vivo V27 5G starts a new smartphone trend—a "studio" in your pocket!

As a follow-up to the capable V25 Series, vivo Philippines earlier introduced the V27 Series which includes the V27e and V27 5G.

This is the new vivo V27 5G

These phones are the company's newest camera-centric mid-rangers aiming to impress the "creator generation" and anyone in need of a reliable smartphone with capable photo and video shooting capabilities.

How? vivo claims that these phones are considered as a "studio" in your pocket.

Thanks to its new built-in ring light, its users will be able to take stunning portrait shots with "studio-grade" quality. This could be an important feature for creators (bloggers/vloggers, mobile photographers/videographers, social media managers, journalists, etc.) on the go anywhere.

Is it really a "studio" in your pocket? Will this new imaging solution start a new smartphone trend?

To check if the claims of vivo are correct, we tried this new tech on the V27 5G last weekend, ahead of its launch today.

A "studio" in your pocket?

Priced at PHP 24,999, the vivo V27 5G features a "vlogging" camera—a 50MP f/1.88 Sony IMX766V main shooter. This is a large 1/1.56-inch sensor with a pixel size of 1.0μm designed to allow the phone to take crisp and bright images even in the dark. vivo even added an improved OIS and EIS at the same time (Dual Ultra Stabilization tech) to prevent taking blurry photos or shaky videos.

This device even has an 8MP f/2.2 119-degree ultra-wide-angle shooter and a 2MP f/2.4 4cm macro camera.

Ring light + Sony IMX766V + Portrait mode

To achieve high-quality images anywhere, aside from its software tricks like the Night mode, the vivo V27 is equipped with a built-in ring light (Aura Portrait Algorithm Feature).

The ring light-like effect

According to vivo, this replaces the usual camera flash to make portrait shots clearer and more natural-looking. When using the Portrait mode, this has a soft light effect usually found in photos done in professional studio setups. 

vivo also said that photos and videos taken using this solution will enhance facial features and make the subject's skin look luminous.

How to use the Aura Portrait Algorithm Feature?

1. Open the camera app

2. Select Portrait mode

3. Turn on Aura Light

Differences of no flash, fill flash, and Aura Light. The one with Aura Light appears to be the most detailed without under or overexposure of the 3. 

Note: Make sure that you are using "Aura Light" as it can produce a softer light effect compared with the regular fill light with flash on Photo mode.

Without flash and with Aura Light

In our experience, this solution really helped in making low light images look brighter, more detailed, and generally better when used properly. As you can see from the image above, the photo on the right side with the said tech has a better range without overdoing it.

Closer Portrait shot

Our tip is to make sure that you are at least a meter away from the subject to prevent getting shots with a little harsh light. You can also opt to use the zoom in its Portrait mode.

Look at the background blur and its separation from the hair

Another cool thing about this ring light effect is it doesn't overproduce glare. Its AI also probably helps in making your shots look generally better. Even the DSLR-like artificial blur effect (bokeh) is great for a mid-range smartphone with a respectable subject-to-background separation.  

Photo vs Portrait mode with the vivo lighting effect

Another use case of this tech for us is in dim indoor lighting conditions. For example, the shot of the baby above has fewer details and more grain in normal Photo mode. But after using the Portrait mode with this new lighting solution, the shot now has a more balanced color tone and is brighter with crisper details.

Night selfie

In front, this uses an improved 50MP Eye AF selfie "vlogging" camera. As you can see in the shot above, it can take crisp and nice overall selfies even at Night. Since it has a fast Eye AF tech, you can get shots that are not out of focus.

Dim light selfie with screen flash

Moreover, vivo also implemented the "Aura Light" screen light for better self-portraits nearly anywhere.

Detailed shot in daylight

Crisp crispy pata indoor shot

One of the best Night modes on a mid-ranger

By the way, apart from this lighting tech, the vivo V27 can also take impressive shots from a mid-range smartphone in nearly all lighting conditions. The Super Night Mode is actually flagship-level to my eyes.

Note: We have yet to fully explore its Super Night Video and other vlogging features. But these features are exciting and will have a separate video to discuss them. Stay tuned!

Other notable features of the V27

Despite being labeled as a camera-centric smartphone, the vivo V27 carries serious features and specs for the price.

Look at that marble-like effect at the back

First, on the exterior, it is using a 3D curved back design in the Emerald Green colorway.

This has a color-changing feature when hit by sunlight. The green model can change from a lighter green with a marble-like effect to Emerald Green.

The screen

In front, it has one of the thinnest 3D curved screens that we have ever seen. In particular, it arrived in a 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and crisp enough FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution. In terms of performance, this is one of the most eye-friendly yet color-rich smooth screens we have seen at this price point.

By the way, it has a fast In-Display fingerprint scanner as well, a well-known vivo innovation.

AnTuTu and Geekbench scores

Inside, we will see its next best feature aside from the cameras—the processor.

In particular, this is one of the very few phones (or the only one at the moment) with a 4nm processor for the price—the 2.8GHz 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 7200 octa-core processor with Mali-G610 MC4 GPU. This is a very fast processor capable of running most apps and even some demanding games with ease.

The brain of the phone is also the one completing its camera system as it has an advanced 14-bit HDR ISP for 4K HDR video support and a new-gen APU allowing AI-powered I-powered camera enhancements like Real-Time Portrait Beautification.

To assist its chip, vivo even added 12GB of RAM by default. Then you can even expand it up to 8GB using its Dynamic RAM tech for a total of up to 20GB. For internal storage, it has 256GB.

This combo allows us to enjoy a smooth experience when it comes to opening multiple apps with running apps in the background and installing plenty of apps or storing a lot of files including photos and videos.

We are still not done testing its battery, but the device has a fairly big 4,600mAh capacity for a phone that is just 7.36 mm slim. So far, it can last for an entire day with about 20 to 30 percent of the battery left in the tank. It even has a USB-C 66W Fast Charge tech that can charge it to 50 percent in just 19 minutes. 

vivo V27 5G Specs

Display: 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution at 388 ppi

CPU: 2.8GHz 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 7200 octa-core processor

GPU: Mali-G610 MC4

RAM: 12GB LPDDR4X

ROM: 256GB UFS expandable storage via microSD

Back Camera: 50MP f/1.88 Sony IMX766V w/ OIS, EIS + 8MP f/2.2 119-degree ultra-wide-angle + 2MP f/2.4 4cm macro + LED flash

Selfie Camera: 50MP f/2.45 w/ AF, Eye AF

Battery: 4,600mAh w/ 66W Fast Charge

OS: Android 13 w/ FuntouchOS 13

Connectivity: WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz), 5G SA/NSA, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, OTG, GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, dual SIM (nano)

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, dual mic, large cooling system, USB-C, Colors: Flowing Gold, Magic Blue, Emerald Green

Dimensions: 164.1 x 74.8 x 7.36 mm

Weight: 180 g

Price: PHP 24,999

Our thoughts

The new vivo V27 5G is one of the most exciting mid-range releases we've seen in years as this shows that the company is not afraid to innovate.

Critics will argue that the Aura Portrait Algorithm Feature is gimmicky with limited use cases. Don't also expect it to beat real professional studio setups. But once I started using it, I kept on using this feature as it helps elevate the shots that I take when properly used. This is a solution that could help mobile content creators, businesses, and anyone take better-looking images. This is not bad for a smartphone.

It also wouldn't hurt to have an extra feature like this to set it apart from the competition. Besides, the vivo V27 5G has one of the most competitive specs in the sub-PHP 25K range.

On paper, we think that it is ahead of most similarly priced offerings from competing brands.

The color-changing feature is always cool, it has one of the nicest curved screens around, a 4nm premium chip like the 4nm MTK D7200 is ultra-rare for the price, the memory option is large, and it charges very fast, among others.

What do you guys think?