vivo V70 Camera Review – Exploring New Golden Hour Photography with 50MP ZEISS Super Telephoto Camera

Belying its premium aesthetic that befits a flagship design, vivo’s latest phone blends proven performance and a powerful camera system co-engineered with ZEISS, all at a modest price point that starts from RM1,999.

We previously field tested the vivo V70 and shared our thoughts of its performance, design and overall capabilities as a smartphone in our review where it shined as a solid midrange phone that edges into flagship territory, particularly in its imaging capabilities. 

This time around, we’re taking a much closer look at what truly defines the vivo V70 – its 50MP ZEISS Super Telephoto camera that offers flagship-grade results at a fraction of the price of a premium flagship phone. That’s not all, the phone also leverages a potent array of AI-powered photography tools to help users capture the perfect shot even when the weather isn’t cooperating!

After extensive testing across travel, low light, portraiture and golden hour scenarios, here’s our vivo V70 camera review where we share our thoughts on this midrange-priced phone with flagship-grade cameras.

vivo V70 Camera Review – Hardware Recap and Specifications

In terms of specifications, the vivo V70 is well appointed for a midrange phone. Up front, it features a 6.59-inch 1.5K Ultra Clear OLED display with a 1,260 x 2,750 pixels resolution while featuring up to a 120Hz refresh rate, 5,000 nits peak brightness as well as 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut.

This ensures silky smooth animations onscreen and is bright enough for clear visibility under daylight conditions while ensuring accurate colour rendition which is critical especially when editing photos and videos.

Powering the phone is a proven Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor. Granted, while it isn’t the latest chipset in the market, it has a known performance profile and is, in its own right, a highly capable and power efficient chipset that can handle day to day tasks and gaming on default settings too.

Of note is the inclusion of a 4200 mm² vapour chamber which is one of the largest mounted in a V-series phone for efficient heat dissipation and sustained performance in demanding tasks like heavy gaming.

Paired with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 is 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB UFS 4.1 storage. Also available is a higher end variant with 12GB RAM and double the storage at 512GB as well as a more accessible base version with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage.

Running under the hood is the latest Android 16 and in keeping with vivo’s global direction, runs their latest OriginOS 6 that enables you to assign up to 12GB of virtual Extended RAM off the onboard storage. Like its predecessors, the vivo V70 also has support for 4 years of OS and 6 years of security updates, which is above what is expected for a midrange phone. 

You also get Google’s Gemini AI assistant available on demand and Circle to Search which lends it practical AI capabilities for day to day use. Origin OS 6 also introduces vivo’s new Origin Island that appears as a dynamic capsule for selected apps while integrating a gradually expanding range of compatible apps.

Keeping the whole affair powered is a huge 6,500mAh BlueVolt silicon-carbon battery that manages to outsize many higher end flagship phones that come at thrice the price. It even has fast 90W FlashCharge for fast top-ups in the field.

vivo V70 Camera Review – Camera Hardware

The centrepiece of the design, the vivo V70 cameras are well appointed indeed. The rear consists of a primary 50MP ZEISS OIS Main Camera that uses a Sony LYT700V sensor that also has optical image stabilisation (OIS) and a 50MP ZEISS Super Telephoto camera that integrates the flagship-grade Sony IMX882 sensor that also features 3x optical zoom and optical image stabilisation. 

To date, the 50MP ZEISS Super Telephoto camera also features a massive Ultra-Sensing sensor with a size of 1/1.95″, making it the largest and only ZEISS telephoto camera in its class. This enables the vivo V70 to offer improved sensitivity and retain more details especially when undertaking low light photography. Rounding things off on the rear is an 8MP ZEISS Ultra Wide-Angle camera. 

Combined, the vivo V70 cameras placed on its rear are capable of lossless stills at up to 3x zoom and the ability to capture shots at a whopping 100x digital zoom. For videos, the rear camera array is able to capture smooth 4K@60fps video with up to 15x digital zoom.

Up front, the vivo V70 comes with an equally impressive 50MP ZEISS Group Selfie Camera with a 92-degree wide angle of view and also features autofocus which is a rarity in front cameras that are typically fixed focus. Combined, this allows the front camera to have a 0.8x to 2x zoom for group selfies and up-close portraits and the ability to capture up to 4K@60fps video.

While the vivo V70 cameras are its main calling card, what elevates the phone are its posh aesthetics that befit a flagship with a new metallic grit process that lends it a smooth finish in your choice of black, silver and a signature Golden Hour colourway that evokes that magical moment between dusk and nightfall where images take on a gorgeous glow.

Even better, the vivo V70 is robustly built with six-sided corner and ten-point drop resistance including an IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance rating, allowing for resistance to at least 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes and survive high-pressure jets of water 

vivo V70 Camera Review – AI Photography Capabilities

Where the vivo V70 gains an edge over the competition, including mainstream flagship phones, is on account of a host of AI-powered imaging capabilities and features that enable you to tweak shots after taking them while also ensuring captured shots are crisp and detailed.

Classic favourites seen in earlier vivo series phones are here including AI Erase to delete unwanted aspects of a photo like passerby, an AI UHD mode that helps you sharpen and upscale a photo, AI Image Expander that enables you to digitally expand your shot to capture a greater swath of the landscape and an AI Colour Adjustment mode that lets you tweak overall image warmth and light in seconds.

That’s not all. vivo has also added a host of additional AI features that aim to elevate the vivo V70 as the ultimate travel photo companion. In that regard, they have added an AI Magic Weather mode that lets you change the weather in a scenery shot after capturing the image. Even if it’s gloomy or raining, you’re able to tweak it afterwards from a set of natural looking skyscapes that cover the gamut from dawn, noon to dusk.

Also available is an expanded AI Magical Landscape mode that allows you to leverage AI to dynamically alter what scenery looks like when you capture it. On top of the classic Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter settings seen in the vivo V60, the vivo V70 cameras are now also able to capture an image with a Desert theme that tunes up shots with warm yellows and golden tones, a vibrant looking Island mode with lush greens and blues and a Snowy Town mode that gives cool blue tones in a landscape shot. 

For more dramatic effect, AI Magical Landscape is also able to capture Twilight, Evening Glow, Morning Glow and Clear Sky modes to fundamentally change how a shot and its skyscape looks like. 

One thing to note though is that AI Magical Landscape mode requires you to be in Portrait mode and have the optional AI Visual mode mode toggle turned on for it to work.

It also needs data uploaded to the cloud for the effect to activate and can’t be done in post which may be a challenge if you’re in a place where you don’t have access to a WiFi hotspot or roaming though the AI Magic Weather does compensate somewhat by allowing for skyscapes to be changed.

That quibble aside, this array of AI tools for the vivo V70 cameras makes for a very versatile, travel-photography oriented toolbox that offers exceptional creative options. Weather not behaving? AI Magic Weather can tweak the sky to taste. Came to a hot tourist spot but there’s too many people? AI Erase sorts it out in seconds. 

Accidentally took too narrow a shot? AI Image Expander helps you get a bigger, broader photo with more of the background. Took a shot of epic scenery but came at the wrong time? AI Magical Landscape mode can tweak the colour or make a plain looking shot have more creative punch. It does take time to master the nuances of these new AI features but it’s well worth the trouble.

vivo V70 Camera Review – ZEISS Natural Portraits and AI Stage Mode 2.0

In addition to integrating top-shelf hardware from its higher-end flagship phones, the vivo V70 cameras also benefits from its collaboration with ZEISS and their mastery of colour science to create an innovative ZEISS Natural Portrait mode that offers true-to-life skin tones and beautiful colour reproduction that looks like what you see with your own eyes.

In addition, the vivo V70 cameras also feature a host of additional selectable settings tuned in-house by vivo including Vivid that offers lively and bright tones that make every image stand out, Texture that offers delicate and more nuanced colour reproduction with rich detail and Black and White mode for a timeless look that brings out subtle details in images.

Even better, the vivo V70 cameras also integrate vivo’s classic AI Stage Mode 2.0 that leverages the imaging capabilities of the  50MP ZEISS Super Telephoto camera and its  flagship-grade Sony IMX882 to capture vivid shots of performers on stage as well as 85mm portraits even in challenging lighting conditions.

The vivo V70 also leverages its sharp ZEISS-tuned cameras, allowing for rich 4K video capture at a silky smooth 60fps. The vivo V70 also has an AI Audio Noise Eraser mode, allowing users to remove unwanted background noise for cleaner, more professional sounding audio in captured videos.

vivo X70 Camera Review – Midrange Powerhouse Performer

When tested in a short getaway to Hong Kong, the vivo V70 cameras with its ZEISS-tuned colour science and glass proved to be an excellent point and shoot with fast, steady results for a diverse range of subjects from food to scenery in bright daylight to dim light conditions.

Results at up to 10x zoom for stills and video were otherwise solid for its price range and the array of additional AI modes helped especially when it began fogging and misting over near the Avenue of Stars and its breathtaking views of Victoria Harbour.

The cornucopia of AI modes also added in creative options when capturing scenery and also helped salvage otherwise unusable shots in less-than-ideal weather conditions.

In earlier tests, it was also able to capture excellent portraiture as well, especially at golden hour at its media preview where we were able to also capture gorgeous shots of the Kuala Lumpur city skyline.

 

Best of all, the long battery life from its 6,500mAh battery allowed for confident, liberal use of its cameras throughout the three-day trip. While the weather didn’t fully cooperate, the AI Magic Weather mode was able to help compensate and also remove the huge crowd of passerby in many shots. 

As midrange phones go, the vivo V70 stands out with a capable and thoughtfully implemented camera system that punches above its weight. Its ZEISS-tuned imaging, versatile telephoto capabilities and practical AI tools make it particularly well suited for travel, portraiture and golden hour photography. For what you pay, it remains one of the more compelling camera-focused options in its class.

In Malaysia, the vivo V70 is available in Authentic Black, Alpine Gray and its signature Golden Hour colourways priced at RM1,999 for the 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant, RM2,199 for the 12GB RAM/256GB variant and RM2,599 for the 12GB RAM and 512GB variant. For more details and purchase options, check out https://www.vivo.com/my/products/v70