Vivo V40 Pro Review: The device that cant be written off

Vivo V40 Pro Review: The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo has been somewhat of a trendsetter when it comes to surprising users with its V series launches. In its latest release, the company introduced the newest member of its V series: the Vivo V40 Pro. The first impressions of this smartphone give a fair idea of its sleek profile along with its performance, software, and camera. Let’s analyse the features offered in detail and determine its worth based on how the smartphone fares under our scrutiny.

Vivo V40 Pro Review: Design

Carrying forward its curved design language, Vivo has opted for a unique camera island, which houses a round dial at the top with two camera sensors, and a somewhat elliptical module below, containing the third camera along with the Aura Light. Featuring a curved design with a glass back that sports a wavy design, the Vivo V40 Pro has pleasant aesthetics offering a premium look. The device boasts a slim profile with a thickness of 7.58mm and a weight of 192g, ensuring a comfortable grip. While the overall build of the device feels compact, the placement of buttons is also refined, providing a tactile and highly responsive experience.

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However, the back is prone to smudges, so a cover is all what you need. The Vivo V40 Pro has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. It is available in two colour options: Ganges Blue and Titanium Grey. 

Vivo V40 Pro Review: Display

The Vivo V40 Pro features a 6.78-inch curved edge AMOLED display, with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a dynamic resolution of 2800x1260 pixels. The punch hole display almost hides in the screen, thanks to its smaller outlook. With an aspect ratio of 20:9 and peak brightness notching the 4500nits mark, the device guarantees a seamless content viewing experience and a bright enough display even under direct sunlight. The display produces natural colours and appropriate sharpness with excellent contrast. The dual speakers offer quality sound output, elevating multimedia streaming to the next level. 

Vivo V40 Pro Review: Performance and Software

Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ chipset and supported by either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, the smartphone shows considerable improvement over its immediate predecessor: the V30 Pro. The device performs brilliantly while multitasking and handling day-to-day activities like social media streaming, content watching, clicking photos or making videos, or using multiple apps simultaneously. It is also capable of handling light gaming without any lag or technical hiccups. Even under higher settings, the device surprises with its ability to manage graphically intensive games. 

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It runs on FunTouch OS 14, based on Android 14. The UI experience is smooth and easy to use. A significant improvement is evident in handling the bloatware issue, which has been substantially reduced to ensure a decluttered experience for users. The device will get three years of major Android updates and four years of security patches. 

Vivo V40 Pro Review: Cameras

Sporting a triple camera setup in the keyhole-shaped camera module, which encompasses a 50MP main sensor with OIS, a 50MP ultra-wide shooter, and a 50MP telephoto portrait camera, the Vivo V40 Pro performs excellently well in well-lit conditions. The photos show adequate details with vibrance. Portrait photos are also impressive, given the integration of Zeiss-branded camera and Smart Aura Light. The photos exhibit appropriate sharpness, seamless background blur, and top-notch edge detection. The autofocus also works smoothly, ensuring quality captures backed by minimum noise and near-natural colour representation. The smartphone delivers good results when it comes to low-light photography. When using the Night Mode, the difference is noticeable, with details and sharpness being truly reflected in the outputs, making the Vivo V40 Pro a camera-capable device. The Smart Aura Light system deserves credit for ensuring quality outputs by adjusting the colour in different setups, which results in quality shots. 

For selfies, you get a 50MP selfie camera that captures photos with proper skin tones and details. Additionally, several modes are available for clicking photos, including the Festival Mode, which can be particularly useful during celebrations like Diwali or Navratri. 

Vivo V40 Pro Review: Battery

The Vivo V40 Pro is equipped with a 5,500mAh battery that supports 80W fast charging. The phone gets fully charged within an hour. Under normal usage conditions, it offers a full day of backup on a single charge, with some battery still remaining. However, the device does not include a wireless charging feature.

Vivo V40 Pro Review: Verdict

The Vivo V40 Pro is a well-all-rounded smartphone that covers all the essential bases expected from a device in this segment. It offers an abundance of features along with unique aesthetics that make a strong first impression. As a sub-Rs. 50,000 phone, it provides near-premium features like the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ chipset, vibrant display, fast charging support with a good battery, and a decent camera setup which effectively justifies the price segment. However, fans of AI-friendly functionalities might remain sceptical due to lesser emphasis on AI-backed features, and the lack of wireless charging may attract some apprehension- though these don’t appear serious enough propositions to write off the device. 

Vivo V40 Pro Review: Pros and Cons

Vivo V40 Pro Pros: 

- Unique design with a slim profile

- Good cameras

- Satisfactory performance

- Decent battery life

Vivo V40 Pro Cons: 

- Price is on the higher side

- Lack of AI features

- No wireless charging