Today we will consider the previous generation smartphone VIVO V21e. This is a very interesting model that has a first-class selfie camera. This is the true love of bloggers and just a great smartphone. The review will be useful to those who are not chasing new flagships, but are looking for a stable model with excellent cameras for themselves and their blog. If there is an option to buy a similar smartphone on drains and sales, or in a good used condition, then this is a great choice for a blogger. For example, it is widely sold on the Ya.market with fast delivery and a guarantee in the Russian Federation.

Specifications

• Display: 6.44 inches, 20:9 ratio, resolution 1080×2400 pixels (408 PPI), AMOLED, Always On Display, HDR10, Matrix backlight brightness up to 570 cd/m2;
• Operating system: Google Android 11, Funtouch OS 11;
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G (8nm);
• Memory: 8 GB RAM (+3 GB from internal memory), 128 GB internal memory;
• Main camera: Main: 64 MP, f/1.89, 25mm, OIS Wide-angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 16mm Macro: 2 MP
• Front camera: 44 MP, f/2.0, 23mm, autofocus, no OIS;
• Battery 4000 mAh.

Packaging and equipment

Getting into our hands, the smartphone is still in the box, it already impresses us not with an ordinary phone, but with something cool, expensive, stylish, a real flagship. If you want to make a beautiful gift and produce a wow-effect, then this is the case, because, as you unpack, immerse yourself more and more in your smartphone, it will only enhance this cool first impression. Not many smartphones can boast of this, but VIVO definitely succeeded.

The device is delivered in a dense cardboard box of deep, dark blue color. The top cover of the box is stylized as the letter V, decorated with a beautiful iridescence of blue, which plays in the sun, when moving in the hands, creating a feeling of shimmering. On the central part there is a large embossing V21e, it is also made with overflow, but already silvery, like all the inscriptions on the box, which, by the way, are not many at all. The manufacturer adheres to minimalism, which gives the design a special charm. The front side, like the ends of the box, has the texture of a very small vertical strip. On the side ends on the left and right there is only a small manufacturer’s logo at the bottom. On the upper and lower ends, the space is left free, in this case there is only a deep blue, almost black color, which is lightened with a pearly overflow when light hits it.

There is no mother-of-pearl or overflow on the back of the box, only a rich color and a sticker with technical specifications, as well as manufacturer’s data.

Inside, the first thing we see is the smartphone itself, it just has a cosmic design. This smartphone is in diamond mosaic color, but more on that below. The smartphone is located in a flat, plastic substrate, black, repeating the outlines of a smartphone, and it also has a slot for a protruding camera unit. Raising the backing, we see the components of the smartphone, namely:

• Charger – 33 W;
• USB type-c cable;
• Wired headset;
• Type-C adapter to 3.5 mm (some bloggers note that it only happens in the older version, but I had it in both);
• Silicone Case;
• Protective film;
• Warranty card;
• User manual;
  

  

All components are tightly packed into their niches and do not touch each other, there are also white cardboard delimiters that protect against damage.

Appearance

The appearance of the smartphone makes you just admire it, a beautiful gradient overflow of geometric patterns really justifies its name. When light or sunlight hits the phone case, visually it seems that we are seeing a reflection of the sunset, which is replaced by bright colors, either a gently pink setting sun, or orange flashes turning into sky blue. Without bright lighting, we see an iridescent soft lilac color.

In the upper left corner there is a camera block containing 3 lenses, under which there is a flash LED and an inscription with information about the camera. And in the lower left corner we see a vertical VIVO logo, made in the same silver color.

The smartphone has clear edges in the design, sits tightly in the hand. The rectangular shape, with rounded but pronounced corners, has a light blue glossy frame on the ends of the smartphone, where the main elements of the mechanical control of the device are located. Let’s take a closer look at them.

The left side is equipped with a tray for SIM-cards and a memory card, unlike the older model, which has a tray at the bottom.

On the upper edge, on the right side, in splendid isolation is an additional microphone.

On the right side, from the center up, we see the lock button and immediately above it the volume rocker. Another slight difference in the older version of the lock button is covered with a beautiful gradient pattern, the younger one is just smooth.

But on the lower edge there is a dense population and there are located, from left to right: a 3.5mm connector, a microphone, a type-c connector for the charger (by the way, it has a plug in the case) and 6 small round speaker holes.

The display has almost no bezels, the speaker is located in the upper part in the center, it is wide enough and there is a recess in the case for it. And in the center under the speakers there is a selfie camera unit, it is designed as a small protrusion of the frame and does not detain the eye at all. The chin is pleasant, not big, and the older version is literally half a millimeter smaller.

I want to note that the smartphone is very thin, this style is immediately felt, thin, with excellent assembly and high-quality materials, again, small frames allow you to use it with pleasure.

Exploitation

The smartphone is based on andoid 11 with a Funtouch OS 11 shell. There is a nice shell of a standard android. Management with notification curtains, it is possible to control gestures. The settings menu is standard for Android devices, nothing new, but nothing superfluous either.

In the screen settings section, it is possible to select a dark mode and configure the AOD function, which is called, like the entire BBK class, the always-on screen. Vivo’s AOD is chic, bright pictures, insistent notifications. It’s worth noting that the older model has a huge number of bright AOD options, while the younger one has a regular monochrome display.

Initially, the system occupies 15 GB of memory and it is possible to use an additional 3 GB of RAM borrowed from permanent memory.

According to the operating system, everything is simple, it works smoothly and without jambs, which attracted a huge number of fans. During the use (six months) there were no glitches, slowdowns, and some such nonsense. That even I met a couple of times on Oneplus 9Pro.

For this, many bloggers fell in love with him, he does not need to be especially configured, he clearly works right out of the box, it remains to configure only the decorations of the system.

The displays look great in the bright sun, and from different angles they do not lose their brightness and color saturation. The older model has a slightly higher brightness (almost imperceptibly during everyday use.

And its 4000 mAh battery is quite capable of itself. For example, playing a 1080 video on Youtube for 2 hours consumes only 5-6 percent of the battery. Games a la tanks eat 12 percent per hour of play.

The Qualcomm 720 processor is far from being a novelty, it is a stable percentage, enough to switch between applications without brakes in combination with a large RAM, and record stories on Insta, sorry VK, without brakes on masks and filters.

There are absolutely no complaints about the reception of satellites, communications and WiFI, communication has never dipped when traveling, even in the outback of the homeland. Internet speed over WiFi is about 300-350 Mbps in the 5GHz band. The mobile network in our region could only boast of a maximum of 42 Mbps.

For example, I will give an example of a throttling test. Overheating problems are not terrible for this smart. Yes, and the speed of the memory chips is a confident average, so as not to feel problems with work. Supplement with testing in Geekbench and PCmark

It is especially interesting that the smartphone has an incredible and unattainable selfie camera among competitors. A 44MP sensor is installed here. And here the maximum difference from the older version of V21 happened. The older version also has optical selfie stabilization. The younger one doesn’t. At the same time, there is no particular difference in the quality of photos, the intelligence of the software diligently processes photos and makes selfies of the highest quality.

Optical stabilization gives you smoother selfie videos and high-quality photos with long exposures, hiding hand shake.

It is especially interesting for bloggers, and for some reason they don’t talk much about it in the reviews, simply because they didn’t use it themselves. Not only is the selfie camera chic, but the phone also suggests a huge number of pose options for one, selfie or group photo. Somehow I made few screenshots of this fact, but there are just a huge number of these poses, generously enriched with all kinds of faces, masks and effects.

Here are examples of photographs, there will be many of them.

Photos against the sun, look how he beat the children’s faces, although the brightest sun shines directly into the optics of the cameras.

Portrait mode blurs the background predictably. There is only software work, without the help of other lenses, so there are flaws in Bokeh.

This is a very complex figure. Bad lighting and a thousand glare, plus the fish is constantly spinning. By the way, this decoration is on almost all tables in a restaurant in Irkutsk opposite the airport.

Those who need to take a photo of food for the blog will check the Food mode, when the software itself tries to make candy. Even in dim and low light conditions.

The smartphone copes well with the study of both the foreground with an object a meter from the device, and with a huge background behind it.

Under artificial lighting, in the conditions of the museum, you can also take detailed photographs

The Baikal February sun is very bright, and that’s how he copes with photographing people in the bright sun, when looking against the sun is almost impossible. And, for example, I’m sitting in a dark hivus in a sweater with huskies. He pulled out the complexion very well.

You can leave very beautiful photos both for your blog and for a long memory.

The software works well when there are a lot of reflections and glare around

Or when objects are generally strange, luminous and there are a lot of them

The colors of the sunset do not distort, it displays very similar to reality.

There are complaints against the huge fireplace, everything is very reddened. But we must pay tribute to the restaurant was complete darkness and only light from a huge fireplace and a pair of lanterns. And he tried to do well and at the same time conveyed the atmosphere.

Once again about photographs of a close object on a globally wide background. By the way, I did not regret that I took the Oneplus 9PRO heater on a trip, the wind in this photo with an air temperature of -32 gives an indelible impression.

Well, once again about artificial lighting. Furnishings of Irkutsk hotels. In dark and dim lighting, the photos are quite decent.

Let’s move on to night photos. Peter is wonderful in his own way.

Let’s move on to the selfie camera.

This is how it works when the face is lit up and when we take pictures against the bright setting sun

Frosty selfie, twilight morning. The sun is just rising and the fog is clearing.

Bad light

Ice around

Here is a portrait and just a selfie

Night selfie

A few more options

Photos on the site, unfortunately, are added only reduced, but the properties of the original file

Original photos on Yandex disk

findings

In the end, I want to say that if you need a smartphone for a blog, for gorgeous selfies and good photos in general, bug-free operation, high-quality and rich body materials and stable firmware, you can easily look at the previous generation model for bloggers from Vivo. They have a new line, we are just waiting for discounts on it, although Vivo is not famous for discounts. There is little difference between the two models. The older model V21 does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack, and has different main camera sensors, while the photo quality is very similar. The older model has optical stabilization on the selfie camera, the younger one has a good electronic one. And there are differences in appearance. If you don’t often record selfie videos, you can opt for a younger model. In the older model, memory chips are slightly faster, which is a little more efficient in operation, but this is not critical. The flash is slightly different. In the younger version, it looks like two LEDs, and in the older one, one circle.

I personally would choose the younger one between the two and save a lot.

At the moment, when Vivo is massively advertising a new line, the prices for previous versions are very pleasant even on the Ya.market

We used both that model and that one, here is the proof of ownership of the Vivo V21.

Between them, it makes sense to save money and buy the younger one. And of all the brands of such quality selfie photos and well-thought-out software for shooting faces, no manufacturer has it. Plus, there are a thousand tips in the camera app, in which position to stand up, so that it is good.

Today, when prices have jumped incredibly, you can buy boldly and smartly. The device is decent. At the same time, the case is made of cool materials, while competitors from Samsung, for example, have slipped into poor plastic.