vivo V40 Review | Geek Lifestyle

The vivo V40 has landed in the Philippines, though ahead of the launch, we got to test out this new premium mid-ranger with ZEISS cameras.

ZEISS and vivo have been partners for some time now, though before, only the brand’s flagship X series devices have gotten ZEISS-branded cameras. This all changed earlier this year with the release of the vivo V30 Pro. Now though, vivo has included ZEISS branding and features in the vivo V40, the lineup’s base model.

Thus, the V40 packs a wide array of unique photography features, all while having impressive specs on paper along with the vivo signature Aura Light Portrait System. Thanks to these, the vivo V40 promises to deliver when it comes to mobile photography.

So, does the phone deliver in real-world use? And does its other features also make it a dependable daily driver? Here’s our vivo V40 review.

Geek-sthetic

Before we explore if the V40 delivers on its promise when it comes to photography, the first order of the day is to check out its design. For the V40, vivo went with a new look, with the camera module being the most eye-catching change.

Aside from the iconic ZEISS logo, the camera module also features what vivo calls the Gemini Ring Design which gives it an almost flagship-like look. What’s more, vivo went with a matte finish, at least for the Nebula Purple color. Meanwhile, the Sunglow Peach and Stellar Silver color options have a glossy look, though they have an anti-fingerprint coating which is nice for users who want to go caseless.

We can’t judge the other two color options exactly, but we do like the vivo V40’s Nebula Purple colorway. In particular, we like the matte finish that gives it a more subtle look while still looking quite aesthetically pleasing. The matte finish also gives it a great in-hand feel. Another thing we like is that the phone comes with a silicon case inside the box with a matching color.

Also giving it a premium look and feel is the 3D Curved Screen. While curved displays aren’t as ubiquitous as they once were a few years ago, they still undoubtedly give phones an extra premium style. Don’t worry though as the V40’s curved edges don’t get in the way of usability.

Speaking of screen, the vivo V40 packs a large 6.78-inch AMOLED screen. What makes the screen stand out in the premium mid-range segment is its 1.5k or 1260 x 2800 resolution. For reference, most phones at the V40’s price range have 1080p screens. Sure, it’s a small bump in resolution that might not be particularly noticeable, but the increase is still welcome. Plus, the display gets plenty bright, even when used outdoors when the sun is out.

Binge-Watching Factor

When it comes to watching movies and shows, the vivo V40 won’t disappoint as its AMOLED screen outputs vibrant colors and deep blacks. Whether you’re watching the latest episode of your favorite ongoing anime or rewatching a comfort movie, the vivo V40 should deliver for your binge-watching needs. In fact, for movie or series marathons, the V40 can trade blows with flagship phones when it comes to quality.

Display quality is only one part of the binge-watching equation though as good sound is also key. For this, vivo packed the V40 with a stereo speaker setup — the first for a base V series model. While not all stereo phone speakers have great quality audio output, the V40’s audio setup does not disappoint as it gets to a good volume while having surprisingly decent bass extension. It’s not exactly flagship-level, but the audio quality on the speakers are good overall.

Though for the best experience, headphones or external speakers are still recommended. You do need to have a wireless audio device though as the V40 does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Gaming Performance

As mentioned above, the vivo V40 Pro is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor that’s paired with 12GB of RAM. While this is not Qualcomm’s highest-end SoC, the Snapdragon 7 series should still provide enough power for both popular multiplayer titles along with more hardware-intensive titles. This is based on the performance of other phones with a similar setup.

In our tests, the vivo V40 Pro did not disappoint as we were able to play at higher settings in popular esports titles. For instance, League of Legends: Wild Rift ran smoothly at 120FPS at the High Graphics Quality setting and at the Medium resolution. By lowering the frame rate, you can also push resolution or quality even higher.

Meanwhile, Call of Duty: Mobile also ran well at the Very High graphics setting and a Max frame rate. You can also go for Ultra frame rate for the highest FPS option. This makes it one of the few phones that have these settings unlocked.

Moving on to more demanding titles, the vivo V40 ran Genshin Impact smoothly at the default Low setting. You can push the Graphics Quality higher, though it might be better to stick with the recommended setting so that the framerate remains stable even after an hour or so of playtime.

Sure, its performance is just shy of proper flagship territory, the vivo V40 is still very much a capable gaming device that should satisfy most users who play a wide array of mobile titles.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

Here’s the part that the vivo V40 promises to truly excel in — the cameras. For this latest V series model, vivo went with three 50MP cameras. To be exact, there’s a 50MP main and a 50MP ultrawide at the front, with the last camera being the phone’s selfie shooter.

Aside from having impressive specs, these cameras also feature the iconic ZEISS branding, meaning the phone’s shooters have various ZEISS shooting options such as filters. Plus, vivo didn’t forget the V Series’ signature Aura Light Portrait system which promises to capture high quality portraits, even in low light conditions.

Before we get to portraits though, let’s first see how the 50MP main camera fares for landscape photos. As you can see in the samples above, the V40’s main shooter captures high quality photos with lots of detail. What’s more, colors are fairly accurate when using the ZEISS Natural Color mode when capturing images. While you can opt for vivo’s Vivid shooting mode for more saturated colors, we prefer the more true-to-life look with the ZEISS option.

At night, the phone’s main shooter does not disappoint as images are bright and sharp with a good amount of detail. Note that the images above were taken with the camera app’s Night Mode as the processing helps a lot to make photos brighter. While you can use Auto Mode, you’ll want to stick with Night Mode when shooting in low light.

: Planar

: Distagon

: B-Speed

Next, we have the phone’s ZEISS filter options for portraits. As with the X80 and the V30 Pro, the vivo V40 has portrait filter options that are based on specific ZEISS lenses. Each of these filters result in a unique bokeh effect that should be similar to the results that you get with the lenses that they’re named after.

Aside from the four main filter options, the phone also has the Cinematic Portrait option which takes images in widescreen (to emulate a movie’s look). As a bonus, the V40 also has a Cine-Flare filter that adds an eye-catching lens flare effect to your portrait.

: Cinematic Portrait

: Cine-Flare

These ZEISS filter options, coupled with the phone’s Aura Light Portrait System (which is brighter while still retaining the color temperature changing feature), makes the vivo V40 excel in portrait photos when it comes to the number of creative options and flexibility.

Meanwhile, the phone’s ultrawide shooter also captures great photos, both in daytime and at night. There is some difference in quality compared with the main camera samples, but for the most part, ultrawide photos are of good quality.

Finally, the 50MP selfie camera also doesn’t disappoint when it comes to quality, both in daytime and at night. It’s also nice to see vivo include the ZEISS portrait filter options on the selfie camera so users get more creative options.

Everyday Reliability

We expected the vivo V40 to perform well for daily use given its Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor and 12 GB of RAM combo. This was indeed the case as the phone was fast and snappy throughout our time with it. So, if you’re someone who uses your phone for heavier tasks like content creation, you should have no issues with the vivo V40.

The daily user experience is great when it comes to performance, and the software is also good when it comes to navigation. The only drawback in this aspect is the fact that the V40 comes with plenty of pre-installed apps. While these don’t exactly slow the phone down, they do get annoying, especially with the sheer number of notifications that you get by default. Thus, it’s recommended to uninstall those you don’t need, or at least turn off notifications for them.

For battery life, the vivo V40 doesn’t disappoint as its 5500mAh battery helps it last for a day of heavy use with ease. In our time with it, the phone routinely lasted for a day and a half with no issues, though of course, your mileage may vary.

Even if you use the vivo V40 heavily, the great thing about it is the included 80W fast charger which helps it fill up to 100% fast. Even a couple minutes of charge should also give you hours of use, meaning you can opt not to bring a power bank on your days out.

Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

The vivo V40 offers a compelling mix of features as it has good performance for everyday use and gaming, all while having a nice screen and an eye-catching design. Though perhaps its biggest selling point is its ZEISS cameras that capture great landscapes, portraits, and selfies.

While its starting price of PHP 26,999 definitely skews on the premium side of the mid-range, it should still be worth considering for users who are intrigued by the ZEISS camera features (like the filters), as well as for users who love taking portraits.

vivo V40 specs: