vivo V30 Pro review: Flagship-level camera capabilities without the hefty price tag 

vivo’s flagship X series draws so much appeal from collaborating with ZEISS to bring users next-level mobile photography at the palm of their hands. Good news! If the price point is a little out of your reach, the tech brand gives you the next best thing: the vivo V30 Pro. 

That’s right! The partnership has extended to the midrange segment, making advanced camera technology more accessible. Photography enthusiast or not, we all have a shared trait of pulling out our phones just to take photos or else it didn’t happen. 

Design and build

A lot of tech brands may take the flashy route when it comes to design, but vivo continues to traverse the road towards elegance and timelessness. With this, it’ll certainly attract users of all ages. 

Drawing inspiration from nature, the V30 Pro flaunts soft and beautiful streaks resembling petals. Hence, the colorway name Petals White. I’ve been bombarded with loud smartphone designs so it’s quite refreshing to come across a device that embraces subtlety. 

Once you get hold of the device, you’ll even be more delighted with its smooth, luxurious feel. It gets plus points for providing more than just luscious looks and putting high priority on the ergonomic side of things. 

We have enough evidence. It starts with the slim (7.45mm) and lightweight (188g) and ends with the 3D curved design. All of which contribute to a comfortable grip even after long hours of use. 

Display

On the flipside, the front panel is able to keep up with the impressive qualities of the rear. You’ll receive a lively greeting from the 6.78-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 89.9 screen-to-body ratio. The icing on the cake is the 2800 nits peak brightness.

The qualities of the display make for the perfect recipe for immersive visuals. Truly something series-bingers like me can look forward to. Then you also have a snappy screen that compounds the already delightful experience. 

Camera

We move onto the main event: the elegant-looking ZEISS triple camera setup. The V30 Pro is serving us with more than just looks. After testing each shooter, not once did I find myself unsatisfied; it sustained exceptional performance all throughout. This consists of the 50MP main camera, 50MP telephoto lens, and 50MP ultra-wide camera. We’ll break down how each one performed.  

Quality and sharpness may slightly vary across different lighting scenarios, but color accuracy was consistently good. This works for me since I’m not fond of oversaturated photos; striking a balance is much preferred. 

I enjoyed taking shots with natural light as it was effortless to take stunning photos. At 1x zoom, you can see how sharp the images are. The post-processed images appear natural and beautiful.

During my travels, I also experimented with zoomed in shots in order to highlight building architecture, scrumptious meals, and vibrant spots. And thankfully, it still achieved the same level of clarity. 

I’m glad that vivo never overlooked its night photography capabilities. Just when you thought you’re limited to just shooting amid favorable lighting, vivo continues to up its game by improving the Aura Light functionality. With the Aura Light 3.0, you can adjust the temperature, from cooler to warmer tones, as well as increase or decrease the brightness to achieve the soft glow while taking night portraits. 

As for taking photos of scenic views at night, the quality didn’t take a dip either. The details are still very prominent with minimal or hardly noticeable image noise. I admire how clean the photos came out. It’s almost like the challenges of night photography are out from the picture (literally).

Lastly, the 50MP selfie camera proved that it’s highly capable as well, which is not surprising since it takes after its predecessor. 

Performance

Under the hood, we have the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 processor powering the V30 Pro. This is paired with 12GB + 12GB Extended RAM and 512GB of storage. All of the above worked in tandem to allow users to execute various tasks of different loads seamlessly.

From light-to-moderate tasks like browsing the internet, going through social media, answering a dozen emails, to heavy loads like photo and video editing and gaming, the V30 Pro proves its versatility with the smooth and hitch-free experience it provides. 

I tried putting it to the test by ramping up the graphic setting while playing Asphalt 9 and it didn’t disappoint. Frame drops? Zero. It’s safe to assume that long hours of content shooting and editing will be a breeze as well. 

Battery and charging

Just as important, the vivo V30 Pro boasts a 5000mAh battery life. You wouldn’t want to put your activities and content shooting on pause with juice that drains out so quickly. This upgrade is appreciated. 

To make things even better, the above-mentioned is paired with an 80W charger that, in my experience, powered up the device from 0 to 100% in just 45 minutes. 

Verdict

It appears that vivo has nailed it in every aspect for the vivo V30 Pro. It ate and left no crumbs. However, the camera department deserves more praise. As a content creator, an occasional photography enthusiast, and a frequent memory hoarder, I tend to put a smartphone’s camera capabilities under a microscope. My findings for the V30 Pro are nothing short of amazing. 

vivo deserves some credit for taking the extra mile to provide users not just a capable device, but an excellent one. It piqued our interest with its elegant design, got us hooked with its vivid display, and won us over with its superb camera capabilities. With the price point of PHP34,999, you’ll rest easy knowing that you’re getting your money’s worth.