Vivo V30 Pro Review: Say ‘cheese’ to Zeiss at a more affordable price

While cameras on phones have been improving by leaps and bounds in recent times, if you wish to experience the very best of phone photography, you generally have to head to the premium segment. Vivo has been trying to change that with its V series, which brings very good cameras at relatively affordable prices (well, not premium ones, anyway).

A V-series device, particularly its Pro variant, was generally not as impressive in other spec departments as other phones in its price segment, but it inevitably came with better cameras. While in the past, Vivo had focused more (pun intended) in terms of innovations in areas such as flash and selfie cameras, with the V30 Pro 5G, the brand has come out with a device that can challenge flagship phone cameras and can even beat them in some departments, at a much lower price. It does more than enough to make the cameras of the likes of the Pixel 8, Galaxy S24, iPhone and even Vivo’s own X100 sweat. And that is something!

Vivo V30 Pro 5G Cameras: Forget everything else, try matching THESE cameras at this price!

We normally start our reviews with talk of design and hardware, but with the Vivo V30 Pro, it makes sense to cut to the chase. Respectable though the design and specs of the device are (we will discuss them shortly), the cameras are the biggest reason anyone would consider purchasing this device. That’s because they are simply unmatchable, not just at their price, but even a healthy Rs 10,000 – Rs 15,000 above it.

The Vivo V30 Pro comes with four cameras – three on the back and one in front. On the back, one is a Sony IMX920 sensor with OIS, one is a portrait telephoto sensor, one is an ultrawide sensor, and one is a selfie camera with an ultrawide sensor. If that sounds routine, then consider the fact that each of these cameras is 50 megapixels, each has autofocus, each is capable of shooting 4K video, and if even that is not enough, each of them comes with access to special photography effects and filters from the legendary Zeiss, whose influence had until now been largely restricted to Vivo’s X series!

The result of that camera setup is one of the most versatile photography experiences we have seen on a phone. There are three photographic styles for the ear cameras: a very realistic Zeiss Natural, a detail-heavy Texture, and a slightly more saturated Vivid. We found we got the best results when going with Natural for most regular snaps, with Textured when we were snapping architecture, while Vivid worked a treat for clothes, food, and landscapes. The difference between the three styles is not radical, but it is definitely visible. In what is a very pleasant surprise, all three cameras delivered very good results, not just in normal light, but often even in low light conditions.

The main sensor has a clear edge over the others in terms of detail and low-light performance and does videos the best, but in terms of sheer variety, it is the portrait/telephoto that stands out. The lens is a telephoto one with 2x optical zoom, but it really comes into its own in portrait mode, where it can use six Zeiss filters, whose intensity can be varied. The result is some of the best portrait photography we have seen on a phone, with the ability to tweak levels of bokeh being an additional bonus. This being a Vivo, you get plenty of shooting modes and editing options. The ultrawide sensor has autofocus, which enables one to use it as a macro camera if need be. All in all, the consistency of the three cameras at the back was extremely impressive in terms of both color and detail and right up there with premium phones.

That in itself would have been impressive enough, but the Vivo V30 Pro has a few tricks up its sleeve that even premium phones do not. The Vivo V30 Pro comes with a square-shaped Aura Light flash below its camera unit, larger than the circular one on the V29 Pro, which adds light of different shades and intensity to an image or video. It is actually so effective that we found ourselves using it more frequently than the more conventional single LED flash on the back. There is also the 50-megapixel front-facing camera that has autofocus and an ultrawide mode, as well as support for the Zeiss portrait mode filters. These are the kinds of options that you do not get on most phones.

All of these factors make the Vivo V30 Pro a unique proposition when it comes to phone photography. It does a lot, and it does almost all of it well. And some of what it does cannot be done by even the likes of the iPhone 15, the S24, the Pixel 8, or even Vivo’s own X100. We can see a lot of content creators loving the sheer variety of shooting options the phone brings at its price, and the selfie camera, in particular, lets you shoot high-quality videos and even use special modes like the micro movie mode. You literally get everything you would want from a camera here other than crazy zoom, although some might have wished for slightly more stable video and better audio!

Vivo V30 Pro 5G Specs: A solid, mid-segment heart

Its cameras might beat the daylights out of anything else in its segment, but the rest of the specs of the Vivo V30 Pro are more in keeping with its price segment. It comes with a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, which is quite colorful and reasonably bright. The MediaTek Dimensity 8200 processor powering it is very mid-segment and is actually the same as that seen in the phone’s predecessors (the Vivo V27 Pro and V29 Pro). This comes with two RAM and storage combinations – 8 GB/ 256 GB and 12 GB/ 512 GB – and while the RAM is LPDDR5X, the storage is UFS 3.1, which is a step behind the UFS 4.0 seen on some devices in this segment.

The phone comes with a 5000 mAh battery with support for 80W charging and an 80W charger in the box, which is par for the course in the segment but not really exceptional, given that the likes of the OnePlus 12R and iQOO Neo 9 Pro boast larger batteries with faster charging at lower prices. Rather surprisingly, the phone does not come with stereo speakers, which are a staple at this price point. The phone runs on FunTouch OS 14 on top of Android 14. All said and done, the non-camera spec sheet of the Vivo 30 Pro is very mid-segment.

Vivo V30 Pro 5G Design and Appearance: Sleek, slim with a new shade

The V series has always been known for its sleek and slim design, and the V30 Pro follows this tradition. It is a tall phone (164.4 mm) but is very slim at a mere 7.5 mm, and at 188 grams, it is light for its size. Vivo claims that it is the slimmest phone with a 5000 mAh battery, and the V30 Pro certainly has a very sleek look. The phone comes with a curved front and a gently sloping back, both made of glass, with a slightly curved metallic-colored carbonate frame in the middle. It is a very stylish-looking device.

The back of the phone seems to have two square-shaped camera units, but only one of them (the one with the blue Zeiss logo) actually contains the cameras. The other houses the arc light, giving the square a very distinct white, translucent border. The phone comes in two color variants – a gently shiny Classic Black and a very striking Andaman Blue, which is a blend of light blue and white. We got the Classic Black, and it has been a while since a black phone turned as many heads as this one, thanks to the border around that arc light square. The phone comes with IP54 splash resistance, which is a little basic, considering that some of the devices in its segment have higher ratings.

Related Read: Vivo V30 Review

Vivo V30 Pro Gaming and General Performance: Ticking the regular boxes

When it comes to overall performance, the Vivo V30 Pro is a steady rather than spectacular performer. The curved display is great for viewing content, although the absence of stereo speakers means that multimedia and gaming on it do not seem quite as immersive as on other devices in its price range. The single speaker on the device is loud, but it cannot match a good stereo speaker setup.

On the subject of gaming, the Vivo V30 Pro can handle casual games easily and can even handle the likes of Call of Duty and Genshin Impact, provided you tweak the settings a little. This is no gaming monster, but it will easily handle most of the gaming requirements of casual gamers. The same goes for routine tasks like browsing the Web, social networking, emails, and messaging – the Vivo V30 Pro sails through them all easily. However, a few lags tend to creep in when the phone gets into heavy gaming or even heavy image or video editing territory, although it handles multi-tasking very well.

Call quality is very good, and although the in-display fingerprint scanner is not the fastest, it is not a deal breaker. The 5000 mAh battery got us through a day of usage with plenty of photography, although constant use of the Aura Light flash can bring this down. The 80W charger can charge the phone in about 45 minutes, which is quite good. Vivo’s Funtouch OS comes with a number of features and also some bloatware – some might find it a little crowded in comparison to the cleaner interfaces on many phones. We would say that the phone ticks all the routine function boxes of users. There is nothing exceptional here, but there is no deal breaker either.

Vivo V30 Pro 5G Price: A premium for those Zeiss-y cameras

The Vivo V30 Pro is available in these RAM and storage variants at the following prices:

• 8 GB/ 256 GB: Rs 41,999
• 12 GB/ 512 GB: Rs 46,999

Those prices might seem a little on the high side for a device with a processor that is not quite in the flagship league, but what needs to be kept in mind is that the Vivo V30 Pro is charging a premium for that amazing set of cameras and innovative photography that it brings to the table. In fact, the only photographic challenger that we can find for it in this range is the Pixel 7a, which brings some super Google-flavored photography for under Rs 40,000, but it cannot match the variety of the V30 Pro.

Remove photography (or reduce its importance) from the equation, and the Vivo V30 Pro will find itself surrounded by the likes of the OnePlus 12R (Rs 39,999 onwards) the iQOO Neo 9 Pro (Rs 34,999) both of which are not in the same league in terms of photography, but come with way more powerful processors (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2) and have stereo speakers and larger and faster charging batteries. There is also the Nothing Phone (2), which sports a better processor, speakers, and a very innovative interface and is now available at Rs 35,999, although it too is no match for the Vivo V30 Pro in the camera department (well, nothing is, in this price zone. Pun intended!).

Vivo V30 Pro Review Verdict: Should you buy it?

Its pricing puts it in the budget flagship section of the market, but the Vivo V30 Pro is not your run-of-the-mill spec warrior. It is pretty much the best set of cameras you can get on a phone for under Rs 50,000, perhaps even more than that. In some ways, it could even be called the ‘lite’ version of the Vivo X100, bringing a lot of the Zeiss flavoring that the device has to a lower price point. The addition of the innovative Aura Light flash and easily the best selfie cameras in tech town make it one of a kind and perfect for many content creators who get a truckload of high-quality shooting options at a tight budget.

Yes, there are other phones in this price range, some with better processors, faster-charging batteries, and better speakers, but when it comes to cameras, the Vivo V30 Pro is pretty much in a zone of its own. Want a phone with great cameras for under Rs 50,000? Say cheese to these Zeiss!

Buy Vivo V30 Pro 5G