Vivo V29 smartphone review

• SoC Qualcomm SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 5G, 8 processor cores (1×Cortex-A78 @2.4 GHz + 3×Cortex-A78 @2.2 GHz + 4×Cortex-A55 @1.9 GHz)
• GPU Adreno 642L
• Operating system Android 13, Funtouch 13
• Touch display AMOLED, 6.78″, 1260×2800, 20:9, 453 ppi, 120 Hz
• RAM 8/12 GB, internal memory 128/256 GB
• No microSD support
• Support Nano-SIM (2 pcs.) and e-SIM
• Networks 2G GSM, 3G WCDMA, 4G, 5G
• GPS (L1), Glonass, BDS, Galileo and QZSS
• Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 and 5 GHz)
• Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive
• NFC
• USB 2.0 Type-C, USB OTG
• There is no 3.5mm audio output for headphones
• Cameras 50 MP + 8 MP (wide-angle) + 2 MP, video 4K@30 fps
• Front camera 50 MP
• Proximity and lighting sensors, magnetic field, accelerometer, gyroscope
• Fingerprint scanner (under the screen)
• Battery 4600 mAh, charging 80 W
• Dimensions 164×74×7.5 mm
• Weight 186 g

The smartphone is very large in size, but at the same time quite thin (7.5 mm) and not at all heavy (186 g). The screen occupied almost the entire area of the front panel, the frame around the screen is minimal on all sides, even the “chin”.

The Vivo V29 smartphone is equipped with a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1260×2800, covered with a protective glass with curved edges. The physical dimensions of the screen are 71x157 mm, the aspect ratio is 20:9, and the pixel density is 453 ppi. The width of the frame around the screen is 2 mm on the sides, 3 mm on the top and 3.5 mm on the bottom. The screen supports a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+.

The screen of Vivo V29 has a glass slab front with a smooth and mirror-like finish that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are superior to the screen of Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter referred to as Nexus 7). The screen surface has a special oleophobic coating, which makes fingerprints easier to remove and slows down their appearance compared to regular glass.

The maximum screen brightness under normal conditions is about 520 cd/m², but in bright light it can reach up to 970 cd/m². High brightness and excellent anti-glare properties ensure good readability in the sun, and the use of a dark theme helps save battery power and improves legibility of information on a bright screen. The minimum brightness of the manually controlled mode is 2 cd/m², which allows you to use the device in complete darkness. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor, which works depending on the surrounding lighting conditions.

However, at high and medium brightness levels there is modulation with a frequency of about 60 or 120 Hz. This is reflected in the brightness versus time curves for different brightness settings.

It can be seen that at high and medium brightness the duty cycle is low, as a result there is no visible flicker. With a strong decrease in brightness, modulation appears at a high frequency (1.92 kHz), so there is still no visible flicker.

In the screen settings, you can enable a mode with an increased refresh rate of up to 120 Hz:

In 120 Hz mode, scrolling through menu lists is noticeably smoother. Note that the frequency increases to 120 Hz only for dynamic images, and in the case of applications that have high refresh rate support enabled in the settings, in a static image the refresh rate is reduced to 60 Hz. Let's see if this changes the nature of the modulation:

The modulation frequency at high and medium brightness increased to 120 Hz, and at low brightness to 2.16 kHz. There is no visible flicker.

This screen uses an AMOLED matrix — active matrix organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors — red ®, green (G) and blue (B), but there are half as many red and blue subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:

On the screen fragment in question there are 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarter subpixels), which allows you to lay out the entire screen without breaks or overlaps. This matrix is called PenTile RGBG, and Samsung uses it for such displays. The manufacturer estimates the screen resolution based on the green subpixels, while the resolution will be lower for other colors. Although there is some jagged edges and other artifacts, the high resolution helps minimize their impact on image quality.

The screen has excellent viewing angles. Deflection at wide angles can give whites a faint blue-green tint, but blacks remain richly black at all viewing angles. Such rich blacks make the contrast parameter almost insignificant. For comparison, here are photographs in which images are displayed on the screens of a smartphone and other device. The brightness of the screens is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera is set to 6500 K.

Directed perpendicular to the screens — white field:

We note good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field (with the exception of barely visible darkening and a change in hue towards the curved edges).

And a test picture (Pro profile):

According to our visual assessment, the colors on the tested screen look natural, although the color balance is slightly different from other screens. However, it is worth noting that photography is not a sufficiently reliable source for assessing the quality of color reproduction and is used rather as a conditional example. For example, in screen photographs there is a pronounced reddish tint in white and gray areas that is not present in normal real-time visual perception and is confirmed by testing using a spectrophotometer. This occurs due to the mismatch between the spectral sensitivity of the camera matrix and the characteristics of human vision.

Additionally, when an image takes up the entire available screen area and extends into the curved edges of the screen, it can result in slight darkening and color distortion in those areas, especially when lit. This may interfere with viewing full screen images or 16:9 aspect ratio movies, which may also not display perfectly due to curved edges.

Note also that the photo was taken after selecting the “Pro” profile in the screen settings, and there are only three profiles available.

When you select the first one, Standard, which is set by default, the colors are oversaturated and unnatural:

This profile has a good approximation to DCI coverage (see below). When choosing the Vivid profile, the color saturation is even higher:

Additionally, this device has the ability to adjust the color balance by selecting a color temperature profile or adjusting the hue on the color wheel.

It's interesting to note that both screens experience a drop in brightness when viewed at an angle, but the smartphone has a less pronounced drop in brightness compared to LCD screens. With formally the same brightness, the smartphone screen visually appears brighter (compared to LCD screens), especially considering that on a mobile device you often have to view the screen at a slight angle.

Regarding switching the state of matrix elements, it occurs almost instantly. However, when the screen turns on (and sometimes turns off), there may be a noticeable step that is approximately 17 ms wide (at a 60 Hz screen refresh rate) or approximately 8 ms wide (at 120 Hz). This manifests itself, for example, in changes in brightness when moving from black to white and back.

In certain situations, the presence of the specified step can cause or is already causing the appearance of trails that remain behind moving objects.

When we plotted a gamma curve using 32 equally spaced grayscale points, we found no significant distortion in either the shadows or highlights. The exponent of the power function that approximates the gamma curve is 2.24, which is close to the standard value of 2.2. This indicates that the actual gamma curve deviates little from the standard power-law dependence.

Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image — it decreases slightly for generally light images. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.

The color gamut in the case of the Vivid profile is very wide, wider than DCI-P3:

When you select the Pro profile, the coverage is adjusted to the sRGB boundaries:

Coverage in the case of the Standard profile is close to the DCI-P3 space:

Without correction (the Bright option), the component spectra (that is, the spectra of pure red, green and blue) are very well separated:

In the case of the Pro profile, the color components are mixed with each other to a large extent:

Even in the absence of additional correction, the balance of shades on the gray scale in the case of the Pro profile is good, since the color temperature is close to the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is below 10 units, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue — this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance:

(The darkest areas of the gray scale can in most cases be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Of course, there is a setting (Eye Protection) that allows you to reduce the intensity of the blue component:

In some cases, bright light can interfere with a person's circadian rhythm (see article on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro), but this problem can be resolved by reducing the brightness to a comfortable but still acceptable level without distorting the color balance by reducing the proportion of blue color.

Apparently, this unit does not support DisplayPort Alt Mode over USB Type-C for outputting image and sound to an external device (according to a report from USBTreeView).

To summarize the results, the screen has a very high maximum brightness (up to 970 cd/m²) and excellent anti-glare properties, which allows the device to be used even in bright sunlight. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level (up to 2 cd/m²). The mode with automatic brightness adjustment works adequately. The advantages of the screen include high resolution, effective oleophobic coating, no flicker, 120 Hz refresh rate mode, good color balance and sRGB coverage after selecting the appropriate profile. It is also worth noting the general advantages of OLED screens: rich colors, good white field uniformity and less drop in brightness when tilting the device. The image quality on the screen is very high. However, curved edges can result in distorted colors and reduced brightness in these areas, which is especially noticeable in bright environments and creates glare along the edges of the screen.

The Vivo V29 smartphone has three rear cameras, but only two of them are used for photography, while the third, with a resolution of 2 MP, is a useless plug. The lack of a telephoto lens has become a common feature of flagship models, which seems like a disadvantage considering how useful a telephoto lens can be in everyday life compared to an ultra-wide-angle camera.

Camera characteristics:

• Main camera: 50 MP, 1/1.56″, 1.0 µm, f/1.9, PDAF, OIS
• Wide-angle camera: 8 MP, 1/4″, 1.12 µm, f/2.2
• Depth camera: 2 MP, f/2.4

The main camera has an advanced phase detection autofocus system and optical image stabilization. By default, pictures are taken in 12.5 megapixel resolution with a pixel binning feature to improve the quality of the pictures. It is possible to switch to shooting in full 50 MP resolution, which may be justified in some situations.

The camera produces high-quality images in bright daylight: it has a good dynamic range without loss of detail in bright and dark areas, provides high detail and clarity in the center of the frame (however, the edges of the image lose a little quality). By default, the colors of the images are highly saturated, but the user can change the profile settings to obtain more natural shades. Despite the processing using artificial intelligence, when changing the profile, the colors become more balanced and natural. Photos taken using the 50-megapixel mode retain more detail while still delivering an acceptable image while maintaining full-size viewing quality. In general, the camera on the main module takes pictures very well for its price level, although it is not at the level of flagship photo devices.

More examples of photos taken with the main camera:

Night photography is also good: excellent sharpness, good detail, minimal noise. The photographs are moderately lightened and adequately convey the color of the night.

The wide-angle module as standard provides lower detail and a darker picture with blurring at the edges of the frame.

The smartphone can shoot video in maximum 4K with 30 frames per second. The detailing is not bad, the sharpness is normal, there are no visible twitches in the picture (the optical stabilizer helps). In general, the quality of video recording is at a good level, but the 60 fps mode is not enough.

The Vivo V29 smartphone has extensive networking capabilities. It supports most 4G and 5G mobile network bands. In the urban area of Moscow and its environs, the device demonstrates stable operation in wireless networks, without losing connections and quickly restoring it after interruptions. The smartphone is also equipped with a wireless adapter that supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, and also supports NFC and e-SIM.

The single-channel satellite navigation module works with GPS, Glonass, BDS, Galileo and QZSS. The initial detection of satellites occurs quickly during a cold start, and the positioning accuracy is not satisfactory.

The voice of the person on the call is heard clearly and loudly through the speaker. Vibration during a call is at an average level. All built-in sensors, including the gyroscope, function flawlessly.

The operating system of the Vivo V29 smartphone is Android 13, along with its own Funtouch 13 shell. The device comes with a large amount of pre-installed software, which may be unnecessary. The notification shade is divided into two parts for ease of use. The official Google Play application store and Google services are also available on the smartphone.

For a smartphone of this level, the lack of stereo speakers is already considered a disadvantage. However, the sound of the lone mono speaker is quite loud and clear. A 3.5 mm audio output was not installed for wired headphones, but for wireless ones there is support for top profiles LDAC and aptX, aptX HD, aptX HD adaptive.

The Vivo V29 smartphone is equipped with an octa-core Qualcomm SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 5G processor (1×Cortex-A78 @2.4 GHz + 3×Cortex-A78 @2.2 GHz + 4×Cortex-A55 @1.9 GHz), complemented by a GPU GPU Adreno 642L. The device is equipped with 12GB of RAM and has 256GB of inbuilt storage, although other memory configuration options are available. The smartphone does not have a memory card slot, but devices can be connected to the USB Type-C port in USB OTG mode.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G platform is manufactured using the 6 nm process technology. This is not a flagship, but a good mid-level solution: it scores more than 500 thousand points in AnTuTu. This performance is enough to perform any task and ensure smooth operation of the interface. You can comfortably play any games, but not with the highest graphics settings. In general, the platform is adequate for this price segment, but in terms of gaming capabilities it is inferior to competitors of approximately the same level.

Testing in comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench:

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” — due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark and GFXBenchmark gaming tests:

Testing in browser cross-platform tests:

AndroBench memory speed test results:

We test for performance degradation when heated using the Burnout Benchmark program, which allows you to load the CPU, GPU and NPU:

Performance degradation due to overheating under heavy load is negligible.

The smartphone received a battery with a volume of 4600 mAh, which is not the largest by today’s standards. However, in tests the device demonstrated a very decent level of autonomy.

Testing has traditionally been carried out at the usual level of power consumption without using power saving functions, although the device has them. Test conditions: the minimum comfortable brightness level was set (approximately 100 cd/m²). Tests: continuous reading in the Moon+ Reader program (with a standard, light theme); continuous viewing of video in HD quality (720p) via your home Wi-Fi network; Injustice 2 game with automatic graphics settings.

All these are the maximum possible figures obtained under “ideal” conditions, including without installed SIM cards. Any changes in the operating scenario will most likely lead to worse results.

From the included mains charger (80 W), the smartphone is charged with a power of no more than 66 W; a full charge takes less than an hour (50 minutes). Wireless charging is not supported.

This smartphone is a good model in the mid-price segment, running on a high-quality Qualcomm platform. Strengths include an excellent flicker-free AMOLED screen and a high-quality main camera.

The design of the case is attractive, but its slipperiness and inconvenience to use can cause some difficulties. Some shortcomings of this model include the curved edges of the screen, the lack of stereo sound, a long lens, and wireless charging functionality. The color-adjustable ring flash is a nice touch, but the cost of an external, more powerful flash is much lower, making it impractical to purchase within this smartphone.

Final conclusion: Vivo V29 can be described as not quite a flagship smartphone. However, if you're impressed with its screen and camera, you might be willing to pay a premium for this model.