The latest color-changing smartphones from vivo are finally here! The company recently launched the vivo V25 and V25 Pro in the Philippines, giving the local market more exciting options in the competitive premium segment.

And true to its pedigree, vivo’s newest V lineup delivers on style without compromising on usability and performance. On top of that, the new V25 and V25 Pro promise brighter and sharper pictures in low light, hence the vivo’s campaign of “Night Portrait Master” for both phones. They also introduce the company’s Photochromic 2.0 feature in a thin and light design, to go along with better camera hardware and software this time around.

For vivo fans who are looking to upgrade, the vivo V25 serves as an excellent starting point for the series — and not only because it is the more affordable model. Between the new color-changing rear panel, sharp rear and front cameras, and generous RAM and storage, there’s actually plenty to like here. Scroll down for a rundown of our favorite vivo V25 features — features that make it a great companion whether it’s in the daytime or nighttime.

Dressed to turn heads

Fancy a one-of-a-kind smartphone you can flex to your heart’s content? vivo has you covered with its latest model! Flaunting the brand’s new Photochromic 2.0 matte finish, the vivo V25 uses a unique fluorite-glass material that changes color when exposed to direct sunlight or UV light and is scratch-resistant and anti-fingerprint, too. It’s not forever, though; eventually, the handset will slowly go back to its original color.

We noticed that the color changes faster under stronger light. The panel also allows you to make creative imprints on the device in case you want to showcase your creativity to your friends and peers.

The Sunrise Gold color variant we’re using transitions from yellow to orange and vice versa in seconds, but there’s also the more understated but no-less-beautiful Diamond Black version that sparks vividly at certain angles, perfect for those who don’t want the fancy color-changing feature of the V25 series. Both look cool in person, and we don’t think the renders online do them justice.

The vivo V25 also arrives in a slim and light 2.5D body that measures just 7.79mm at its thickest point and weighs only 186 grams. The phone’s sleek and lightweight profile, combined with its angular frame, makes it comfortable to hold and operate even with one hand. The weight distribution is commendable on this device, and the body has an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance, too.

‘Say cheese!’ in high resolution

Of course, the vivo V25’s appeal isn’t limited to its eye-catching aesthetic. Like previous models, the standard edition packs a triple-camera system with a competent Night mode and a dedicated option for ultrawide and macro shots.

The main sensor is 64 megapixels and comes with optical image stabilization for superior low-light snaps and video. It is joined by an 8-megapixel ultrawide option and a 2-megapixel macro shooter. Up front, you get a single 50-megapixel camera with eye auto-focus. This ensures the subject is always in focus and sharp — even when at a distance.

The vivo V25 delivers crisp and natural-looking shots both when outdoors and under artificial lighting indoors. And true to the company’s claim of the V25 series being a “Night Portrait Master,” the vanilla variant brings a proper Night mode for regular shots and selfies as well.

We’ve included a few shots below, but for more — and we mean more — sample images, including those taken in Vlog Movie mode, watch the video above, which we posted a few days ago. For more of our videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel

But unless you absolutely need to take a photo in an extremely dark environment, you probably don’t need to use the low-light setting — as you can see based on our sample shots in the video and gallery we placed here.

Some sample night shots

When it comes to portraits, the vivo V25 offers plenty of interesting filters to make your photos truly stand out, including one that makes your portrait look like it was taken with a Polaroid or disposable camera. If you’re serious about photography, you won’t find this model lacking in terms of camera options and shooting modes.

Impressively, you can record up to 4K resolution at 30 fps on the smartphone using both front and rear cameras. vivo’s useful Steadiface video mode from the V23 series returns, ensuring that the front camera stays in focus while shooting a selfie video. It also stabilizes your shot based on the movement of your face, reducing motion blur in the process.

The vivo V25 even boasts its own Vlog Movie mode, which you can access by swiping right in the camera interface. This mode automatically adds background music and video effects and combines shots together, creating a short yet stylized video without the painful process of manual editing involved. With the V25 series, anyone can produce short yet high-quality video content in just a few taps!

Smooth yet efficient performance

As expected, the vivo V25 is not your average flagship-grade phone when it comes to day-to-day tasks, multitasking, and even gaming. The phone is kitted with a 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 900 5G chipset paired with quad-core Mali-G68 graphics, 8GB of physical RAM, and 256GB storage. The processor is fabricated using TSMC’s 6nm process for optimal efficiency, making it exceptionally light on power and extending battery life especially for heavy users.

Even better, the RAM can be expanded up to an unprecedented 8GB (on a vivo device, at least) via the unit’s “dynamic RAM extension” feature, which allocates some of the unused internal storage to be used as RAM, bumping up the total memory to 16GB. The company says that when its Extended RAM 3.0 technology is enabled, the vivo V25 will be able to load and switch between up to 25 apps seamlessly.

True enough, we found the device to be a smooth performer, particularly with the refresh rate on the AMOLED screen set to 90Hz. Multitasking doesn’t feel clunky when several apps are opened in the background, and our unit runs most games at medium to high settings with minimal to virtually zero lag.

For all-day battery life, the vivo V25 packs a 4,500mAh battery, up from the V23 5G’s 4,200mAh cell. Our unit typically gets us through an entire workday, even with the 90Hz display setting enabled and usage that includes gaming, web browsing, and social media over a 5G network. vivo quotes 17 hours of video playback, 15 hours of music, 8 hours of gaming, and 5 hours of picture-taking on a single charge.

The phone also supports the brand’s proprietary 44-watt FlashCharge standard, which you can try right away using the included power brick and cable in the box. At that charging rate, vivo claims the battery can be charged from zero to 35% in 15 minutes or 61% in 30 minutes. Even if you’re a heavy user, this means you only need to spend an hour or two to recharge the vivo V25 per day, which is always great to see.

Keeping you entertained for hours

Don’t let its good looks and sleek aesthetic fool you. Sure, it’s a great camera phone and offers a smooth and pretty picture, thanks to its 90Hz AMOLED Halo FullView Display, yet this V series entry is quite a gaming and entertainment powerhouse as well.

The Dimensity 900 chip, generous memory, and 180Hz touch sampling all work together to ensure that the vivo V25 gives you what you need to complete the final level of that mobile game you’ve been waiting to beat. What’s more, the phone comes with a liquid-cooling system and Game Boost mode to improve performance particularly when playing games.

For binging shows and movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and more, vivo has equipped the V25 with Google’s Widevine L1 certification for DRM-protected videos. The handset supports HD content on video-on-demand platforms, but don’t expect HDR support on Netflix. You can enable high dynamic range in the YouTube app, though, which is always a welcome option. Hi-Res audio is supported as well for all-around audio enhancement.

Should you give vivo’s latest ‘chameleon’ phone a shot?

Overall, we think the newly launched vivo V25 is an excellent effort for users who want a stylish, do-it-all 5G phone without spending “flagship” money. Consider it primarily for its imaging chops and vlogging capabilities — as those are the areas where the phone shines the brightest — but we encourage you to check it out for its smooth and efficient performance as well.

In the Philippines, the vivo V25 has a suggested retail price of P23,999 or around $407 converted for the lone 8GB/256GB configuration. It’s already available online via Shopee, Lazada, and the vivo e-store. You can also purchase it offline at vivo stores and partner retailers and kiosks nationwide.

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