Introduction

Vivo’s camera-centric, not quite flagship V line of devices has become a staple. It offers a solid and well-rounded experience, with a clear emphasis on camera performance, all inside a slick package that hits all of the basics, all without breaking the bank (usually).

Today, we are looking at the regular vivo V70. There is also a V70 Elite model available this year but only for certain markets. We are not quite sure how it relates to the previous Pro line, but regardless, the regular V70 is clearly a direct successor to the V60.

vivo V70 specs at a glance:

• Body: 157.5×74.3×7.4mm, 187g; Glass front, aluminum alloy frame, glass back or fiber-reinforced plastic back; IP68/IP69 dust tight and water-resistant (high-pressure water jets; immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.59″ AMOLED, 1B colors, HDR10+, 120Hz, 1800 nits (HBM), 5000 nits (peak), 1260x2750px resolution, 19.64:9 aspect ratio, 459ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7750-AB Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4 nm): Octa-core (1×2.8 GHz Cortex-720 & 4×2.4 GHz Cortex-720 & 3×1.8 GHz Cortex-520); Adreno 722.
• Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 4.1.
• OS/Software: Android 16, up to 4 major Android upgrades, OriginOS 6.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 50 MP, f/2.7, 73mm, 1/1.95″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 15mm, 115-degree.
• Front camera: 50 MP, f/2.0, 21mm (wide), 1/2.76″, 0.64µm, AF.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, OIS, HDR, LUT; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps.
• Battery: 6500mAh; 90W wired, PD, Reverse wired, Bypass charging.
• Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi; BT 5.4; NFC; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); stereo speakers.

It’s all about subtle changes, tuning and small refinements with the V series. Vivo almost never makes sweeping changes. So much so, in fact, that the chipset powering the phone rarely changes generation from generation. The V70 is a perfect illustration of this, carrying forward the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 from the vivo V60.

All that being said, the V70 is definitely not a carbon copy of last year’s model. In fact, design-wise, the V70 brings the biggest change in a while, and it now takes after the more expensive vivo X300 series.

Interestingly, compared to last year, the V70 has shrunk in all dimensions. The curvy display is also gone. Now there is a smaller 6.59-inch flat AMOLED with wide-rounded corners. The overall build quality has gotten an upgrade as well, and now the bill of materials includes an aluminum frame and either a glass or a fiber-reinforced plastic back side.

There are other arguably smaller upgrades peppered here and there as well, like a reimagined telephoto, now at 85mm and a 3.7x zoom factor, 4K@60fps video capture capabilities, a brighter selfie camera and an ultrasonic under-display fingerprint reader.

Unboxing

The vivo V70 ships in a thick, two-piece cardboard box. Unfortunately, there is a plastic cradle inside the box, which is not particularly eco-friendly.

The vivo V70 has a solid accessory package – at least the unit we received, which appears to be from Thailand. Our retail box came with a 90W charger and accompanying USB Type-A to Type-C cable. Make sure you keep track of both if you want the fastest charging speed possible.

Also in the box is a nice transparent TPU case, so you can start using your shiny new phone worry-free right away.