Having established a niche of their own, the vivo V series has been one that has relentlessly hunted for a good camera phone for selfies and portraits. Bucking that trend is the new vivo V40 5G: a new phone in a market that’s suddenly teeming with options in the mid-range segment, all promising not just impressive photography but also a smart design and equally smooth performance. But does it offer the right ingredients to differentiate itself? Let’s find out.
First Impressions: Elegance and Ergonomics
The vivo V40 5G is a stunner. It maintains the series’ minimalist design that is slim and lightweight, and the phone is comfortable to hold in your hand. The standout has to be the unique “style blue” color option with cool photochromatic back panel that changes color in the sun. It’s a head turning design that perfectly integrates premium with fun interactive.
Display: A Visual Treat
You’re met with a gorgeous 6.78-inch AMOLED screen that boasts a buttery smooth 120Hz refresh rate. This duo provides buttery smooth and visually enthralling browsing of social media, combined with watching videos of any kind. And with the screen featuring punchy, vivid colors, inky blacks, and a peak brightness that makes the device legible in direct sunlight, it’s easily one of the V40’s best attributes, more than suitable for watching videos and playing games.
Camera: The Main Attraction
Enter the V40 5G, which is fulfilled in part by what it aims to deliver. vivo collaborates with ZEISS once more to bring back their professional-grade of optics and signature look into the device.
- Dual 50MP Back Cameras: Consists of one 50MP Sony IMX920 chip and another dedicated 50MP ultra-wide shooter. With the ZEISS tuning, one realizes natural color science, expansive dynamic range, and exquisite detail in daylight. The magic really, though, queues up with the Aura Light 3.0.
- Revolutionary Aura Light 3.0: This is not simply a ring flash. You get a large soft-light panel that gives you an even, natural-looking light source for portraits and low-light selfies, erasing unflattering shadows and pesky red-eye. It’s a game-changer when it comes to night-time photography.
- Next-Level 50MP Auto-Focus Selfie Camera: Flip between Vlogging and regular selfies with the latest technology, a 50MP front camera that’s just as capable as the rear camera on many other phones.
Performance: Smooth and Capable
The V40 5G isn’t a slouch, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor inside it. This chipset is made for power saving and able to handle day-to-day tasks, multi-tasking and extreme gaming very smoothly. Combined with a vast 8GB/12GB RAM, the smoother performance experience is real. Naturally, it’s completely 5G-ready too, meaning you’re future-proofed for next-gen network speeds.
Battery and Software
It’s powered by a 5500mAh battery — that’s huge for a device this thin. It successfully gets me through a day and a half of heavy use, which is the most power users could hope for. It also has support for 80W fast charging so that you can quickly go from zero to a substantial battery percentage in minutes.
The phone is also powered by Funtouch OS 14 based on Android 14. It does pack some preinstalled apps, to be sure, but the software experience is clean and snappy.
Verdict: Who Should Buy It?
Introduction The vivo V40 5G is quite the focused smartphone. It’s not trying to be all things to all people. Rather, it doubles down on what it does best: a best-in-class camera system for portraits and selfies, one stunning design and incredible display.
If you are a photography hobbyist and heavy social creator, or you want a good looking, handsome phone with good battery life and flagship grade display, the vivo V40 5G can be the most compelling choice at its price range. It really is a portrait powerhouse.
