Introduction
How many cameras fit the best into smartphones? Even smartphone makers are yet to find an answer to the increasing number of lenses with each launch, and Vivo’s V17 Pro is the latest device to do so. Launched on September 20, the V17 Pro has six cameras – two with a pop-up module on the front and four primary 48MP lenses on the rear. Not only that, the camera app has been revamped by the smartphone manufacturer to provide you with many features that allow you to click images that look good in different light conditions.
It is the fourth launch in these 75 days by Vivo with the launch of the Z1 Pro in India on July 3. In particular, since leaving the performance-heavy device, the company has also introduced the Z1X, S1, and now the Camera-Heavy V17 Pro.
Coming back to the V17 Pro, which serves as the successor of the Vivo V15 Pro, it has created quite a buzz due to its excellent design and pop-up selfie module. With the V17 Pro, the company tried to do the same by offering the world’s first dual pop-up selfie camera module. But how well does it work? And how smart is the smartphone in general?
Let’s see what this device offers.
Price in India, Variants, Availability
The Vivo V17 Pro 8GB + 128GB storage variant costs Rs 29,990. The phone is offered in Midnight Ocean and Glacier Ice Color Options. The Vivo V17 Pro can be purchased through the official Vivo e-shop, Flipkart, Amazon, PayTM Mall, and Tata Cliq.
Also, it is offered through offline Vivo retail partners.
Box Contents
The V17 Pro comes in a little white box announcing the smartphone. The box includes a Power Adapter, Protective Case, Charging Cable, SIM Ejector Tool, and most importantly, in-ear Type-C headphones in the box.
All the stuff you will be getting in the box:
- Vivo V17 Pro
- 2-pin fast charger (5V-2A / 9V-2A)
- USB Type-C Cable
- Earphones with microphone
- SIM Ejector tool
- Protective case
- User manual and warranty information
Specs at a glance
Quick look at the device’s specs:
- DISPLAY: 6.39-inch Super AMOLED, 2400 x 1080px
- CPU & GPU: Octa-Core Snapdragon 675, Adreno 612
- RAM & Storage: 8GB, 128GB
- Rear Camera: 48MP(12MP effective) f/1.8, 8MP f/2.2, 13MP f/2.4, 2MP
- Selfie Camera: 32MP f/2.0, 8MP
- Battery: 4100 mAh
- OTHER FEATURES: Pop-Up selfie camera, In-Display Fingerprint sensor
Design and Build Quality
The Vivo V17 Pro isn’t the most elegant smartphone on the market. At more than 200 grams, you may feel heavy and thick from the shoulders. Although the smartphone packs a 4100 mAh battery, it is less than the Z1Pro and Z1x. The thickness has a pop-up selfie-camera mechanism. The rear of the V17 Pro has a premium feel with a clean finish. The rear panel features a vertically aligned quad-camera module in the center with the Vivo logo at the bottom.
The power button and volume rockers are on the right panel, while the Google Assistant button is on the left panel. On the smartphone, you get a dual-pop selfie camera module along with a 3.5mm jack. The mono speaker, Type-C USB charging port, and SIM tray are placed at the bottom of the smartphone.
The V17 Pro is available in two colors, Glacier Ice and Midnight Ocean. For the sake of review, I use the latter, and although it does attract fingerprint smudges, they are less than I’ve seen on some other recent devices, such as the Samsung A50s, Realme XT, and Vivo Z1x. Now, in general, the solution to this is using the case you get with the V17 Pro. But, keeping it and removing it is a task. The all-plastic case adds weight to the phone, and if you want to use it, be very patient, or you can throw the device into the wall.
Display
The Vivo V17 Pro features a 2.500, 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with 2400 x 1080px resolution and 401PPI pixel density. The screen of the device also includes a display fingerprint scanner. The device’s appearance is surrounded by skinny bezels. In addition to the excellent design, another area display of the Vivo V17 Pro impressed us. Screen-to-body 91.65 percent. In other words, too much screen space, too many pixels.
The full-screen display is very bright in all lighting conditions, whether it is inside the room or outside the Jaipur sun. The Vivo V17 Pro also always comes with an on display, which is useful.
Performance
If there are two areas where the V17 Pro is better, they are performance and software. An excellent upgrade to the Vivo V15 Pro in all aspects except the Vivo V17 Pro performance. The Vivo V17 Pro works with the same Snapdragon 675 processor from Qualcomm, also inside the V15 Pro. For a phone that costs Rs 30,000, we’d love to see an upgrade here.
The Vivo Z1 Pro and Vivo Z1X are less expensive and come with the new Snapdragon 712. Let’s talk about real-world performance. The Snapdragon 675 processor delivers better chipset and better performance. The Vivo V17 Pro handles the games – both the massive GPU and the Basic – well. You can see some log from time to time with some games and long gaming.
Switching between apps, social media, or internet browsing, chatting, and all the other day-to-day tasks Vivo V17 Pro performs well. I played long PUBG sessions on Vivo V17 Pro, and the experience was good. It’s not buttery smooth, but if I don’t crank up the graphics settings – it slows down game-play. By default, PUBG runs at a higher frame rate, but most of the time, we tested the gaming experience by setting the frame rate to medium or sometimes low. So, in our verdict, the overall performance of the Vivo V17 Pro is not good enough.
Software
In the case of the Vivo V17 Pro, the Android 9-based FunTech OS 9 user interface cannot be called user-friendly. However, Vivo has done much better than ever before. We launched FunTouch OS 2.0 back in December 2014 on Android 4.4.4 on Vivo X5 Max. Since then, the FunTouch OS has come a long way and has been refined enough to get it through several repetitions.
Specialty – The special section contains all the features that a user needs in a handset. Although the UI has evolved over the years, it looks similar to the one used in Oppo and Xiaomi, which reduces uniqueness.
Cameras
At the back is a 48-megapixel primary camera with f / 1.78 aperture, 1/2? Sony IMX582 Sensor, 0.8µm Pixel Size, 6P Lens, Dual LED Flash, Ultra Wide Sensor 2.5 cm Super Macro with 8 Megapixel 120 ° F / 2.2 Aperture, F / 2.5 Shooter with 13-Megapixel Telephoto Lens 2x. 2-megapixel sensor for optical zoom and 10x digital zoom and portrait shots. It has EIS that works for 1080 30fps videos, and the phone has 4K 30fps video recording.
Starting in the daytime, shots taken from the rear camera of the V17 Pro have a fantastic dynamic range and are captured close to natural color temperature. Things were sharp in focus, and the camera handled the details very well without overstating the rest of the frame. The edges also look pretty sharp. In terms of focusing on the subject, the camera took a little extra time to get there. But it can be improved with a software update. One of the things that have worked well is the detection of its AI scene in daylight and well-lit conditions. Coming to a wide-angle camera, it offers panoramic viewing (105 degrees). So, you can click on large group shots or a vast landscape, and it works fine with no barrel distortion.
In low light, the camera does an adequate job in auto mode, and detecting AI scenes does not work correctly in dark conditions. You can use Pro Mode and get good shots, which means the camera is competent, which is mostly a software issue. Also, the camera can take 4K videos at a rate of 60 frames per second (FPS). I tried the Super Slow-Mo video, which only comes in at 720p.
For selfies, the Vivo V17 Pro comes with the world’s first dual pop-up selfie camera with a 32-megapixel lens. The setup also reproduces some crisp shots with a focus on the large 105-degree selfie frame. Portrait shots are excellent with good blur and edge detection.
Battery Life
The Vivo V15 Pro operates with a 4000mAh battery that supports fast charging via a bottom-mounted micro USB port. The device also supports Vivo’s proprietary dual-engine charging up to 18W with a bundled charger.
Battery moderate and heavy usage is easy for a day, which is excellent for watching videos online, browsing social media and making calls and messaging, and listening to music. The phone can charge 24% power in just 15 minutes of charging. It has a micro USB 2.0 port.
Audio, Connectivity, Biometrics
The headphone jack is still in the V17 Pro because everyone is getting rid of it, and Vivo is trying to sell its products because half the population still wants the headphone jack.
The fingerprint sensor on display is accurate and worked well during my review period. To detect the fingerprint, you have to press the screen to the scanner, which is a little extra effort compared to using a physical fingerprint sensor.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Good battery life
- The clever pop-up selfie camera
- Impressive design
Cons:
- Frustrating software
- Uses the old micro-USB port
- Slowed down overall performance
- Overpriced
The Vivo V17 Pro is an all-rounder thanks to its stylish design, fast performance, and good cameras. A pop-up selfie camera is one that can be found by many who want to stand out from the crowd and take it too.
However, the price tag of Rs 29,900 may seem a bit high, especially when options like the Poco F1 offer the Snapdragon 845 at a much lower price. Nokia is another option that includes a Snapdragon 675 processor and a glass body. However, the Vivo V17 Pro does not disappoint.
