Vivo iQoo 7 5G Review: Mostly Marvelous Mid-Range

Vivo is a type of Chinese language firms that quietly will get on with liberating quite a few mid-tier and top class smartphones world wide with out ever actually hitting the similar more or less headlines as OnePlus, Oppo or different equivalent manufacturers.

Now, the corporate has some other providing on your attention – the iQoo 7 5G – which joins the iQoo 7 Legend. The query is whether or not this would be the person who makes you rise up and take understand?

Design & Construct

• Sexy design
• Dual Audio system
• No waterproofing 

Vivo turns out to have numerous self belief within the iQoo 7 or a least a way of a laugh in terms of the packaging. The field, which options sporty angled yellow stripes around the carbon-fibre taste design, opens as much as divulge a carboard insert with Monster Within emblazoned around the best.

To be honest, the Forged Ice Blue livery that bedecks the rear of the handset, isn’t monstrous in any respect. In truth, it’s quite fairy-tale in how it shimmers. It imparts the faintest impact of 3-D, so perhaps there’s a monster lurking someplace within the depths?

In the event you desire one thing much less angelic, then there are Black, Hurricane Black (I am not certain of the adaptation) and Monster Orange. I sense some more or less theme right here.

The 163.3 x 76.4 x 8.4mm dimensions display that it’s a tall phone however now not too fats across the waist, making it rather manageable in a single hand. After all, this can be a trendy smartphone, so it’s necessarily constructed from cleaning soap (it is very slippery), however Vivo features a transparent silicon case within the field which supplies a little bit extra grip.

A weight of 196g isn’t precisely mild, however the iQoo 7 5G feels neatly balanced within the hand and now not that heavy to make use of.

At the steel chassis, you’ll to find the entire keep watch over buttons are situated at the proper aspect, together with a double-length button for the amount controls, with the ability button simply beneath.

I’ve to mention that latter being simply above the center of the phone’s peak did make it the primary position my finger would move, so I incessantly became the display off when which means to regulate the amount. A texturing of the ability button can be an excellent addition to the following era if Vivo is listening.

Alongside the highest edge, there is a groove that extends nearly for the whole thing of the skin, handiest punctuated via a small hollow at the proper finish. That is for probably the most two audio system within the iQoo 7, the opposite having a extra conventional grill at the backside edge. Down there may be house to the USB-C port, microphone, and Twin-SIM card tray.

There’s no checklist of an IPX score for the iQoo 7 5G, so think that it shouldn’t move close to water or quite a lot of mud. Now not one for the seaside then. 

Show

• 6.62in AMOLED show
• 120Hz refresh fee
• Respectable embedded fingerprint sensor

The plentiful body lets in for a 6.62in AMOLED show, boasting a Complete HD+ (2400 x 1080) answer and a refresh fee of 120Hz. The latter makes scrolling easy, aided via the 300Hz contact pattern fee and 1000Hz fast contact sampling fee, so any gestures or faucets are done instantly, which is excellent news for individuals who love to recreation on their smartphones.  

The panel delivers wealthy colors and crisp textual content, making it an excessively pleasant position to spend time. Viewing angles are just right, with the display now not shedding any of its brightness or saturation, even if taking a look at it from nearly 90 levels (even if this behaviour is basically slightly ordinary).

Below the centre of the decrease house of the show is an embedded fingerprint sensor. To start with this appeared a little bit finicky, however after a small time of fixing to the place I will have to place my thumb, it quickly was 2nd nature to free up the phone with no less than fuss.

It’s speedy, dependable, and whilst I will’t vouch for precisely how safe it’s (now not from suspicion, extra that I don’t have get entry to to the entire intricacies of the era), it undoubtedly proved simple to make use of. 

Specifications & Efficiency 

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G
• As much as 12GB RAM
• As much as 256GB UFS 3.1 Garage

Vivo has fitted the iQoo 7 5G with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G processor, which is similar one present in units just like the Poco F3, Motorola G100 and ZTE Axon 30 5G. It’s joined via the Clever Show Chip, which handles the extra enhanced body charges for gaming together with HDR colors and contrasts for richer graphics.

This puts the Vivo within the higher mid-range bracket, which is incessantly where the place you’ll be able to to find the most efficient bang on your dollar. With regards to efficiency, the iQoo 7 undoubtedly received’t depart you short-changed. The processor handles all basic duties with slightly a flicker. Apps open temporarily, run easily and the entirety works at tempo.

For sure that is helped via the beneficiant 12GB of RAM on my take a look at fashion (there are different variants that include 8GB), which may also be prolonged via an extra 3GB with the machine offloading paintings to the onboard garage. This doesn’t act as a bottleneck even though, due to the truth that it’s UFS 3.1 garage, quite than the inexpensive (and slower) type you might have in the past discovered at this value level.

I didn’t wish to fear about going quick on house both, because the fashion I examined got here with a beneficiant 256GB. Once more, decrease choices are to be had, with the bottom fashion the usage of 128GB as an alternative.

Gaming could be very easy, with Asphalt 9 shifting alongside at a blistering tempo with out a jitters or slow-downs. The whole thing is saved to an affordable temperature due to the liquid cooling machine hired via Vivo. All the way through the heavy benchmark trying out, the again of the phone did warmth up, nevertheless it was once nonetheless relaxed to carry, which is excellent news for critical players.

Right here’s how the Vivo iQoo 7 compares to equivalent fashions in its elegance:

Cameras

• 48Mp primary digicam
• 13Mp Broad Attitude/Macro digicam
• 2Mp Mono digicam

A ttiple-camera array is located at the rear of the iQoo 7 5G, constituted of a 48Mp f/1.8 Broad, 13Mp f/2.2 Extremely-wide and 2Mp f/2.4 Mono. The latter is used for intensity and helping the portrait modes, whilst the opposite two be offering a pleasant mixture of framing and choices.

Pictures captured at the primary digicam are most often really nice. Center of attention is fast and correct, whilst the colors are perhaps a little bit over-saturated now and then (however that’s now not extraordinary with smartphone symbol processing), with perhaps an inclination to over-expose, leading to a lack of element on extremely contrasting scenes.

That being stated, I used to be inspired with most of the photographs I took with the iQoo 7 5G, together with the samples beneath that lined basic out-and-about pictures, a couple of macros for just right measure, night time pictures and switching between the x0.6, x1 and x2 focal lengths.  

It’s the night time mode which actually inspired me. I used to be in a position to (with out the usage of a tripod) seize the celebrities in moonlit scenes, which was once at all times a fab marvel. And several other overdue night time pictures got here out significantly better than I expected.

If there was once a weak spot it was once in subtlety. Growing moody photographs with swimming pools of sunshine proved a little bit tough, because the cameras at all times sought after to seize extra mild and thus lose the ones smaller halos. I did get a couple of, nevertheless it felt tougher than anticipated, particularly when the night time mode was once most often so just right.

At the entrance, you’ll discover a 16Mp f/2.0 selfie digicam that may take some respectable footage, plus quite a lot of Good looks results and filters. I collect that is extra of a factor in South East Asia and different portions of the arena, however to be truthful I discovered all of it slightly foolish.

Video could be very usable. The integrated stabilisation saved issues stable, even if I used to be chasing the canine across the lawn. I did see some lens flaring and overexposing when the digicam got here into robust daylight, however total it recorded cast photos with a most high quality of 4K at 30fps.

Connectivity & Safety 

As you might have surmised from the software’s identify, the iQoo 7 5G can certainly hook up with 5G networks, in addition to 4G and 3G, so protection shouldn’t be an issue, regardless of the place you might be. It additionally has a bang up to the moment antenna, which means you’ll additionally have the ability to employ any Wi-Fi 6 networks you come upon. So, relating to networks speeds, the iQoo 7 5G has were given you lined.

Bluetooth 5.1 additionally implies that connecting wi-fi headphones is a doddle, with solid efficiency for the hours that I listened to Spotify and Audible all the way through the take a look at length.

As discussed previous, there’s a fingerprint sensor beneath the show, and it plays really well. You’ll additionally use your face to free up the phone, all of which occurs at lightning velocity.

One curious factor even though. Whilst making an attempt (on a couple of events) to arrange Google Pay with my common credit card, I won the message, ‘Couldn’t end setup to pay in stores. This phone can’t be used to pay in stores. This can be as a result of it’s rooted or altered someway.’

I contacted Vivo and it mentioned that this is not an ordinary drawback they have observed, so it sort of feels very most likely that it is only a drawback with the take a look at unit I had. If you are supposed to shop for an iQoo 7 then it will have to have the ability to use Google Pay with out this factor. 

Battery & Charging

• 4400mAh battery
• 66W Speedy Charging
• No wi-fi charging

Vivo boasts a complete recharge from 0% to 100% in thirty mins by way of its 66W Speedy Charger. Neatly, that is merely now not true…it takes 32 mins. Yep, from flat to complete in simply over part an hour and reached 98% in our same old 30-minute take a look at. That is lovely mad and greater than two times the rate of the dearer Pixel 6.

Simply for those who suppose that is because of the iQoo 7 5G having a tiny cellular, neatly that is not the case, because it comes with a 4400mAh battery. This is a good one too, as I frequently were given neatly right into a 2nd day of use ahead of desiring to consider charging the phone yet again.

In brief, battery existence in this software is excellent. 

Instrument

• Funtouch OS 11
• QuickStep Launcher
• Bloatware that may’t be got rid of

You don’t get vanilla Android at the iQoo 7 5G, as Vivo deploys its personal Funtouch OS 11.1 (which is according to Android 11). To start with, this implies there may be numerous bloatware at the software, with a collection of Vivo apps which additionally come with the corporate’s personal app retailer.

Fortunately, a few of this may also be got rid of, however you’ll have to submit with a number of that refuse to depart. You’ll additionally need to silence the notifications from the ones bloatware apps, and spend quite a few time agreeing to permissions.

When all of that is out of the best way, Funtouch OS isn’t a foul pores and skin for Android. The QuickStep launcher is speedy and has the Google Information web page to the left of the House display.

One glitch I did see rather frequently was once that the Notification house can be clean, with the heading textual content overwriting itself. This looks as if one thing that will be fastened with an replace, so confidently, by the point you take a look at the software, this drawback can have been fastened.

Worth & Availability

Vivo has introduced the iQoo 7 5G in China and India, however there aren’t any plans at the present time for the handset to move on basic unencumber in america, UK or wider Eu marketplace.

That doesn’t imply you’ll be able to’t pay money for it in the ones territories even though, as there are many import choices that may ship the handset. As same old, you should definitely test any import responsibility or different prices ahead of taking place this direction.

On the time of writing, it is advisable purchase it from AliExpress for £433.51/$562.99/€604, however a handy guide a rough Google seek will divulge different world outlets from which you’ll be able to order the iQoo 7 5G.

The software was once first of all introduced In China, again in January 2021, with an asking value of CNY 3,798 (round £433/$588/€510), however you’ll be able to additionally purchase it in India direct from Vivo for ₹34,990 rupees (round £340/$463/€400).

Now not certain what phone to shop for? Take a look at our very best mid-range telephones chart.

Verdict

There’s so much to love concerning the iQoo 7 5G. Initially, it’s a ravishing software that’s great to make use of. The 120Hz show is luxurious and easy, whilst the Funtouch OS does take a little bit checking out to start with, however then delivers a tight Android revel in. Plus the lengthy battery existence is a real bonus.

The cameras are very usable, with the night time mode, particularly, impressing me all the way through the take a look at. There are a couple of niggles right here and there, such because the system faults within the Notification house and issues putting in place Google Pay in the United Kingdom, however for essentially the most phase the iQoo 7 5G is a cast contender within the mid-range house.

Specifications

Vivo iQoo 7 5G: Specifications

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB UFS 3.1 garage
• 6.62in AMOLED show (2400 x 1080 answer)
• 48MP f/1.8 Broad perspective digicam
• 13MP f/2.2 Extremely-wide digicam
• 2MP f/2.4 Mono (Intensity) digicam
• 16MP f/2.0 Selfie digicam
• Max Video High quality – 4K @ 30fps
• Funtouch OS 11.1 (according to Android 11)
• 5G
• WiFi 6
• Bluetooth 5.1
• GPS
• NFC
• Twin-SIM
• USB-C charging port
• 4400mAh battery (helps Speedy Charging)
• 163.3 x 76.4 x 8.4 mm
• 196g