Vtech Kidizoom Touch 5.0 review: a fun and well thought-out camera

The market for “high-tech” items for children is not the most extensive there is. Nevertheless, in this microcosm, one brand stands out, Vtech. Since the end of the 1970s, the Hong Kong firm has been developing electronic products, a large part of which is intended for the youngest. Talking books, consoles with educational games, imitation computer for children, or even, as we will see in this test, cameras.

A hybrid device

So the Kidizoom Touch 5.0 is quite versatile. If it is above all a relatively compact camera with a 5 Mpx sensor. It is also a kind of minimalist smartphone. Indeed, in addition to a selfie module, it also integrates some interesting functions, such as editing photos and videos, adding filters and summary editing tools.

Mini-games are also available, some with a – really small – touch of augmented reality. Finally, you can also use it as an MP3 player. All this is made accessible thanks to a “large” 3.5-inch touch screen, all in a multifunction and reinforced device.

Pricing and availability

Launched in July 2018, the Vtech Kidizoom Touch 5.0 is marketed for 99 €. It exists in two colors (blue and pink). The manufacturer rather intends this device for young children between 4 and 13 years old.

The format of a very large smartphone

You don’t often come across cameras with such a design. From a distance – very far – it would be possible to confuse the Kidizoom Touch 5.0 with a very thick rugged smartphone, and encased in a large shell (15 x 3.3 x 8.9 cm). Despite its atypical physique, it is nonetheless rather pleasant to handle.

Reinforced construction

The device is protected from impact by rubber bands, and to some extent should not be afraid of falling. This reinforced construction is paid for by a weight exceeding 270 g, probably a little heavy for a child of 4 years, the minimum age recommended by Vtech.

For the rest, it fits well in the hand and the controls are easily accessible. They are symbolized by large, well-differentiated keys. On the upper edge, we find the power button and the trigger. 3 controls are installed on the back (two for digital zoom and a home button), the rest of the navigation being done by the touch screen.

Those who have always handled modern smartphones may be a little taken aback by this rather unresponsive panel. That being said, the latency shouldn’t put children off too much.

Complete connectivity

The lower edge houses the connection which consists of a 3.5 mm micro-jack to connect headphones or headphones – a headset of very relative quality is delivered with the device -, a microSD port that does not will not be too much to support the 130 MB of internal memory, and a micro-USB port reserved for transferring files from or to a computer.

It is indeed not possible to recharge the box via this port. The power goes through 4 AA LR6 batteries, not necessarily practical or ideal, especially at the end of 2021.

A “large” touch screen

The interface is very easy to access. Well-identifiable logos allow you to quickly juggle the different functions. Children can thus have fun “retouching” (including “adding frames or stickers”) their photos or making small montages. The device also allows you to try out fairly basic mini-games, some of which are educational.

Parents will be advised to turn off the sound effects, otherwise they will quickly lose their cool. This hybrid between the camera and the smartphone is also equipped with a selfie module, in order to allow children to benefit from the different practices of modern photography.

The Kidizoom Touch 5.0 finally offers parental control to limit access to games and time of use.

The Vtech Kidizoom Touch 5.0 is therefore equipped with a 5 Mpx sensor with a 4: 3 ratio and … that’s all we know about it. Besides the self-timer, the only control available is that of the flash. You can turn it on or off, and that’s it. The selfie module has 2 Mpx, without flash.

Released in 2018, the Touch 5.0 offers the best picture quality among our first sample of children’s devices. The image is quite well detailed and presents a good sharpness on the monitor of the body.

Compared to other children’s devices that we have been able to test, this model from Vtech is the one that does the best. Some details of our scene are quite readable, for example the cover of the book or the textures of the fabrics to the right of the image.

At night and without flash, the shot is not usable and it will be necessary to keep the flash always activated to hope to restore a correct scene. The Touch 5.0 does not perform miracles compared to conventional cameras, but it should be remembered that its photos are not necessarily intended to leave the device – even if this remains technically possible – and that for a digital camera for children, the images are very well made. Note that the addition of different filters or frames drops the definition to 2 Mpx.

In video, and much more than in photos, we feel that Vtech has never thought of using the sequences outside the box. Where some children’s digital cameras offer us Full HD, the Kidizoom Touch 5.0 tops out at 480p and 4: 3 format. You can’t choose the quality of the video.
Frame rate only hits 15 fps, ensuring a bit jerky scrolling with every recording. A form of sound capture exists, but you will have to speak very loudly to be sure you are heard by the microphone.

On the device’s monitor, the video does not live up to the photo portion, but performs well enough for a young child to have a good time. Note that video recording time is limited to 5 minutes per file with internal memory, and 10 minutes per file with a microSD card.