vivo V30 is vivo’s newest mid-range Android phone that features a pro-vlogging camera setup with its Aura Light 3.0 lighting system to illuminate your subject.
With such a powerful camera system, the vivo V30 is something for content creators to look out for. Let’s have a look.
vivo V30 5G Spec Highlight
- Display: 6.78″ AMOLED 120Hz refresh
- SIM: 5G 2xSIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
- OS: Android 14, Funtouch OS 14
- Chipset (SoC): Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (4nm)
- Memory (RAM) + storage: 12 GB + 256/512 GB
- Cameras: 50 MP f/1.88 OIS (main), 50 MP f/2.0 (ultrawide), 50 MP f/2.0 (selfie), Aura Light 3.0 ring light flash
- Battery: 5000 mAh, 80W wired
- Price (Philippines): PHP 24,999 (12+256GB); PHP 27,999 (12+512GB)
Design and Build Quality
At first glance, the vivo V30 commands attention with its sleek and modern design. Measuring just 7.45mm thin, the phone feels remarkably light and compact in the hand, despite packing a massive 5,000mAh battery. It is vivo’s thinnest 5000 mAh phone at the moment – possibly the world’s thinnest 5,000mAh phone.
Based on our research, the only other smartphone that comes close is from its sister company, the OPPO Reno11 5G, with thickness measuring 7.59mm.
The curved edges give the V30 a premium, almost borderless look. It uses Schott Alpha glass, and alternative to Corning’s popular Gorilla Glass, to protect it from wear and tear.
vivo V30 is available in two striking colorways – Petals White and Green Sea. While both have their own distinct appeal, the Petals White variant’s matte finish is the standout for us. It not only looks and feels more premium, it also does a much better job of resisting smudges and fingerprints compared to the glossy Green Sea option.
Display and Multimedia
Anchoring the vivo V30 is a stunning 6.78-inch 2K AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. Boasting a local peak brightness of 2,800 nits and global peak brightness of 1,200 nits, this panel is an absolute delight to use, both indoors and outdoors under direct sunlight.
Colors are vibrant, blacks are deep, and the high pixel density ensures razor-sharp text and imagery.
Complementing the excellent display is a surprisingly capable mono loud speaker. While the lack of stereo speakers is a bit disappointing, the single bottom-firing unit can get impressively loud without distorting the audio. This makes the vivo V30 quite suitable for media consumption, from binge-watching shows to gaming.
It comes with Widevine L1 certification, making it an excellent choice for streaming content on DRM-enabled providers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus. We would also like to point out that HDR10+ playback is supported on Netflix.
This is a must on any smartphone priced around the 25 thousand-peso price range, but it seems there are still some manufacturers that skimp on the display until now. Not the vivo V30 though!
Camera System and Aura Light 3.0
One of the key highlights of the vivo V30 is its camera system, which has been tailored for content creators and photography enthusiasts. The rear setup consists of a dual 50MP camera array which includes an OmniVision OV50E sensor and a 50MP ultrawide shooter.
Both sensors deliver excellent image quality, with the main camera further benefitting from optical image stabilization (OIS) for steady, blur-free shots.
This is our first time with the OmniVision OV50E camera, and it does deliver. We attribute this to vivo’s VCS True Color technology, which was first introduced in 2022 in the flagship vivo X90 5G. It now tricles down to the mid-range vivo V Series and we feel extremely satisfied.
But the real star of the show is vivo’s Aura Light 3.0 system. Located below the camera module, this intelligent ring light automatically adjusts its brightness and color temperature to provide optimal lighting for your photos and videos. Whether you’re capturing portraits, food, or even vlogs, the Aura Light ensures your subjects are evenly lit and natural-looking.
If you will recall from our past reviews, we thought that Aura Light might just be the future of camera phones. However, we felt that it was largely dependent on sensor performance and still had room for improvement. Yes, it was a step up from normal flash-based lighting systems, but it still looked a little too harsh.
Watch our vivo V27e review video at around the 7:30 minute mark to see what we mean.
Aura Light appears to have finally found its stride with Aura Light 3.0 – not only does the “ring” cover a larger surface area, but granular controls over brightness and color temperature elevates it, replicating to some extent what a dedicated ring light can do.
The camera app itself is thoroughly impressive, offering a wide array of shooting modes and settings to suit various use cases. Vloggers will appreciate the dedicated Micro Movie mode, which simplifies the process of capturing short, social-media-friendly clips. Additionally, the phone supports features like 4K video recording, AI-powered scene detection, and customizable watermarks.
The 50MP front-facing camera is no slouch either, capturing detailed selfies with a natural bokeh effect. Its performance in low-light conditions is also commendable, making the vivo V30 a versatile tool for content creators on the move.
WATCH: vivo V30 5G camera test (main)
We found the image quality to be good for videos, although lacking in dynamic range so you really need good lights. Thank goodness for Aura Light. Unlike photos, it does not perform as much stacking and post processing, so the result is much closer to what the phone’s ISP can pull. It’s still better than most vlogging phones within its price segment, so we are left feeling satisfied.
Watch the sample video to get a good preview of what the phone can do.
Performance and Software
Powering the vivo V30 is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, a capable mid-range SoC that provides smooth and responsive performance for day-to-day tasks, multitasking, and even gaming. Our review unit came with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, though a 256GB variant is also available.
In terms of real-world use, the vivo V30 handled everything we threw at it with ease. Apps launched quickly, and we didn’t experience any noticeable lags or stutters, even when juggling multiple resource-intensive apps simultaneously.
On the software front, the vivo V30 runs Android 14 with Funtouch OS 14, the company’s custom Android skin. While it may not be as refined as stock Android, Funtouch OS offers a decent user experience with its intuitive interface. There’s a good degree of customization available, from dynamic display effects to a smart sidebar that provides quick access to frequently used apps.
It also features Jovi, which vivo markets as an AI personal assistant, but we fail to appreciate the “AI personal assistant” part. What we are more familiar with is the Jovi dashboard-cum-launcher, which can appear cluttered. It does not help that Jovi launcher replaces the cog that normally opens up the settings panel on most Android devices.
We also have to call out the crazy amount of pre-installed bloatware and adware, including a few games and third-party apps. Some of them can easily be uninstalled to free up valuable storage space, but you need to dig deep for the other.
This has been a constant for us every time we review vivo smartphones. For most average users, it probably makes the experience feel “full”, as if you got more value out of your purchase. However, as technical reviewers, we value a clean and frictionless experience, and it seems that they have yet to figure out how to maintain the prices of its phones without relying on bloatware and adware.
Gaming
vivo V30 5G runs on the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 platform with 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM modules and 256 or 512GB of UFS 2.2 storage. Our own benchmarks places it above the norm for its price segment, doing 818K in AnTuTu (3.9C temperature rise), 10588 in PCMark, and 14K in Passmark. Internal storage read and write speeds are pretty good, doing 542MB/s read and 474MB/s write.
So while not exactly marketed as a gaming phone, its components make it ideal for upper mid-range gaming. For a ‘camera phone’, it handles graphically intensive games such as Genshin Impact better than most, running smooothly on the Highest graphics settings!
WATCH: vivo V30 5G gaming test
Don’t believe us? Watch the dedicated vivo V30 5G gaming video and see for yourself.
The phone did heat up slightly in during prolonged gaming sessions, but never to an uncomfortable degree. Readings did not go past 40C on the display area, while the rear panel hovered around 41C in the back. This is way, way better than what you get from most smartphones today!
vivo V30 5G features an ‘Ultra Large Smart Cooling System’ which includes a 3002 sqm vapor chamber and 11 temperature sensors. For vivo to even consider this on a non-gaming phone is mind blowing since the camera system alone should already generate enough buzz.
If that’s not enough, Funtouch OS also features a gaming launcher with an in-game panel packed with controls to enhance and optimize the overall gaming experience. If you have ever used ColorOS or its derivatives such as OxygenOS or realme UI, you should feel right at home.
We don’t see that many people talking about it, so we felt the strong need to highlight its gaming capabilities.
Battery Life and Charging
One of the vivo V30’s standout features is its impressive battery life. The 5,000mAh (typ) Li-ion battery easily lasts a full day of mixed usage. We pulled close to 16 hours – 15 hours and 53 minutes to be precise, in our lab test with the display calibrated to PC Mark’s standard brightness level of 200 cd/m2 on Wi-Fi.
This exceptional longevity is further complemented by vivo’s 80W FlashCharge technology, which can fully replenish the battery in 48 minutes.
Conclusion
vivo V30 is a smartphone that checks all the right boxes for content creators and photography enthusiasts. Its stunning AMOLED display, powerful camera system, and innovative and unique Aura Light 3.0 feature make it a compelling choice in the mid-range segment.
While the phone does suffer from a less than ideal software experience, these are easily overshadowed by the V30’s core strengths – its versatile camera capabilities, impressive battery life, and smooth overall performance.
Priced PHP 24,999 for the 256GB model and PHP 27,999 for the 512GB variant, the vivo V30 offers good value for money.
People have been commenting in our YouTube channel that vivo is overpriced. We have disagree – at least for the vivo V30 5G. You will not find VCS True Color imagery and Aura Light system anywhere else. Not only that: It is extremely well built, being one of the if not the slimmest phone of its price segment, and don’t get us started on its amazing display and excellent gaming performance.
If you’re in the market for a well-rounded smartphone that can serve as a powerful content creation tool, it would be foolish to miss out on the vivo V30 5G.
WATCH: vivo V30 5G review
Hit the play button to watch our vivo V30 5G review video or visit TechKuya on YouTube for more tech reviews!
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vivo V30 5G specs
- Display: 6.78 inches; AMOLED, HDR10+, 1260 x 2800 pixels, 120Hz refresh, 1200 nits (HBM), 2800 nits (peak), Schott Alpha glass
- SIM: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
- OS: Android 14, Funtouch OS 14
- Chipset (SoC): Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (4nm)
- CPU: Octa-core (1×2.63 GHz Cortex-A715 & 3×2.4 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A510)
- GPU: Adreno 720
- Memory (RAM) + storage: 12 GB + 256/512 GB
- Main camera (rear): Dual 50 MP f/1.88 OIS (wide), 50 MP f/2.0 (ultrawide), Aura Light 3.0 ring light flash
- Selfie camera (front): 50 MP f/2.0
- Battery: 5000 mAh, 80W fast wired charging.
- Colors: Petals White, Green Sea
- Price (Philippines): PHP 24,999 (12+256GB); PHP 27,999 (12+512GB)