Vivo V30 Pro Review: Mid-Range, Stylish Camera Powerhouse With Zeiss

The Vivo V30 Pro is a stylish mid-ranger that packs a serious punch in the camera department.

Vivo has always focused on delivering great camera experiences and eye-catching designs with its V-series smartphones, and the V30 Pro takes things to the next level, as it is the company’s first model outside the flagship X-series to feature Zeiss optics.

The Vivo V30 Pro is a stylish mid-ranger that packs a serious punch in the camera department thanks to its three 50-megapixel Zeiss-tuned cameras, plus the unique Aura Light feature for enhanced portraits. Is that enough to make a mark in the sub-Rs 45,000 price segment? Let's dive in and see what the V30 Pro has to offer.

Design and Build Quality

Right off the bat, the Vivo V30 Pro grabs your attention with its unique design and colour options. The Classic Black version has a matte finish on the back, but Vivo also offers this phone in a vibrant Andaman Blue colour with a water-like texture, which it claims is inspired by the Andaman Islands, and looks equally striking.

Despite its premium look, this phone is remarkably slim at 7.45mm and relatively light at 188 grams.

The curved front and back glass panels meet the plastic frame in the middle. The V30 Pro is IP54-rated for basic dust and water resistance, nevertheless I wouldn't take it near a pool.

The massive camera housing on the back is definitely an attention grabber. Not only does it pack those three cameras, but it also includes Vivo's unique Aura Light – a ring light that helps evenly light up your subjects.

Overall, the design is a refreshing change from the typical slabs out there, and this phone feels super premium in hand despite the plastic frame.

Display

The Vivo V30 Pro sports a large 6.78-inch AMOLED display with curved edges, a 1.5K resolution, and a 120Hz peak refresh rate. It gets plenty bright at over 1200 nits of peak brightness,  and supports HDR10+. The screen is also made using Schott Alpha glass for added protection.

Colours are vibrant, and blacks are deep, thanks to the OLED panel. It registered a peak brightness of 1121 nits, which is plenty bright in most conditions. It's a fantastic multimedia display for gaming and binging content on Netflix, Prime Video, etc.

My only gripe is the lack of stereo speakers, which could have elevated the viewing experience further.

Performance

Under the hood, the Vivo V30 Pro is powered by the proven MediaTek Dimensity 8200 chip, which is the same one that the Vivo V29 Pro used, and it still delivers a smooth usage experience. You can buy this phone  with up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. 

This phone runs Vivo’s Android 14-based Funtouch OS 14 out of the box. There is some bloatware, but it's not too overwhelming. 

In terms of performance, I was able to play graphically demanding games at high settings, and the benchmark scores prove this phone’s capabilities in day-to-day activities. 

In the CPU Throttling Test app, the V30 Pro managed to get through  78 percent of the text at its maximum performance level before the throttling kicked in to keep heat in check. Even so, the phone didn't show any signs of strain and kept running smoothly. 

Vivo has promised three Android version updates and four years of security patches, which is decent for a mid-ranger. 

Cameras

The primary 50-megapixel camera uses a large Sony IMX920 sensor with optical image stabilisation. In addition, you get a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 50-megapixel telephoto camera with 2X optical zoom, specifically tuned for portraits.

In the camera app, you can choose between vivid, textured, and Zeiss Natural Color modes. The latter aims to deliver the most true-to-life colours. 

The cameras capture excellent daylight shots packed with detail. The dynamic range is also impressive thanks to these large sensors.

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Low-light performance is excellent, with consistent colours and good detail retention, while portraits benefit from ZEISS-tuned styles that generally result in beautifully blurred backgrounds but it struggles with complicated backgrounds.

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You also get a 50-megapixel front camera for selfies, and it performs well in good light. In addition, this phone has some cool features like dual video and a portrait mode that uses the Aura Light ring on the rear as a diffused auxiliary flash, and it even changes colour temperature automatically.

Battery Life

Powering the V30 Pro is a beefy 5000mAh battery that lasts a day with mixed usage.

There's support for 80W wired charging, and you can fully charge the battery in under 45 minutes, which is good enough for daily use.

Verdict 

So, what's my verdict on the Vivo V30 Pro? Well, let me put it this way – if you're in the market for a mid-ranger, this one deserves a serious look. 

The Vivo V30 Pro is a competent mid-range smartphone that shines with its class-leading cameras, striking design, and all-day battery life. Some downsides are its lack of stereo speakers, plastic frame, and older processor. 

But if photography is a priority and you don’t want to spend more than Rs. 45,000, the V30 Pro, with its multiple 50-megapixel cameras backed by Zeiss optics, is definitely worth considering.

(Product Images: Vivo V30 Pro by Prashant Chaudhary)