Vivo is no longer a brand that plays it safe. It has launched premium foldables, made deals with giants like Zeiss Optics to dish out phones that have camera tech which gets people excited. The popular V-series is now getting a major refresh with the V40 series that comes equipped with the Zeiss Optics engineered lenses on both the models. However, our eyes have been glued to the Vivo V40 Pro model which looks to battle it out in the higher tier this time around.
The device is bringing a host of new features, improved camera Zeiss Optics tech and all this without foregoing its design mantra. But can Vivo V40 Pro justify these upgrades with a steep price tag of Rs 50,000 in a competitive market? We tested the device to look for the answers.
Sleek And Light But Sturdier
The V40 Pro gets a sleek design which has been a hallmark of the V-series from the brand over the years. You get a 7.6mm thick body which has a glass panel at the back and the wave-like design adds further appeal to the device which weighs 192 grams but feels a lot lighter in the hand.
The big upgrade with the V40 Pro is that you get it with IP68/69 dust and water resistance this year that can handle dip in the water up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes.
We didn’t try dunking the phone in the water for that long but it could easily handle splashes and running water without any issues. The V40 Pro is undoubtedly a looker and now it is less fragile too.
Curvy Display Attracts
The V40 Pro sports a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with 1B colour, HDR10+ supported and 120Hz refresh rate. It is not an LTPO panel so the refresh rate has to be manually handled. The curved nature of the screen can be its strong and weak point at the same time as some people don’t like the grip of a phone with its layout but it still has a good looking touch to it.
The colours offered by the AMOLED display are punchy and crisp while the deep blacks have their own effect while watching videos or viewing content on the device.
Not Short On Power
Vivo has upgraded V40 Pro to the flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ chipset with up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. The chipset was unlikely to be slouch and is definitely a big upgrade on the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC that you get with the likes of the Xiaomi 14 Civi and the Honor 200 series in the market.
The benchmark scores also made its capability evident and safe to say, the V40 Pro is not just about style, the performance is top-notch too. You can enjoy the regular tasks on the phone, and have fun playing the heavy-duty games as well at the highest settings. Having this chipset under the hood should easily let you use the V40 Pro for more than a few years and still have some power left in the tank.
The Zeiss Camera Effect
Vivo V40 Pro goes one step better with its camera efforts. Gone are the days when the front camera on a V-series phone outpowered the back sensor. The V40 Pro has a triple system for imaging needs yet again which includes a 50MP wide sensor with OIS, a 50MP telephoto lens with OIS and a 50MP ultra wide lens. The front of the phone has a single 50MP wide shooter.
Fair to say the Zeiss Optics effect is visible when you have the portrait richness available in your palms and not spending over Rs 1 lakh for it. You get different focal lengths with the telephotos lens and two sensors offering OIS means the quality of images don’t take a hit when the light drops. The macro shots are also available but you will have to enable it manually, which is done automatically in the flagship range.
The colours pop out more than usual but that seems to be Vivo’s choice of tuning for the sensors. The big change with the module is because of the new and smaller Aura light that fills your shot with stronger effect than the previous version.
The quality of selfies from the 50MP front camera can be a mixed bag but it is good to see that Vivo doesn’t take away the details and natural tones of your face. For many years brands have said that people like to brighten their faces but we definitely prefer it the natural way.
OS Still Needs Some Finesse
Vivo has improved with its software in recent years but the pre-loaded apps continue to be ever-present on its devices. The V40 Pro costs over Rs 50,000 but you still have quite a few installed out of the box, more than 30 apps to be precise. The Funtouch OS has become slick and fluid than before so you have to give Vivo the credit for making it better.
But it still feels like the OS could use some more work to polish it further and give it a finesse that speaks for a premium device. Vivo is offering three OS upgrades for the V40 Pro and four years of security updates. The brand is bringing some AI features within the camera setup so it is still early days for Vivo before we see it really talk about these tools for its devices.
Brawns Inside Keep It Going
Vivo V40 Pro measures at 7.6mm but even then the brand has packed a large 5500mAh battery which is no mean feat for the brand. Having this unit supporting 80W wired fast charging is a definite bonus unlike the Samsung and Google phones in this range that give you 45W speed at best. You can get the phone charged up to 90 percent in around 40 minutes and the charger does come in the box, so you don’t have to spend extra for it.
As for the endurance of the V40 Pro, the large battery delivers as expected. You can easily get it running for over a day with moderate usage and the fast-charging support gets you back up and running in quick time.
Vivo V40 Pro has the style that the series has flaunted over the years, now it has sturdiness, powerful hardware and versatile cameras added to the petite package but the steep jump in its starting price puts it in a different league where buyers are spoilt for choices and that’s where its battle begins in the market.
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