Vivo V29 Lite 5G review: Typical mid-range from Vivo
The Vivo V29 Lite 5G is a mid-range smartphone that focuses mainly on the design, battery and display. However, the processor and speaker, among other things, are largely neglected.
For a recommended retail price of 349 euros, only the Snapdragon 695 5G from Qualcomm is used, which is now quite outdated. However, Motorola has recently shown that good performance can also be achieved from old processors with the Motorcycle G84 5G proven. Is this also the case with the V29 Lite? You can read this and much more in this short test.
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Conclusion
The Vivo V29 Lite 5G is a typical mid-range smartphone from Vivo with well-known strengths and weaknesses, which we have seen from, for example Y76 5G or the X80 Lite know: The strengths include the beautiful design, the bright OLED display with 120 Hertz and the long battery life. The weaknesses include the inferior feel in the hand, the weak performance, the expandable camera, the disappointing vibration motor and the poor mono speaker. Since the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, the V29 Lite is anything but future-proof due to the processor and Xiaomi has (significantly) more to offer in the mid-range, I cannot recommend the Vivo V29 Lite 5G for currently around 300 euros. As soon as the price is 250 euros, the V29 Lite 5G can be considered for purchase.
We would like to thank Vivo Austria for providing the test device!
Buy Vivo V29 Lite 5G
Design & Display
The Vivo V29 Lite 5G is a very large smartphone that cannot be operated with one hand in many situations. After all, it is pleasantly light at 177 grams and also quite thin at 7,9 mm, which means that it sits comfortably in the hand. The rounded edges on the front and back enhance the comfortable feeling in the hand. Vivo has definitely done a great job here.
Unfortunately, the Chinese manufacturer has saved money when it comes to the choice of materials. While the front - like all smartphones - is made of glass, the frame and the back use plastic, which doesn't convey a particularly high-quality feeling in the hand. The high-gloss frame in particular feels very inferior and is extremely susceptible to fingerprints. Even if the look suggests otherwise, the Vivo V29 Lite is unfortunately not a high-quality mid-range smartphone. For 349 euros I expect more.
The front is dominated by a 6,78-inch OLED edge display in an elongated 20:9 aspect ratio, which is made fromprosurrounded by thin edges. If you compare it with this, for example X80 Pro, you can hardly tell any differences, which is very commendable for a mid-range smartphone. The resolution of 2.400 x 1.080 pixels is completely sufficient for everyday use and the smooth refresh rate of 120 Hertz ensures smooth animations. Otherwise there is nothing wrong with the screen: contrast, color reproduction, viewing angle stability and the maximum brightness of around 1.300 nits are convincing across the board.
Software, performance & battery
The software used is the in-house user interface Funtouch OS in version 13, based on Android 13. Compared to Funtouch OS 12, not much has changed. It is still a clear and not too playful software with some useful additional functions. For example, there is a very good always-on display and so-called “dynamic effects” with which, among other things, you can configure the animation when unlocking using the fingerprint sensor.
Under the hood, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G is a well-known processor from 2021. It is supported by 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of non-expandable flash memory. Since the processor is now quite outdated, it should come as no surprise that there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of performance. Apps start slowly and stuttering and delays are unfortunately common. In addition, animations do not look nearly as nice and smooth as with the Vivo X80 Pro. Compared to competitionproUnfortunately, the Vivo V29 Lite 5G falls significantly behind in terms of performance.
The battery is 5.000 mAh and can be fully charged in around 44 minutes using the included 70-watt power adapter. Xiaomi, for example, is a little better here, but I'm also satisfied with the charging time of the V29 Lite. However, the battery life is even better. I am always proI got through a day without a charge without any problems and even two days were often no problem. At the end of the day, with a screen-on time of 3,5 to 4,5 hours, I still had at least 66 percent and a maximum of 73 percent battery left, which is phenomenal.
Camera
There is a triple camera on the back, which is set up as follows:
- 64 megapixel main camera, f/1.8, OIS
- 2 megapixel macro camera, f/2.4
- 2 megapixel depth sensor, f/2.4
As with almost all other smartphones, you can forget about the macro camera completely. The only camera that can be used in everyday life is the main camera. In good lighting conditions, the shots are okay, I especially like the dynamic range. However, colors are not really reproduced realistically and there are also weaknesses in terms of sharpness. Photos in lowlight are hardly usable, as are video recordings, because unfortunately they are only 1.080p with 60 images pro second possible.
Other – good fingerprint sensor, disappointing vibration motor, etc.
The Vivo V29 Lite 5G can be unlocked using a fingerprint sensor integrated into the display, which is easy to reach with your thumb. It responds extremely reliably and unlocks the smartphone pleasantly quickly. The X80 Pro Of course, it's in a different league here, but for a mid-range smartphone I'm very happy with the fingerprint sensor.
Like many competitors in this price range, the built-in vibration motor is nothing special. It sounds a little annoying - especially when the smartphone is lying on the table and vibrates with incoming messages - and the feeling it gives in the hand doesn't seem particularly high-quality. Xiaomi has a lot more to offer here.
Last but not least, we want to focus on the speaker. In fact, Vivo has only installed a mono speaker on the bottom, which can be easily hidden. The sound quality is acceptable, but Xiaomi, Redmi and Samsung offer significantly better stereo speakers in this price range.