While waiting for the arrival of the Fold, a folding smartphone just presented in China, the Chinese manufacturer Vivo has just launched its V23 5G model in France. A smartphone that will delight selfie lovers above all.
Vivo, which claims first place among smartphone manufacturers in China and fifth worldwide, continues its seduction operation. After a successful V21 5G (read our buying guide), the Chinese officially launches in France the V23 5G, a mid-range model intended to satisfy lovers of design and self-portraits (understand, selfies). And for that, Vivo shows originality.
For selfie-maniacs
The front camera often remains a weak point for smartphones. However, Vivo has understood the appeal of selfies among young people and on social networks. Also, the Chinese have equipped their V23 with serious arguments for lovers of this type of photo. The device thus embeds at the top of the screen, in a notch nearly 2 cm wide, two photo sensors. The first offers a definition of 50 megapixels. A rather unusual size for a front module and which is generally found on the back of smartphones as the main sensor. The second is an 8-megapixel module with ultra-wide-angle optics for taking group photos. The set is also capable of shooting 4K videos at 60 frames per second. But above all, Vivo has added two LED flashes on either side so that the scene is lit as well as possible. A concept already present on the V21 5G but that the Chinese pushes a notch above. It is indeed possible to modify the color temperature produced by these flashes to obtain warmer tones, pulling towards yellow, or colder, pulling towards blue. Enough to produce original selfies whatever the light conditions.
A photosensitive coating
If smartphones almost all look alike seen from the front, dedicating most of the surface available to the screen, it is at the back that manufacturers can have a little fun to distinguish themselves. In this field, Vivo does not lack imagination. The sandblasted gold model has a coating on the back that changes color when exposed to UV rays (the sun’s rays) from a golden tone to a fairly successful pale blue. For fun, and provided you have a small UV lamp, it is possible to stencil patterns on the back of the smartphone. Well, their lifespan remains quite short-lived (regarding 5 minutes) but the result is no less fun to impress the gallery. Note that Vivo offers its v23 in another version called Starry Black, which does not benefit from this coating.
A solid technical sheet
Mastered selfies and an original design are obviously not enough to make the V23 a good smartphone. Under the hood, the device does not lack assets either. It features a MediateK Dimensity 920 processor supported by 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. Note that the device can draw 4 GB of virtual RAM from the storage space if necessary. Enough to run a good number of apps simultaneously without feeling slowed down. On the front, Vivo has opted for a 6.44-inch Oled Full HD + screen offering a refresh rate of 90 Hz. Finally, at the back, the photo unit consists of three sensors: a 64-megapixel wide-angle, an ultra 8-megapixel wide-angle and a 2-megapixel macro module. Finally, on the autonomy side, the V23 relies on a 4200 mAh battery compatible with the manufacturer’s 44 W FastCharge system. Wireless charging is for absent subscribers, too bad.
What is the price of the Vivo 23 5G?
The Vivo V23 5G will be available from April 15 in two versions that simply differ in the coating used: Sparkling Gold (with color change depending on the sun) and Starry Black. It is marketed at a price of 529 euros. For this price, the manufacturer provides at least two years of system update Android (it comes with Android 12 and the Funtouch OS in-house software overlay) and three years of security updates. The most impatient can already turn to Fnac to get it at the price of 655 euros.
