Vivo V20 Se

Vivo is from the same family as Oppo, Realme and OnePlus; all of whom are owned by BBK Electronics. This multi-brand strategy lets the parent company tap into various markets and demographics with much ease. Vivo is one of the brands that cater to a more affordable range of devices. The V20 SE is a mid-range device with ample punch to its performance.

Similar to many of the smartphones of the era, the design is simple; slim bezels with rounded edges. There are two colour options, Gravity Black and Oxygen Blue. 

V20 SE Internals and OS

A winning feature is the Qualcomm CPU in this device, the Snapdragon 665 to be exact. This is an octa-core processor with a clock speed of 2.0GHz for four of its cores and 1.8GHz for the other four. It was built using the 11nm method and has the Adreno 610 integrated with it as the Graphics Processing Unit. This combined with the 8GB of RAM enables it to handle a decent level of gaming. The storage available inside is 128GB and one can extend it via a microSDXC card.

Vivo's smartphones run Android as the base OS, as does the V20 SE. It has version 10.0, meaning it also features Machine Learning which lets it optimise its performance a lot more. On top of this, the brand has layered its own FuntouchOS 11. This allows for a lot more customisations and a range of features specific to this user interface.

The customisations lt you choose various animations for things, such as what the device does when you connect it to the charging cable. There is also a game mode, so the V20 SE can manage the CPU, GPU and RAM better when you are gaming.

Display and Cameras

Being able to enjoy one's games is also a matter of the display and a high contrast AMOLED with a resolution of 1080 x 2400pixels is great for that. At 6.44 inches the pixel density comes to 409 pixels per inch, creating a very clear image.

This display is also crucial for the cameras. The main camera module has a triple sensor setup, with the main sensor at 48MP f/1.8 that shoots a bit wide; similar to a 25mm lens. The secondary is an 8MP f/2.2 and shoots ultrawide like a 16mm lens. For depth-sensing there is a 2MP f/2.4 sensor, this helps add a lot of layers to the photography.

On the front there is the 32MP sensor with an aperture of f/2.0 and also shoots a bit wide, this helps with getting group selfies. Both sides can record video at 1080p with a frame rate of 30fps. Other features come up with the app, such as Panorama, HDR, Night Mode, Portrait, phase detection, Slo-mo, geo-tagging and the DOC beauty filter system as well. 

Connectivity, Sensors and Battery

This device features all the connectivity options, except for NFC. This means it has WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM Radio, Dual-SIm and Data. The physical connectivity options include a USB Type-C reversible connector and an audio jack as well. This audio jack lets one make use of the 3.5mm connector pin with headphones or AUX cables.

Sensors on this device include an accelerometer, a compass, a gyro and a proximity sensor. These provide essential feedback for the various apps to make use of to function. There is also a fingerprint reader that is embedded into the display, this makes for super quick and convenient unlocking.

Oddly the battery is just a little under what the smartphones in this category have, especially from brands such as Vivo. It is a 4100mAh capacity cell that is based on Li-Polymer technology. This does make for ample usage but could be a little less for serious game times. It does, however, feature Fast Charging that lets one top-up in shorter times.

Comments

The Vivo V20 SE is quite a good smartphone given the price Vs the specs it houses. The chipset, RAM, display and cameras are all well-performing components; making for an overall efficient device.

The price of this device is toward the higher end of the mid-range, but still at affordable pricing given its specs.