vivo V40 Review – Stylishly slim all-rounder phone with ZEISS cameras tested

Arriving just 6 months after the debut of the V30 series earlier in the year, the new vivo V40 series phones which consist of the V40 Pro and V40 aim to further refine the winning formula of its predecessor with both V40 variants featuring a camera system co-engineered with ZEISS.

We had the opportunity to field test the former ahead of its official launch – here’s our vivo V40 review where we share if their latest midrange camera phone is up to snuff

vivo V40 review – Build and Design

In terms of aesthetics, our vivo V40 review sample bears a faint resemblance to the earlier V30 with a similarly sized 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED display up front with matching 1,260 x 2,860 pixels resolution, an in-display fingerprint reader and a 120Hz refresh rate though this time around vivo has improved the screen brightness to 4,500 nits peak brightness compared to the v30’s maximum 2,800 nits for superior clarity outdoors in bright sunlight.

Better yet, the display is also protected by Schott Alpha glass, which adds a measure of impact and drop resistance to the display itself.

The vivo V40 also has a small punch hole up top for a 50MP selfie camera. Interestingly enough, they’ve also preapplied a screen protector onto the display too which helps keep it protected until you source your own options. 

The rear backplate is where the vivo V40 aesthetically differs from its predecessor with the older V30 featuring a squarish camera housing while the newer V40 has a more rounded camera housing that vivo has dubbed as a Gemini ring design that houses a dual 50MP camera array.

Where most mid range phones typically skimp on the cameras, vivo has gone all-in, maximising its capabilities while keeping to its intended midrange price point.

Not only do both cameras get ZEISS-tuned colour science baked in including a set of ZEISS-optimised filters but also get ZEISS-certified lenses to boot with both cameras featuring large 50MP sensors to boot with the main camera also  getting optical image stabilisation; a rarity for midrange phones. The Gemini Ring camera housing isn’t just for show and it houses their Aura LED flash for more pleasing portraiture.

While it is available in a variety of colours, our vivo v40 review sample comes in a modest matte gunmetal grey finish that they’ve dubbed as Stellar Silver which repels fingerprints to a modest degree. Alternatively, you can acquire it in a shade of Nebula Purple.

The base of the phone comes with a USB-C port, a SIM card tray and – surprise – a grille for one of the two speakers that form a stereo pair with the other located up top near the earpiece near the top bezel of the display.

Its predecessor only featured a mono speaker. On the right side of our vivo V40 review sample is the customary volume rocker and power button while the left and top are otherwise unremarkable.

When held, the vivo V40 has a pleasant heft about it that makes it feel more premium than what its price point would suggest. While it has similar dimensions to its predecessor, the V40 is slightly heavier at 190g though it gets an improved IP68 dust and water resistance rating which means that it can survive in up to 1.5 metres of freshwater for up to 30 minutes at a time.

Another interesting practical upgrade is that vivo has implemented a number of interesting features into the design with improved adhesives used on the seams, an Anti-Drop cushioning structure, raised corners and a reinforced frame to offer better resistance to inadvertent drops though there is no official MIL-STD rating for the phone as yet.

 

@hitechcentury We unbox the new vivo v40 that will be launching in Malaysia soon! Find out whats in the box and the key specifications of vivo’s latest midrange camera phone with ZEISS cameras and an array of ZEISS Multifocal Portrait modes that aim to deliver awesome results!##vivov40 #vivo #fyp #unboxing #tech #zeiss #hitechcentury #malaysia #techtok #sembanggadget #learnontiktok @vivo_malaysia ♬ Epic Inspiration – DM Production

Overall build quality is surprisingly good belying its intended pricepoint as a midrange phone and vivo has proven to be surprisingly generous, bundling in the aforementioned free screen protector along with a free protective case and an 80W FlashCharger as well as the accompanying USB-C cable to add further value to the phone.

vivo V40 Review – Specifications and Performance

In terms of specifications , the vivo V40 plays to its strengths with a finely tuned combination of hardware that optimises its capabilities for its intended price point.

Rather than the newer Dimensity 9200+ chipset used in the V40 Pro, our vivo V40 review unit uses the proven Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset that entered service in late 2023 and which still has plenty of life left in it to tackle most tasks required of a phone. 

Paired with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is 12GB RAM as well as 12GB of Extended RAM virtual RAM assigned off the onboard 256GB of non-expandable storage. Keeping the phone powered is a surprisingly large 5,500mAh silicon-carbide battery that is larger than even what some competing brands plonk into their flagship phones. 

According to vivo, the battery used in the vivo V40 uses second-generation silicon carbide anodes in its manufacture to offer 20% energy density and thus making it 16.5% smaller than competing designs while offering about 1,000mAh more capacity than an equivalent battery of the same size. 

Another interesting upgrade is the inclusion of what vivo refers to as an Ultra Large VC Smart Cooling System that consists of a cooling plate attached to the processor and a series of ten sensors to monitor heat to ensure that minimise heat throttling issues. Here’s how our vivo V40 review unit stacks up on paper:

Price	RM1,999 (256GB) [Review unit], RM2,399 (512GB)
Display	6.78-inch 3D Curved AMOLED display, 1,260 x 2,860 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate, 4,500 nits peak brightness, 1,200 nits overall brightness, 20.9: screen-to-body ratio, HDR10+, 8,000,000:1 contrast ratio
Processor	Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 2.63GHz
OS	Android 14 w/ FunTouchOS 14
Memory	12GB RAM +12GB Extended RAM / 256GB storage/ 512GB
Cameras	50MP F/1.88 ZEISS OIS Main Camera w/ OIS & PDAF + 50MP F/2.0 ZEISS Ultra wide angle camera w/ autofocus [rear]/50MP F/2.0  ZEISS Group Selfie camera w/ autofocus [front]
Battery	5,500mAh BlueVolt Battery 80W FlashCharge wired charging
Size/Weight	164.2 x 75 x 7.58mm / 190g

When subjected to synthetic benchmarks, our vivo V40 review unit scored the following:

3DMark Steel Nomad Light	500
3DMark Steel Nomad Light Ultd	497
3DMark Wild Life Extreme	1,490
3D Mark Wild Life Extreme Ultd	1,487
Geekbench 6 Single Core	1,184
Geekbench 6 Multi Core	3,216
Geekbench 6 OpenCL	3,560
Geekbench 6 Vulkan	4,175
PCMark Work 3.0	10,802
PCMark Battery Life	21 hours 33 mins

While it doesn’t quite outpace the competition, our vivo V40 review sample managed to acquit itself admirably in practical day to day use with the generous amount of RAM and power efficient processor lending it the ability to tackle everything asked of a smartphone with ease.

Web browsing with multiple open tabs is a smooth affair and multitasking is cinch while editing FHD videos on CapCut was an easy task. It was also able to handle gaming too with Genshin Impact, Warzone and Call of Duty mobile playable on default settings.

Where the strength of the V40 comes into play though is its ability to offer solid sustained performance with the inclusion of its cooling system allowing the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor to offer sustained operations without slowing down. 

In the 3D Mark Steel Nomad Light stress test, our vivo V40 review sample managed a best loop score of 503, with the worst being 499 with the temperature capped at 36°C.

Where it impresses though is that it manages to offer a 99.2% stability rating, meaning that the majority of its test loops ran without issue or slowing down which means that the phone won’t inadvertently slow down in demanding tasks over extended periods of time like gaming. 

Better yet, vivo has also guaranteed that the V40 will have a 50-month Smooth Experience guarantee, meaning that it will remain consistently smooth and fast over the course of four years.

When put through its paces, the vivo V40’s AMOLED display is vibrant and crisp with pin-sharp text and smooth animations onscreen. While it doesn’t have an official DCI-P3 rating, the display was able to offer up deep blacks, brilliant whites and excellent colour rendition along with good clarity under direct sunlight. 

The inclusion of stereo speakers in a midrange phone is a rarity which makes their integration into the vivo V40 a pleasant bonus. While the mids seem a bit clustered together especially in complicated tracks, the speakers do an otherwise decent job for listening to podcasts, music and the like with good clarity on vocals.

When it comes to battery life, our vivo V40 review sample is among the best on test with endurance that tops some flagship phones.

The combination of its power efficient Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset in tandem with its 5,500mAh battery allows it to offer an absurd 21 hours and 33 minutes of battery life in synthetic benchmarks and close to two days of actual usage. At this point in time,  the vivo V40 has the best battery life we’ve seen in the market.

vivo V40 review – Cameras

Camera quality is typically an afterthought on midrange models but the vivo V40 leverages the brand’s relationship with ZEISS to offer excellent image quality especially for capturing stills.

Taking centre stage is a 50MP main camera with a 1/1.56-inch Samsung ISOCELL GNJ sensor rated for excellent low light performance paired with optical image stabilisation along with lenses that meet ZEISS Optics standards.

The primary 50MP camera is paired with a secondary 50MP ZEISS ultra wide angle camera with autofocus enhanced with vivo’s AI Group Portrait feature that tracks up to 30 people in a shot, ensuring that everyone doesn’t blink or fidget when taking a shot to capture the perfect moment.

Where the vivo V40 differs from the vivo v40 Pro is that the base vivo V40 misses out on a 50MP ZEISS Telephoto portrait camera for long range zoom shots. Up front, both the Pro and standard vivo V40 have a front-facing 50MP ZEISS camera with autofocus for mugshots and video calls enhanced with ZEISS’s AI Facial Contouring Technology for better looking mugshots. 

On paper, the rear camera array is capable of up to 4K@30fps and up to 20x digital zoom as the vivo V40 lacks a telephoto lens camera with the front selfie camera offering up to 4K@30fps video and up to 2x zoom though it’s hardly necessary seeing its intended purpose for up-close work.

What makes the vivo V40 stand out from the crowd is the inclusion of ZEISS Multifocal Portrait Mode, offering a digitally recreated 24mm, 35mm and 50mm focal length to tackle most imaging scenarios. The 24mm length is ideal for landscapes and scenery with the 35mm good for general portraits and closer scenery shots while the 50mm shot is ideal for half-body portraits. 

In addition to ZEISS Multifocal Portrait Mode, the vivo V40 also offers ZEISS Style Bokeh with five bokeh options from in portrait mode that consist of Biotar, B-speed, Sonnar, Planar, Distagon, Cine-flare and Cinematic to choice from for both the front and rear cameras. 

Users can also use a ZEISS Style Portrait mode that pairs each of the three offered focal lengths with a specific ZEISS Style bokeh for greater effect. The 24mm length is paired with ZEISS Distagon style bokeh, making it ideal for landscape portraiture while the 35mm length is paired with ZEISS B-Speed style bokeh for street portraits. For that classic look, the 50mm focal length is paired with the ZEISS Biotar style bokeh for best effect.

The vivo V40 also benefits from a number of AI enhancements including AI Eraser mode that requires an online connection and is able to intelligently remove unwanted objects from a background, an AI Photo Enhance mode that intelligently sharpens and upscales images to UHD resolution.

In daylight, our vivo V40 review sample and its dual 50MP ZEISS cameras were able to serve up shots with excellent detail with colours more towards a lifelike hue as per the preferred ZEISS colour science and good dynamic range out to 2X zoom. While it is capable of up to 20x digital zoom with relatively legible results, it’s usually more for social media use as shots end up somewhat soft and noisy. 

 

The variety of ZEISS multi-focal options and bokeh styles also offer excellent creative options with good subject and background separation as well as creamy bokeh for portraiture.

There’s a wealth of options to experiment with and the phone rewards experimentation though it has a stock trio of focal lengths paired with bokeh settings for those who want proven results straight out of the box. 

In low light, the vivo V40 acquitted itself well with the ability to salvage a generous amount of detail from shadows while retaining good colour rendition.

Up front, the 50MP selfie camera delivers flattering mugshots with a dialable beauty mode and the ability to intelligently angle facial contours to make it more visually pleasing on paper while the ZEISS portrait mode lending shots pleasing bokeh.

Captured videos max out at 4K@30fps with good results in daylight though digital image stabilisation is capped at up to 1080p@30fps if you’re opting for maximum stabilisation. Low light 4K footage is serviceable for social media though the vivo V40’s greatest strengths are in capturing stills.

Should you buy the vivo V40?

The vivo V40 is a well considered blend of hardware, combining an excellent set of ZEISS-tuned cameras, a vibrant AMOLED display as well as great battery life, making it a worthy choice for those seeking a camera-oriented midrange phone. 

In Malaysia, vivo is offering up to 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security updates which is a fair duration that further adds to its value. At RM1,999, our 256GB storage variant of the vivo V40 makes for a reasonably priced midrange phone, made more so with its excellent imaging capabilities. If you prize capturing great photography, you’ll love what the vivo V40 has to offer though if you get the opportunity, get the 512GB variant to allow for unfettered usage of the camera.

While the above deal represents fair value, vivo is looking to sweeten the pot with a slew of free gifts worth up to RM1,076. While stocks last, any purchase of the vivo V40 gets you a free vivo Selection smart watch worth RM129, a free 180-days extra warranty and 180 days of screen protection.

Those who purchase the higher end vivo V40 Pro get the above warranty and screen protection but get a sweet free DJI Osmo Mobile SE gimbal worth RM459. Purchasing either the vivo V40 or V40 Pro also entitles customers to get a special purchase-with-purchase deal for the vivo Watch 3 with RM199 off its retail price.

vivo V40 review sample courtesy of vivo Malaysia. For more details please visit https://www.vivo.com/my/activity/v40-series-launch