Vivo is bringing its camera-heavy V27 5G and V27e smartphones to South Africa

There are another couple of smartphones vying for South Africa’s disposable income. Vivo is bringing its new V27 5G and V27e smartphones to the country. As the names suggest, these handsets are related, with the 5G model proving to be a bit more expensive than the V27e.

But if you’re after more megapixels from the back end, then you’re more likely to opt for the more affordable V27e. If you’re all about the other features, then the full-on V27 5G is for you. Let’s check those two out in more detail.

This is the V27 5G

Vivo’s new higher-end handset for South Africa will set you back R17,000. That’s not quite enough to qualify as ‘flagship’ but it’s certainly in the upper-midrange. For your money, you’re getting a 6.78in AMOLED display. It supports HDR10+ and features a 120Hz refresh rate, if you need that in your life, and is powered by one of MediaTek’s Dimensity 7200 chipsets.

There’s officially 8GB of RAM available in this handset but it appears to be ‘extended’ RAM, meaning that there’s less physical RAM present in the V27 5G. Page files are okay, but they’re no substitute for the real thing. Pity, that. Up to 256GB of storage is available, but you won’t find a model with less than 128GB of space.

But the headline feature is something Vivo calls its Aura Light Portrait System. This is a new low-light algorithm that enables better nighttime portraits, thanks to the phone’s “…50MP OIS Ultra-Sensing rear camera, studio-level soft lighting effect, and portrait-enhancing capabilities”. That 50MP main sensor is a Sony IMX766V, backed by an 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro. Up front is a 50MP selfie shooter. Is it all worth R17k? We’ll let you know as soon as we lay hands on one.

And this is the V27e

The 5G-less V25e may feature slower internet speeds (and processor speeds) but it makes up for this with a lower price (R12,000) and a higher megapixel count. There’s a Helio G99 acting as the brains and the RAM/storage situation is the same as its more expensive sibling. The 6.62in AMOLED doesn’t appear to have that HDR10+ certification but at least the 120Hz refresh rate sticks around.

The cameras, as with the V27 5G, are the headline event. The rear is dominated by a 64MP main sensor, backed by dual 2MP sensors (one ultrawide and one macro). It’s got similar Aura Light Portrait capabilities, but the main sensor apparently features longer exposure times for improved low-light performance. As with its big brother, we’ll wait until we get a chance to play before passing judgment on the price/value balance.

Both smartphones are available in SA via Vodacom, MTN, and Cell C. As soon as we secure review handsets, we’ll let you know.