Vivo V5: Long Live the Selfie

Vivo V5

The Vivo V5 is the latest entrant to the selfie phone club. Conchita Fernandes puts it to the test.

The Vivo V5 is the company’s newest iteration in its V-series to feature a 20MP Moonlight Selfie camera, featuring a Sony IMX376 sensor with f/2 aperture. Aside from this, the V5 is largely similar to the V3 Max—13MP rear camera with PDAF, and shooting modes like HDR, Panorama, Night mode, Professional mode… and also records 1080p video.

Not Just an Ordinary Selfie
While my experience with the V3 Max was largely positive, there were a few things that were different in the V5. In low light, the V5 struggled to focus, and after a few attempts, the image was still not as sharp as I would have wanted it to be. Even shooting moving objects was a little problematic. In low light, details began to smear after ISO 800. However, under ambient light, the camera performed just as well as the V3 Max did. Coming to the V5’s 20MP camera… It definitely was crisper and detailed than an 8MP front camera.

Photograph/Conchita Fernandes

Coming to the V5’s 20MP camera… It definitely was crisper and detailed than an 8MP front camera. Its Moonlight Selfie feature was a nice addition too. What it does is subtly and evenly illuminates your face in the dark. But remember that it isn’t a torchlight, and its effect will diminish as you move the camera away from your face. However, when I compared the 20MP and 13MP cameras on the V5, the differences were subtle, unfortunately. The 20MP pictures were only mildly crisper than the 13MP ones.

Affordably Priced
The Vivo V5 caters to a specific market, people who value their self-portraits. And while it does a good job with ‘selfies’, its rear camera is just about okay. With a price tag of Rs. 17,929 attached to it, the V5 provides a bigger front camera than its current competitors in its price range (Oppo F1s and Gionee S6s). That said, the V5 does not possess RAW shooting, unlike the Oppo F1s and the difference between both its cameras is not too much. The way I see it, if you do enjoy shooting selfies a lot, there’s nothing to stop you from purchasing the V5.