Vivo V15 Pro: The Vivo V15 Pro was a punchy effort to get as much screen and camera quality into a phone as possible when it launched.
Rather than following the new trend and implementing a notch, Vivo used a mechanical pop-up selfie camera to make sure there was nothing to stand in the way of your content.
This unique decision was a prime example of how creative the company was willing to be with the form factor in the tough midrange market.
All-Screen Experience
Key highlight of the V15 Pro is its 6.39-inch Super AMOLED display that comes with a near bezel-less front.
With nothing in the screen there no notch or hole-punch the screen to body ratio is an amazing looking 91.64% and was something that was brand new at the time.
The FHD+ resolution (2316 x 1080) provides vibrant colors and deep blacks that can only be offered with AMOLED display and makes content more immersive and enjoyable.
The in-display fingerprint scanner is not as lightning-quick as traditional capacitive scanners – but it definitely enhances the phone’s futuristic appeal and contributes to the staggeringly clean front of the device.
The scanner is accurate but there is a learning curve to get it to work and it usually unlocks the phone within a reasonable time period.
Performance and Software
This combination of the Snapdragon 675 chipset and 6GB RAM ensures that the V15 Pro offers smooth performance for day to day work and even moderate gaming.
It’s not exactly a gaming enthusiast’s piece of hardware, but the chipset is capable of playing the most popular titles at respectable frame rates on medium settings.
Funtouch OS by Vivo, based on Android 9 Pie at the time of launch, comes with a range of customization and moves away considerably from stock Android.
Swiping up from the bottom to get the iOS-aping control centre may feel at odds with standard Android navigation, and there’s quite a few pre-installed apps that clutter things up a little.
Camera Capabilities
128GB Model with 32MP pop-up selfie camera It’s feature a 32MP pop-up selfie camera, which captures photos in detail and reproduce better colours in proper light conditions.
DurabilityCHECKDespite our initial concerns about the motorized mechanism, which also features fall-detection that automatically retracts the camera when the phone knows it’s falling, the 7 Pro stood up remarkably well to even the most vigorous use.
On the back, a triple camera make up system has a 48MP primary sensor with pixel binning to give you 12MP images with better light sensitivity.
Alongside this is an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 5MP depth sensor for portrait effects.
The camera system is also quite good in good lighting, it falters in difficult conditions especially when compared to other flagships of the time.
Battery Life and Charging
A 3,700mAh battery will have no trouble keeping the phone juiced for a full day with moderate use, though intensive use of the camera — particularly the power-thirsty pop-up mechanism — can draw it down faster.
The supplied 18W fast charger charges the battery at a decent rate, although not as fast as some others in the segment.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Genuine full screen with no punch holes or notches.
Novel pop-up camera mechanism
Capable 48MP main camera
Fingerprint-scanner in screen
Great battery life for normal use cases
The design of the phone looks premium with gradient finish.
Cons:
Durable questions over the pop-up mechanism over time
Funtouch OS is really quite far from stock Android
No water resistance from moving parts
No wireless charging feature
Low light camera performance is not good enough
Some markets may only have global supply
Vivo V15 Pro: The Verdict
The Vivo V15 Pro is an intriguing smartphone that aims to offer an environmentally friendly, no-notch viewing experience through creative engineering.
Though some of its features have since been replicated, the all-screen look and pop-up camera combo showed Vivo wasn’t afraid to be a trailblazer in the mid-tier.
For those who appreciate a larger screen and want something that stands out from the crowd, the V15 Pro provided an intriguing set of tradeoffs between novelty and practical function — even if its experimentational features carried some necessary downsides.