vivo V29 5G Review – Camera Above All Else

Unboxing the vivo V29 5G

Starting off the vivo V29 5G review with the unboxing, the packaging is a grey box with V29 in the center, surrounded by a visualization of their signature Aura Light. Some of its key features are listed on the rear. Inside the box, you can find the following items:

• 80W FlashCharge charging brick
• USB-C cable
• Documentations
• SIM ejector pin
• Clear protective case
• The vivo V29 5G smartphone itself

Specifications

Performance

vivo V29 5G Review – Antutu v10

Starting off our benchmark suite with Antutu v10, the vivo V29 5G managed to perform decently enough. It’s a league above their previously launched Y78 5G, putting it in the upper midrange segment though that would have been obvious enough given its price range. This should also give you a clear idea how much more powerful your typical 2023 flagships are like, but remember that those devices have a higher price tag by about two to threefold.

vivo V29 5G Review – Geekbench 6

A similar pattern can be seen in Geekbench 6, but what I find interesting is how the V27 5G has a better single core score but weaker multi core score. Regardless, this is still within expectations.

vivo V29 5G Review – 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited

Moving on to 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited, while the vivo V29 5G didn’t doo too bad, we’re not surprised to see the score here as it’s quite resource-intensive. You will need a much stronger GPU to excel here. In case you were wondering. the stability was rated at 99.6%, meaning it was consistent throughout the stress test. Right after it finished, the vivo V29 5G felt just a little bit warm, which is good.

vivo V29 5G Review – PCMark Work 3.0

Lastly on PCMark Work 3.0, the vivo V29 5G performed where we’d expected it to be given their recent devices, with it almost breaking the 10,000 mark. Basically, it should be able to handle real world use just fine along with running mobile games, but games like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail might not run too smoothly. If you’re not planning to play any games on it, or light ones at most, this will do just fine.

vivo V29 5G Review – Battery endurance test

Not forgetting about battery life, the vivo V29 5G has a pretty good endurance score as it lasted 12 hours and 46 minutes (766 minutes) in PCMark’s Work 3.0 endurance test. It’s not as lengthy as the older V27 5G but it’s still a commendable effort as users can expect it to easily last throughout the day, maybe even two if you’re a light-to-medium user.

As for charging speed, this is what I managed to get using the included 80W FlashCharge charger:

• 15 minutes = 47%
• 30 minutes = 79%
• 45 minutes = 96%
• 49 minutes = 100%

Camera

The vivo V29 5G has a very capable camera system for the price. For the most part, you get good details with a wide dynamic range, though the latter becomes a bit more washed out when using the ultrawide camera. If you’re zooming in to capture a photo, it loses out on sharpness and if there are human subjects, you can see some level of skin softening depending on how much light is present. It certainly requires a good amount of light to take breathtaking photos so night shots might not be too good but this is where Aura Light 2.0 tries to address its weakness.

The Aura Light 2.0’s Screen Spotlight can make a whole world’s difference

Aura Light 2.0 does a good job at providing more light as it diffuses more evenly and into a larger surface area than before. When light is lacking, it can mean the difference between a bad or decent photo to a good one. For instance, you get more details on the cat’s fur and it has no trouble focusing on subjects in low-light scenarios when Aura Light is enabled. Of course, it’s not a universal solution but more often than not, it’s better to have it rather than not, and it’s certainly on a league of its own when it comes to built-in smartphone flash.

The Good

vivo V29 5G Review

Apart from what has already been mentioned, there are a number of good reasons to consider getting the vivo V29 5G. For starters, this Starry Blue design is quite the eye-candy. The blue-ish purple gradient look is pleasant to look at, and it’s almost a shame to use a protective case on it unless it’s transparent. Furthermore, its more durable than recent vivo smartphones as it’s IP68 for water and dust resistance. Compared to our recently reviewed Y78 5G, that one is IP54-certified, putting it one step lower in protection for both areas.

vivo V29 5G Review – Display

Next up, we have an excellent display that I personally feel is comparable to a flagship smartphone that was launched in the past year. It’s a 6.78″ 1.5K (2800 x 1260) 3D Curved AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. It’s pretty bright, incredibly colorful, and its 1000Hz touch sampling rate further reduces the delay when using the touchscreen. With HDR10+, that’s just icing on the cake for this midrange smartphone.

Lastly, the vivo V29 5G hits a nice sweet spot for people who’d rather not upgrade their smartphones too often but not spend too much on a purchase either. Sure, the Snapdragon 778G does feel a bit dated at this point but when you consider the overall package along with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage at a minimum, this is one that you can easily use for years without issues.

If you’re looking for a more affordable option, check out our vivo Y78 5G review by clicking right here.

The Bad

vivo V29 5G Review – Rear

Of course, the vivo V29 5G isn’t immune to drawbacks but there isn’t much on this end. The first thing you should know is that it only comes with a single speaker. This is a bit of a shame given how excellent the display is so having stereo speakers would make it a multimedia powerhouse. It’s not just that it lacks a dual speaker setup but that the single speaker on here is lacking in volume and depth as audio tends to be rather tinny, hollow, and soft.

vivo V29 5G Review – Camera

Lastly, and this is a minor issue as not everyone uses this, is the lack of wireless charging support. If you’re someone like me who has embraced the convenience of wireless charging even at the cost of speed, this would be an annoyance. It would be far from a dealbreaker since there are more people who rely on wired charging, and I can see why this would be one area for them to cut costs on. It’s a matter of preference and see if you’re okay without it.

vivo V29 5G Verdict

vivo V29 5G Review

The vivo V29 5G is a reliable smartphone with excellence in some areas, but it has its caveats. Starting from RM1,899, it still sets a relatively high standard for midrange smartphones, and it’s clear that this is meant for those who prioritize the camera above all else, both front and back, with its Aura Light 2.0 taking it to the next level.

At the end of our vivo V29 5G review, I award this smartphone with our Silver Pokdeward.

Big thanks to vivo Malaysia for sending us this smartphone for the purpose of this review.