Vivo has announced its latest smartphone in the form of the V25 Pro, with its price starting at Rs 35,999. Among several things of note being touted by the Chinese giant, is the device’s image-capturing capabilities. To wit, the Vivo V25 Pro packs in a 64MP primary shooter flanked by an 8MP ultra-wide and a 2MP macro sensor while on the front you have a 32MP selfie camera.
The rivalry in the affordable flagship space has become cutthroat as of late with the likes of OnePlus, Realme and iQOO, all offering strong competition. Optical hardware is definitely a key aspect of a smartphone’s overall experience and in this camera comparison, I have pitted the Vivo V25 Pro against the OnePlus 10R (review), launched earlier this year. Who will come out better in the battle of the budget flagship cameras? Time to find out.
Table of Contents
Daylight Landscape
In the above shot, both camera sensors have done a good job in bringing out details, colours, and dynamic range. This is to be expected from sub Rs 40,000 smartphones when ample lighting is present. The Vivo V25 Pro has a more natural tone to its shot while the OnePlus 10R favours a warmer colour temperature. Saturation levels are balanced on the V25 Pro while the 10R can be considered slightly undersaturated. This is evident from the torpedo’s red colour being shown by the latter in a dull maroonish shade. Also, with the V25 Pro, you can see more detail present in the shadows of the shrubs. In terms of exposure metering and dynamic range, both images are about the same. While differences between the two remain minute, the Vivo V25 Pro wins this round on account of maintaining more realistic colours.
Winner: Vivo V25 Pro
UHD Landscape
The Vivo V25 Pro can click 64MP full-resolution photos while for the OnePlus 10R that number is 50MP. This time around the images clicked with the V25 Pro are more saturated. The 10R’s shot, for its part, has better colours although the dynamic range is lower in comparison. Also the former does a slightly better job with handling the exposure levels and white balance. Apart from that you can also see sharper detailing on the V25 Pro’s shot which can be partly attributed to the higher resolution sensor. This round goes to the Vivo V25 Pro.
Winner: Vivo V25 Pro
Ultra-wide
Coming now to the ultra-wide shots, both smartphones click decent shots in daylight conditions. Saturation levels are a tad bit higher on the Vivo V25 Pro while the dynamic range remains largely the same between both shots. However, the OnePlue 10R brings in a lot more overprocessing which smoothens details on the nearby trees. The Vivo V25 Pro keeps the detailing sharp across the frame. Neither image is warped on the sides. Again this round goes to the Vivo V25 Pro as well.
Winner: Vivo V25 Pro
Selfie
While the Vivo V25 actually has a higher resolution 32MP selfie shooter, the image it clicks is more processed than the 16MP sensor on the OnePlus 10R. You can see the background behind my face is quite soft and not exposed well as compared to the latter. Facial detailing on both images is actually decent enough with the V25 having a very slight edge. Even so, the OnePlus 10R gets the correct skin tones and has an overall pleasing selfie. This round will go to the OnePlus 10R.
Winner: OnePlus 10R
Macro shots
Neither phone can actually take worthwhile macro shots with the resolution being capped at just 2MP. However, if I have to choose the OnePlus 10R has punchier colours and shades of extra detailing surrounding the subject. It also does a better job at exposure handling. This round goes to the OnePlus 10R.
Winner: OnePlus 10R
Portrait shots
Talking about portrait mode images, there is little to separate the two devices. The background blur, edge detection and details on the subject remain more or less similar in both the images. The Vivo V25 Pro gets in better colours as compared to the 10R which has a more dull look on the flower petals. However, the colour science can be subject to taste and this round remains a draw.
Winner: Tie
Low-light photography
The OnePlus 10R never really pushed the boundaries of low-light photography and this becomes clear when put up against the V25 Pro. From the above shots, it can be seen that the OnePlus 10R does not make any effort to reduce the noise levels in the night sky nor does it correctly expose the glare from the street lamps. The focus is not on any object in particular and the entire image is quite soft and overprocessed. For its part, the Vivo V25 Pro produces a far superior photo with aspects like detailing, shadows, noise and exposure all managed very amicably. This round has a clear winner in the Vivo V25 Pro.
Winner: Vivo V25 Pro
Night mode shot
Using the dedicated Night mode, most of OnePlus 10R’s problems do get resolved. Noise levels are reduced quite effectively, details are gathered efficiently and the colours are more realistic. Apart from that, the exposure levels are also adjusted to tone down any ambient lighting shining directly on the lens. Even so, the Vivo V25 Pro trumps the 10R in every department while churning out a slightly saturated colour tone. The overall image from the device is more pleasing than what the OnePlus 10R can output. This round has also been taken by the Vivo V25 Pro.
Winner: Vivo V25 Pro
Verdict
From these comparison shots, it can be concluded that between the Vivo V25 Pro and OnePlus 10R, photography needs are best handled by the V25 Pro. Winning almost all rounds, some by sizeable margins, Vivo can at least be assured of wooing customers who are looking for reasonably good camera hardware under Rs 40,000.
