Beebom
Rating8

The Vivo V70 Elite is an incredibly well-built, compact phone with an excellent display, great battery longevity and capable performance. Its 50 MP main and periscope cameras excel, though the 8 MP ultrawide disappoints. Despite strong battery life, the existing bloatware and a steep price tag hold it back. All-in-all, it's a pretty hard sell in a price range that's filled with many capable options offering far better performance and value for money.

Pros

Exceptional main and periscope cameras
Solid performance
Excellent build quality
Great battery endurance

Cons

Display not up to the mark
Underwhelming ultrawide shots
Some ads and bloatware apps exist

Vivo has established such a stronghold in the market that its name is practically synonymous with excellent smartphone cameras. However, what I like about Vivo isn't just that they make some of the best camera flagships on the market, but they don't restrict their camera hardware or colour science to their most expensive smartphones.

So when Vivo brought their Zeiss co-created cameras to the upper mid-range V series, starting with the V30 Pro, and continuing through the recent V60, it became an instant recommendation from me for those who didn't want to look beyond cameras (although the V60 had good overall specs too). With the launch of the Vivo V70 Elite, the brand aims to continue that legacy. But does it actually raise the bar set by previous generations? Let's find out.

Unboxing

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of the specifications, here is what you get inside the Vivo V70 Elite box:

Vivo V70 Elite smartphone with pre-applied screen protector
90W charger
Type A-C cable
Transparent Phone Case
SIM Ejector tool
Paperwork

Vivo V70 Elite Key Details

Display

6.59" (120Hz)

1.5K AMOLED
HDR10+

Rear Camera

50MP (Wide-angle)

Sony LYT 700V

50MP (Telephoto)

Sony IMX882

8MP (Ultra-wide)

Hybrid Stabilization

4K@60fps

Front Camera

50MP (Wide)

4k@60fps

Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3

Adreno 735

Battery

6500mAh (Lithium Ion)

90Watt (wired)
Charger in the box

RAM/Storage

8GB (LPDDR5X)

256GB (UFS 4.1)

Design

Schott Xensation (Front)

Fiberglass (Back)
Aluminium Frame (Side)
IP68/69 (Dust and Water Resistant)

Android (Origin OS)

4 year(s) of OS Update

See full specifications

Build and Design

157.5 x 74.3 x 7.4 mm, 187 or 194 grams weight
Metal chassis and glass back or fibre-reinforced plastic (Black variant)
IP68/69 dust and water resistance

The Vivo V70 Elite is exceptionally well-built with its aerospace-grade aluminium frame and a metal camera module with chamfered edges, with the signature Zeiss logo.

Vivo V70 Elite held in hand from the back

Depending on the colour you choose, the back is made of either glass fibre or tempered glass. The former is available in Authentic Black, while the latter is found in Passion Red and Sand Beige Colours.

The phone is incredibly thin, measuring just 7.4mm to 7.59mm thick, and weighs between 187 grams and 194 grams. Despite its slim profile, it is highly durable, boasting a five-star drop resistance alongside IP68 and IP69 ratings. In my usage, I found the build to be confidence-inducing, and the relatively compact display (which we will get to in a bit) was a joy to hold. One-handed usage is very much possible with the phone.

Display and Audio Quality

6.59 inches (1260 x 2750) 1.5K 120Hz AMOLED display
Schott Xensation Core protection, HDR 10+ supported 10-bit panel
1,800 nits in HBM and 5,000 nits peak brightness

The front of the phone houses a rather compact AMOLED panel, and the bezels are quite thin. The screen is phenomenally bright, and we had no issues with the outdoor legibility.

It reaches 2,600 nits in high brightness mode and maxes out at 3,000 nits for HDR content. The 120Hz panel, although LTPS, is a 10-bit unit and covers 100% of DCI-P3 coverage, making it both smooth and highly accurate.

While the inclusion of an LTPS display doesn't feel justified, we're glad to see that Vivo hasn't skimped on the in-display fingerprint sensor. It's an Ultrasonic unit that's brilliantly fast and accurate. With Vivo's Wet Touch technology, it works even when the hands are wet.

Vivo V70 Elite display when watching content

Audio-wise, there's a stereo speaker setup which is split 40:60. The speakers are loud and clear, but they lose a bit of clarity at full volume. They also lack any kind of bass and may sound screechy, so you're better off using your headphones for enjoying a movie.

Performance Tested

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (4nm), Adreno 735 GPU
Up to 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512 GB UFS 4.1 storage

Under the hood, the Vivo V70 Elite packs a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, surprisingly paired with UFS 4.1 storage. The latter may seem like overkill, but due to that, the phone is pretty smooth. In our AnTuTu run, it scored 1,428,452 points, which is slightly lower than the competitors, like the OnePlus Nord 5, which boasts the same processor.

The temperatures, however, were pretty good at 44.6°C during testing. That said, the gaming performance remains solid too, with BGMI reaching 90 FPS and Call of Duty: Mobile running at 120 FPS. The haptics are good thanks to Vivo's 4D Game Vibration and X-Axis Linear Motor.

Cameras Reviewed

50 MP main f/1.9, 1/1.56" sensor with OIS and Phase Detection Autofocus
50 MP Periscope Telephoto f/2.7, 1/1.95" with 3x Zoom and OIS
8 MP ultrawide f/2.2 with 115-degree FoV. 50 MP f/2.0, 1/2.76" selfie snapper

Coming to the meat of this review, the tests you've been waiting for. The cameras on the Vivo V70 Elite are a solid A+. Photos from the main and telephoto lenses boast excellent colours and sharp details.

By far my favourite is the Zeiss Natural mode, which makes the images look as natural as possible. Portraits are excellent with exceptionally clean bokeh, though AI processing could sometimes go overboard with the smoothness.

The Telephoto is capable of zooming in 3x, and has a pretty good reachability of up to 73 mm. The camera will struggle in low light due to its smaller f/2.7 aperture and the inability to capture more light with an half inch sensor. However, the camera performs brilliantly well in broad daylight.

The 8 MP ultrawide camera is a noticeable downgrade from the previous generation. It lacks details, resulting in colour shifts. The videos shot from the V70 Lite are the phone's major highlight.

It offers clean, stable 4K 60 fps footage across the main, telephoto and 50 MP front cameras. Speaking of which, the selfie shooter is excellent with great details, dynamic range, and the same accurate Zeiss colour science.

Software and updates

OriginOS 6 based on Android 16
Four years of Android updates and 6 years of security patches

The Vivo V70 Elite ships with OriginOS 6 based on Android 16 out of the box. Vivo promises excellent longevity with 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of security patches. OriginOS 6 based on Android 16 is feature-packed with features like Origin Island.

Unfortunately, the day-to-day experience is somewhat hindered by bloatware, including ads in the App Store and in the search bar. There are around 12 pre-installed apps out of the box, which we don't expect from a smartphone that costs upwards of Rs 50,000.

Battery and Charging

6,500mAh Silicon Carbon Anode
90W wired charging, no wireless charging

Powering the V70 Elite is a massive 6,500mAh Silicon Carbon battery, which is pretty amazing considering the phone's size. In normal usage, the phone lasted for about 1.5 to 2 days without breaking a sweat. When it's time to plug in, the included 90W charger topped it up quickly from 0–100% in less than 90 minutes.

Vivo V70 Elite Review Verdict: Should You Buy it?

From what we've jotted down so far, there's no denying that the Vivo V70 Elite is a great smartphone, but is it worth your hard-earned money? The answer is no. For an asking price of Rs 56,999 as of writing this, the V70 Elite comes far too close to the Vivo X200T and is poorly priced. The bar for entry is much lower on the V70 Elite with the 8 GB RAM variant, but the X200T beats the V70 Elite in almost every aspect.

The only features V70 Elite has going for it that are better are a slightly higher 6,500mAh battery (vs 6,200mAh) and a better 50 MP selfie snapper. However, by spending just Rs 3,000 extra, you get a much faster Dimensity 9400+ processor, superior 50 MP triple cameras and 40W wireless charging. Not to mention, the X200T will last longer with five years of promised OS updates.