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Introduction
If you are into making TikTok videos or you know someone who is, you already know the importance of the selfie video format. In other words, an increasing number of people - especially young people - want phones which are better-geared towards capturing selfies and selfie video content. Preferably more affordable ones.
Bafflingly enough, though, few devices, even from the popular flagship bunch, have really offered much in terms of selfie camera improvements.
Enter the vivo V21 duo. Their call to fame is unquestionably the 44MP, f/2.0 selfie camera with autofocus and OIS. That's not something you see every day. Not by a long shot.
vivo V21 5G • vivo V21
It's intriguing to note that while we have the V21 5G for review today, it's literally identical to the vanilla vivo V21 down to the Dimensity 800U 5G chipset. We guess, they've merely removed the 5G antenna for the 4G-only model. A bit of an unorthodox approach, but we won't complain since the regular V21 gets all of the goodies of its 5G sibling.
vivo V21 / V21 5G specs at a glance:
- Body: 159.7x73.9x7.3mm, 176g; plastic back, plastic frame, glass front.
- Display: 6.44" AMOLED, 90Hz, HDR10+, 500 nits (typ), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 409ppi.
- Chipset: MediaTek MT6853 Dimensity 800U 5G (7 nm): Octa-core (2x2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G57 MC3.
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 2.2; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
- OS/Software: Android 11, Funtouch 11.1.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm, 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120-degree, 16mm, 1/4.0", 1.12µm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 44 MP, f/2.0, (wide), AF, OIS.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps (no OIS), 1080p@30/60fps; Front camera: 4K@30fps (no OIS), 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 4000mAh; Fast charging 33W, 63% in 30 min (advertised).
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); selfie LEDs.
The mighty selfie camera aside, the V21 duo doesn't skimp on the rest of its specs sheet either. It is a surprisingly thin phone, measuring 159.7 x 73.9 x 7.3 mm and tipping the scale at 176 grams, while still housing a respectable 4,000 mAh battery.
The midrange MediaTek Dimensity 800U, found at their cores, is paired with 8GB of RAM. And front and center, there is the punchy and smooth 90Hz AMOLED panel, with HDR10+ support.
The camera setup on the back is not too shabby either, with a 64MP main snapper, 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro.
All things considered, what we have with the V21 on paper is a solid midranger. However, its MSRP of a bit over EUR 300 makes the 5G model we review here vulnerable to plenty of competition. And this competition often can deliver on some of the things vivo has left out, like ingress protection, a stereo speaker setup, 3.5mm jack and NFC, to name a few. What the V21 has, though, is a clear spotlight feature in its selfie camera setup. So, the real question becomes just how well it is executed in practice and whether it is good enough to draw a trendy crowd of social-network-savvy customers.
Unboxing
The V21 has a surprisingly rich retail package. Of course, this might not necessarily be the case on every market, but our unit had all of the essentials in the box and then some.
Starting with the charger, vivo has its own FlashCharge 2.0 tech. On the V21 and V21 5G, it can charge up to a maximum of 33W. It is rated for 5V@2A, 9V@2A or 11V@3A of output. There is also Super FlashCharge 2.0, as seen on the vivo X60 Pro+, which can go up to 55W.
As far as we managed to gather, both of these use a similar proprietary charging approach, which uses higher voltages, akin to Qualcomm's Quick Charge, instead of higher concurrent amperage, like VOOC and its derivatives. Information on the topic is a bit scarce, but this should mean that FlashCharge 2.0 can work at its full 33W or near them with a standard USB Type-A to Type-C cable, like the one included in the box. You just need to make sure that it's of decent quality. We are only explaining this, since it's sort of a plus in vivo's favor that you don't necessarily need to worry about always having the proprietary cable at hand.
Also, in the V21's box - a pair of vivo-branded white earbuds, with a microphone and in-line controls. Interestingly enough, these are not Type-C, but rather standard 3.5mm ones. You also get a tiny Type-C to 3.5mm dongle to attach them to the phone. Arguably, a more versatile setup, both for using the quite decent-sounding buds on a different device, as well as plugging other headphones into the V21.
Finally, you get a nice clear TPU case in the box, as well. It features a flap to seal the Type-C port on the phone - a valiant effort, though not a substitute for actual gaskets and a proper ingress protection rating.
Design and materials
Looks are always going to be subjective, but it's hard to deny how slick and clean the vivo V21 is. This appears to be the pervasive design language across vivo's lineup, with the V21 line, in particular, taking after its X60 bigger siblings.
There is just something about the two-piece rectangular camera island and its various accents, chamfers and general arrangement that is somehow reminiscent of "business" and "serious" designs of old. This is particularly true for the Dusk Blue color of our review unit. It is a very deep blue, almost bordering on steel color, which works together nicely with the glossy and slightly different shade of blue/steel on the middle frame.
Speaking of the frame, it is, in fact, color-matched with the back and the camera island. A nice little touch that ties the whole design together. If "serious" is not your thing, then you can go for the much more colorful Sunset Dazzle color or the Arctic White. That last one seems to only be available on the 5G version of the vivo V21.
The vivo V21 is a slick device in a more literal sense, too, measuring just 7.3mm in thickness. That is somewhat contrasted by the flat surface design of the middle frame. The frame has a sort of iPhone vibe to it, which is far from criticism.
Overall, the vivo V21 looks very premium. Definitely punching above its mid-range price bracket in the looks department. It also feels good and well-made.
As far as we can gather, both the back and the middle frame on the V21 are made of plastic. Quite differently feeling plastic, though. The back is almost silky to the touch on our Dusk Blue unit - it feels quite premium by touch, but it's not particularly easy to keep clean. The frame is shiny and smooth.
The glass on the front is probably not Gorilla Glass as otherwise, vivo would have boasted about it. There is also a factory pre-applied screen protector - it's thin and well-applied.
Speaking of the front side, the bezels around the 6.44-inch AMOLED display are reasonable in thickness, but their size is still a dead giveaway for the mid-range pedigree of the V21.
While there is no official ingress protection rating on the vivo V21, it is worth noting that the SIM tray has a clearly visible, bright-red gasket on it. We suspect there is at least some dust and splash protection in place.
Controls
The vivo V21 has a standard control scheme. The volume rocker and power button on the right side are easy to reach and provide nice tactile feedback. The textured finish on the power button is a nice touch.
There is nothing on the opposite frame.
The top of the phone is nearly empty as well, just housing the secondary noise-canceling mic.
In contrast, the bottom side is busy. This is where the main microphone sits, along with the single bottom-firing speaker. There is no stereo setup on the V21, not even a hybrid one.
The USB Type-C port on the V21 has a USB 2.0 connection behind it and supports OTG.
The SIM tray is a hybrid affair. A less common variant, with the two nano-SIM slots on either side of the tray. One of these is a hybrid tray, which can either take a SIM card or a microSD card.
There isn't much on the front side of the V21 at first glance, other than the display and the big selfie cam, nested in a teardrop notch. Above it sits the earpiece, which is angled slightly upwards, presumably to allow as much space for the selfie snapper as possible.
If you look hard enough, however, you will notice that there are actually two LEDs flanking the selfie camera. This is meant for low-light photography and is kind of a unique feature.
The vivo V21 has an under-display fingerprint reader. It is of the more common optical variety, and we found it to be excellent in both speed and accuracy.
In case you were wondering, the V21 does not have a notification LED. This is pretty much the norm nowadays, rather than the exception, though.
Display
Mid-ranger or not, the vivo V21 does not skimp in the display department. It is equipped with a 6.44-inch, AMOLED display. A pretty smooth one, at that, with a 90Hz refresh rate. As icing on the cake, there is also HDR10+ support thrown in the mix.
In terms of brightness, vivo markets a respectable 500 nits of typical output. That sounds about right, since in our standardized test, we measured a respectable 467 nits, with the brightness slider mixed out. The V21 can shone brighter sill in max auto mode, in bright lighting conditions. We measured a max of 761 nits. This makes the particular OLED panel perfectly usable outdoors.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0 | 826 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 825 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 818 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 794 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 761 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 725 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 716 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 682 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 627 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 621 | ∞ | |
| 0.4 | 534 | 1335:1 | |
| 0 | 511 | ∞ | |
| 0.275 | 492 | 1789:1 | |
| 0 | 476 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 476 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 475 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 472 | ∞ | |
| 0.327 | 458 | 1401:1 | |
| 0 | 457 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 454 | ∞ | |
| 0.277 | 439 | 1585:1 | |
| 0 | 438 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 396 | ∞ | |
| 0.252 | 395 | 1567:1 | |
| 0 | 386 | ∞ | |
| 0.21 | 377 | 1795:1 | |
In terms of colors, the vivo V21 5G has a total of three color modes: Standard, Professional and Bright. The first one is the default and seems to be targeting the DCI-P3 color space. It does so fairly well but there is more to be desired.
Color settings
Professional mode appears to be targeting sRGB. It's better than the Standard mode, but the V21's display can't be considered perfectly color accurate. It's definitely good enough for regular use.
Then there is Bright, which boosts colors beyond the Standard mode. This results in the sort of "punchiness" that OLED panels tend to be associated with. We did check whether the display actually got any brighter in the process, but that wasn't the case.
HDR and Widevine capabilities
The vivo V21 advertises HDR10+ support. And, indeed, software reports the same - HDR10+, as well as HLG support. Just Dolby Vision missing. There is also Widevine L1 certification, which means you get to enjoy high resolution, enough to saturate the FullHD+ display of the phone with services such as Netflix. At the time of writing this review, the Netflix app itself confirms Widevine and offers up FullHD streams but no HDR. This is not that odd, though, since Netflix has its own whitelists to allow the feature, so support could be on the way.
High refresh rate handling
The vivo V21 5G has a 90Hz panel. That's what we would consider "entry-level" high refresh rate nowadays, for lack of a better term. Even so, the jump in smoothness from 60Hz is very noticeable. Especially while scrolling a vertical UI. Having the extra refresh rate, however, is just one part of the equation.
The OS needs to be smart enough to handle this extra refresh rate properly, so you can make use of it when it matters, like scrolling or playing a compatible game and then not have it waste unnecessary battery in other scenarios like watching videos.
We can share from experience that running a modern OLED panel at 90Hz typically puts little extra strain on the battery than the vanilla 60Hz. Hence, the more important bar the vivo V21 5G has to clear is being able to deliver 90Hz when needed for the sake of experience.
Refresh rate settings
The vivo V21 5G has a total of three refresh rate settings - 60Hz, 90Hz and Smart Switch. There are idiosyncrasies involved, so let's just get the simplest 60Hz mode out of the way first. It is just a fixed 60Hz mode. Nothing more, nothing less. The UI and every app - it all runs at 60Hz.
One would naturally assume, then, that the 90Hz mode is also fixed. However, that is not the case. 90Hz mode is more of an "auto" mode. Generally speaking, in 90Hz mode, the V21 tries to operate at 90Hz when interacting with the display. Once you leave whatever is on screen for a few seconds, it drops down to 60Hz. This is great for most use cases, which we appreciate.
vivo V21 5G: 90Hz mode
This behavior is also applied to most apps, including first-party and third-party ones.
vivo V21 5G: 90Hz mode in Gallery and YouTube
One important thing to note is that vivo appears to have some video playback detection in place, which we love to see. Extra points there! Once the OS detects that there is a video playing back on screen, it drops the refresh rate to 60Hz, regardless of whether you are interacting with the phone or not. We found this to work nearly always with a full-screen video playing and more often than not with a video as just part of the rest of the UI.
vivo V21 5G: 90Hz mode playing back full-screen video
Here are some other examples of this behavior within Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
vivo V21 5G: 90Hz mode in Facebook, Instagram and TikTok apps
The logical next step was to see how well high refresh rate gaming works. The short answer, unfortunately, is 'poorly'. We tried a bunch of games we know from experience support high refresh rate on other devices, and out of the bunch, we just manage to get 90Hz in Hill Climb Racing 2 and Temple Run.
vivo V21 5G: 90Hz mode gaming: 1945 Air Force • PAC MAN • Alto's Adventure • Bomb Squad • Bullet Force • Dead Trigger 2 • Alto's Odyssey
Moving on the Smart switch rate mode then. The short version - Auto is definitely worse than 90Hz mode. The Funtouch UI follows the same switching logic in auto mode as it does in 90Hz. You get 90Hz when you interact with it, and after a few seconds of inactivity, it auto drops down to 60Hz.
vivo V21 5G: Smart switch mode
This convenient behavior continues to work in some of the apps as well - the examples include Facebook and Instagram.
vivo V21 5G: Smart switch mode in Facebook and Instagram
However, many other apps that did the auto switching behavior in 90Hz mode stopped doing so with Smart switch and were just stuck at 60Hz. There include TikTok, the default Gallery app and YouTube - just to give a couple of examples. Worse yet, however, both the default vivo browser and Chrome were also stuck at 60Hz.
vivo V21 5G: Smart switch mode in TikTok, Gallery app, YouTube, Chrome, vivo browser
Gaming in Smart switch mode was more disappointing still. Even the couple of games we did get to work at 90Hz in 90Hz mode failed to do so and were stuck at 60Hz.
vivo V21 5G: Smart switch mode gaming
All things considered, we appreciate vivo has put some extra effort into auto-refresh rate switching and did, in fact, do a great job with apps. However, most games failed to run at anything higher than 60Hz. On top of that, the Smart switch mode is a failure in general and should either be removed or get its logic from the 90Hz mode. The latter could then remain a locked 90Hz mode instead, which would make more sense.
Battery life
The vivo V21 5G packs a decent 4,000 mAh battery. Not too shabby, considering that its body is just 7.3mm thick. Granted, 5,000 mAh would have been much appreciated, but vivo had particular design goals to meet. Plus, we are happy to report that the vivo V21 5G did very well in our battery endurance test, scoring a 123-hour rating.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
It's always good to compare battery results with other similar handsets. We haven't tested too many other phones with the Dimensity 800U, but there are the Realme 7 5G and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T. Both, mind you, with bigger 5,000 mAh batteries and LCD displays. Even so, the vivo V21 5G fits smack in the middle of the pair, which makes sense considering the Redmi didn't do too well in its battery testing.
It is worth pointing out that despite its smaller battery, the vivo V21 5G manages to last longer in video playback. This is easily explainable by its OLED panel, which is a lot more efficient while playing a 16:9 video with letterboxing and plenty of darker tones, which take advantage of the power efficiency of the OLED display.
In contrast, web browsing gets no such boost, since most web pages tend to have a white background, which, on an OLED, can even end up wasting more battery than on an LCD in certain conditions. But, we digress.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage - check out our all-time battery test results chart.
It is worth noting that in the particular case of the vivo V21 5G, we did not manage to run our browser testing at its full 90Hz. Not that it would have actually been absolutely representative of normal usage, since unless you scroll all of the time, the panel would still drop to 60Hz automatically. Both the web test and the video playback test were done at 60Hz.
Charging speed
Just like its predecessor, the vivo V21 5G is equipped with the company's own FlashCharge 2.0 technology, maxing out at 33W of charging. It is not the best the technology is capable of, since other vivo's like the X60 Pro+ can go up to 55W.
There isn't an abundance of technical information available on FlashCharge, but as far as we managed to gather, it uses an approach similar to QuickCharge, rather than the likes of VOOC and its derivatives. That is to say that it uses higher voltages rather than more amperage at the standard 5V. The included charger of the V21 5G, for instance, is rated for 5V@2A, 9V@2A or 11V@3A. That is, indeed, reminiscent of QuickCharge, though not the same.
As far as we managed to gather, FlashCharge doesn't require a proprietary cable either, unlike some of its rivals that have to include an additional (often 5th) pin to the USB Type-A port for negotiating charging speed. You should still stick to a good quality cable, capable of carrying these currents, but it's not absolutely mandatory to use the USB Type-A to Type-C cable that comes in the box of the V21 5G.
30min charging test (from 0%)
- vivo X60 Pro+
84% - Poco F3
67% - vivo V20
66% - vivo V21 5G
64% - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
58% - vivo X50 Pro
55% - Samsung Galaxy A72
54% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
50% - Poco X3 Pro
50%
Time to full charge (from 0%)
- vivo X60 Pro+
0:42h - Poco F3
0:56h - vivo V20
0:59h - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
1:04h - vivo V21 5G
1:05h - Poco X3 Pro
1:08h - vivo X50 Pro
1:10h - Samsung Galaxy A72
1:15h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1:21h
Vivo says 30 minutes on the charger should bring the V21 5G from 0% to 63%. Our unit managed to get to 64% in that time, with a full charge requiring an extra 35min. We would say this is within margin of error and call the advertised numbers confirmed. Though we did manage to do a bit better on the older vivo V20, which has the same charger and battery capacity.
Speaker
The vivo V21 5G only has a single speaker at its disposal. That's kind of a bummer, seeing how some competitors from the likes of Xiaomi offer stereo setups in this price range.
The speaker on the V21 5G isn't particularly great either - it's merely OK. It only scored an average loudness rating in our standardized tests.
On a more positive note, it is not screechy, even at max volume and manages to deliver decently clear dialogue.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Android 11 + Funtouch OS 11.1
The vivo V21 5G ships with a modern software experience - the latest Android 11 and the company's own Funtouch OS 11.1 on top. The latter is one of the heavier Android skins out there at the moment. Our unit came with quite a few pre-installed apps, we would consider bloat, as well.
There are plenty of extra features to explore, customizability is great, and there are various tweaks and bits beyond that as well. Let's just start at the lock screen first. There is plenty of customizability to be done here right off the bat. You can change the style and have dynamically changing wallpapers, thanks to the Lockscreen Poster feature. You can also put your own text on there, in case you lose the phone.
Lockscreen and settings
Static images on the lockscreen are all fine and well, but Funtouch OS 11.1 goes way beyond that. There are plenty of animations, lighting effects and other visual bits associated with things like reading your fingerprint, unlocking, getting a notification and charging the phone, to name a few. Funtouch OS lets you customize pretty much all of them in some way. Frankly, the number of options is a bit staggering.
Extensive Dynamic effects customization
Since the vivo V21 5G has an OLED display, it only makes sense to also have an Always On Display feature. In keeping with the rest of the OS, there is no shortage of customization options here. Some great functional tweaks are included as well, like the ability to trigger AOD on a schedule or with phone movement.
Always On Display customization
It seems more or less a given, but naturally, there is extensive Theme support in Funtouch OS as well. There are complete themes, as well as visual elements like wallpapers to download from the online vivo repository. Also, quite a few fonts.
Theme settings and store
Moving on to the Home screen, there are plenty of tweaks to fiddle with as well.
Home screen and options
Swiping down from there shows a standard-looking notification shade along with the quick toggles.
Notification shade and quick toggles
That colorful icon on the top right is actually a shortcut for vivo's Jovi assistant. It is fairly functional, especially on a global ROM, like the one we are running on the V21 5G. There is a dedicated pane for Jovi as well, one swipe left from the Home screen.
In a rather nice move, though, Funtouch OS actually lets you swap Jovi, as well as this pane for a Google feed instead, if that fits your needs better. The switch is as quick as pressing the button in the top right corner.
Google Home • Jovi Home • Jovi Home settings
Interestingly enough, despite all of the available customization options, there does not seem to be a way to turn off the app drawer in Funtouch OS 11.1. Perhaps we just missed it, though. What you can enable or disable is the recommended apps strip at the top of the app drawer, right below the app search bar. That last one is convenient, though, Funtouch does also have an even more-convenient feature, called Global search. It can be triggered by swiping up on the home screen. It is powerful and can surface results from your files, apps, app stores (of which the V21 5G has at least two) and web results.
Global Search and settings
You might not be able to disable the app drawer, but there are plenty of navigation options, including different arrangements and styles of navigation buttons and the newer gestures scheme.
System navigation settings
There are plenty of other aspects and features within Funtouch OS 11.1 that might deserve some spotlight. We won't be going through all of them, but vivo's focus on performance and gaming optimization does deserve a mention. First off, there is a Multi-Turbo menu within System settings, which mostly lists various systems working silently in the background but does also have an ART++ Turbo option, which was turned off on our unit. You might want to turn it on for faster app launching.
Multi-Turbo menu • Ultra Game Mode settings
Then there is Ultra Game Mode, which gets its own settings menu. Some of the notable options here include toggles for the in-game assistant and sidebar, also game-specific sound quality tweaks, along with 4D Game Vibration, which picks up on certain sounds, like gunfire and converts that to vibration. Game picture-in-picture, like the name suggests, when turned on, enables a quick way to bring a floating window on top of a running app.
Ultra Game Mode settings
Autoplay with screen off is pretty interesting and not something you see every day. It allows you to turn off the display of the V21 5G without pausing a running app or game. This could be helpful for conserving battery, while remaining idle in certain games. Nifty. Finally, Esports Mode is also a thing on the vivo V21 5G. It does the usual things, like limiting distractions like notifications and seems to be particularly related to Arena of Valor KPL tournaments, which vivo is involved in.
Beyond this settings menu, there is also a Game Center app on Funtouch OS. It acts as a central gaming hub, but is primarily a game store for downloading and installing APKs separate from the Google Play Store. It also has personal gaming statistics.
Game Center
There is also Game Space, which is more or less a launcher specifically for your games.
Game Space
Last, but not least, here is how the game assistant and in-game side bar actually look and the features they offer in-game.
Game Assistant and side bar UI
All things considered, Funtouch OS 11.1 is a heavy Android skin, no question about it. It is chock full of features and offers plenty of customization. Tweaking actually goes as deep as system animations and effects. If that sounds appealing to you, then there is plenty to love here. If you are looking for a clean Android experience, however, between all of these features and the abundance of pre-installed first and third-party apps, Funtouch OS 11.1 is not for you.
Synthetic benchmarks
The vivo V21 is built around the MediaTek Dimensity 800U chipset. It is a solid mid-range chip, part of the company's new and highly-competitive Dimensity line. Like every other chip in the series, it has a built-in 5G NR Sub-6 GHz modem, which also offers LTE. The 800U is one of the most popular chips from the line. It is far from the most powerful in the roster and is also based on the slightly older 7nm process, compared to the new Dimensity 900 or the flagship Dimensity 1200 and their 6nm process. It also uses the slightly older ARM Cortex-A76 performance cores, instead of the A78 ones in the aforementioned chips. Even so, it is not strapped for power. Quite the contrary, the Dimensity 800U offers solid all-around performance. In our review unit, it is paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of speedy UFS 2.2 storage.
Starting with the CPU, the Dimensity 800U has two Cortex-A76 cores, clocked at up to 2.4 GHz and an additional six lower-powered Cortex-A55 ones, rated for 2.0 GHz. This easily chews threw modern single-threaded workloads.
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
803 - Realme X7 Pro
756 - Poco X3 Pro
735 - Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G
597 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
595 - vivo V21 5G
574 - Realme 8 5G
569 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
569 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
560 - Samsung Galaxy A72
537 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
534 - Realme 8
533 - Samsung Galaxy A52
525 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
502 - Poco M3
308
Referring to the GeekBench results, we can clearly see the Dimensity 800U outpaces Qualcomm's 600-series chips, like the Snapdragon 662 and 678, as well as much of the 700-series line, like the popular 720G and 732G. The Snapdragon 780G being a notable exception. But that's a chip that even outperforms the Snapdragon 860, so no surprises there.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Pro
2997 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
2909 - Poco X3 Pro
2574 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
1796 - Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G
1787 - Realme 8 5G
1784 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1780 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
1775 - Realme 8
1690 - Samsung Galaxy A72
1627 - vivo V21 5G
1600 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
1599 - Samsung Galaxy A52
1577 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
1576 - Poco M3
1398
The poll position shifts slightly when the same chipsets are presented with an all-core synthetic load. Not by much, though. It is always good to compare performance against other devices with the same chipset as well. In this case, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T and the Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G. The vivo V21 5G is mostly keeping up, with results roughly in-line. Though, it looks like it's possible for vivo to potentially squeeze a bit more peak performance out of the chip.
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
- Poco F3
631850 - Realme X7 Pro
510317 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
465534 - Poco X3 Pro
453223 - vivo V21 5G
336699 - Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G
333952 - Realme 8 5G
302059 - Realme 8
298328 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
295442 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
290172 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
288732 - Samsung Galaxy A72
279342 - Samsung Galaxy A52
261282 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
218788 - Poco M3
177904
When discussing performance, though, a few extra numbers in a benchmark score are hardly the be all and end all, nor should they be a goal in themselves. Instead, we were happy to see that the vivo V21 5G hardly heats-up under load and does not thermal-throttle. That's great for sustained performance, which is much more important in out book. AnTuTu and its more-compound benchmarks are also a lot more favorable towards the V21 5G. This is great, since on top of CPU performance, AnTuTu also takes into account various GPU aspects, as well as memory and storage.
AnTuTu 9
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
522490 - vivo V21 5G
365055 - Realme 8 5G
361505 - Realme 8
357488 - Samsung Galaxy A72
333668 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S
330909 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
294251
For GPU, the Dimensity 800U has Mali-G57 cores. Unfortunately, not too many - just three. The Dimensity 800 has four and the 820 an additional one, for a total of five. Those chipsets, however, are nowhere near as popular as the 800U.
GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Pro
119 - Poco X3 Pro
102 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
89 - Realme 8
53 - vivo V21 5G
51 - Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G
51 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
45 - Samsung Galaxy A72
39 - Samsung Galaxy A52
39 - Realme 8 5G
38 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
24 - Poco M3
19 - Oppo F3 Plus
17
GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
93 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
78 - Realme X7 Pro
64 - Realme 8
48 - Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G
48 - vivo V21 5G
47 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
40 - Realme 8 5G
35 - Samsung Galaxy A72
35 - Samsung Galaxy A52
35 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
21 - Poco M3
17 - Oppo F3 Plus
17
You can see the vivo V21 5G is struggling a bit even in the easiest OpenGL ES 3.0 tests, we still run, failing to hit 60fps. These are unrealistic synthetic loads, though. In practice, the vivo V21 5G is adequately powered for its mid-range class.
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Pro
46 - Poco X3 Pro
45 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
40 - vivo V21 5G
20 - Realme 8
20 - Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G
20 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
19 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
19 - Samsung Galaxy A72
17 - Samsung Galaxy A52
17 - Realme 8 5G
15 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
9.3 - Poco M3
7.2 - Oppo F3 Plus
6
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Pro
40 - Poco X3 Pro
38 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
35 - Realme 8
18 - Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G
18 - vivo V21 5G
17 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
17 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
16 - Samsung Galaxy A72
15 - Samsung Galaxy A52
15 - Realme 8 5G
13 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
7.9 - Oppo F3 Plus
6 - Poco M3
5.9
It has enough graphical "oomph" to run most popular titles with decent frame rates. If you stick to lighter or older games, you can even make proper use of its 90Hz refresh rate, by hitting 90fps.
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
27 - vivo V21 5G
11 - Realme 8
11 - Samsung Galaxy A72
10 - Samsung Galaxy A52
10 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
5.3 - Poco M3
4.1
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
26 - vivo V21 5G
12 - Realme 8
12 - Samsung Galaxy
10
10
5.6
2.8
GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
18 - vivo V21 5G
7.5 - Realme 8
7.5 - Samsung Galaxy A72
7 - Samsung Galaxy A52
7 - Poco M3
4.2 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
3.5
GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Poco X3 Pro
17 - vivo V21 5G
8 - Realme 8
7.7 - Samsung Galaxy A72
7 - Samsung Galaxy A52
7 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
3.7 - Poco M3
2.8
It is also great to see that the vivo V21 5G does not lose its footing with the newer Vulkan API and continues to perform mostly as expected from its Dimensity 800U chipset. Simply put, that means vivo engineers did a good job with their Android implementation.
An observation further backed-up 3DMark tests. These appear to be even more favorable towards the vivo V21 5G.
3DMark SSE ES 3.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Pro
6735 - vivo V21 5G
3331 - Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G
3167 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
3147 - Realme 8
2610 - Samsung Galaxy A52
2529 - Samsung Galaxy A72
2517 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
1471 - Poco M3
1175
3DMark SSE Vulkan 1.0 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Pro
5160 - vivo V21 5G
3050 - Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G
3035 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
3003 - Realme 8
2639 - Samsung Galaxy A52
2406 - Samsung Galaxy A72
2395 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
1372 - Poco M3
1106
3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Realme X7 Pro
3938 - Poco X3 Pro
3401 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
3136 - vivo V21 5G
1605 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
1571 - Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G
1556 - Realme 8
1486 - Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
1113 - Realme 8 5G
1104 - Samsung Galaxy A52
1040 - Samsung Galaxy A72
1031 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10
482 - Poco M3
368
If you are looking for the best possible performance for your buck, though, the vivo V21 5G is likely not your best choice. It is perfectly well-equipped to handle most tasks and do so efficiently. Beyond a power-efficient manufacturing node, the Dimensity 800U is also modern in its other features, like connectivity and camera, not holding back the feature set of the vivo V21 5G in any noticeable way.
64MP camera, now with OIS
The vivo V21 5G has a similar camera setup to its V20 predecessor. The main cam is a 64MP Quad-Bayer, 1/1.72", 0.8µm unit that sits behind an f/1.8 lens - slightly brighter in this generation. OIS is another new addition to this cam. Next up is an 8MP ultrawide - an 1/4.0", 1.12µm unit behind an f/2.2 lens. Unfortunately, the ultrawide lacks autofocus, which used to be a thing on the vivo V20. Finally, on the back - a 2MP, f/2.4 dedicated macro camera.
The selfie setup is a standout feature for the vivo V21 5G. At its heart - a 44MP, f/2.0 camera, complete with autofocus, as well as OIS - something the V20 lacks. In an effort to add even more to the selfie experience, vivo also included two LEDs on the front of the V21 5G for lighting selfies and selfie video. More on that in a bit.
Before we get to samples, a few words about the camera app on the vivo V21 5G. Unfortunately, it seems to be based on the older UI, as seen on the vivo V21, as opposed to the newer ones from the vivo X60 family. This means that one of our pet peeves, fixed in the X60 line, is back on the V21. Namely, the odd way of switching cameras, which involved clicking on a separate Lens icon in the camera UI to get to the ultrawide or macro. Getting back to the main camera from there is perhaps even more annoying since it requires hitting a tiny "x".
Camera UI
You do still get a regular "x" style zoom selector, though. It applies to the main camera and switches between 1x and a 2x digital zoom. You can zoom in further with a pinch, all the way up to 10x. High resolution mode, or shooting in the full 64MP of the main camera, as well as a document scanner and Pro mode, among others, are also available in a mode selector menu.
Speaking of Pro mode, it has a decent set of adjustments. Exposure compensation goes from -3 to +3, ISO is on a 100 to 3200 range, and the shutter speed can go from 1/2000 to 32 seconds.
Pro mode
There is a separate Portrait mode available for both the main and selfie cameras. It offers an aperture slider to simulate bokeh, alongside a "Style" menu with color filters and one of the most feature-rich and extensive Beauty modes we have seen.
Portrait mode and beauty filters
The Face Beauty sub-menu has enough sliders to make a modern RPG character-creator blush. Then there is an extensive selection of makeup options and last, but not least, a collection of "poses". These create an overlay in the camera UI for you or your friends to follow to arrange for a photo. You can even go online and download more poses from an online repository. These are even categorized for your convenience. Vivo seems to really be trying its best to cater to the younger social network crowd. Quite successfully, we might add.
Quickly rounding off the camera app tour, we have a fairly basic Video capture mode, complete with the same unintuitive Lens switcher to get to the ultrawide, as well as a zoom toggle for the main camera. There is also an Ultra stable toggle that enables some extra EIS on top of the OIS that is already there on the main camera.
Video capture UI
There are a few interesting camera options in the settings menu. For instance, you can trigger the shutter with a palm or your voice. There are a few available watermarks, as well as the option to create a custom one, and you can enable a histogram readout, as well as RAW photo output from the Pro features menu.
Camera settings
Video capture goes up to 4K@30fps on the main camera, with 60fps available at up to 1080p. The ultrawide can only do 30Hz and only goes up to FullHD. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Finally, in another bid to make the best use of the impressive selfie hardware at hand, vivo also included a special Dual view mode. Like the name suggests, it can take the video feed from two camera and record It simultaneously. There is picture-in-picture arrangement available, as well as a side by side one. You can freely choose which camera goes into which section. You can also choose to record with the selfie camera, plus the main or the ultrawide main camera, or with both rear cameras, without the selfie. You can even apply beauty filters on the fly. Top stuff.
Dual View mode
Our only complaint with the feature is that you can't switch between different cameras or camera arrangements on the fly, you have to stop the recording.
Daylight samples
Let's kick things off with the main 64MP camera. Since it is a Quad-Bayer unit, the stills it produces by default are actually 16MP. These look pretty great overall. There is plenty of resolved detail and little noise. The colors are nice and vibrant, without being oversaturated. Close enough to real-life, without being dull.
vivo V21 5G main 16MP camera samples
There are some noteworthy deficiencies, however. Dynamic range isn't the best and the V21 5G tends to overexpose and clip highlights often. The Auto HDR mode, on by default, helps a bit in this respect. The sharpening algorithm is also a bit heavy-handed on occasion. Some straight lines and finer patterns can end up looking overexaggerated.
Here are the same shots taken with HDR forced off. There is no good reason to do so, since colors aren't as vibrant, and there is more noticeable noise in the frame.
vivo V21 5G main 16MP camera samples: HDR off
Stills shot in the full 64MP mode generally suffer from similar deficiencies - a bit more noise and duller colors. These photos tend to look a bit softer than the regular ones as well, which could be a somewhat desired effect if you don't appreciate the heavy-handed sharpening. You do also stand to gain a bit more detail in certain shots.
vivo V21 5G main 64MP camera samples
There is no dedicated telephoto on the vivo V21 5G. Even so, the camera does offer a 2x zoom toggle. These shots are cropped and upscaled from the main camera. Even so, quality holds up well. Most of the characteristics of the 1x shots are present, with just a bit more softness - perfectly understandable. It is worth noting that these shots are taken with Auto HDR on.
vivo V21 5G main 16MP 2x zoom camera samples
You can go beyond 2x with a pinch gesture, all the way up to 10x. We took samples a 5x and 10x. The former actually look quote usable. The 10x ones are a bit too soft, though. Again, both of these sets are taken with Auto HDR.
vivo V21 5G main 16MP 5x zoom camera samples
vivo V21 5G main 16MP 10x zoom camera samples
The 8MP ultrawide camera captures decent stills, but doesn't really deserve much praise beyond that. Detail is good and so are colors, even if they come out looking more washed out than on the main camera. General softness is probably the biggest issue here, but to be fair, we've seen a lot worse. Plus, softness doesn't get any worse around the edges, and there is no barrel distortion to speak of.
vivo V21 5G ultrawide 8MP camera samples
Auto HDR has a much more obvious effect on the ultrawide. Unfortunately, looking at the same shots with HDR off, it brings a bit of a mix of positives and negatives to the table. Some of the improvements include better highlight handling. With HDR off, we can really see the ultrawide clip highlight and overexpose on the regular. Also, the colors are a bit better.
vivo V21 5G ultrawide 8MP camera samples: HDR off
However, there is something to be said about ultrawide shots looking a bit sharper with HDR off. Granted, most of this is due to aggressive sharpening in processing, but the end results still arguably look a bit more pleasing in this regard. Also, with HDR set to Auto, ultrawide shots tend to have more grain in uniform surfaces, especially the sky. Also, some banding is also often visible in blue skies.
Here is a set of shots at every zoom level as well, from the ultrawide, through 1x, 2x, 5x and then 10x. Auto HDR on.
vivo V21 5G: ultrawide • 1x • 2x • 5x • 10x
The V21 5G captures solid portraits with its main camera. Subject separation is nearly perfect and the bokeh looks very natural and pleasing.
vivo V21 5G main 16MP portrait samples
In fact, on top of all of the filters and beauty adjustments we already discussed, you can also choose the type of bokeh for portrait shots. The differences are subtle, which is typically what you want. The algorithm typically tries to detect and select certain "reflection" points in the background and places a star or a similar shape on these, depending on the type of bokeh you choose.
vivo V21 5G main 16MP portrait samples
Portrait mode works ok with non-human subjects, though it does require patience to properly detect whatever you are shooting.
vivo V21 5G main 16MP portrait samples: non-human subjects
You can't realistically have too high expectations for the 2MP macro camera. It is low-res and has fixed focus. Both of which turned out to be a hassle to work around. If you are persistent enough, though, you can get "usable" shots.
vivo V21 5G macro 2MP camera samples
We are using that term a bit loosely, though. While these will likely never look good enough for social networks, you can still read a small text with the macro cam.
The selfie camera on the V21 5G is advertised as 44MP, but actually produces 40MP, or so, stills. These look great. Plenty of detail, great sharpness and natural colors.
vivo V21 5G selfie 40MP camera samples
Things to look out for include the fairly limited dynamic range. Just like the main camera, the selfie tends to overexpose on occasion. Also, while having autofocus is amazing, the one on the selfie is not the fastest or most accurate, so you do need to be alert and make sure that the phone is actually focusing on you and not something else. By default, it is based on eye-detection and works quite well, but can miss on occasion.
Selfie portraits are eye-catching through a combination of the excellent bokeh effect, vibrant colors that tend to be a bit boosted, compared to normal photo mode and the higher resolution with a lot of detail.
vivo V21 5G selfie 40MP portrait samples
However, subject separation is far from perfect. Definitely not nearly as good as on the main camera. Without any additional depth info, the algorithm simply gets tripped-up on occasion by a busy background and a lot of hair or glasses. It still holds up well, though.
We also made sure to snap our standard posters with the vivo V21 5G at both its default 16MP mode, as well as 64MP. You can pixel-peed away and compare with other devices from our extensive database.
vivo V21 5G against the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite and the Samsung Galaxy A72 in our Photo compare tool
64MP: vivo V21 5G against the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite and the Samsung Galaxy A72 in our Photo compare tool
Low-light photo quality
The main 64MP camera captures very competent low-light shots. There is a lot of detail and noise is kept at bay well. By default, in auto mode the camera app still detects low-light conditions and triggers some form of Night mode.
vivo V21 5G main 16MP camera low-light samples
It is different from the full-featured and dedicated Night mode, though. The latter takes a lot longer to capture, with long exposure and multi-shot automatically-determined waiting of around 3 seconds on average. Speedy for a mid-ranger.
There is a noticeable benefit to waiting the extra seconds, though. Night mode photos look sharper overall, especially in darker areas of the frame, which tend to be a bit softer without Night mode. It brightens those up nicely and sharpens them, as well. At the opposite end of the spectrum, highlights look better too. Light sources, in particular, are handled a lot better, with far less bloom.
vivo V21 5G main 16MP camera low-light samples: Night mode
Shooting in 64MP mode in low-light actually provides a surprisingly good boost in resolved details. Naturally, the extra resolution doesn't really do much to help with darker areas or light sources, but having more detail to work with definitely helps the camera's algorithms pick up and sharpen more finer details.
vivo V21 5G main 64MP camera low-light samples
Zooming is, of course, possible in the main mode of the camera app. The 2x zoom shots remain usable. They are a bit softer than their daytime counterparts, but other than that, they tend to share the good qualities of their 1x counterparts.
vivo V21 5G main 16MP 2x zoom, low-light camera samples
Anything past 2x zoom, however, is more of a gamble than anything else. If you are patient enough, you can get a shot with decent details and sharpness. That, however, is the exception and most stills will be throwaway.
vivo V21 5G main 16MP 5x zoom, low-light camera samples
vivo V21 5G main 16MP 10x zoom, low-light camera samples
Night mode on the vivo V21 only works at 1x zoom. You can't even manually pinch to zoom in. Night mode is, however, available for the 8MP ultrawide camera. A good thing as well, since without it the ultrawide produces very soft shots, with plenty of smears, courtesy of the noise-suppression algorithms and plenty of blown-out light sources.
vivo V21 5G ultrawide 8MP low-light camera samples
Night mode has to understandably work a lot harder on the ultrawide. It takes a lot longer to capture an ultrawide Night mode shot. These shots don't look nearly as good as those from the main camera, but Night mode still improves overall quality in a major way. Particularly saving crushed details in darker areas and containing light bloom.
vivo V21 5G ultrawide 8MP low-light camera samples: Night mode
If you plan on using the ultrawide in low-light, definitely stick to Night mode.
Low-light selfies from the 44MP camera aren't as good as their daylight counterparts. Don't get us wrong - detail is still great, thanks to the higher resolution, however autofocus tends to struggle in low-light and often misses the subject, leading to outright out-of-focus selfies. We guess that's one side of having autofocus.
vivo V21 5G selfie 40MP low-light selfie samples
The selfie cam also handles light sources quite poorly. But, it's better than not having light, we guess. Speaking of which, what about those two dedicated selfie LEDs, meant to light up your face? Shouldn't they make a huge difference to really low-light shots?
Well, short answer - YES, but we think they aren't exactly as game-changing as they seem on paper. The vivo V21 actually has three distinct settings for lighting on the selfie camera. Well, four if you count off. The others are Spotlight, Aura and Auto. Spotlight turns on the two dedicated LEDs. Aura, on the other hand, is more of a "screen flash" effect, where the display lights up. A much more common approach. Auto decides whether to put the light on based on available light, but it does have the ability to enable both Spotlight and Aura at the same time, which you can't do manually.
vivo V21 5G selfie 40MP low-light selfie samples: No lighting • Spotlight • Aura light • Both • No lighting • Spotlight • Aura light • Both
Looking at some actual samples, though, we honestly can't say that the dedicated LEDs make much of a difference, compared to the Aura "screen flash" system. They do provide extra flexibility, though, so there's that.
Selfie low-light portraits tend to suffer from the same autofocus inconsistencies as regular low-light selfies. The bokeh effect still looks great, just as in the daylight. Subject detection and separation are decent. But again, messier hair and busy backgrounds lead to mistakes. These, however, are less noticeable in low-light.
vivo V21 5G selfie 40MP low-light selfie portrait samples
Video
4k videos from the main camera look great all-round. These are captured in h.264 by default, with an 50Mbps, or so AVC video stream and a 48kHz stereo audio AAC stream. There is plenty of resolved detail, contrast is good and so is dynamic range. Colors are vibrant, yet not overexaggerated, just like with stills. Overall, processing is laid-back and mature.
Perhaps one noticeable deficiency, likely related to the relaced processing approach, is the slight noise in finer patterns, like grass. Not a big deal, by any means.
The main camera remains quite competent at 2x zoom. Just like with stills, you just get an every slightly softer image. Still great, though.
The ultrawide camera is limited to 1080p@30fps capture. Detail is quite a bit lower than from the main cam. Other than that, vivo actually did a pretty good job getting the color reproduction as close to the main cam as possible. Contrast is also good. Not too shabby and about what we would expect from the 8MP camera.
The main camera on the V21 5G has OIS, which, in itself, does a good job of smoothing out small jitters and hand-stutters in video. There is additional EIS available for the main camera, as well, called Ultra stable. It only works at up to 1080p. We were honestly not impressed by its work at all, in fact, it seemed to make smaller jitters even worse. We would frankly stay away from it. You can see it working in the sample below.
There is no Ultra Steady or anything similar for the ultrawide camera. In fact, it now lacks OIS as well - a feature its vivo V20 predecessor did have. Even so, there definitely seems to be some form of stabilization by default for ultrawide videos. One that we can't even turn off. We can't complain though, since it smooths out the footage quite well.
What about selfie videos then? The vivo V21 5G definitely has the hardware to suggest a stellar vlogging experience. Indeed, that is exactly the case. Vlogging at 4K on the 44MP selfie camera is a great experience. Videos are sharp, with plenty of detail.
Autofocus can misbehave on occasion and the dynamic range isn't amazing. However, you likely can't find better selfie video in this price range. Vivo clearly had precise goals set for the V21 and managed to follow through. Any budding TikTok star would be more than happy with this selfie cam.
If you drop resolution down to 1080p, you can also get some extra stabilization on the selfie footage (on top of its OIS). It works decently well, definitely better than Ultra stable on the main cam. Video quality at 1080p remains strong overall, as well, so if you need the little bit of extra smoothness and don't mind holding your phone a bit further from your face to compensate for the cropped viewfinder - go for it!
Speaking of vlogging, there is also the interesting Dual view mode, we already went through. Its feature set is actually extensive and versatile, the only real problem, other than the inability to switch views and modes while recording is the fact that videos are capped at 720p. And that's not 720p from every camera, but rather 720p for the vinal video.
That's simply not enough resolution to be useful for modern content creation. We have spliced together a few of the different modes and arrangement for you to check out in a single clip.
Low-light video from the main camera is decent, even in not flagship-grade. Dynamic range is probably the biggest issue. That and the poor handling of light sources. Detail is actually not bad and noise, while present, is well kept at bay.
Zoom video at 2x has most of the same characteristics but quite a bit more noise. Still, what we would call usable. The ultrawide, on the other hand, falls short of that mark for us. Its video is just way too soft. You can check out samples in the playlist
Finally, here is how the vivo V21 5G holds up against competitors within our extensive video compare database.
vivo V21 5G against the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite and the Samsung Galaxy A72 in our Video compare tool
The competition
Vivo has created a rather unique midranger in the vivo V21 5G. It's hard to exactly match its selfie prowess and feature set in this price range.
As far as solid mid-range alternatives go, however, there are plenty of well-rounded competitors to potentially consider. Xiaomi is practically thriving in the midranger space right now, with plenty of great phones, like the Redmi Note 10, or better still the Redmi Note 10S, which manage to deliver a large chunk of the same features as the vivo V21 5G at a noticeably lower price point.
If we had to pick just one entry from that particular family, though, it would be the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Granted, it costs a bit more than the vivo V21 5G, without offering 5G connectivity, but does also include some nice extras like the 120Hz, HDR10 AMOLED display, IP53 rating, stereo speakers and a 3.5mm jack, a bigger 5,020mAh battery and lastly, but definitely not least, an amazing and versatile camera setup with a 108MP snapper at the helm. A great choice for photography enthusiasts.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro • Xiaomi Poco F3 • Samsung Galaxy A52 5G • Realme 8 Pro
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite is just a small step down in hardware from the Redmi Note 10 Pro and deserves a mention, as well. If photography is not your first priority, though and you are after the best performance for your buck, look no further than the Poco line. The Poco X3 Pro is a great way to get a Snapdragon 860 on a budget. With a vivo V21 5G budget, however, our recommendation would probably be the Poco F3 instead. That gets you an AMOLED, instead of an LCD - 120Hz and HDR10+ included. Also, a Snapdragon 870 chipset, with plenty of punching power, especially at this price and a whole array of modern flagship features, like Wi-Fi 6.
Samsung actually has an amazingly competitive Galaxy A line right now. If you appreciate the One UI software experience and all of the extra features that come with it, plus, a newfound long-term support commitment, the A72 and A52 are great and quite youthful and trendy-looking devices to consider. Both, rocking IP67 ratings, which is quite the rarity in their price range and a dedicated telephoto on the A72. Also, 90Hz AMOLED displays.
If we had to choose, personally, though, we would go for the Galaxy A52 5G. It has a faster 120Hz display and better Snapdragon 750G, compared to its siblings. The loss of the particular dedicated telephoto on the A72 is frankly not that major in practice.
Last, but not least, we would be remiss not to mention Realme. The brand is also an expert in delivering good budget and mid-ranger value, with devices like the Narzo 30 5G and the GT Neo Flash on the horizon, in case you feel like waiting. If not, the Realme 8 Pro can already deliver features like a 108MP camera, incredibly fast-charging 4,500 mAh battery and a Super AMOLED display for about as much or less that the vivo V21 5G.
The verdict
The vivo V21 5G is a solid 2021 midranger that manages to build upon and actually expand on the formula set forth by its V20 predecessor without giving up on the core design and feature goals. It remains a very slick and classically stylish device, with a clear focus on selfie photography and video capture.
The 44MP autofocus selfie is great and pretty unmatched in this price segment. Now with the addition of OIS, it delivers a great video experience and a solid photo one. It alone could be enough of an allure to draw in a trendy, younger, social-network-focused crowd.
Beyond that, the V21 actually manages to add more overall value still, compared to its predecessor. Its AMOLED display, while not the best around, now does 90Hz and supports HDR content. Just like the selfie, the main 64MP snapper is only made better by the addition of OIS. And, of course, there is the Dimensity 800U - an excellent all-around chipset from MediaTek that delivers solid performance and additional features. It is actually at the heart of both the vanilla 4G vivo V21 and the 5G-capable vivo V21 5G. A pretty unusual move, but one that might actually be preferable to the alternative of a chipset downgrade, with a potentially worse feature set.
The competition vivo is facing in the midranger space is as fierce as ever, though, and the V21 5G does skip on at least a few noteworthy features that others deliver on at a similar price. Things like an official IP rating, stereo speakers and a 3.5mm jack, to name a few. Plus, even in its relatively mature state, Funtouch OS may not appeal to everyone.
All things considered, we are confident that the V21 and V21 5G will find a loving crowd of fans to appreciate the particular and somewhat unique take on a 2021 midranger. For everybody else, there are plenty of alternatives with more "mainstream" value to consider.
Pros
- Sleek and stylish design, compact dimensions
- Bright and smooth OLED display with HDR support
- Great battery life from the 4,000mAh battery and competitive fast charging
- 8GB/128GB base memory configuration and solid-all round performance
- Mostly dependable main camera performance
- Potent 44MP, autofocus and OIS-enabled selfie camera - great for vlogging and solid for stills
- Funtouch 11 based on Android 11 feels a lot better than previous iterations
Cons
- No official ingress protection
- No stereo speakers or 3.5mm jack
- High refresh rate handling needs some work, most games only run at 60Hz
- Disappointing ultra-wide camera performance
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