Vivo V40 Review: Sleek phone with impressive camera

Vivo, earlier this month, launched the new premium mid-range V40 series phones in India.

The latest V40 series comes in two variants-- V40 and V40 Pro-- with prices starting at Rs 36,999.

It has a new design, a ZEISS camera system and a bigger battery. Here are my thoughts on the V40, the latest Android phone from Vivo.

Design, build quality and display

Vivo 40 flaunts a sleek design with an eye-catching colour scheme. It is available in three visually appealing colours-titanium grey, lotus purple and Ganges blue. Our review unit is the latter.

As you can see in the cover photo, it has a gorgeous light bluish colour with a silver-hued wave-like design. It has a marble-like smooth finish. Another notable aspect is that it does a great job of repelling fingerprint smudges.

Vivo V40 series phone.

Further, it features an IP68/69 rating, meaning the device can withstand water pressure up to 1.5 metres (around five feet) for close to 30 minutes.

At the top left corner, it has a visually appealing dual-camera module with a circular Auro LED flash.

Vivo V40 series phone.

The device features dual SIM slots an in-display fingerprint sensor, a USB type-C port and stereo speaker at the base, which was sorely missed in the predecessor.

It should be noted that V40 is just 7.6mm thick, 1mm thicker than V30, and I don't know how the company has managed to incorporate a massive 5,500mAh battery (more than on this later).

On the front, the new device flaunts an amazing 6.78-inch 1.5K (2800×1260p) 3D curved AMOLED display.

It is also protected by a Schott α (alpha) glass shield against scratches. Additionally, the company has pre-fitted another layer of screen guard. And, the customer gets a high-quality transparent silicone cover case free with the retail box.

With this, the device can even survive accidental drops in a water body like a swimming pool and also a fall on a hard surface.

Vivo has covered all bases to ensure the device is fully protected against daily wear and tear and be able to serve the owner for a long time.

Vivo V40 series phone.

The display supports 120Hz refresh rate, and 480Hz touch sampling rate to deliver a smooth scrolling and gaming experience. Also, it supports HDR10+ content.

It is great for watching video vlogs, movies/TV series or reading e-books for several hours without any issues of eye strain.

Even outdoors with direct sunlight, I didn't face issues reading messages. The display supports up to 4500 nits peak brightness.

The in-display fingerprint sensor works amazingly fast, as long as finger it dry and clean.

Performance

The latest V40 is powered by a 4nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 octa-core processor with Adreno 720 GPU, the same chipset used in the predecessor V30. Having said that, I have no complaint against Vivo reusing the same Qualcomm, as the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is a really good reliable chipset that ensures the device works smoothly.

The latest Vivo phone worked silky smooth while performing day-to-day tasks and even while playing games, it worked just fine. It has no pressing issue to complain about.

The device comes in three configurations-- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, 8GB RAM 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 512GB storage.

It runs Android 14-based Funtouch OS 14. The user interface is user-friendly. It is easy to navigate through the settings. It has a lot of third-party pre-loaded, but they can be removed.

Also, the base model comes with 128GB. It is more than enough to install all the favourite apps and be able to accommodate thousands of photos and videos.

The device is confirmed to get at least two years of Android OS update and an additional year of software security support.

As noted above, the slim phone houses a big 5,500mAh battery. Under normal usage, it can easily last more than a day. If you are going on a night-long journey, you can watch an entire season of any popular TV series or play two or three movies on a stretch.

If you are fully dependent on cellular data, it can still be able to last a full day.

Vivo V40 series phone. 

Also, it comes with an 80W SuperVOOC charger in the retail box. It can power up the phone from zero to 50 per cent in a little over minutes, and be able to hit the 100 per cent mark in around one hour.

Photography

It houses a ZEISS dual-camera module-- main 50MP(with f/1.88 aperture, ISOCELL GNJ sensor, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation, ZEISS optics) with 50MP ultra-wide camera (with f/2.0 aperture) with LED flash.

It takes amazing photos in almost all conditions.

Vivo V40's camera sample photo.

With wide-angle mode, it supports a 119-degree field-of-view (field). It is great for taking photos of large groups of people on a beach or any hill range or a big statue.

Vivo V40's camera sample photo.

With close-up macro shot mode, it manages to get minute details of the subject.

Vivo V40's camera sample photo with close-up mode.

In the night, the photo quality is decent. It can balance the light coming from sources such as street lights and neon light lamps pretty and ensure, it doesn't blow out.

Vivo V40's camera sample photo with night mode on.

Even indoors with controlled light conditions, it takes pretty good photos.

Vivo V40's camera sample photo with night mode on.

It also supports AI Eraser, which can come in handy during family trips to heavily crowded destinations. It can easily remove people or objects from the frame, and also ensure there is no trace of unwanted stuff.

Vivo V40's camera sample photo with portrait mode on.

On the front, it houses a 50MP autofocus camera with feature and f/2.0 aperture. It takes brilliant selfies and videos. Also, it takes amazing wide-angle group photos too.

Vivo V40's camera sample photo.

Vivo V40 aces in portrait mode. It offers several value-added effects to enhance the photography experience.

Vivo V40's camera sample photo.

It supports the Cine-Flare style, which adds artificial glares to the photos to make it cinematic effect. It is best used in scenarios such as the sun or any single light source in the background of the subject.

Vivo V40's camera sample photo.

Portrait mode also has Biotar style, which adds a swirly bokeh effect in the background. It is best used during sunny weather, particularly during outdoor treks to forests or any landscape with lush green habitation in the background.

Vivo V40's camera sample photo.

There is also a Distagon effect option in Portrait mode. It churns out a hexagonal flare bokeh effect. It can be used indoors and outdoors with sufficient light.

And, with the new B-Speed effect, the camera app creates a unique arc-triangle bokeh in the background.

Vivo V40's camera sample photo.

For the India-specific market, there is a Festival Portrait model. It creates artificial light effects to enhance the photo quality taken in low light. it is best suited in scenarios such as night with just deepa/diya (small clay lamps) or crackers like flowerpots lit up in the background.

Both the front and the main dual cameras on the back are capable of recording 4K video recording. The video quality is decent on par with most of the rival brands in its class.

Final thoughts

Vivo's latest mid-range phone is a moderate upgrade over its predecessor, but design-wise, it is more visually pleasing and also more durable.

It delivers an incredibly long battery life under normal usage. And, the camera with the ZEISS system shows a noticeable improvement in terms of photography over the V30 series.

Vivo V40 series.

Vivo V40 is available in three configurations-- 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, 8GB RAM 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 512GB storage-- for Rs 34,999 and Rs 36,999 and Rs 41,999, respectively.

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