vivo V40 review

Powerful triple 50MP camera setup

The vivo V40 has a similar camera setup to its V30 predecessor. However, the cameras aren't exactly the same. The main camera, in particular, has been tweaked a bit. Unlike the V30, there are no more "wildcard" cameras on the V40. In certain markets, the V30 had a third 2MP rear camera. This has been done away with on the V40.

• Wide (main): 50 MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KGNJ (GNJ) f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; 2160p@30fps
• Ultra wide angle: 50 MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN1 (JN1), f/2.0, 15mm, 1/2.76", 0.64µm, autofocus; 2160p@30fps
• Front camera: 50 MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN1 (JN1), f/2.0, 21mm, 1/2.76", 0.64µm, autofocus; 2160p@30fps

As mentioned, the V40 has a similar main camera to the V30 at first glance. In actuality, the OmniVision OV50E sensor of the V30 has been swapped for a Samsung ISOCELL S5KGNJ, more commonly known as the ISOCELL GNJ. It is similarly sized at 1/1.56" with 1.0µm individual pixels. There is phase detection autofocus on board and the lens has OIS. The main camera uses ZEISS optics.

The ultrawide camera is borrowed straight from the V30. It is a Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN1 (1/2.76", 0.64µm) with an f/2.0 lens in front, complete with autofocus. This allows the ultrawide to double as a macro shooter, a feature carried forward from the V30.

Finally, there is a 50MP selfie camera, also lifted straight from the V30. Vivo's V series has a long-standing selfie camera pedigree, and the V40 continues that proud tradition. The V40 is one of the few phones to offer a 50MP autofocusing selfie camera. It is also based on the Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN1 (1/2.76", 0.64µm) with an f/2.0 lens.

Besides optics, ZEISS also lent vivo a hand in photo color processing. You can choose between vivid, textured and ZEISS natural processing straight from the camera UI. Aside from that, there is nothing really that special about the camera UI of the V40. It is well-organized and chock full of additional features.

Daylight photo quality

Main camera

The main camera on the V40 captures binned stills at right around 12.5MP by default. These photos are pretty detailed, with nice colors and good contrast.

These photos are far from perfect, however. They are a bit soft, especially if you inspect them from up close. Dynamic range is far from ideal as well. The main camera also tends to overexpose shots.

vivo V40: 12.5MP main camera samples

The V40 does a decent job with portraits. Skin tones and texture come through well. Subject detection and separation are good, and the quality of the background blur is convincing.

vivo V40: 12.5MP main camera portrait samples

As already mentioned, the V40 offers a choice of three color processing modes. All of the above photos have been captured in the default vivid mode. Here are some of the same scenes captured with "textured" mode for a slightly darker and grittier look and "ZEISS natural" for a more desaturated and natural look.

vivo V40: 12.5MP main camera textured mode samples

vivo V40: 12.5MP main camera ZEISS natural mode samples

You can force the main camera to capture in its full 50MP resolution. However, we wouldn't advise that since you don't get any better detail, you generally end up with a less sharpened and even softer image.

vivo V40: 50MP main camera samples

The V40 lacks a dedicated telephoto camera. However, it can capture pretty competent 2x digital zoom shots. These are quite okay but not particularly sharp. They are softer than 1x shots and have some artifacts. Dynamic range is not great eitehr.

vivo V40: 12.5MP main camera 2x zoom samples

Ultrawide camera

As we said, the ultrawide camera on the V40 is quite familiar since it is borrowed straight from the V30. Just like the main camera, it captures 12.5MP binned photos by default. The photos out of this ultrawide cam are really nice - especially for the segment lesser ultrawide cameras are the norm. With this ultrawide, you get plenty of detail and nice colors.

There is some edge softness, and the dynamic range could be better. Still, it is one of the better ultrawide cameras in the price range.

vivo V40: 12.5MP ultrawide camera samples

Just like on the main camera, you can enable full-resolution 50MP mode on the ultrawide. Again, we wouldn't really recommend doing so since you don't get any benefit to detail and just have to deal with larger file sizes.

vivo V40: 50MP ultrawide camera samples

Of course, the real party trick of the ultrawide camera is its ability to double as a macro cam. It does so masterfully, focusing at incredibly close distances and offering excellent detail and colors in the process.

vivo V40: 12.5MP ultrawide camera macro samples

Selfie camera

Vivo V40's selfie game is quite impressive. The camera produces detailed and sharp photos with real-life colors and natural skin tones. Dynamic range is also good, while more challenging scenes with insufficient ambient light don't seem to bother the front-facing shooter all that much.

vivo V40: 12.5MP selfie camera samples

Low-light camera quality

Before we get to samples, it is worth noting that in keeping with tradition, the V40 has an "Aura light" on the back. It is nowhere as big as some of the ring lights of previous V-series devices, but it does retain its core feature of adjustable light color.

The vivo V40 is a competent low-light shooter. Photos from the main camera are pretty clean and detailed. There is very little noise. Both shadows and highlights are very well developed. Light sources are competently handled with very little blow-out. The colors look nice and punchy.

vivo V40: 12.5MP main camera low-light samples

The vivo V40 has an automatic night mode, which kicks in as one would expect and lengthens capture times while doing some stacking in the background. Beyond that, the camera UI has a dedicated Night mode, which favors even longer capture times and does more processing. This most often leads to slightly brighter images but without much benefit to detail. Plus, the extra processing often introduced a bit more noise to surfaces.

vivo V40: 12.5MP main camera Night mode samples

At 2x zoom, photos from the main camera remain competent but not overly impressive since they are soft. Other than that, they have the same overall qualities as 1x shots.

vivo V40: 12.5MP main camera low-light 2x zoom samples

The ultrawide camera also captures stills that are a bit noisy. But other than that, the level of rendered detail is very good for an ultrawide. Dynamic range is good, with well-developed highlights and shadows. Light sources are well-contained.

vivo V40: 12.5MP ultrawide camera low-light samples

The selfie camera flexes its muscles nicely in low-light conditions. Thanks to its competent autofocus, subjects look sharp more often than not. Detail is excellent, with skin texture coming through nicely. Skin tones are also rendered well.

vivo V40: 12.5MP selfie camera low-light samples

Enabling Night mode on the selfie camera only further enhances skin texture and detail, which is nice to see.

vivo V40: 12.5MP selfie camera Night mode samples

Unlike some of its predecessors, the vivo V40 lacks a front-facing flash, but an "on-screen flash" does a decent enough job.

Video capture quality

The vivo V40 records video at up to 2160p at 30fps on all three of its cameras. Interestingly enough, that's a new development for the ultrawide, which on the V30 was only capable of 1080p capture for some reason. Not anymore, though. Interestingly, the default format for capturing video is HEVC/h.265, which might lead to some playback compatibility issues. You can, of course, flip it over to AVC/h.264, but that will result in slightly larger videos.

You can check out the playlist below, which includes multiple video samples.

The standard 4K footage is stabilized, while an Ultra stabilization mode limits the resolution to 1080p and mimics action camera-like stabilization. Interestingly, forage from the Ultra stabilization mode comes from the main camera rather than the ultrawide. There is a little bit of focus hunting in stabilized videos, but other than that, they are solid.

As far as the 4K footage goes, it's pretty solid. We like the contrast, sharpness, detail and vibrant colors. We are also impressed by the overall rendering. The ultrawide camera captures solid 4K video as well. Surprisingly, it is similar to the main camera. We have no complaints about the selfie video footage either - great detail, colors and contrast.

The main camera delivers decent enough videos at night, considering the price bracket. Sure, the video may seem a little soft and noisy (especially in uniform areas like the sky), but the dynamic range is okay, the contrast is good, and there's plenty of detail all around. The ultrawide holds up decently well, too.