Presented by vivo

Hands-on with the brand new vivo V70 smartphone

Partner

 ·12 May 2026

The vivo V70 range has officially landed in South Africa, and after testing it, it’s clear that these are great smartphones for South Africans.

There are two models in the lineup – the range-topping V70 and the more wallet-friendly V70 FE.

I spent most of my time testing the V70 – and it’s not just great on paper. The high-end specs are backed by powerful AI features that have benefited my day-to-day.

Watch our review video below, then keep reading to find out more about my experience with the new vivo V70.

The premium vs practical balance

The first thing I noticed when unboxing the vivo V70 was its comfortable size.

It felt great in my hand, and I didn’t need to stretch my thumb across the display to type.

Unlike many flagships these days that push the 6.8-inch mark, the vivo V70 comes in under 6.6 inches, and that small difference is very noticeable.

So much so, that I passed the V70 around the office, and the first remark most of my colleagues made was: “it immediately feels great in my hand.”

And this is not just due to the ergonomics.

An aerospace-grade aluminium alloy frame gives the V70 a solid, premium feel while remaining sleek and understated.

This also provides it with IP68 and IP69 water- and dust-resistance for superior durability.

Even the camera bump is subtle and clean, despite its powerful lenses, and all of these details result in a polished, premium, and comfortable-to-use smartphone with a low profile.

A camera that does the work for you

The camera is a ZEISS co-engineered setup that comprises three powerful sensors – a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP telephoto lens, and an ultra-wide lens.

This triple-sensor array is a versatile kit that offers flexibility without complication, from wide scenes and close-ups to distant subjects.

Built into this is a powerful AI layer that does all the heavy lifting for you by guiding your photography while you’re capturing your photos, and helping you to refine them post-capture.

These include:

AI Stage Mode

This is a lifesaver at a concert or a school play. It identifies that you’re looking at a stage from far away and cleans up the image so the performers look sharp.

AI Noise Eraser

The AI Noise Eraser is great when you’re filming, as it intelligently analyses the audio and cleans it up. This works particularly well with the AI Stage Mode.

AI Magic Weather

The AI Magic Weather feature let me choose season filters. I could capture a photo, and then accurately set the background to be spring, summer, autumn, or winter.

Portrait expander

If you’ve cropped in a little too tightly when taking your photo, the V70 can intelligently expand your portrait, filling in the background to give your subject more breathing room and a perfectly composed frame.

Built-in editing

You can scrub out background distractions and photobombers, or tweak the mood of a photo in the gallery. You don’t need to download three different apps to make a photo look “post-ready.”

Smart performance

Using the V70 day to day, performance feels consistently fast and stable.

Apps open quickly, switching between tasks is seamless, and even heavier use cases like photo editing or gaming feel smooth.

This performance is supported by 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which gives the V70 all the capacity it needs to handle demanding workloads.

Whether it’s multitasking between apps or working with large media files, it keeps up without hesitation.

The 120Hz 6.59-inch display factors into this responsive experience, offering smooth scrolling and vibrant visuals.

All of this is powered by a large 6,500mAh battery that has all the charge you need to last a full day, even with intensive use – and 90W FlashCharge gives it a quick boost when needed.

The vivo V70 range

The vivo V70 range just launched locally, giving South Africans the choice between the flagship V70 or the more budget-friendly vivo V70 FE.

The V70 FE is slightly larger, with a 6.83-inch display and a higher-capacity 7,000mAh battery.

It also offers a 200MP main camera, making it a great alternative if you’re on a tighter budget.

Click here to learn more about the vivo V70 and V70 FE.

See the specs of the vivo V70 and V70 FE in the table below.