Vivo V20 SE is the newest addition to the Vivo’s V-series, and it’s positioned as a extra inexpensive model of the Vivo V20, which was launched final month. With the V20, Vivo targeted on design and cameras, and you may see the same strategy with the Vivo V20 SE as properly. Nevertheless, to focus on a lower cost level, the V20 SE has undergone a cost-cutting train leading to decrease decision digicam sensors and a distinct processor, amongst different issues. So is the Vivo V20 SE nonetheless particular, or has Vivo gone a bit too far? Let’s discover out.
Vivo V20 SE design
Vivo claims that the main focus was on design for the Vivo V20 SE, and that’s evident. The smartphone is skinny and the burden is well manageable. Vivo has gone with a 6.44-inch AMOLED show similar to on the Vivo V20 (Review), with a dewdrop notch on the prime and skinny borders surrounding it. You get a full-HD+ decision with a 20:9 facet ratio, which suggests the show is tall and slim.
The edges of the smartphone are rounded, which makes it comfy to carry. The body of the V20 SE is made out of plastic and all of the buttons are on the precise. I discovered the facility and the amount buttons to be straightforward to achieve. In addition they had a clicky suggestions, so I did not need to second-guess a button press.
The V20 SE has an AMOLED show and an in-display fingerprint sensor
The left aspect of the V20 SE is naked, as Vivo has positioned the SIM tray on the prime. You get twin Nano-SIM slots together with a devoted microSD card slot which makes storage growth attainable. The highest and the underside of the V20 SE are flat. There is a USB Kind-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a speaker, and a microphone on the backside.
Turning the cellphone round reveals the triple digicam setup of the V20 SE. The digicam module sits within the prime left nook and is barely raised. Vivo affords two color choices, Aquamarine Inexperienced and Gravity Black. I had the latter for this evaluation, and I discovered the shiny end on the again liable to fingerprints and smudges. I used the equipped case to keep away from wiping the smartphone steadily. Vivo additionally features a 33W FlashCharge charger within the field, which ought to prime up the 4,100mAh battery rapidly.
Vivo V20 SE specs
Whereas Vivo calls this a Particular Version (SE) the specs are watered down in comparison with the Vivo V20. Powering the V20 SE is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There is just one configuration of the V20 SE on sale in India, and it’s priced at Rs. 20,990. Whilst you do get first rate quantities of RAM and storage, the processor is not very highly effective contemplating the worth. You can find the very same processor in far more inexpensive smartphones such because the Realme Narzo 20A and the Nokia 5.3 (Review).
The V20 SE sports activities a 6.44-inch AMOLED show with an in-display fingerprint scanner similar to the Vivo V20. The show has good viewing angles and will get shiny sufficient when outdoor. You additionally get the choice to tweak the color profile and temperature of the panel.
The V20 SE runs Funtouch OS 11 on prime of Android 10
Not like the Vivo V20, the V20 SE doesn’t run Android 11 out of the field – you get Android 10 as a substitute. It nonetheless has the brand new FunTouch OS 11 UI on prime, and Vivo is promising to roll out a software program replace to Android 11 quickly. My unit was operating the September Android safety patch, which is pretty latest. The UI appears to be like loads like what you get on the V20 and there may be some preinstalled bloatware. I discovered Fb, Flipkart, PhonePe, Snapchat, and Spotify on my gadget. Vivo additionally has its personal V-Appstore which is a substitute for the Google Play Retailer. There’s additionally a Themes app, which helps you to customise the UI proper right down to the fonts.
The V20 SE permits you to customise the charging and unlock animations. You may also make the most of the AMOLED panel and allow an always-on show mode. There’s an Extremely sport mode which helps you to mute incoming calls and notifications when you are taking part in video games, just like what I’ve seen on Vivo smartphones I’ve examined previously.
Vivo V20 SE efficiency
The V20 SE is able to delivering acceptable efficiency with none points. Whereas utilizing the smartphone, I didn’t discover lag, and multitasking was a breeze due to the 8GB of RAM. The in-display fingerprint scanner in addition to face recognition have been fast to unlock the Vivo V20 SE. Informal utilization was ok, however the gradual processor does appear to extend app loading instances.
I ran a number of benchmark assessments to see the place the Vivo V20 SE stands. In AnTuTu, the V20 SE managed 1,84,085, which is decrease than what opponents on the identical value stage can handle, for instance the Poco X3 (Review), which scored 2,80,030. The V20 SE scored 6,364 in PCMark Work 2.Zero andmanaged 315 and 1,389 factors respectively in Geekbench’s single-core and multi-core assessments. Within the graphics benchmark check GFXBench’s T-Rex and Automotive Chase scenes, the V20 SE managed 32fps and 6.2fps.
The shiny again of the Vivo V20 SE is a fingerprint magnet
Efficiency was noticeably decrease whereas taking part in heavy titles resembling Name of Obligation: Cell. I seen longer load instances than standard, and the sport ran with the graphics high quality and body fee set to Medium by default. After taking part in the sport for 20 minutes, I seen a six % drop within the battery stage. The Vivo V20 SE didn’t have any points operating informal video games resembling Amongst Us.
Battery life on the V20 SE is first rate, and the cellphone went on for a day and a half with out me dashing for a charger. In our HD video loop check, the V20 SE went on for 14 hours and 31 minutes which is about the identical as what the Vivo V20 managed. Charging was fast with the 33W charger bundled within the field. The gadget obtained to 52 % in 30 minutes and about 96 % in an hour.
Vivo V20 SE cameras
The Vivo V20 SE packs a triple digicam setup on the again consisting of a 48-megapixel main digicam, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle digicam that can be able to macro images, and a 2-megapixel “bokeh digicam”. The digicam app feels related and is tremendous straightforward to make use of. AI is enabled by default and the cellphone is fast to find out what it is pointed in the direction of. It additionally steered completely different taking pictures modes and cameras primarily based on the scene. Vivo has added an AI Picture Matting function within the album app which helps you to edit images to vary the sky, add a transferring impact, and even take away objects.
Vivo V20 SE daylight digicam pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)
Vivo V20 SE daylight ultra-wide-angle digicam pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)
In daylight, the Vivo V20 SE managed first rate pictures with good particulars on objects even at a distance. Whereas taking pictures outdoor in shiny circumstances, the V20 SE is fast to allow HDR. Switching to the ultra-wide-angle digicam affords a wider area of view however at the price of particulars. Objects at a distance weren’t as crisp as they appeared in images taken with the first digicam. There was seen distortion on the edges as properly. You possibly can take images on the full 48-megapixel decision however the stage of element is inferior to in pictures taken on the default 12-megapixel binned decision.
Vivo V20 SE close-up digicam pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)
Vivo V20 SE macro digicam pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)
Closeups turned out very well, and the cellphone managed to seize sharp photos. It additionally provides a tender depth impact to the background. Portrait pictures with regular topics turned out properly, with good edge detection. The V20 SE makes use of its ultra-wide-angle digicam for macro pictures and allows you to get tremendous near a topic. I like this strategy, because you get good performance while not having one other sensor, and pictures have the next decision.
Vivo V20 SE low gentle digicam pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)
Vivo V20 SE Night time Mode digicam pattern (faucet to see full-size picture)
Low-light digicam efficiency is common total. The V20 SE managed to maintain noise below management however images appeared smoothened and objects at a distance had a watercolour-like impact. Enabling Night time Mode resulted in barely brighter photos with higher element, however it took about 3-Four seconds to course of every shot.
Vivo V20 SE daylight portrait selfie pattern (faucet to see resized picture)
Vivo V20 SE low gentle selfie pattern (faucet to see resized picture)
The V20 SE managed good selfies in daylight in addition to low gentle. You possibly can take portrait pictures utilizing the selfie digicam, and the V20 SE blurs out the background routinely. Beautification is enabled by default, which smoothens the output. In low gentle, you need to use a display screen flash, which Vivo calls Aura Display screen Gentle, and this does assist seize brighter photos.
Video recording tops out at 4K for the first digicam and 1080p for the selfie shooter. Footage shot at 1080p in daylight was stabilised however not footage shot at 4K. In low gentle there was a slight shimmer within the footage shot at 1080p, whereas 4K footage wasn’t stabilised.
Verdict
The Vivo V20 SE ought to have been known as the V20 Lite, contemplating that Vivo has watered down the specs quite a bit to focus on a lower cost level. Identical to the Vivo V20, this cellphone focuses on design and cameras, so in case you are in search of first rate digicam efficiency at across the Rs. 20,000 value level, the Vivo V20 SE can give you that. Then again, in case you are in search of a well-rounded smartphone, the V20 SE is not your finest wager. It sports activities a weaker processor, which is obvious when taking part in heavy video games. On this case, the Realme 7 Pro (Review) and the Poco X3 (Review) can be appropriate options.