Vivo V5s Quick Review: Different, But The Same

Vivo V5s Quick Review: Different, But The Same

We take the Vivo V5s for a spin!

If you didn’t know, Vivo is launching their new selfie-focused smartphone, the V5s, in the Philippines today. The V5s was first launched in India, a known stronghold of the company, and now the phone has found its way to our shores. Interestingly the V5s has similar specs to the company’s V5 selfie smartphone that was launched just last year, and aside from a minor spec bump and a new exterior, the phone is essentially a slightly better V5.

Vivo V5s specs

  • 1.5GHz MediaTek 6750 octa-core processor
  • Mali T860 GPU
  • 4GB of RAM
  • 5.5-Inch HD IPS Display; 720 x 1280 Resolution
  • 64GB of expandable storage
  • 13-megapixel rear camera, PDAF, LED Flash
  • 20-megapixel front camera f/2.0 aperture
  • Dual SIM
  • 3G, LTE
  • WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, Fingerprint Scanner, HiFi Audio
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow, FunTouch UI
  • 3000mAh Battery

Initial impressions: a V5 in a nicer body with more storage

Vivo’s gone with a nicer metal body in the V5s. The phone looks like it was built off of a single block of aluminum, which not only looks good from an aesthetic perspective, it also gives the phone a sturdier chassis. Despite that unibody design though, the V5s feels light to the touch.

The phone’s overall build quality is top notch, with no noticeable flexing or bending anywhere, even when we applied moderate pressure. The overal design isn’t exactly what you’d call original, especially in the way the antenna bands are placed – there’s definitely a hint of Apple’s design language in the V5s. But honestly what phone nowadays hasn’t been influenced in some way by the firm from Cupertino?

The rear of the phone holds the 13-megapixel rear camera in the upper left corner, with the white antenna bands on the top and the bottom. Vivo’s logo is proudly emblazoned across the rear of the phone as well.

Rounded corners and sloping sides are the norm for phones from Vivo and the V5s is no exception. The power and volume rocker is on the right side of the phone, while the microSD/SIM slot is located on the left. Both the USB port and 3.5mm jack are located on the bottom. The speaker grille is right beside the USB port, on the right side.

The V5s sports a 5.5-inch HD IPS display, same as the V5. The fingerprint scanner is located on the bottom of the display, at the chin, and is flanked by the back and recent apps buttons. The fingerprint scanner also works as the home button for the phone, though it doesn’t click when pressed.

Just like the V5, the V5s sport a 20-megapixel front camera which emphasizes the phone’s focus on selfies. It’s a product vertical that Vivo competes with its sister company OPPO. The phone has several shooting modes for selfies much like the V5, which include a beautify feature, HDR capability and groufie options.

Lest we forget the V5s also has a rear camera, in this case it’s a 13-megapixel shooter that we reckon is the same on the V5. It takes decent enough photos in the event, though we’ll have to test it out in different conditions to see if it’s really a good shooter.

Inside the V5s are familiar internals if you’ve read our V5 review – 1.5GHz MediaTek 6750 octa-core processor, Mali T860 GPU, 4GB of RAM and Android 6.0 Marshmallow with their FunTouch UI. Probably the biggest change this time around is the higher storage capacity of 64GB compared to 32GB on the V5.

That’s pretty much it for the V5s. We’ll be borrowing our own smartphone to test out for our full review, stand-by till then.

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