The Vivo V series has consistently been a focal point for the company. Following the launch of Vivo V30 Pro in March, the Chinese smartphone maker has now unveiled its successor - the Vivo V40 Pro. The phone comes with MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ chipset and an upgraded triple rear camera setup with ZEISS optics. This latest offering builds upon the strengths of its predecessor while introducing significant upgrades across the board.

Design

The Vivo V40 Pro carries forward the elegant design language of its predecessor, featuring a curved glass sandwich construction that exudes a premium feel. The glass back sports an attractive wavy pattern, giving the device a fresh and appealing look. Available in a stunning Andaman Blue colour option, also known as Ganges Blue, the V40 Pro looks very elegant and adds a touch of sophistication.

Vivo V40 Pro design | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan

Vivo has moved away from the square-ish look of the V30 Pro to what they call the “Infinity Eye Camera Module” design. This new arrangement features a circular module at the top housing two cameras, with a third camera and a smaller but brighter Aura LED ring at the bottom.

The button placement is ergonomic, with tactile controls that offer good feedback. The bottom of the device houses the primary speaker, microphone, and charging port. The inclusion of IP68 certification is particularly impressive given the phone’s slim design, showcasing Vivo’s commitment to balancing form and function. It’s clear that Vivo has put considerable thought into the aesthetics of the V40 Pro, creating a device that’s as pleasing to the eye as it is functional.

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Display

The Vivo V40 Pro features a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The display supports a 120 Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth scrolling and fluid animations across the user interface. The display comes with a peak brightness of 2,800 nits ensuring excellent visibility even under direct sunlight, addressing a common pain point for smartphone users. The screen delivers remarkably sharp visuals with a pixel density of 445 ppi, rivalling many flagship devices. The support for HDR10+ content further enhances the viewing experience, providing deeper blacks and excellent contrast ratios.

OS

The Vivo V40 Pro runs on FunTouch OS 14, based on Android 14, providing a smooth and user-friendly interface. Vivo has made notable improvements in reducing bloatware, creating an experience that’s closer to stock Android while retaining essential Google apps like Phone, Messages, and Chrome.

Performance

The new Vivo V40 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ chipset, a significant upgrade from the Dimensity 8200 found in its predecessor. This octa-core processor consists of a powerful Cortex-X3 core clocked at 3.05GHz, three Cortex-A715 cores at 2.85GHz, and four Cortex-A510 cores at 1.8GHz, promising robust performance across various tasks.

We have seen the capability of the Dimensity 9200+ and it is a reliable performer, handling daily activities such as social media, music streaming, and casual gaming with ease. The phone is available in both 8 GB and 12 GB RAM variants, paired with 256 GB and 512 GB of storage.

Gaming performance on the V40 Pro is particularly impressive. Lightweight games run flawlessly, while more demanding titles like Call of Duty Warzone Mobile, and Genshin Impact play smoothly on high settings. The Mali-G715 Immortalis-G715 GPU ensures good frame rates and minimal loading times, with no noticeable lag or stuttering. Benchmark results further validate the phone’s capabilities. The Geekbench Single-core score of 1795 and Multi-core score of 5045, along with a GPU Score of 11677, position the V40 Pro competitively.

Camera

The camera system is undoubtedly one of the V40 Pro’s standout features. The phone boasts a versatile triple rear camera setup, all featuring 50 MP sensors: a main Sony IMX921 sensor with Autofocus (AF) and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), a wide-angle AF sensor, and a telephoto portrait sensor utilizing the Sony IMX816, which offers 2x optical zoom and up to 50x digital zoom.

Vivo V40 Pro camera sample | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan

What sets the V40 Pro apart is its deep integration with ZEISS tuning, extending beyond just the hardware. This collaboration enhances not only portrait photography but also the overall performance of the camera system. The ZEISS influence is evident in the colour science, portrait modes, and finely tuned algorithms that power the camera experience.

Vivo V40 Pro camera sample | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan

In daylight conditions, the V40 Pro excels, producing detailed and vibrant photos with an impressive dynamic range. The autofocus is swift and accurate, while the minimal shutter lag ensures you can capture fleeting moments with ease. Ultra-wide shots benefit from consistent colour reproduction with the primary camera, maintaining low distortion and vibrant colours even at the edges.

Portrait photography is where the ZEISS partnership truly shines. The V40 Pro offers exclusive ZEISS portrait modes, including Biotar, Planar, Distagon, and Cine-flare, each providing unique and professional-grade bokeh effects. Edge detection is precise, and the background blur is smooth and natural, elevating the quality of portrait shots.

Vivo V40 Pro camera sample | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan

Low-light photography sees significant improvements thanks to the Smart Aura Light system. This feature automatically adjusts color temperature based on ambient lighting, ensuring natural tones in varying conditions. While images without Night mode may appear soft, enabling Night mode recovers sharpness and detail to a level comparable to daylight shots.

Complementing the impressive rear array is an equally capable 50 MP autofocus front camera, ensuring that selfie enthusiasts are not left wanting. This high-resolution selfie camera is designed to capture detailed self-portraits and group shots, with advanced features like AI face beauty and various lighting effects to enhance your selfies.

Battery

The battery section also sees an upgrade in terms of power compared to its predecessor. The new Vivo V40 Pro features an increase in battery capacity going from 5,000 to 5,500mAh. This battery power translates into a day-long usage with ease. The phone comes with the support of 80 W FastCharge technology. The included 80 W charger is capable of fully charging the device in under an hour, providing quick top-ups when needed.

Verdict

The Vivo V40 Pro builds upon its predecessor’s strengths, offering a wholesome package and improvements in IP rating and stereo speakers. It’s a device that will appeal to photography enthusiasts and power users alike. The sleek design is impressive with shimmering effects. But, with its camera-centric V series, Vivo has now breached the 50k mark for the first time, casually driving its target audiences to spend more. This pricing strategy may raise eyebrows, especially when compared to other offerings in the same range.

While the V40 Pro excels in many areas like design, but its starting price of ₹49,999 (8 GB/256 GB), puts it in direct competition with OnePlus’s premium smartphones, Motorola’s Edge 50 Ultra as well Google Pixel 8 series which has seen a price cut.