Zeiss lenses and optics are synonymous with being one of the best in the business. It’s probably why photographers, videographers, and cinematographers pick Zeiss lenses when shooting footage.
More recently, Zeiss has been collaborating with smartphone brands to make phone cameras even better. One of those brands is vivo, and earlier this year the vivo V30 Pro debuted with a Zeiss camera. At the time, it was one of the most affordable Zeiss phones on the market. However, it was still relatively expensive.
With the launch of the V40 series, vivo now made it a lot more affordable to own a Zeiss phone with the vivo V40 5G. But it’s more than just a capable camera phone. It packs a long-lasting battery, a beautiful display, a capable chipset, and a very affordable price tag starting at just PHP 26,999.
But what can you expect from the V40 5G? Well, read on to find out our favorite features of the phone.
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Zeiss photography without the expensive price tag
Of course, we have to start with our favorite feature of the vivo V40 5G – the cameras. Compared to its predecessor, it only packs a dual rear camera as compared to the triple rear cameras of before. Don’t worry though, less is more this time around.
The vivo V40 5G is equipped with a 50MP Zeiss OIS main camera that uses the 1/1.56-inch Samsung ISOCELL GNJ sensor with OIS paired with a 50MP Zeiss ultrawide camera. With two 50MP shooters, this allows you to capture almost all scenarios you can think of – landscape, group photos, and especially portraits.
Just like previous V series smartphones, the V40 5G still features vivo’s signature Aura Light system. Unlike before, it now uses AI 3D Studio Lighting for Aura Light to help brighten up low-light portraits naturally. Instead of filling the entire image, you only get lighting on shadowed areas of the face.
Together with ZEISS Multifocal Portrait, you even have various focal lengths to choose from when shooting in portrait mode. In addition to choosing from 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm, you can even adjust the aperture up to f/0.95. You can also change the style of the Bokeh to simulate different Zeiss lenses.
To further enhance portrait photos, there are various styling effects to choose from. Enhance skin tone, images, and more directly in portrait mode, making it a great portrait camera.
And as you would expect, you get some amazing portrait images with the V40 5G. Even in low-light conditions or at night, with the use of Aura Light, you can get photos of your friends or even yourself to match the vibe you’re going for.
If you want to take selfies, you also have a 50MP front camera with a 92-degree field of view and an F/2.0 aperture. There’s also AI Facial Contouring Technology to make you look even better when you aren’t looking your best.
But outside of portraits, it takes great photos too. The images come out sharp and the colors are rather vivid. I did shoot mostly in ZEISS Natural color mode to give a more natural look and feel. The colors aren’t as saturated as when shooting in Vivid or Textured, but I think it gives off the best look.
Just check out the gallery below to see what we mean.
Images won’t be the only thing you’ll be capturing on the vivo V40 5G though. When it comes to recording video, the phone can record up to a maximum of 4K@30FPS for both the front and rear cameras.
And yes, you even have stabilization at 4K to help you record smooth footage. However, if you want ultra-steady videos, you will be limited to recording at 1080P@30FPS. Still, I never once did find the standard stabilization lacking.
If you want to try something different in your videos, you also have ZEISS cinematic video bokeh to play with, giving your footage a more stunning look and feel, and it even records at 24FPS.
Like the photos, the videos come out great, and the colors are nice. Even without using Ultra Steady, can capture nice content. Just check out the sample video we have below and see for yourself.
Great viewing experience with stereo speakers
Since you will be taking a lot of photos and videos using the vivo V40 5G, you will be reviewing them a lot. Thankfully, the display of the phone does not disappoint.
The V40 5G features a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED 1.5K Ultra Clear Sunlight Display with 2800 x 1260 resolution. It features a thin almost borderless design giving users a more immersive experience.
There’s no need to worry about using it outdoors under the sun too. It has a maximum peak brightness of 4500 nits, allowing you to see everything on the screen, which is important if you’re going to be taking a lot of photos and videos. It is also SGS-certified for blue light, low flicker, and the works.
It also has a 120Hz refresh rate giving you smooth animation whether you’re going through the menus, browsing the net, or watching your favorite series. Of course, gamers will also enjoy the 120Hz refresh rate the most, but more on that later.
Paired that with the new dual stereo speakers, which is a first for the V series lineup. It just makes the viewing and watching experience a lot more immersive. For reference, previous V series models have only had mono speakers, and the stereo speakers are something we’ve been waiting for a while.
A very capable chipset
Under the hood, the vivo V40 5G runs a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, and depending on the specs you can get up to 12GB of RAM with another 12GB of extended RAM. For storage, you can get up to 512GB of internal storage for all the apps you’ll be installing together with the photos and videos you’ll be capturing. There is no MicroSD card slot to expand storage further.
With that, you can be sure this phone can handle almost anything you ask. From day-to-day tasks to even playing graphic-intensive titles, you can be sure it can do it well. I was able to play Genshin Impact and ZZZ without any issues and even managed to set the graphic settings to high.
The phone didn’t heat up either even after playing for an hour. More importantly, there was no drop in frame rates or lag spikes either. So you can continuously game on this phone for hours on end. There’s even a game boost mode that trades battery life for a better gaming experience.
Long-lasting battery
One thing that impressed us with the vivo V30 series is the battery. On the V40 5G, vivo upgraded the battery packs by fitting larger 5,500mAh units. Instead of your run-of-the-mill lithium-ion battery pack, it uses vivo’s BlueVolt battery made of silicon carbon.
As a result, you have a larger capacity in a very slim package. Best of all, it’s still holds charge for a long time. Using PC Mark’s Work 3.0 Battery Test, we achieved a result of 19 hours and 58 minutes, which is an incredible score.
While we firmly believe battery life is user-dependent, you definitely won’t find yourself looking for an outlet too often with the V40 5G. This means you can fully utilize capturing content on this phone, play games, and more.
And when you do need to recharge the phone, it doesn’t take long to recharge. It comes with 80W FlashCharge fast charging to ensure you’re always on the go. This means less downtime, and more time on the go.
Simple but stylish design
If you liked the styling of the V30, vivo didn’t drastically change the look of the V40. Users still get an ultra-slim curved body that only measures 7.58mm thick, making it easy to fit in your pockets. Mind you that’s despite the 5,500mAh battery pack installed.
Aside from being stylish, it is very durable too. The display is protected by Schott alpha glass, making it quite tough from drops. Meanwhile, the chassis has been rigorously tested including 500 simulated distortion tests and 10,000 plugging and unplugging tests.
It does have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, meaning you can tough it out with this phone.
The major design change from the V30 series to the V40 series would be the camera island. Instead of a square housing, it now features two rounded islands that house the dual camera system and the Aura Light LED.
According to vivo, the styling cue is called the Gemini Ring Design, vivo says the styling change is inspired by the mysterious symmetry of the Gemini constellation you see in the night sky. Our unit matches the theme too with its Nebula Purple colorway.
If purple isn’t your thing, there is also a Stellar Silver color if you want something a bit more sedate and Sunglow Peach which gives off a bit more pop.
A capable ZEISS camera smartphone on a budget
Previously, the ZEISS camera in the vivo V series was only available on the V30 Pro 5G. As such it isn’t exactly the most affordable model. But now vivo has made it available on the entry-level V40 5G.
As mentioned earlier, the vivo V40 5G starts at PHP 26,999 for the 12+256GB variant, making it quite affordable, especially for what this phone can do. There’s also a 12+512GB variant that retails for PHP 29,999. It’s great if you want to venture into content creation for the first time. At the same time, if you’re into photography and video and want to upgrade to a new phone this 2024, this might be it.
For those interested, the vivo V40 5G will be available in concept stores and kiosks nationwide. The phone will also be available in Shopee, Lazada, and the official vivo Philippines website. Pre-orders will begin from September 17 to September 27, 2024. Customers who pre-order will be required to pay a PHP 500 downpayment, but will also receive a PHP 2,000 discount. They will also get free TWS 3e earbuds worth PHP 1,999.
But what do you think of the vivo V40 5G though? If you were to get it, which color would you choose? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
