vivo V30 review

Design, build quality, handling

The vivo V30 has a stylish curved design, slim profile and unique colorways - something vivo has been known for. The phone is IP54-rated for dust and heavy splash resistance.

The vivo V30 is a glass smartphone with a plastic frame. But it is not as simple as this sounds. The front curved panel is a sheet of Schott Alpha glass, while the rear, also curved, is a multi-layered tempered glass with eye-catching textures. Finally, the thin, glossy frame, while made of plastic, features reinforced corners with aluminum alloy.

The back of the vivo V30 features an enormous camera and flash housing. Indeed, the top square has two 50MP rear cameras, while the bottom one has the LED flash with aura light surrounding, which is something vivo has named a View Catcher. The square does glow, and it can go from white, through yellow, all the way to orange/red.

The vivo V30 is available in four colors, each with a different finish. The Bloom White version has a 3D Petal Pattern; the Waving Aqua has a Rippling Magnetic Particle effect; the Lush Green is a color-changing version, and the Noble Black has Fluorite AG Glass.

The Aqua model we have for review has a flowing texture underneath the rear glass that's reminiscent of ripples on moving water. The blue shade of the back panel is quite subtle.

The vivo V30 has a curved glass sheet atop its 6.78-inch OLED. The screen itself is not curved, just the protective glass. The bezels are even and thin, the perforation for the selfie camera - small.

The earpiece is almost invisible above the screen, while completely invisible to the naked eye is the under-scree fingerprint reader. It is fast and reliable, as most optical solutions are.

Тhe back is quite interesting and unique among hundreds of similarly looking mid-range phones and easily allows the vivo V30 to fit into the stylish category.

Anyway, the top square contains the cameras, the bottom - the LED flashes. The whole island is surrounded by a thin metal frame.

And here is a look at the sides of the vivo V30. Nothing unusual here.

The vivo V30 is available in four unique colors. The thin profile is something that looks amazing when the phone lies on your desk or table, and its curves look great.

But the V30 is also one of the worst phones to handle without a case. Its all-glossy body and thin frame make for zero grip, and the phone is nightmarishly slippery. Worse, it is almost impossible to pick it up from the desk without a huge risk of an immediate drop. The other color options seem to have a matte finish, but we doubt it will improve much.

Luckily, there is a silicone case in the retail bundle, which gives the much-needed grip, but it also takes away the thin profile.