The Vivo V40 and V40 Pro have just been announced with Zeiss-tuned camera systems and a new fill light with temperature control. Positioned as a pair of upper-midrange portrait camera phones, the lower-cost V40 goes up against the OnePlus Nord 4 while the pricier V40 Pro takes on the Google Pixel 8a and Honor 200 Pro.
While both phones look almost identical, the key differences are power and cameras, with the Pro getting a specced-up MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ chipset and a 2x telephoto portrait camera, as well as a slightly more premium primary camera sensor.
Both phones pack the same ultra-wide and selfie cameras, huge batteries, great-looking 1.5K displays. and Zeiss features when you dive into the camera app.
With both available in India at launch, with a more widespread rollout expected in the coming months, if you've got your eye on a Vivo V40 or V40 Pro, which one's right for you?
Vivo V40 and V40 Pro price and availability
The first deciding factor between these two phones is price, with the Vivo V40 costing significantly less than the V40 Pro.
While global pricing is yet to be confirmed, the V40 costs roughly the same as the priciest OnePlus Nord 4 in regions it has launched, so will likely come in at around £450-500 (roughly $570-635) in Europe
The V40 Pro's price matches the Pixel 8a and Honor 200, suggesting a £500-£600 price (roughly $635-760) globally.
Get the Digital Camera World Newsletter
The best camera deals, reviews, product advice, and unmissable photography news, direct to your inbox!
Vivo looks to be making its phones more widely available in the West, with the V40 Series part of its Euros sponsorship, and recent legal wins that unblock it from selling in Europe, not to mention rumors of the upcoming X200 flagship launching on EE in the UK, it's looking promising that the V40 Series could be more widely available in the coming months.
V40 and V40 Pro cameras
Both the Vivo V40 and V40 Pro have the same ultra-wide and selfie camera hardware, while the primary cameras feature different sensors and the Pro gets a telephoto camera. All their cameras are also 50MP, a trend we're seeing across more phones of late, including the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus.
V40 and V40 Pro 14mm ultra-wide camera
The V40 Series's ultra-wide cameras have 50MP sensors with a 1/2.76-inch size matched with an f/2 lens and a 15mm equivalent focal length. They also feature autofocus, so support macro photography as near as 4cm from a subject.
V40 and V40 Pro 20mm selfie camera
Both phones' selfie cameras are powered by the same 1/2.76-inch Samsung ISOCEL JN1 sensor in the ultra-wide camera, though this time with a 20mm equivalent focal length.
Aura Lighting
Both phones also feature an Aura Light ring as well as a traditional flash. These shine a bright fill light to help when capturing portraits, and also offer control over color temperature which is a great touch to add a bit of warmth or cool down a subject.
Vivo V40 and V40 Pro wide cameras
While the Vivo V40 uses a 1/1.57-inch Samsung ISOCELL GNJ sensor, the V40 Pro uses a 1/1.56-inch Sony IMX921 sensor. Both are 50MP and are combined with f/1.88 aperture lenses and OIS, so they have very similar properties, though the Sony sensor creates slightly more natural-looking detail than the Samsung sensor of the V40. The V40 Pro also has a slightly wider 23mm equivalent focal length, versus 24mm from the V40.
V40 Pro telephoto camera
With a 2x telephoto camera that delivers a 50mm equivalent reach, the V40 Pro brings back the 1/2.51-inch IMX816 of the V30 Pro for portraits, combining it with an f/1.85 aperture, though no OIS.
The video credentials across both V40 phones are also impressive, with the V40 able to capture 4K 30fps across all its cameras, and the V40 Pro upping that to 4K 60fps across all its cameras.
You can see some photos above captured on both phones, with our first impressions being very positive for the price.
The Zeiss Natural color profile creates detailed, croppable shots. While white balance wasn't always consistent, photos from both the V40 and V40 Pro enjoy a wide dynamic range and natural levels of saturation.
In bright environments, the V40 Pro edges ahead with its zoom, creating a much more natural-looking shot than the AI-enhanced V40. However, in dark scenes the Pro switches to the main camera for zoomed-in shots, and results are more comparable.
The Zeiss Portrait Mode is a nice touch for anyone who's happy with artificial bokeh. The degree to which you can dial it back means you can create subtle effects that look natural. Both phones also deliver impressive night photography and video capture for their respective prices.
Vivo V40 and V40 Pro features
While the Vivo V40 Pro is poised for intensive tasks like 4K video editing and demanding gaming, the V40 is more of a casual user's phone. This largely comes down to the chipsets in each, with the Pro getting a flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9200+, and the V40 powered by a midrange Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. They also have different RAM and storage speeds as well, helping the Pro earn its name.
Whichever phone you go for, each is available with 256GB or 512GB storage, with the V40 adding a more entry-level 128GB to the mix.
Vivo includes a huge 5500mAh battery inside the slimline V40 and V40 Pro, which is roughly 500mAh larger than most of the main competition despite both phones' slender 7.58mm profiles. With 80W fast charging, they can hit a 50% charge in roughly 25 minutes.
The V40 and V40 Pro also have large 7.58-inch displays with 1.5K resolution, giving them a pixel density of 453 pixels per inch. With a sky-high peak brightness of 4500 nits for HDR content, and a respectable 1200 nits in direct sunlight, we had no issues seeing the screens even in bright environments. Both phones also support Netflix HDR10 out of the box which isn't typical at the price.
The main drawback compared to the best from OnePlus and Google is Vivo's software support, with two years of major OS updates and three years of security updates expected for both the V40 and V40 Pro. By comparison, OnePlus offers four years of OS updates and six years of security updates with the Nord 4, while Google offers seven years of OS updates for its Pixel 8a.
Early verdict
Both the Vivo V40 and V40 Pro are great phones on first impression. While they provide the same core experience making the V40 a great value option, the Pro edges ahead for gaming, demanding tasks like 4K video editing and its cameras reach further and capture at higher frame rates.
Each phone enjoys fantastic battery life, fast charging, relatively premium styling (albeit with a plastic, not metal frame), great-looking screens and impressive cameras.
The Vivo Zeiss highlights across the V-Series aren't as extensive as on the flagship X Series. There's no T* coating as found on the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro or X100 Pro, for example. However, the refined photo processing and Aura Light are welcome additions, making the V40 Pro impressive midrange camera phones.
