Vivo V30 Pro Review: Featherweight Phone with Heavyweight Camera

Price When Reviewed

Unavailable in the US ($550 imported)

Vivo’s V-series phones come at affordable price points, and over the last few years, they have developed a reputation for delivering some of the best selfies around. With the launch of the V30 Pro, it seems that’s something that will continue, but this time, the rear cameras are getting a serious upgrade, too. 

Not only does the V30 Pro sport a triple 50Mp camera array on its rear matched by a 50Mp selfie camera, but it’s also the first V-series phone to benefit from Vivo’s partnership with Zeiss. This means it has Zeiss-approved optics and image tuning, as well as exclusive photo styles that are normally reserved for the brand’s pricey flagships, like the X100 Pro.

As usual, this handset is unlikely to land in the UK or US markets. It has initially launched in Thailand and Indonesia, and it’ll be coming to other regions in the near future, too. It carries an MSRP of 19,999THB in Thailand, which equates to about £440/$550. That’s a seriously low price for such a capable set of cameras.

I wanted to find out if the Vivo V30 Pro offers some of the same photographic prowess as its more expensive siblings, and what corners had to be cut to hit such an aggressive price point. After living with it in my pocket for a week, here’s everything I learned.

Design & Build

• Very slim and lightweight
• Curved edges front and back
• IP54 certified

Vivo often gives its V-series devices an eye-catching look, and this latest model follows suit.

I have the Bloom White variant in for testing, and it has a unique 3D petal pattern across the rear panel. It’s not to my exact taste, and it sort of reminds me of fancy bathroom tiling, but some people are sure to love it.

The panel is covered with Vivo’s usual AG glass coating, which has a luxurious velvety feel to it, but it’s slippery, so you’ll probably want to use a case. Thankfully, the standard transparent TPU affair is included in the box.

the Lush Green variant is UV-reactive and changes colour in direct sunlight

The other colour options are pretty striking, too. Waving Aqua has a shimmering glittery wave pattern on the rear panel that shifts as the light hits it, while the Lush Green variant is UV-reactive and changes colour in direct sunlight. Noble Black is much more reserved, it’s basically all black and will look the part in a more professional setting.

The Vivo V30 Pro is a very slim phone, and pronounced curves on the sides of the display and rear panel make it feel slimmer still. There’s barely a camera bump to speak of either, and this means you’ll barely feel it in your pocket. It’s quite refreshing when you’re used to lugging around a chunky flagship phone.

The haptic motors in this phone are disappointing. They’re powerful enough, but they feel imprecise and they’re very audible. It almost sounds and feels like you’re getting a phone call if you type quickly. If you care about haptics, you’ll want to steer well clear.

The phone carries an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance. This means it’s not fully waterproof, but can withstand sprays of water from all directions. If you get caught out in the rain, the phone will be absolutely fine, but you’ll need to be careful around swimming pools and ponds.

Screen & Speakers

• 6.78-inch AMOLED display
• 60-120Hz adaptive refresh rate
• Single speaker

The Vivo V30 Pro has a large and bright display, measuring 6.78-inch and supposedly able to output up to 2800 nits at peak brightness. In normal use, it won’t be hitting such soaring figures, but it’s more than bright enough to compete with sunny summer days.

navigating the OS and playing games always looks smooth and fluid

The display has an adaptive refresh rate that will dynamically switch between 60- and 120Hz depending on what’s being displayed on the screen.

It’s not quite as effective as an LTPO panel, which can switch down to as little as a 1Hz refresh rate, but it’s still nice to have. It means navigating the OS and playing games always looks smooth and fluid, without making your battery life suffer in the process.

As mentioned, there are fairly pronounced curves on the left and right-hand side of the display, which I’m not the biggest fan of, but there’s no denying that they make this phone feel exceptionally slim. The usual curved-edge caveats apply, though. There’s some colour shifting at the very edge of the display, and it’s more prone to miss-touches than a flat-fronted screen.

The V30 Pro supports HDR10 playback, and HDR content from apps like Netflix and Prime Video looks lovely on this panel. The highlights shine bright, the lows are dark and detailed and the colours are vibrant. There’s a good level of customisation, too, so if you prefer a warmer tint, you can easily achieve it by tweaking display options in the settings menu.

There’s only a single speaker on this device, positioned on the bottom next to the USB-C port.

It’s a little disappointing to see, especially when cheaper devices like the Poco X6 Pro have a solid stereo setup. That said, the speaker is very loud and the sound is plenty detailed, but for the best experience, you’ll probably want to pair it with some wireless earbuds.

Specs & Performance

• MediaTek Dimensity 8200
• 12GB RAM
• 512GB storage

The Vivo V30 Pro packs the same MediaTek Dimensity 8200 chipset as its predecessor, and the model before that, too. But given the rate at which Vivo pumps out V-series handsets, that’s not quite as bad as it sounds.

This time, it’s paired with an ample 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, so it’s set up for multitasking well, and you can capture photos and videos to your heart’s content.

it has more than enough power for most people’s needs

The Dimensity 8200 is a sub-flagship chip, so you won’t be seeing this phone anywhere near the top of benchmark charts, but despite that, it has more than enough power for most people’s needs.

The phone ran smoothly throughout my testing, apps opened quickly and navigating the OS was stutter-free. When it comes to more intensive tasks, like gaming, the Vivo V30 Pro continues to hold its own. It’ll easily run Genshin Impact at medium settings in 60fps, and high settings at 30fps. It’s just about playable at maximum settings, too, but it’ll slow down and stutter when there’s a lot of action on screen.

Even pushing the chipset with a graphically demanding title like this, the V30 Pro never became too hot and was always comfortable to hold. That’s very impressive stuff with a chassis this slim, Vivo must have thought carefully about the cooling arrangement.

There’s even a gaming overlay built-in, so you can prioritise game performance, block notifications and more. It’s far from the most in-depth that I’ve come across, that’s where gaming handsets like the RedMagic 9 Pro shine, but it’s nice to have a bit of extra control over your gaming experience.

Vivo V30 Pro benchmarks

Cameras

• 50Mp main sensor
• 50Mp ultrawide
• 50Mp 2x portrait lens
• 50Mp selfie camera with autofocus

It’s clear from the “Professional Portrait” branding on the top of this phone, as well as the Zeiss logo on the camera array, that the Vivo V30 Pro is all about photography. It’s also in this area that the V30 Pro best differentiates itself from its predecessors and its cheaper sibling.

with a 50Mp resolution on every camera, it looks to be a far better package

In the past, we’ve seen Vivo’s V-series devices focus on the main camera and selfie snapper, which are usually quite good, but are joined by the unimpressive 8Mp ultrawide and 2Mp macro combo found on far too many mid-range and even budget phones. The V30 Pro changes that, and with a 50Mp resolution on every camera, it looks to be a far better package.

I found the front-facing camera to be the most impressive of the bunch, it has a uniquely wide FOV, which is referred to as 0.8x in the camera app, but can also digitally crop to 1x and 2x as you see fit. This makes it great for group shots, or taking selfies that show off your surroundings, and the fact that it has autofocus means you’re always tack-sharp no matter how far you stand from the lens.

Not only is this the best front-facing camera you’ll find in this price bracket, but it might be the best one on any current phone. It’s certainly a lot more impressive than the selfie camera on Vivo’s flagship X100 Pro, and I’d say it gives the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s front-facing camera a run for its money, too.

This great camera is aided by a suite of software enhancements, including an extremely in-depth beauty mode, tonnes of filters and a fairly reliable portrait mode. The portrait mode benefits from Zeiss-inspired bokeh effects, which give the photos some extra flair compared to the competition. My only gripe is that you can’t adjust the level of blur after shooting on the front-facing camera, you can on the rear, so it seems odd to omit it here.

While all the rear cameras now offer the same 50Mp resolution, it’s still the main lens that steals the show. It has a relatively large 1/1.49-inch sensor, as well as a wide f/1.9 aperture, and this means it outshines the other cameras whenever the lighting gets a little lower.

The main camera is joined by an ultrawide and a 2x telephoto or “portrait” lens. Colour consistency is good across all of the cameras, but the main camera just looks a little sharper and more detailed in most situations. That said, these are very useful focal lengths to have in your arsenal. As advertised, the 2x lens is great for creating flattering portrait shots, while the ultrawide is perfect for architecture and landscapes. Both of these cameras have very short minimum focusing distances, too, so they work well for macro shots.

The native camera app also gives you a button to switch to 4x telephoto, which is a digital crop of the 2x lens. I was less impressed with this option, as you can see a real drop in image quality, especially in low-light situations. Most of the time, you’d be best sticking with the 2x lens and moving closer, if possible.

The Vivo V30 Pro features a square-shaped Aura Light underneath its camera array. As far as I’m aware, this feature is unique to Vivo, and it was introduced last year on the V27-series devices. Essentially, it’s a bi-colour continuous light source that can be used to add natural-looking fill light to either photos or videos.

By default, the Aura Light will detect the ambient colour temperature and adjust the warmth of this LED ring to match. However, you can also control it manually. Most of the time, shots using the Aura Light aren’t the most flattering, but they definitely look better than a traditional flash.

Plus, Vivo offers a normal LED flash, so you can choose which one suits the scenario better.

The V30 Pro can shoot video at up to 4K/60fps on every camera, but unfortunately, it lacks electronic image stabilisation at 60fps, so you’ll want to stick to 4K/30fps for the most part. If you do, you’ll get wonderful detailed videos with smooth stabilisation.

There aren’t as many video options as I’m used to seeing on flagships (there are no manual controls, for example) but for the casual shooter, the Vivo V30 Pro is well-equipped.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• 80W wired fast charging
• Charger included

Battery performance is another area where the V30 Pro excels.

Somehow, Vivo has managed to cram a whopping 5000mAh pack into this slim chassis, and with the relatively efficient MediaTek chip at its core, this is enough to see you through the day, and then some.

Despite using the phone heavily, shooting tonnes of photos, streaming HDR content and playing games, the V30 Pro never failed to see me to the end of the day. Often, I’d go to bed with 20% or more left in the tank.

Charging speeds are great, too. Vivo includes a speedy 80W wall adapter in the box, and it says this will take you from completely drained to fully charged in as…