Download Vivo V23 Pro First Impressions: This Svelte Mid-Ranger Packs a Punch for free

The Vivo V20 Pro was a good mid-range smartphone, as we concluded in our detailed test. In mid-2021, however, Vivo skipped a “Pro” brand model and only announced the V21, which was followed two months later by the cheaper Vivo V21e.

It’s been a year since the V20 Pro launched and now Vivo has finally announced the V23 Pro. It’s packed with new hardware and a fresh design. So let’s take a closer look at this Vivo V20 Pro upgrade and find out what’s new.

The Vivo V23 Pro has a 6.56-inch AMOLED display with a medium-sized notch on top

The Vivo V23 Pro is available in two versions: Stardust Black and Sunshine Gold. There are two RAM and storage variants to choose from, the basic variant with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage, which costs Rs. 38,990 and the top end with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage priced at Rs. 43,990. I received a Sunshine Gold device with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.

Like the Vivo V21 and V20 Pro, the V23 Pro has a sleek and high-quality looking design. In contrast to the V23, the Vivo V23 Pro has a polycarbonate frame instead of metal, but sticks to a glass back, which feels very high-quality with its matt texture. The gradient end of the glass back appears to change color from gold to blue when viewed from different angles.

The Vivo V23 Pro has a frosted glass back that appears to change color when viewed from different angles

While the V23 Pro feels slim at 7.36 mm, it is also quite light at 171 g. There is a notched Full HD + AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 90 Hz, which is curved left and right. The sides of the display glass bulge into the frame and then meet the back, making the phone appear very slim. However, the camera module protrudes a few millimeters from the back of the phone.

The Vivo V23 Pro has two front cameras for selfies and two front LED lights

There are two front cameras in the medium-sized notch at the top of the screen; a 50-megapixel main camera and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. These are accompanied by two LED flashes that are well hidden in the thin bezel on either side of the camera setup. The rear module houses a 108-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera.

The phone is packaged in a 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC, which is also available on the OnePlus Nord 2, the Poco F3 GT and the Premium Vivo X70. There is a dual SIM tray that can accommodate two nano SIMs (with dual 5G standby), but no space for a microSD card. The phone also contains a 4,300 mAh battery and the Vivo includes a 44 W fast charger.

The Vivo V23 Pro has three cameras on the back, including a macro camera

As with the previous V-series models, the Vivo V23 Pro is all about a slim design and selfie cameras. This time around, however, Vivo added a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC and a 108-megapixel rear camera to the mix to make things more interesting. While I expect better performance compared to the Vivo V20 Pro (review) and the V21, the V23 Pro will compete against mid-range devices like the OnePlus Nord 2 (review) and the Poco F3 GT (review), as well as some premium smartphones like. compete for the Galaxy S20 FE (test report) (and the upcoming Galaxy S21 FE). Vivo has also built Android 12 into its custom Funtouch OS 12 skin, so it will be interesting to see how the Google Material You design philosophy merges with Vivo’s Funtouch OS. Stay tuned for my full review, which will be available soon.