Vivo V40 Pro: A Worthy Upgrade That Edges Closer to Perfection

** Comparos Rating: 8/10**

By integrating ZEISS-powered cameras into the more reasonably priced V series, Vivo's introduction of the V30 series earlier this year was a major turning point for the firm. This action was meant to enable widespread access to professional-grade photography and proved successful. For those who enjoy photography, the V30 Pro was especially appreciated for its camera features. The V30 Pro lacked stereo speakers and only had an IP54 rating, thus it was not without flaws either. Just a few months forward, Vivo is back with the V40 Pro, a phone meant to solve problems and get closer to provide the ideal mid-range smartphone experience. But does it work?

Design and Display: Slim, Light, and Premium

Design is one of Vivo's constant qualities in all of its phone series; the V40 Pro is not an exception. With a thickness of just 7.58mm and a 5,500mAh battery, the slimmest smartphone available on the market is this one At 192 grams, it is also shockingly light, among the lightest phones in its class. The phone's ergonomics are excellent; its rounded frame improves in-hand feel without making the device seem sharp or clumsy; its curved glass panels on both the front and the rear increase their in-hand feel.

Though the wavy design might not be to everyone's taste, the rear panel of the Ganges Blue model we examined has a glossy texture that offers a nice grip. The Titanium Grey variation has a cleaner, more traditional style for people who want something more modest.

The back camera module is the most obvious architectural modification from the V30 Pro. For the V40 Pro's camera module—which they refer to as the Infinity Eye Camera Module—Vivo have chosen a more circular form. Two cameras contained in the top circular part comprise this new design; a third camera and a smaller Aura LED ring are found in the bottom section. Fascinatingly, Vivo says the Aura light on the V40 Pro is 33% brighter than its predecessor, hence enhancing low-light photography despite its smaller size.

Adding stereo speakers and a higher IP68 rating helps to solve some of the V30 Pro's flaws, therefore rendering the phone both dust and water resistant. Particularly for individuals who consume a lot of media or live in less-than-ideal surroundings, these tweaks improve the general usefulness of the device.

The Vivo V40 Pro's display is a 120Hz refresh rate, 6.78-inch FHD+ (2,800 x 1,260) AMOLED screen. Although this is reminiscent of the V30 Pro's display, the V40 Pro offers a peak brightness of 4500 nits, far greater than the 2800 nits on the V30 Pro. Even in direct sunlight or while viewing HDR material on services like Netflix, this makes the screen quite brilliant and simple to behold. One of the highest in its market, the display also boasts low bezels with a screen-to--- body ratio of 93%.

Camera: ZEISS-Backed Brilliance

Vivo didn't have to make significant adjustments for the V40 Pro as the V30 Pro's camera setup was already really outstanding. The phone features a 50MP primary camera built on Sony's IMX921 sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 50MP portrait lens with 2x optical zoom, and a 50MP wide-angle lens. With Vivo's affiliation with ZEISS, the front camera—which is also a 50MP shooter—makes four 50MP cameras overall.

Multifocal Portrait photography—which lets you record portraits at various focal lengths ranging from 24mm to 100mm—is one of the V40 Pro's most outstanding qualities. One of the greatest phones for portrait pictures in this price range as this function paired with several ZEISS portrait styles including Biotar, B-speed, Sonnar, Planar, and Distagon provides a broad variety of creative alternatives for portrait photography.

The Vivo V40 Pro shines in catching vivid, social media-ready images in daytime. Certain colors, especially reds and greens, which might not appeal to purists seeking realistic color reproduction, the camera does seem to highlight. For those who like a little more pop in their pictures, though, the V40 Pro performs.

The V40 Pro really comes shining in portrait photography. The phone can create amazing photographs with great background separation and clarity using the many ZEISS multi-focal choices and bokeh designs. Low-light portraits benefit especially from the Aura ring light, which provides precisely the correct level of lighting without overwhelming the subject.

Under low light, the V40 Pro captures clear and detailed photographs really brilliantly. Some might rather have a colder tone, which the camera leans toward, than the warmer tones rivals like the Xiaomi 14 Civi generates. Particularly in the reds and greens, the V40 Pro also does much better in catching details and natural colors.

Though it does somewhat more than required to brighten and saturate skin tones, the 50MP front camera on the V40 Pro is capable of capturing crisp selfies. This might be a small negative for individuals who like a more natural look, but the selfies' general quality is still really outstanding.

Performance and Software: A Dark Horse in the Race

Launched last year as an update to the Dimensity 9200, the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ chipset drives the Vivo V40 Pro. First phone with this chipset in India, the V40 Pro increases CPU and GPU performance over its predecessor by 10%. Rising beyond even the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3-powered Realme GT 6 in benchmark testing, the V40 Pro boasts a max clock speed of 3.35GHz.

Rising above both the Realme GT 6 and Xiaomi 14 Civi in the AnTuTu test, the V40 Pro is a strong rival in the sub-Rs 50,000 range. The phone also did well on the Geekbench test, especially in multi-core performance, implying that it could easily do challenging jobs. The V40 Pro shown low throttling under duress and maintained constant performance even in the Burnout CPU throttle test.

Regarding software-wise, the Vivo V40 Pro runs on Android 14 under Funtouch OS 14 on top. Although Funtouch OS might take some getting accustomed to for those not familiar with it, the user experience is usually seamless. Though this is on pace with other phones in this price range, the phone boasts a respectable amount of pre-loaded apps—50 exactly. Comparatively to what other companies are providing in this market, Vivo has guaranteed three years of significant OS upgrades and four years of security patches.

AI features are one area the Vivo V40 Pro falls behind its rivals. Although most high-end phones today include a selection of AI-driven tools for different activities, the V40 Pro is shockingly low on them. Apart from a few artificial intelligence tools in the camera app, not much else makes use of AI capacity.

Battery Life: Big Battery, Fast Charging

Up from 5,000mAh in the V30 Pro, Vivo has up the battery capacity of the V40 Pro to 5,500mAh. Better battery life resulting from this 500mAh bump lets the phone run through a full day of intense use without trouble. Placed among the top in its category, the V40 Pro ran an amazing 14 hours and 36 minutes in the PCMark battery test.

Like its predecessor, the phone allows 80W rapid charging and charges from 20% to 100% in around 37 minutes. Among the phones in this price range, a full charge from 1% takes just 50 minutes, hence it is among the fastest-charging ones. Fast charging together with a big battery guarantees that you won't have to worry about running out of during the day.

Comparos Says

Although the Vivo V40 Pro is somewhat more expensive than its predecessor, starting at Rs 49, 999 the improvements it offers are well worth the additional expense. Together with the strong Dimensity 9200+ chipset, dual speakers and improved IP certification make the V40 Pro an interesting choice in the sub-Rs 50,000 range. Supported by ZEISS, the camera system is still a highlight as it provides a broad spectrum of creative possibilities for aficionados of photography.

Some, particularly with less expensive choices like the Realme GT 6 and Xiaomi 14 Civi accessible, may be discouraged by the hefty price tag, though. On the other hand, the Vivo V40 Pro is a good successor to the V30 Pro and a strong competitor in the mid-range smartphone market for people who give premium design, outstanding camera performance, and dependable battery life first priority.