Vivid design U20
When we picked up the Vivo U10, we found it heavy and now the company’s new Vivo U20 is no different. Its weight is 193 grams and the thickness is 8.9 mm. The screen size has become larger, Vivo U20 has a 6.53-inch IPS LCD panel.
There are slim bezels on the sides, Vivo claims that it comes with a screen-to-body ratio of 90.3 percent. We found the screen to be quite bright outdoors and its viewing angles are good too. Remember that the Vivo U10 had an HD+ screen, while the Vivo U20 sports a full-HD+ panel.
The back panel of Vivo U20 is flat but the edges are curved, so the phone is easy to hold in the hand. This Vivo brand phone has a plastic back panel and frame. The back panel comes with a glossy finish and fingerprints easily fall on it as well.
We found that the power and volume buttons are positioned a bit higher. Instead of USB Type-C in the Vivo U20, the company has used a Micro-USB port. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack and speaker along with a Micro-USB port. Three rear cameras have been placed on the back of the phone, let us know that the camera module is slightly raised.
Vivo U20 specifications and software
The Vivo U20 also packs impressive hardware as the smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor. The same chipset is also used in the Redmi Note 7 Pro (Review) released earlier this year. There was no problem whatsoever during gaming and multitasking on the Vivo U20.
Vivo U20 with this processor has 64 GB of storage with 4 GB and 6 GB of RAM. The thing to note is that Vivo has provided UFS 2.1 storage. For the information of the people, let us tell you that it is possible to increase the storage up to 256 GB with the help of a microSD card.
Talking about Vivo U20 price in India, the price of Vivo U20 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant is Rs 10,990. Its 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage variant costs Rs 11,990. There are two color variants of the Vivo U20, Racing Black and Blaze Blue.
We have the Racing Black variant of the Vivo U20 available for review. If you like the gradient finish, you might like the Blaze Blue color variant. For connectivity, Vivo U20 includes dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, four-satellite navigation system, and FM radio.
Vivo U20 has a 5000mAh battery, 18W dual-motor fast charger will be available in the retail box. The Vivo U20 smartphone runs on Funtouch OS 9.2 based on Android Pie. This Vivo brand smartphone has a lot of bloatware.
The phone includes applications such as EasyShare, GameCenter, Gaana, Amazon, Hello, Dailyhunt, Opera, Facebook, WhatsApp, WPS Office. Please let us know that some of these apps send spam notifications. Quick switching in FuntouchOS requires swiping up from the bottom of the screen.
Let us know that if Vivo U20 users want, they can also change the animation for UI theme, charging, and facial recognition. Vivo’s smart assistant Jovi will be integrated into the smartphone. Along with Google Digital Wellbeing, the Parental Controls feature will also be available on the Vivo U20.
Some smart features have also been provided on the smartphone such as getting up to wake up and apps can be opened by making alphabets on the lock screen. Vivo has given moto mode on the phone, if you are on the go, it will automatically reject all your incoming calls and send SMS to the caller. Vivo U20 also comes with Ultra Game Mode which comes with features like autoplay off screen which means it allows the game to run even when the screen is off.
Vivo U20 performance and battery life
Vivo U20 managed to grab our attention with its aggressive price point and powerful processor. The Snapdragon 675 processor was first launched with the Redmi Note 7 Pro and at the time it was the most powerful processor in the sub-Rs 15,000 price segment. Now this chipset has also been delivered in the Vivo U20.
The phone did not slow down while scrolling through the Vivo U20’s user interface, nor did it get stuck while multitasking between apps. We have the 6 GB RAM variant of the Vivo U20 for review, so we didn’t experience any issues during multitasking and switching between apps was smooth.
The fingerprint sensor on the back of Vivo U20 and the face unlock feature provided on the smartphone unlock the phone quickly. The speaker of this Vivo brand smartphone is not very loud either. We tried playing PUBG Mobile on the Vivo U20, with the game set to the High preset while the graphics were set to HD and the frame rate to High by default.
We didn’t have any issues playing with these settings and the game ran smoothly. Vivo U20 gets a bit hot after playing for 20 minutes. During this time we found that battery consumption remained at 5 percent. The battery life of the Vivo U20 is quite good and this smartphone runs smoothly for a day and a half on a single charge.
Usage included an active WhatsApp account, playing PUBG Mobile, taking some camera samples, using GPS for navigation, and at the end of the day, the Vivo U20 still had 45 percent battery left. In our HD video loop test, the Vivo U20 smartphone was supported for 14 hours and 59 minutes.
Charging the phone’s 5,000 mAh battery doesn’t take long. The fast charger that comes with the phone charges the phone up to 33 percent in half an hour and up to 67 percent in an hour. At the same time, the Vivo U20 takes about two hours to fully charge.
Vivo U20 Camera
Talking about the camera setup, there are three rear cameras on the back of the phone. There is a 16-megapixel main camera sensor with Sony IMX499 sensor, along with an 8-megapixel super wide-angle sensor and a 2-megapixel macro camera sensor.
A 16-megapixel front camera has been provided for selfies and video calls. The camera app is similar to what we’ve seen on other Vivo smartphones recently. This includes modes like Night, Portrait, Pano, Live Photo, Pro, AR Stickers, and Time-Lapse.
There is a quick switch for HDR and various filters can be applied before taking the photo. The camera app also has separate buttons for the wide angle and super macro cameras. The Vivo U20 quickly locks focus and delivers perfect exposure. HDR is automatically enabled when shooting in bright areas.
The photos taken from the Vivo U20 were good, but the details were not the best. Some grain is visible when zooming in on the photo. The wide-angle camera provides a wide field of view, but there was a hint of distortion at the edges, and the sensor couldn’t capture detail.
Close-ups taken with the Vivo U20 turned out to be better, details were captured well in images taken with the smartphone. Not only this, the natural depth of field on the subject and background was also seen. Edge detection was good in portrait shots and the Vivo U20 blurs the background correctly, but you don’t have the option to set the blur level in this mode.
The photos taken with the macro camera were good but its resolution is 2 megapixels. Camera performance is not good in low light. Details were lacking in images taken from the Vivo U20, and grains were visible as well. Photos came out bright after switching to night mode.
The quality of selfies taken indoors was below average, with grain visible when zoomed in. Video recording is 4K for the main camera and 1080p for the selfie camera. We found video stabilization to be decent when shooting during the day, but focus speed could have been better.
our decision
Vivo created a stir by launching Vivo U10 in the sub-Rs 10,000 price segment and now the company has launched Vivo U20 in India. This new smartphone has been launched with powerful hardware and great battery with an aggressive price.
This Vivo brand phone is not a perfect all-rounder. If you are thinking of buying the Vivo U20 for gaming, this may be a good option. You can also consider Realme 5s and Redmi Note 8.