Meet vivo V29 5G - Mid-range camera and battery performance powerhouse

We share our thoughts on the vivo V29 5G with Aura Light 2.0 that was released in the Philippines in the later of half of 2023.

vivo V29 in two colorways

Meet vivo V29 5G!

To recap, it comes with a 120Hz 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED screen, a 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G SoC, 12GB LPDDR4X RAM, 256GB/512GB of storage, and a 4,600mAh battery with 80W fast wired charging. 

At the back are the 50MP ultra-sensing main camera, 8MP ultra-wide camera, and 2MP depth sensor with an Aura Light 2.0 LED flash.

While in front is the 50MP f/2.0 selfie camera.

vivo V29 5G's packaging

Let's unbox it first.

It comes in a white box with a render of the phone. Around the box are vivo branding, key specs, features, and regulatory information.

vivo V29 5G's box inclusions

Inside the box are the phone, SIM ejector tool, earphones, USB to micro USB cable, 10W charger, silicone case, and documentation.

vivo V29's two colorways

At first glance, the phone looks similar to its predecessor but with minor refinements and new colorways. The major visual change is the relocation of the Aura Light LED flash from the side of the cameras to the bottom. Only the Magic Maroon colorway features the color-changing gimmick that the previous generations introduced.

Color-changing back, premium glass back!

Our review unit is the Starry Purple colorway with an eye-catching white-to-purple gradient and a glittery material. It is stunning and unique.

The rear curved glass panel has a glossy surface which makes it prone to fingerprint smudges and is slippery when held. We recommend wearing the included silicone case right away.

vivo V29 5G's display

As mentioned above, the 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED screen with a 2,800 x 1,260 resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate. Very few have these higher resolution displays at this price point, most are only packed with 1080p panels.

One of the better displays for the price...

Around the panel are thin enough bezels. On the upper part of the panel is the punch hole that houses the selfie camera. Above it and hidden on the bezel is the super slim earpiece.

The panel produces bright, vibrant images with clear details and crisp text. It is more than bright enough to be readable under direct sunlight. It is a 10-point multi-touch panel which makes it great for multitasking.

vivo V29 5G's top and bottom sides

On top is a glasstic panel with the microphone port and "professional portrait" text. While on the bottom are the speaker grill, USB-C port, and SIM tray.

On the left side of the phone are the polycarbonate power button and volume rocker. Both give an unsatisfying plastic-y feel when pressed.

vivo V29 5G's rear cameras with Aura Light 2.0

At the back are the 50MP f/1.88 Ultra-sensing camera with EIS and OIS, an 8MP f/2.2 119-degree ultra-wide angle camera, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor with the Aura Light 2.0 and LED flash.

The stock camera app includes the following modes: Photo, Video, Portrait, Night, Micro Movie, High resolution, Pano, Documents, Slo-Mo, Time-lapse, Supermoon,  Astro, Pro, Sports, food, Dual View, and Live Photo.

The Pro mode can be used with both the main camera and the ultra-wide. It also has controls for White Balance, EV (+-3), ISO (50-3200), Shutter Speed (1/12,000 to 32 sec), Autofocus, and Metering.

Camera Samples

vivo V29 5G rear daylight 1x

vivo V29 5G rear daylight 2x

vivo V29 5G rear daylight ultra-wide

In daylight and indoors, the images have minimal noise. The color between the 1x and 2x are consistent but the ultra-wide tended to be warmer and darker in exposure. The ultra-wide image was also softer than the other two.

Aura Light 2.0 helps with color accuracy

Aura Light 2.0 allows users to fine-tune the white balance of the LED light which allows for stunning and unique color accuracy in shots like the one above where the lights inside the restaurants were very warm.

vivo V29 5G close-up shot

 

Upon close-up, the image has decent sharpness with vibrant color and decent bokeh fall-off or transition between in-focus and out-of-focus areas.

Normal bokeh style

Butterfly bokeh style

The rear portrait mode has several Bokeh styles including the classic round balls and the unique butterfly ones.

vivo V29 5G rear lowlight 1x

vivo V29 5G rear lowlight 2x

vivo V29 5G rear lowlight ultra-wide

While in low light, the noise had minimal effect. The sharpness, contrast, and color were retained. It even brightened the overall image. The ultra-wide image remained the least sharp of the three.

vivo V29 5G rear night mode 1x

vivo V29 5G rear night mode 2x

vivo V29 5G rear night mode ultra-wide

Night mode significantly reduced the noise while improving the overexposed light sources. The sharpness, color, and contrast are good too.

Overall, the rear cameras captured images with good performance in good lighting but the ultra-wide remained softer and more prone to noise than the main camera.

The vivo V29 5G comes with a 50MP f/2.0 selfie camera.

Selfie camera modes include Photo, Video, Night, and Portrait.

vivo V29 5G selfie daylight

vivo V29 5G selfie portrait

Like the rear cameras, the daylight selfie has decent sharpness, detail, color, and dynamic range. The skin tones aren't as lively as they should be. There is a noticeable absence of pink tones on the lips and on the skin.

vivo V29 5G selfie low light

vivo V29 5G selfie night mode

However, the indoor and low-light selfies suffered from noise build-up but managed to retain color and detail. The Night mode builds on the low light by reducing the noise and improving sharpness and color accuracy.

Overall, the selfie camera's performance is good in the majority of the situations. It lost a bit of its luster in low light but not by much. It's quite impressive.

Performance

AnTuTu and GeekBench

We ran some benchmarks like the Antutu where we scored 592,124. While on Geekbench we got 1,031 points on the single core and 2,991 on the multi-core tests.

3DMark and CPDT

In 3DMark Wild Life Extreme the phone managed to score 2,498 overall with an average frame rate of 14.96. While si CPDT scored 521.1 MB/s in sequential write speeds it scored 697.53 MB/s in sequential read speeds.

In real-life use, the phone runs smoothly especially when there are animations. Navigating through the UI and opening apps is a breeze. 

PCMark Battery test

The vivo V29 5G was our main phone in our trip to Tokyo and it served as our pocket wifi. We tethered multiple devices to it for the whole day and the battery would last all day as a pocket WiFi from 7 AM up until 8 PM. We would have an average of 10 to 15 percent battery life after a whole day of being connected to 4G or 5G while being the Pocket WiFi.

Better battery life than expected!

This is why we are not confident with the PCMark result of 13 hours and 37 minutes because the battery optimization of vivo has always been good.

The included 80W Fast Charger charges the phone's 4,600mAh battery in under an hour.

The single rear-firing speakers produce sound with a high maximum volume that could fill a standard-sized studio bedroom. However, at Max volume, there is some perceptible distortion. We recommend going down to 85 percent volume for the best quality. The speakers are also easily muffled when covered.

The fingerprint reader and Face Unlock are easy and quick to set up. Once set up, both our face and our fingerprint immediately unlock the phone. The camera struggles when the environment is dark or when we are wearing a mask. The screen brightens up to compensate for dark situations

For connectivity, VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC work consistently and as expected.

FunTouchOS

It is usingAndroid 13-based FunTouchOS 13. It comes with all the new features of Android 13 but with the FunTouch look and feel. It has improved over the years but if you didn't like FunTouch Then, there is little here that would make you change your mind.

In-display fingerprint scanner

vivo V29 5G Specs

Display: 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, 2800 x 1260 resolution at 453 ppi

CPU: 2.4GHz 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G octa-core processor

GPU: Adreno 642L

RAM: 12GB LPDDR4X

ROM: 256GB/512GB

Back Camera: 50MP f/1.88 Ultra-Sensing Camera w/ OIS, EIS + 8MP f/2.2 119-degree ultra-wide-angle + 2MP f/2.4 depth + Aura Light 2.0 + LED flash

Selfie Camera: 50MP f/2.0

Battery: 4,600mAh w/ 80W Fast Charge

OS: Android 13 w/ FuntouchOS 13.1

Connectivity: WiFi 6, 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: Magic Maroon, Starry Purple

Dimensions: 164.18 x 74.37 x 7.46 mm

Weight: 186 g

Price: PHP 24,999 (12GB/256GB), PHP 26,999 (12GB/512GB)

Quick thoughts

The vivo V29 5G offers a stunning and unique design while offering long battery life and impressive camera performance.

At its price point, there are competing phones with more powerful SoCs. Don't get us wrong, the SD 778G 5G is still competitive but it may be a sore point for some.

Otherwise, we highly recommend the vivo V29 5G because it offers good performance in power, battery, and cameras while giving users the surprisingly versatile  Aura Light 2.0.

Our only gripe with the cameras is the inconsistent exposure between the two rear cameras.

Do you agree with us?

What do you guys think?