vivo’s Aura Light system is one of the most clever mobile camera technologies in the market today. If you want to experience it but don’t want to spend a fortune on vivo’s sub-flagship phones, then you might want to check out the vivo V29e 5G.
More than its special lighting system, the device is vivo’s contender in the popular midrange market. But is it the one to go with? Does it offer more than the Aura Light? Or are you better off with a different device? That’s what we’re about to find out in our vivo V29e 5G review.
vivo V29e 5G Specs
- Android 13, Funtouch 13
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, 388ppi
- 120Hz refresh rate, DCI-P3,1200Hz touch sampling
- HDR10+, 1300-nits peak brightness
- 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G octa-core processor
- Adreno 619 GPU
- 12GB RAM
- 256GB internal storage, non-expandable
- 50-megapixel front camera
- 64-megapixel (PDAF, OIS) + 8-megapixel (ultra-wide) rear cameras, LED flash
- Under-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Single loudspeaker
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.1
- GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
- USB Type-C
- Dimensions: 164.4 x 74.9 x 7.6mm
- Weight: 190g
- 4,800mAh non-removable battery, 44W FlashCharge
Design and Build Quality
Like the more expensive vivo V29 5G, the vivo V29e 5G is an equally sleek device, despite its flat frame, display, and rear panel. At 190g, there are lighter smartphones out there, but it sure feels thinner and comfortable to hold as it is only 7.6mm.
The rear panel is made of plastic but does have a glass appearance. The unique material and paint job underneath makes fingerprint marks and smudges barely noticeable.
What we have here is the Ice Creek Blue colorway, which has a pattern that looks like the surface of a frozen lake. A contrasting Forest Black variant is also available, which has a shimmering effect to make it pop.
The flat, metal frame then has a matte finish, so it also stays clean for fingerprint marks. Plus, the overall chassis feels robust and sturdy. We tried flexing and bending the device, but it stayed firm. No creeks. If you want to be extra safe and don’t mind extra thickness, you can slap on the included clear case.
On the left side, we have the physical buttons. Tactility is lacking but they are clicky. The right side is clean and empty.
There’s a secondary microphone on top for noise isolation. At the bottom, it has a single loudspeaker, primary microphone, USB-C port, and the SIM tray that can only house two nano SIMs. No space for a microSD card for storage expansion.
It also has a large 6.67-inch AMOLED screen on the front with a clean punch-hole for the selfie camera. The side bezels are thinner than the top and bottom.
On the back, there’s vivo’s signature camera island. There’s also a camera bump, but barely noticeable. It holds the dual cameras, the ring light, and a separate LED flash.
vivo has nailed the design department on the vivo V29e. It’s the most distinct device of all, but it’s attractive and durable enough for daily use.
Display and Sound Quality
The vivo V29e 5G comes with a premium AMOLED display that’s 6.67-inch in size, has an FHD+ 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, high 120Hz refresh rate, and even HDR10+ at 1300-nits peak brightness and 1200Hz touch sampling.
Display quality is more than enough for the price. It’s an OLED panel, so expect good colors with deep contrast. Watching content on this one is enjoyable. Screen brightness is also ample for outdoor use and has enough sharpness for reading small texts.
The high refresh rate is there, but like most midrange phones at 120Hz, it’s barely noticeable due to the limitations of the processor.
One of the most disappointing things about the vivo V29e is the lack of stereo speakers, which it should already have in the price. However, vivo makes up for it by having a loud single bottom-firing speaker. It even has an Ultra Volume feature that can jump from 100% to 150%. Although, clarity and sound balance are subpar.
Hardware and Performance
The vivo V29e 5G has a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor — a very familiar chipset since we’ve seen it in a lot of devices in the last two years. vivo matched it with a huge 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
vivo V29e 5G Benchmark Scores
Like on other Snapdragon 695-powered phones, the performance on the V29e is passable for a daily driver device but does suffer from occasional stutters and sudden, quick freezing.
Still, it’s a reliable chip and can run anything you throw at it, from web browsing, video calls, photo editing, and even gaming. But, there’s no denying that there are competing phones out there that have a much better processor.
Speaking of gaming, we were able to play our favorite, resource-hungry games such as Farlight84 under HD graphics and Very High frame rate as well as Call of Duty Mobile with Very High graphics and frame rates.
The gameplay was smooth and enjoyable, but we did notice a quick increase in smartphone temperatures after just 5 to 10 minutes of gaming.
Software and User Interface
The vivo V29e 5G ships with Android 13-based FuntouchOS 13. As of writing, it’s been included in the list of devices that will receive the Android 14-based FuntouchOS 14 beta update, which will be in mid-January.
Funtouch 13 is not the best interface out there, but it’s organized and feature-packed enough for daily use.
The customization options are plenty: from UI colors and Always-On Display (AOD) styles. There are also dedicated Dynamic Effects settings for things like ambient light effects, fingerprint and face unlock animations, and even charging animations.
The Extended RAM (up to 8GB) feature is enabled by default, with a setting that shows you how much RAM space you’re using. It also has a detailed phone storage utilization visualization that shows how much storage space is used per category.
vivo’s Jovi Home assistant is also here, which you can learn to play with and train if you want to, but we prefer Google’s native equivalent.
It also features vivo’s Ultra Game Mode and a dedicated window that you can swipe and open from the corner of the screen while in-game. It lets you switch between game modes, see CPU and GPU utilization, block notifications, and more. Very handy.
We’ve spotted a couple of bloatware, but most of them can be uninstalled easily. We also appreciate how organized and easily customizable the app drawer is.
The in-display fingerprint scanner works well in our tests, but in times when it struggles to detect our print, there’s the face unlock to back it up and make sure we can still access the device instantly.
Of course, the vivo V29e uses Google Keyboard by default, which is a keyboard that we’re very familiar with and is easy to type on. In addition, it has quick access to other things like emojis and gifs.
Finally, there’s the intuitive camera app that’s easy to understand, so you can instantly take advantage of its camera prowess.
Camera
The vivo V29e 5G has one of the best cameras for its price point. What we have here is a 64-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS). Above it is the 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and below is the signature ring LED flash. Finally, we have a sharp 50-megapixel selfie camera on the front.
Under good lighting and outdoors, the main 64-megapixel camera shoots sharp and detailed photos, with fine and realistic colors, although the contrast is a tad bit off.
Low-light shots are acceptable, but to make them extra visually appealing, don’t be afraid to use the Aura Light. Compared to the regular flash (which it also has), you’re getting even lighting that’s not overexposed.
There’s also a slider within the camera app that lets you adjust the tone of the Aura Light to match the subject.
The Aura Light also works well with the Portrait Mode, creating a DSLR-like look even in low-light. The edge detection to isolate the foreground from the background is fine — as long as you don’t zoom in.
Meanwhile, the shots from the 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera look the same as the large number of other phones that use the same sensor.
The wide field of view is great for architecture and other large subjects, but the details lack sharpness and the colors are a bit washed out.
Finally, we have the pixel-dense 50-megapixel front camera that unsurprisingly takes well-detailed photos, with a lot of depth, expressive colors, and deep contrast. The Portrait mode also works well for a professional look or for blurring any distractions from the background.
Low-light shots look very passable and will look even better if you use the on-screen lighting.
There’s no denying that the vivo V29e is one of the best camera phones in the midrange category — complete with unique features that are more than just novelty.
Battery and Charging
The vivo V29e 5G has a 5,000mAh battery like everyone else. Its performance is, just like other vivo phones, really staggering. It was able to last for 18 hours and 6 minutes on PCMark’s battery test, which is one of the highest we’ve seen and almost tied with other vivo phones.
In real-world use, we were able to last a whole day, even with heavy use like hours of video streaming, social media, and taking pictures. You can stretch it for two days if you’re a casual user.
It comes with a 44W FlashCharge adapter. In our test, a full charge took about an hour from 19%. Impressive for the price.
However, we’ve noticed that charging speeds are incredibly slow on a lot of third-party chargers. So, make sure you don’t lose or forget at home the adapter it came with.
Verdict
The vivo V29e 5G looks good, feels light, takes photos at night, and has a long battery life. But is it the best phone you can get for the price? Well, there are better options out there.
The chipset is reliable, but other devices in the market have a similar price but sport a much better processor. So, if you want a productivity and gaming machine, this is not it.
Still, it has a couple of things up its sleeve that make it interesting. Primarily, the Aura Light system. Plus, the combination of the long battery life, vibrant display, and sleek design makes it a viable daily driver. If you’re into that, you might want to consider the V29e.
vivo V29e 5G pricing and availability in the Philippines
The vivo V29e 5G was launched in the Philippines for a price of Php18,999, but has since then been discounted on different platforms.
Pros
- Sleek, elegant design
- Decent day-to-day performance
- Good cameras, better low-light with Aura Light
- Long battery life
Cons
- No stereo speakers
- Slow charging on select third-party chargers
- Competition has better CPUs