups, or hiccups when doing so.
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| Ultra Game Mode |
As for gaming, we are glad to report that it has very much smooth gameplays with all the games we tested - Asphalt 9, Mobile Legends, PUGB Mobile, and Call of Duty Mobile. Thanks to Vivo's Ultra Game Mode and Multi-Turbo that help boost gaming experience through hardware and software acceleration and optimization.
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| Mobile Legends Ultra Graphics |
Moreover, ML fans will be delighted to know that it has Ultra mode, and playing in this kind of setting is pretty smooth too!
CAMERA:
The camera department has been one of the main focuses of smartphone makers, and Vivo does the same with their devices. On paper, both the Neo and V19 have the same set of rear cameras, quad-camera set up to be specific. It is composed of 48MP f/1.8 main module, an 8MP f/2.2 with a 120-degree ultrawide lens, a 2MP f/2.4 for taking macro shots, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor.
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| 48MP AI Quad Camera |
In the front, both V19 devices have 32MP cameras, albeit the Neo has only 1 module, and it has f/2.5 aperture, while the V19 comes with a secondary 8MP f/2.3 ultrawide camera.
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| 32MP Front Camera |
Moving on, the camera interface is quite intuitive, although there is some level of familiarity before you get used to it. For example, when switching to different modules, the user needs to click first the "Lens" icon before one can choose Super Wide Angle, Bokeh, or Super Macro.
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| Camera Interface |
There are 13 shooting modes in total, by default the Night, Portrait, Photo, and Video are displayed in the main interface. But, the user has the ability to customize which modes are shown in the main UI and which modes are in the "More" section. The Photo and Video cannot be removed from the main UI, while the Jovi Vision is permanently placed in the "More" section. The rest of the modes can be placed wherever the user wants.
Camera Samples:
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| Playground, Against the Light, Primary |
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| Playground, Against the Light, Ultrawide |
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| Buildings, Afternoon, Primary |
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| Buildings, Afternoon, Ultrawide |
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| Pool, Afternoon, Primary |
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| Pool, Afternoon, Ultrawide |
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| Quadrangle, Afternoon, Primary |
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| Quadrangle, Afternoon, Ultrawide |
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| Flowers, Closeup, Primary |
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| Flowers, Closeup, Macro |
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| Selfie, Normal |
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| Selfie, Portrait |
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| Selfie with Mask, Normal |
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| Selfie with Mask, Primary |
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| Night, Normal |
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| Night, Night Mode |
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| Night, Pathwalk, Normal |
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| Night, Pathwalk, Night Mode |
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| Night, Pathwalk, Ultrawide |
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| Selfie at Dark, Normal with Screen Flash |
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| Selfie at Dark, Night Mode |
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| Selfie at Night, Normal |
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| Selfie at Night, Night Mode |
When shooting in broad daylight or when there is enough lighting, the outputs of the rear cameras are pretty impressive. In fact, the images produced are even better with some Android phones that are priced higher than the Vivo V19 Neo. The white balance and dynamic range are superb, it can really distinguish shadows and highlights, and the ability to identify which is which even when shooting against the light. Moreover, color reproduction is near accurate, although we noticed that the primary module outputs are slightly saturated than the ultrawide module.
The macro lens is pretty good too. It can focus properly and captures enough details at a very close range. But in case you forgot switching lens when taking macro shots, don't worry, because even the 48MP primary module also offers very detailed closeup images. And even though the focusing capability is not as close as what the macro lens is capable of, the primary lens offers a more artistic blurred background.
Both the front and rear cameras come with Super Night Mode, and this software trick is pretty impressive as well. We took several shots at around 6:30PM or so when it is already dark, and we are quite surprised with the images produced as they are brighter than the actual environment, and have lots of details with less noise.
However, for some reason, Super Night Mode is only available when using the 48MP primary module, and not with the ultrawide module. That is why using the ultrawide lens at night is not recommended, better stick with the main lens. The same is true with the Pro Mode. Speaking of professional mode, users can enable histograms and save the images in both 48MP RAW and JPEG formats. By the way, the phone shoots at 12MP by default, you need to manually select 48MP to shoot with that resolution.
As for the video recording capabilities, it can record up to 4K resolution at 25-30 fps using either the primary or ultrawide lens, while the 60fps is available for both 720p and 1080p videos. Meanwhile, video stabilization, or Ultra Stable Video as Vivo calls it, is only applicable when shooting in 1080p or 720p at 25-30fps.
CONNECTIVITY:
The Vivo V19 Neo has a triple-slot card tray that can accommodate two Nano-SIM cards and one MicroSD card. Both SIMs, one at a time, can connect to a 4G LTE network to give fast mobile internet. At home or when the WiFi signal is available, it can connect to either 2.4GHz or 5GHz band and provides a stable connection.
Other connectivity options are pretty much standard issue - Bluetooth v5.0, FM radio receiver, USB Type-C port. As for location services, apps like Waze and Google maps have no trouble finding routes because of its GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, and BDS.
BATTERY:
Another key selling point of the V19 Neo is its huge 4,500mAh battery with 18W fast charging capability. In our experience, even with moderate to heavy usage, the phone can easily last through the day with at least 10% or so left on it. Playing games with brightness set on auto and audio out through wired earphones, it only sucks about 10% to 12% of the juice in every hour of gameplay.
Using the supplied wall charger and USB cable, it took 2 hours and 20 minutes to have the phone fully-charged from 0 to 100%.
FINAL WORDS:
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| Vivo V19 Neo |
The Vivo V19 Neo is an elegant looking smartphone, and that alone can make it stand out from the crowd. It really looks premium and more expensive than it actually is. But it is not just about design and aesthetics, it is also a well-rounded device that offers pretty decent overall performance.
Vivo V19 Neo Specs Philippines:
- Dual Nano-SIM, dual standby, supports 4G LTE connectivity
- 6.44-inch Super AMOLED Ultra O FHD+ (2400 x 1080) capacitive touchscreen display
- Dimensions: 159.01mm × 74.17mm × 8.54mm
- Weight: 176 grams
- Funtouch OS 10.0 based on Android 10
- 2GHz octa-core Kryo 460 CPU, Adreno 612 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 chipset
- 8GB RAM
- 128GB internal storage
- 48MP PDAF f/1.8 main + 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide + 2MP f/2.4 macro + 2MP f/2.4 depth quad-rear cameras, Super Night Mode, Ultra Stable Video
- 32MP f/2.45 front camera, Super Night Selfie
- Multimedia Player
- FM Radio
- 3.5mm audio jack
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
- Bluetooth v5.0
- GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS, SBAS
- USB Type-C with OTG function
- Sensors: fingerprint (in-display) accelerometer, light, proximity, gyroscope
- Battery: 4,500mAh, non-removable, supports 18W Dual-Engine Fash Charging
- Colors: Crystal White, Admiral Blue
- Price:Php17,999