Every year, Vivo puts out two V Series smartphones that set the benchmark for photography in midrange smartphones. Earlier this year, we reviewed the V30 Pro and were impressed not just by its camera system but also by its sleek form factor and clean design. The newly launched V40 Pro makes slight tweaks to the design but carries forward the ‘camera expert’ reputation. The smartphone is currently priced at Rs 50,000. We used it as our daily driver for a week to test every aspect of its performance. Here is our comprehensive review of the Vivo V40 Pro.
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In This Article
Vivo V40 Pro Review: Design and Display
Here’s what you get inside Vivo V40 Pro’s retail box:
- Smartphone
- Power adapter
- USB Type-A to Type-C cable
- Clear plastic case
- SIM ejector
- Quick start guide
- Warranty card
The Vivo V40 Pro is available in two colours/finishes – Titanium Grey (matte) and Ganges Blue (glossy). We got our hands on the latter variant. It features the familiar 3D pattern that we’re used to seeing on Vivo’s smartphone. On the V40 Pro, the pattern resembles the waviness of a river, earning it the ‘Ganges Blue’ name. Even though this back panel has a glossy finish, it does not attract a lot of fingerprints. It is curved around the edges, making it easy to grip.
The big design change on the Vivo V40 Pro lies in the camera panel. The rectangular array on the V30 Pro has been replaced with a circular unit with a cylindrical extension. The circular cutout houses the primary sensor and the ultrawide lens. The attachment at the bottom of this cutout houses the telephoto lens and the ring LED flash. It gives the entire array a cylindrical shape. The LED flash, or the ‘Aura’ light, is smaller than its V30 Pro’s counterpart. The latter had a squarish shape and housed a smaller LED flash within its perimeter.
Overall, we like the design of the V40 Pro although the V30 Pro looked smarter and more refined. However, design preference is subjective and it is nice to see manufacturers shake things up every year. In terms of dimensions, the V40 Pro stands at 164.3mm x 75.1mm x 7.5mm. This is similar to its previous avatar. The curved frame of the smartphone houses the volume rocker keys and the side button on its right edge and the SIM tray, primary microphone, USB Type-C port, and speaker grille on the bottom edge. The secondary microphone is positioned on the top edge. The earpiece also doubles up as the secondary speaker.
The 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display has a 120Hz display and can reach a peak brightness of 4,500 nits. There’s support for HDR10+ onboard. The touch response is smooth and the smartphone is able to eliminate any accidental touches to the curved section of the display.
We streamed several titles on platforms like Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and Prime Video. The vibrant colours and detailed images produced by the display elevated the viewing experience. The audio output was satisfactory, although we would have liked a more pronounced low end.
One of the bigger upgrades on the Vivo V40 Pro is IP68 protection. Its predecessor had an IP54 rating. You can whip out this smartphone in heavy rainfall and not worry about any water damage. It can survive being submerged up to 1.5m for 30 minutes.
Vivo V40 Pro Review: Performance and Cameras
Powering the Vivo V40 Pro is the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ chipset. This chipset sits just below the flagship Dimenity 9300 in MediaTek’s hierarchy of SoCs. There are two RAM + Storage variants on offer – 8GB + 256GB and 12GB + 512GB. We ran the Geekbench 6 test on the smartphone and it garnered a single-core score of 1,789 points and a multi-core score of 4,961 points.
We used our review unit of the Vivo V40 Pro for everyday tasks like video calling, social media browsing, emailing, media streaming, and more. The smartphone handled whatever we threw at it. We did not encounter any lags or annoying stutters. We launched a dozen apps in the background to see if it caused the smartphone to slow down, but the device handled them expertly without any noticeable drop in speed. The apps loaded instantly and the overall usage experience was as smooth as it gets on a smartphone.
We played gaming titles like Call of Duty and Asphalt Legends Unite on the Vivo V40 Pro and were satisfied with its performance. The gaming experience is not the best in this category, but for a camera-centric smartphone, the V40 Pro does an excellent job of delivering a consistent performance. On medium graphics, we did not experience any frame drops or unwanted lags. The smoothness and touch response was excellent. The VC Smart Cooling System inside the smartphone did a great job of dissipating the heat. We were able to play games on this device for an hour straight without feeling any significant heat on the back panel.
The Android 14-based Funtouch 14 is not our favourite mobile OS, but it offers a decent software experience. There are a handful of bloatware apps on the device, which is not a good sign when you’re paying Rs 50,000 for it. Funtouch OS’ strongest suit is its customisation options. You can change the AOD skin, fingerprint icon design, charging animation, USB insertion animation, home screen transitions, and ambient lighting on the device. The latest iteration of the OS has AI editing features that let you erase objects and ‘Beautify’ your pictures.
The V40 Pro packs a massive 5,500 mAh battery pack. On a full charge, the smartphone lasts an entire day with ease. During the review period, we were able to squeeze a steady screen on time of 7 hours on the Vivo V40 Pro. Even after performing several power-intensive tasks and streaming media for multiple hours, the smartphone did not run out of juice sooner than expected. The V40 Pro supports 80W charging and we were able to replenish its battery in 40 minutes.
V40 Pro’s biggest highlight is undoubtedly its exquisite camera system. Every camera on this smartphone utilises a 50MP sensor. It is also one of the few midrange smartphones to feature a telephoto lens in its rear camera array. This telephoto lens now features OIS as well. The V40 Pro’s camera system is tuned by Zeiss.
The 50MP Sony IMX921 primary shooter delivers an exceptional performance in every lighting condition. In daylight conditions, the images taken with this camera showcased vibrant and punchy colours with good dynamic range and amazing contrast. We were pleased by the level of detail that this sensor was able to capture. There are three colour profiles to choose from – Vivid, Textured, and Zeiss Natural.
In limited lighting conditions, the primary shooter did a great job of brightening the subject and assigning it accurate colours. We were impressed with the way the smartphone exposed the sky. The images taken in Night Mode have minimal grain. Vivo’s photo processing engine paired with its high-end sensor produces excellent results in limited lighting.
The 50MP ultrawide sensor does not miss a beat and replicates the primary camera’s performance in outdoor daylight conditions. We’re used to seeing a colour shift while using the ultrawide camera on most midrange smartphones but that is not the case here. The colours produced by this sensory are just as deep, vibrant, and rich as the primary shooter. This could possibly be the best ultrawide sensor in this price range, given how it even manages to keep the sharpness intact.
In limited lighting conditions, the ultrawide sensor does well to illuminate the images and assign the proper colours to the scene. The versatility of this ultrawide sensor earns a brownie point from us. As good as other ultrawide sensors in this price range may be, they fail to replicate the colour balance and brightness of the V40 Pro.
The 50MP Sony IMX816 telephoto lens offers 2x optical zoom. This telephoto lens means business and isn’t just present to fill up an entry on the spec sheet. We were very happy with the image composition after 10x zoom. Even with the maximum 50x zoom in effect, the smartphone was able to resolve the text on far-away billboards.
Portrait shots taken with the Vivo V40 Pro are a cut above the rest. The smartphone intelligently separates the object from the background and applies a good amount of background blur. You can take portrait shots in 5 focal lengths – 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 100mm. The 50MP selfie camera also puts up a solid display, replicating accurate skin tones and keeping the skin smoothening effects to a minimum.
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Verdict
The Vivo V40 Pro is the best midrange camera smartphone out there right now. Its well-rounded camera performance sets the benchmark for other midrange smartphones. The primary shooter can easily hang with the flagships. The ultrawide sensor isn’t too far behind as it replicates the colour accuracy and sharpness of the primary camera. When most midrange phones have to contend with a macro lens, the telephoto camera on the V40 Pro puts up a splendid display. The MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ processor at the heart of this smartphone ensures that it handles power-intensive tasks without any hassle. The build and form factor of the device has the ‘premium’ touch. Overall, the Vivo V40 Pro is an amazing deal at Rs 50,000.
Vivo V40 Pro: Pros
- Amazing cameras
- Sleek form factor
- Fast charging
Vivo V40 Pros: Cons
- Contains bloatware
