Vivo V30 Pro review: Most versatile camera system in its segment

Design

Vivo hasn’t messed with the design formula that made the V29 Pro and V27 Pro so slick. We’re still looking at an insanely slim and lightweight build, with those curved front and back edges that make it an absolute dream to grip. Big 6.78-inch phones aren’t supposed to feel this cozy in your hands, but Vivo’s clever design makes it happen.

(Image: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)

The wizardry continues over to the back panel of the phone. The phone has a matte finish that glitters in the sun. The coolest part about it is how fine it feels in the hand, almost giving the illusion that it’s made of a softer material even though it’s made out of plain hard glass.

(Image: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)

This year, the camera module has been changed up a little to accommodate a much larger “Aura Light” flash. It would’ve looked a lot cooler if it surrounded the camera module than stretch the whole camera island from the bottom unnecessarily, but one can’t have everything. Up front, the display delivers crisp visuals and punchy brightness to keep you satisfied.

Performance

Under the hood, we’ve got MediaTek’s Dimensity 8200 – just a hair below their top-of-the-line chipset. It’s a certified flagship performer that sliced through my daily grind without breaking a sweat or turning into a hand warmer. I just wish it packed a bit more gaming muscle for titles like Wreckfest and CarX Street, where I encountered frame drops. But that’s likely another case of developers not optimizing their games well enough for this highly capable chip.

And this actually leads me to wonder about one thing: shouldn’t the Pro model be rocking the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 instead? I couldn’t test out the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 on the non-Pro Vivo V30 since I don’t have the phone with me, but I do know that the chip is roughly the Qualcomm equivalent for the Dimensity 8200 – or at least it seems that way from benchmarks. There’s probably a solid reason the Pro model opted for MediaTek’s silicon, but it’s still an odd choice.

Cameras

Here’s where the V30 Pro flexes its real muscle – that drool-worthy triple 50MP camera array. We’ve got a 50MP main shooter with OIS, a 50MP 2x telephoto lens for portraits, and even a 50MP ultra-wide angle camera. That’s a beastly upgrade over last year’s 50MP+12MP+8MP setup, and it shows in the real-world results.

50MP primary camera sample. (Image: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)

Let’s start with that 50MP Sony IMX920 primary camera. It captures some great shots in any lighting scenario, even if it can’t quite match the detail levels of larger sensors like the IMX989 inside the Vivo X100. But the real showstopper? That 50MP 2x telephoto lens.

While its 2x output is only fair, it takes some shockingly usable photos at 20x zoom, the maximum it can go. Just check out the camera samples to get a better idea of what I am saying.

1x primary camera sample. (Image: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)

20x telephoto sample. (Image: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)

I’ve only seen flagship-tier phones pull off that kind of super zoom magic before. The 50MP ultra-wide angle cam is equally impressive, rounding out one heck of an imaging trio.

Of course, portraiture is the star of the show here, and the 2x telephoto lens doesn’t disappoint. Edge detection is top-notch, delivering clean separations between subjects and backgrounds. The Zeiss lens effects can look a tad over-processed at times, but you’re still getting drool-worthy Instagram fodder. Up front, the 50MP selfie shooter keeps things flagship-grade in any lighting scenario too.

(Image: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)

What’s not to love?

So what corners did Vivo have to cut to cram four 50MP cams into this price bracket? Well, the frame isn’t metal – but that’s a minor gripe. Far more annoying is that cheap-feeling, obnoxiously buzzy haptic motor that had me turning vibrations off entirely. There’s also no stereo speaker setup, just a lone bottom-firing driver.

Verdict

(Image: Zohaib Ahmed/The Indian Express)

If you’re looking for a photography powerhouse that won’t break the bank, the Vivo V30 Pro should be at the top of your list. That highly versatile quad 50MP camera setup will let you capture stunning shots in any scenario – and you’ll particularly love this phone if you’re fond of clicking photos of your friends at fancy events with tricky lighting conditions. And despite that massive 6.78-inch display, clever ergonomics make this big boy surprisingly easy to grip and wield.

Sure, a few cost-cutting measures like the buzzy haptics and lack of stereo speakers are minor bummers. And if the Pro’s price feels like a stretch, Vivo’s standard V30 is also available for less cash. You’ll miss out on that killer 50MP telephoto camera, but gain the arguably more reliable Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset under the hood.