Vivo V30 Pro review

The big slab design and curved edges might make you think all smartphones look the same, and despite those elements being present on the Vivo V30 Pro, it still manages to look a bit unique. The back of the smartphone is the space to play around with for all manufacturers, and the Vivo V30 Pro takes a fresh and rather impressive approach to this — at least for the Classic black colour option we received for this review.

The textured finish at the back of the Vivo V30 Pro looks like it’ll be rough to touch but actually feels quite smooth and nice, and also hides dust and smudges very effectively. The camera module sits a bit higher than the rest of the back over two levels; the ‘aura light’ module sits a bit lower than the triple-camera setup above it. You’ll also spot the distinct Zeiss logo on the camera module.

The aura light is a large ring of soft flash that can be turned on and set to the desired colour tone at will. It’s meant for use when shooting portrait shots, and is most effective when there isn’t too much bright ambient light around — but more on that later. The rest of the Vivo V30 Pro is nice as well, with the power and volume buttons on the right side, the SIM tray at the bottom, and a flattened-out top.

The 6.78-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display has become something of an industry standard for smartphones in the premium category. The Vivo V30 Pro expectedly goes with this display, giving it a similar look at the front to the more expensive and better-equipped Vivo X100. That said, this isn’t an LTPO screen, but it does have a peak brightness of 2800nits and a refresh rate of 120Hz.

The display is curved at the edges and has a centre-positioned punch hole for the front camera just below the earpiece. You do get access to Vivo’s always-on display modes built into FunTouch OS, as well as adjustable and smart switching refresh rate, a capable adaptive brightness system, and smart screen modes for ease of use, among others.

While the Vivo X100 series sports the current-generation MediaTek Dimensity 9300 series processor, the V30 Pro sadly doesn’t get an upgrade in this department. The device sports the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 — the same chipset as on the Vivo V29 Pro - which was released in 2023.

The Vivo V30 Pro is available in two variants — the ₹41,999 option with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and the ₹46,999 variant with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. There’s also a 5000mAh battery with support for USB Type-C fast charging (up to 80W). Expectedly, you also get 5G connectivity on both SIMs, and Bluetooth 5.3, but no eSIM support.

On the software front, there is FunTouch OS 14 based on Android 14. It’s actually among the better overlays for Android right now, with a rather clean look and feel that is very similar to the stock Android interface and doesn’t see too many functional changes in aspects such as the settings, quick toggles, and notification shade. You can also choose between the app drawer or iOS-style drawer-less approach.

A few add-on apps do come pre-installed, and a lot of them can’t even be uninstalled and tend to pop up constantly and without any good reason. However, you can disable notifications on these even if you can’t disable the apps themselves. On the whole, it’s a decent software experience, and having the latest version of Android is always a good thing.

Vivo’s reputation as a camera-focused smartphone maker isn’t without merit, and even the V30 Pro gets some impressive camera chops. This time, the range gets optimisations and branding by Zeiss to back up the triple-camera setup. The focus of the Zeiss-enhanced modes is on the portrait camera, although the main and ultra-wide sensors are fairly capable in their own right.

All three sensors are 50-megapixel units, and the primary camera gets optical image stabilisation. The Sony IMX816 portrait camera has a 50mm focal length, which is said to enhance realism and vividness in portrait shots, while the ultra-wide camera has a 119-degree field of view. Just below the camera sensors is the module that holds the flash and aura light components. The flash is a fairly standard one, but the aura light is something that you don’t see on too many smartphones and works to further enhance the portrait photography credentials of the Vivo V30 Pro.

Before we get to the signature camera tricks, let's talk a bit about the regular camera modes and performance. The 50-megapixel Sony IMX920 primary camera is capable of delivering sharp and fairly accurate pictures and videos in most conditions, even adding a little bit of subtle drama without too much post-processing that takes away from the natural feel of the image. Outdoor shots of the sunset of the cityscape looked fantastic, as did pictures of objects captured from up close.

Ultra-wide and low-light shots are up to the mark as well, with the camera generally outperforming similarly priced devices even in standard photography modes; this is even before we get to portrait photography, which is touted as the speciality of the Vivo V30 Pro.

The portrait mode in the camera app expectedly comes with plenty of features and enhancements aimed at giving you a bit more control over how your pictures turn out. This includes the ability to zoom in 2X for a bit of ease while shooting close-ups, various styles, filters, and enhancements, and of course Zeiss’ signature bokeh flare modes. There are six of these which will come in handy in specific low-light settings and against some types of backgrounds. You can also increase or decrease the f-stop to weaken or strengthen the bokeh effect itself. 

The aura light is a rather neat addition to the portrait photography chops of the Vivo V30 Pro. Adding a soft glow over the subject, it’s handy when shooting close-ups and isn’t bright enough to light up the subject except in really dark conditions. The auto mode gets the colours on point according to ambient light, but you can override this to project a different type of daylight colour. It’s very useful for indoor shots and can come in handy in various other situations as well given that it isn’t as bright or distracting as the regular flash.

It isn’t often that phones are marketed for their portrait photography abilities, but the Vivo V30 Pro does deliver in this department. It makes for some impressive and varied shots that look considerably better than what most phones in this price segment can deliver. Images are detailed, depth-of-field effects are impressive and on point, and pictures taken with the various modes have an artistic flair that often appears professional and far superior to what typical smartphones with basic portrait modes have to offer.

The whole ‘Qualcomm vs MediaTek’ thing was a bigger deal back in the day when one was ahead of the other in terms of perceptions, but that’s not as big a deal today. Vivo’s flagship and ‘Pro’ branded devices have been putting MediaTek chipsets to good use for the past few years, and the V30 Pro does so as well with the MediaTek Dimensity 8200.

It is worth pointing out once again that this isn’t a new chipset for this product line, and the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 is also marketed as a mid-range chipset rather than last year’s flagship as is the case with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 on the similarly priced OnePlus 12R and iQOO Neo 9 Pro. 

Of course, the camera capabilities and Zeiss branding hope to make up for this, but it’s worth keeping in mind that you will get mid-range performance from the Vivo V30 Pro that doesn’t quite match up to some of the competition. Although you’re unlikely to notice these differences with everyday usage to start with, you’ll find the Vivo V30 Pro unable to match up in terms of performance with gaming, multi-tasking, and handling heavy usage.

That said, the Dimensity 8200 is a more conservative chipset than most in the segment, and this shows in the battery life of the Vivo V30 Pro. We were able to get around a day and a half of usage on average with regular use, and frequent camera operation didn’t have too much effect on the battery either. Wired charging is fast at 80W, and the right charger for this is also included in the box, so you can get a full charge in less than an hour for the 5,000mAh battery. There’s no wireless charging, though.

Vivo’s focus on its camera capabilities continues into 2024, and the V30 Pro offers a genuinely good camera-centric experience concentrated on the field of portrait photography. Despite that, the triple-camera system performs well in all conditions, although you’ll expectedly see particularly good results from the portrait camera and with the aura light in operation. Design, display, and battery life aren’t too bad either.

Where the Vivo V30 Pro falls short is in the performance department - it’s here that this reveals itself as a strictly mid-range smartphone. There’s plenty of RAM and storage, but don’t expect flagship-level performance from this smartphone. All of that said, it’s a workable daily driver with a very good camera system, so get this if you need top-notch photography capabilities at under ₹50,000.