Vivo V27 Pro: Takes Great Portraits, Despite The Ring Light

The Vivo V series phone is back, and for the first time in years, this model isn't sold entirely with the front-facing camera. Priced at around $460 in India and other Southeast Asian markets, the Vivo V27 Pro looks more like a typical flagship phone. And as with these phones, the primary focus is the front (rear) camera system.

There are a few specs that make the phone make a good first impression right out of the box. First, the Vivo V27 Pro looks like a flagship Android phone with its curved front screen and aluminum-mixed tempered glass; structure. The 6.8-inch OLED screen can display billions of colors and with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, it's a great looking panel. You have to know your smartphones well enough to see that the screen is less than $1,000 phones (that's the maximum brightness and viewing angles). Previous Vivo V devices had a notch, but not this time, the selfie camera is a small notch.

My device came out blue, but like the latest Vivo V phones, it can discolor thanks to a UV-absorbing coating. I find this feature very useless and I haven't even tried to change its colors, but I can't give it up entirely, because I'm sure there are people out there who would like to add some style to their phone design.

If you are wondering what the color change effect looks like, you tried it on a previous Vivo phone. Cover a part of the phone, then put it in the sun or shine it with a UV lamp, and after a few seconds, the solar strip on the back appears. As you can imagine, you can get creative and put your logo or inscription on the device. The color change lasts only a few minutes and then returns to normal.

Elsewhere, the Vivo V27 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 chip, which is powerful enough for most users. But the star of the show is the camera system, which includes a special ring of light that Vivo calls "halo lighting."

I can see vignetting coming in handy in low light situations, but again, this isn't for me as I prefer to look natural with no noticeable reflections.

The thing is, Vivo's camera system and image processing software are good enough that you don't need this trick. I took these photos in a dimly lit (no flash) Japanese-style cafe, and I think the shots are great for a $400 phone.

The main camera is 50MP with an f/1.9 lens and a 1/1.56-inch image sensor, which is a good sensor that lets in light without slowing down the shutter speed. And Vivo's software has evolved very well in recent years, and is probably the best in the industry.

The rest of the phone could be a mixed bag. The 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera is best used during the day and the 4,600mAh battery can last all day, but the single speaker lags behind the competition and audio output is poor. The phone scores points for being light (182g), but the touch is soft and luxurious. If you're wondering what the third camera lens is for, don't worry. It's another 2MP sensor that does nothing.

Overall, the Vivo V27 Pro is another mid-range smartphone from Vivo, but as I wrote in the latest Vivo V phone reviews, the company releases these devices quite quickly. We've just had time to take a break from the V25 Pro, and here comes the V27 pro.

This criticism only applies to the V-series, but Vivo's flagship X-series phones remain the most feature-rich Android phones out there. But I think it's good that Vivo continues to release good-looking and well-performing mid-range devices for the Southeast Asian market, which is often overlooked in favor of the North American, European or East Asian markets.