vivo V30 review

Introduction

We wish for more handsets like the vivo V30 - a sleek, photography-oriented smartphone with capable hardware and an immersive display. It is available in unique colorways, packs a large battery, and comes with a powerful charger. What's not to like?

Let's rewind a bit, though. The vivo V30 is the headliner of the new midrange series by vivo - the V30. The lineup includes the V30, the V30 Pro highlighted with the Zeiss collaboration, and the V30 Lite - a basic, yet beautiful 5G phone.

The vivo V30 is an IP54-rated smartphone with a dual-glass curved design and thin and lightweight body. Even though it is only 7mm thin, the V30 still packs a premium 6.78-inch AMOLED (1260p resolution, 10-bit color depth and 120Hz refresh rate) and a beefy 5,000mAh battery with 80W fast charging support.

The vivo V30 is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, which should offer some great gaming performance for the class. The phone is available with 8GB or 12GB RAM, while the storage options are 128GB, 256GB and 512GB UFS 2.2.

The cameras have always been a strong side of vivo's phones, and the V30 is no different. A dual camera kit on the back has a 50MP OIS primary and a 50MP ultrawide with AF. There is a third 50MP camera with a wide-angle lens and AF for selfies.

Let's scroll through the complete specs sheet.

vivo V30 specs at a glance:

• Body: 164.4x75.1x7.5mm, 186g; Glass front, plastic frame, glass back; IP54, dust and splash resistant.
• Display: 6.78" AMOLED, 1B colors, HDR10+, 120Hz, 1200 nits (HBM), 2800 nits (peak), 1260x2800px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 453ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x2.63 GHz Cortex-A715 & 3x2.4 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 720.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 2.2.
• OS/Software: Android 14, Funtouch 14.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.55", PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.0, 119˚, AF.
• Front camera: 50 MP, f/2.0, 21mm (wide), AF.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 80W wired, PD, 100% in 48 min (advertised), Reverse wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.4, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical).

There is only one feature we consider as an omission on the vivo V30, something that has been a rarity across the mid-range V series. Yes, we are talking about stereo speakers The V30 has one bottom-firing speakers. Let's hope it's a loud one, at least.

Unboxing the vivo V30

The vivo V30 ships inside a thick white box, which contains an 80W power adapter, a USB-A-to-C cable, and a transparent silicone case.

The vivo V30 also has a thin protective film on its display, and it is up to you to decide whether to keep this smudge magnet or not.