Vivo’s V29 Pro, which was launched last year in India, was a pretty good smartphone on paper and in real-world use as well. Its successor, the new
Images shot using the primary camera in bright daylight have plenty of detail (tap image to expand)
The 50-megapixel telephoto is good for daylight shots. It maintains the same colour tones as the primary camera and produces images with good details in the highlights and shadows. However, it processes the images a bit more, so they often come out softer than the primary camera despite having the same resolution. There is also an option to click images at 4x zoom, but the images at this point are very soft and only usable sometimes.
Vivo V30 Pro telephoto camera sample. (tap image to expand)
The ultrawide camera uses the same 50-megapixel resolution, but it produces images in an entirely different fashion. The colour scheme doesn’t match that of the other two cameras, the images come out softer, and you only get good shots when there’s plenty of light.
The ultrawide camera has a different colour scheme when compared to the other two cameras (tap image to expand)
The 50-megapixel front-facing camera handles harsh lighting situations well, but there will be some instances where the images tend to have ramped-up shadows, especially with the backlit shots.
Front facing camera clicks images that are rich in contrast and have slightly higher saturation levels (tap to expand)
Before discussing this smartphone’s low-light capabilities, let’s discuss Vivo’s Zeiss partnership.
Zeiss and Vivo have partnered for the X series of smartphones for quite a long time, but this is the first time that the two brands have collaborated for a V series smartphone on the Vivo V30 Pro and not the vanilla V30. This time it is not entirely the same thing, for the X series, Vivo has the Zeiss logo and the iconic T logo printed around the camera module which signifies that the camera has not only been co-engineered with Zeiss but also uses the T coating.
The smartphone sports a three-camera setup on the rear
This is not the case for the Vivo V30 Pro; it only has the Zeiss logo without the T* sign, and as confirmed by the brand, the lenses do not have the coating.
So what this means is that the Vivo V30 Pro does have the Zeiss lens emulators within the camera app while you click portraits but the results will not be as good as the ones shot on a X series smartphone.
Portraits shot with Zeiss filter, without aura light (left), with aura light (right) (tap to expand)
I did play around with these filters (called Zeiss Style Bokehs) and it is a good addition for a mid-range smartphone. I tried these out with the new aura light and managed pretty good portraits. The aura light can accommodate the colour temperature in accordance with the lighting environment automatically or one can manually adjust it too.
Low-light photography on the Vivo V30 Pro is a mixed bag. The primary camera clicks visually stunning images despite no light being in the frame. I shot some images in pitch darkness, and the camera still managed to bring up the colours with good details in them. Despite the smartphone taking longer to shoot in the dark, I didn’t get blurry images, thanks to OIS being present on this one.
Images shot with night mode take slightly longer to click. Shot with primary camera (tap to expand)
The telephoto camera shots aren’t outstanding in pitch darkness, but they produce good images with scenes that have some light in them. The saturation levels are decent, but the images do look over-processed and are softer than usual. The same is the story for the ultrawide camera as well. The images taken with it are softer and do not maintain the same colour scheme, which can be a bummer.
The front-facing camera works well in low light. It keeps a decent look throughout the frame and does not turn night to day by overexposing it. Focus is something that it struggles with sometimes.
The Vivo V30 Pro can shoot videos at up to 4K 60fps on all three rear cameras and the front camera as well. This is where OIS shines for the videos shot using the primary camera. I shot multiple videos through the primary camera and the results were quite impressive. The camera handles harsh sunlight well and showcases good dynamic range. Shooting on the go has gotten better since the Vivo V29 Pro, the smartphone does not struggle with moving shots as much and the stabilisation is quite good. Results from the telephoto and the ultrawide camera are also impressive. Surprisingly, the three rear cameras manage to maintain a similar colour tone for videos. In low light, the cameras do struggle and you will see quite a lot of noise in your shots, especially for the telephoto and the ultrawide camera.
The 50-megapixel front-facing camera shoots decent enough videos that pop out in harsh lighting conditions but sometimes misses focus. The low-light video on this one is hit or miss. There were instances where I ended up with a washed-up shot that wasn’t very useful. Sometimes, it produced videos that had pretty good details in them and were well-lit as well.
Vivo V30 Pro Review: Verdict
The Vivo V30 Pro is not a huge jump from its predecessor, the Vivo V29 Pro. In terms of user experience and camera performance, Vivo offers only incremental upgrades, like slightly faster charging with longer battery life. Then, there are a few new camera features, like the inclusion of Zeiss Style Bokehs (or filters) on a V series smartphone, that might entice a consumer who loves shooting portrait photos.
Sadly, the phone misses out on some key features found in other smartphones at this price point, like a better official IP rating for dust and water resistance and the new AI features that most manufacturers are focussing on in 2024. It’s also using a rather dated processor, which isn’t exactly champion when it comes to performance given its premium price tag, which starts from Rs. 41,999.
Strangely, this is not exactly a problem. Vivo basically trades performance for better camera hardware and features (some of which have trickled down from its top-end Vivo X series devices). Simply put, it’s a smartphone that’s focused on photography and will not cater to gamers or power users.
If you are looking for something more powerful at this price point, the OnePlus 12R (Review), which offers much better raw performance with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. If you are somebody who needs AI features and an official IP rating, the Pixel 7a (Review) also retails at the same price but also offers better software (with fast updates) and very reliable camera performance.
