Vivo and the Vivo V5 Lite are newcomers to the local smartphone scene. Their debut came with much fanfare, as their V5 line of gadgets promise the ‘perfect selfie’. But what exactly do we get out of the box?
Full disclosure: before this unboxing, I’d never laid my eyes on a Vivo device, much less held one. Thus, it will literally be my first time. With that said, buying a brand new V5 Lite will get you:
- Vivo V5 Lite (1 pc)
- Vivo V5 Lite clear protective jelly case (1 pc)
- Pin for opening SIM card holder (1 pc)
- Earphones (1 pair)
- USB Travel Charger (1 pc)
- micro-USB charging cable (1 pc)
First thing to note is the lack of User Manual or User Guide for this phone. Now, I don’t know exactly why this is the case, but I would assume it’s because there are guides printed onto the insides of the box itself. I don’t mind it anyway, as I thought this might be a way to cut costs. I also like the overall design of the box itself, no slipcover, or any separate box to open just to get to the phone. You simply just take off the box lid, and you’re good to go.
In my past reviews, notably that of the Cherry Mobile Flare Infinity, I noted that I disliked the white lines added to the back of the phone. Well, it makes an appearance for the Vivo V5 Lite, and I still don’t dig it. However, I may just have to get used to this aesthetic becoming the norm for smartphones in the foreseeable future. At the very least, the lines are minimal, a horizontal one on the top, and another on the bottom. I gave greater attention to the overall metallic look and smooth feel of the V5 Lite’s body, which I liked. I also enjoyed the free protective jelly case that came with the phone. Because it was clear, it did not impede on how the phone looked, and the device feels sturdier overall.
The front looked standard to me, with white bezels that weren’t too thick, and the front camera situated nicely on the top bezel. Unlike past smartphones I reviewed, however, there were physical buttons this time. This means Vivo wasted no bezel space for the Vivo V5 Lite. Meanwhile, the back portion features a Vivo logo at the center, while the main camera and its flash are on the top left. Additionally, the left side of the phone features the SIM card slot, and the right side sports the lock and volume buttons.
Another thing that stuck out for the V5 Lite was the bottom part of the phone. It crammed together the micro-USB port, the headphone jack, and the speaker grill. An interesting decision, to be sure, as they could have put the headphone jack on the top.
The Vivo V5 Lite runs on Funtouch 3.0, based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. For the first few minutes of me flipping around the interface, it felt fluid, and I really liked how there was virtually no bloatware. You get the essentials of any Android phone, and that’s it. To put it in abstract terms, there’s a certain harmony to the UI that feels really good when it’s used.
But how does Vivo V5 Lite stack up to its harder-hitting cousins, the V5 and the V5 Plus? Does it deliver the ‘perfect selfie’? Find out in the full review, coming soon.
Vivo V5 Lite Specs
OS | Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Funtouch OS 3.0 |
Processor | 1.5GHz MediaTek MT6750 octa-core CPU |
Memory | 3GB RAM |
Display | 5.5-inches |
Storage | Expandable 32GB onboard storage, via microSD |
Camera | 13-megapixel rear camera +16-megapixel 'Perfect Selfie' front camera |
SIM | Dual-SIM |
Battery | 3,000 mAh |
Others | Softlight Camera, LTE, Smart Engine 2.0 |
Price | PHP 10,990 |
More photos of the Vivo V5 Lite: