Right on schedule, vivo released the vivo V30 5G about six months after its predecessor. With only a few months to develop a new device, vivo promised an improved smartphones that still latches on the same key areas: design, camera, and fast charging.

The question is: what did vivo manage to improve after just half a year, how does it compare to the competition? In addition, how good is it is in areas that vivo claims it’s great at? We’ll find out in our vivo V30 5G review.

vivo V30 Specs

  • Android 14, Funtouch 14
  • Dual SIM, Dual standby
  • 6.78-inch 2.8K AMOLED display, 2800 x 1260 pixel resolution, 453ppi
  • 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+
  • 2.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 octa-core processor
  • Adreno 720 GPU
  • 12GB RAM
  • 256GB/512GB UFS 2.2 internal storage, non-expandable
  • 50-megapixel front camera, dual-LED flash
  • 50-megapixel (1/1.55-inch, f/1.9, PDAF, OIS) + 50-megapixel (ultra-wide, AF), ring LED flash
  • IP54 splash resistance
  • Under-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
  • Single loudspeaker, Hi-Res audio
  • HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
  • WiFi 6, dual-band
  • Bluetooth 5.4
  • GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, QZSS, BDS
  • NFC, USB-C
  • Dimensions: 164.4 x 75.1 x 7.5mm
  • Weight: 186g
  • Colors: Noble Black, Lush Green, Waving Aqua, Bloom White
  • 5,000mAh non-removable battery, 80W FlashCharge

Design and Build Quality

We loved the incredibly sleek and light design of V30’s predecessor, the vivo V29 5G, and we can say the same with the newer model. In fact, the dimensions are about the same when compared side-by-side.

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The V30 5G also weighs 186g and is 7.55mm thin, which feels even thinner thanks to its curved sides that are comfortable to hold. But it can be slippery at times, so make sure you use the free clear case for an improved grip.

vivo’s free clear case also does a good job of protecting the device, as any case should. The edges on top and bottom are high enough to put a gap between the screen and a flat surface when laid upside down. The same goes for the camera island on the back.

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Despite its ultra-sleek build, vivo didn’t skimp in durability for the vivo V30. For one, the front panel uses Schott Alpha glass, while the whole body is IP54 dust and splash-resistant. The frame also feels sturdy and doesn’t creak when we tried bending it.

vivo also went extra creative in designing the rear panel. There’s the Petals White colorway, which literally has a pattern that looks like flower petals. There’s also the Green Sea for a slightly cleaner look, with accents that looks like the calm sea.

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Taking a tour, we have the 6.78-inch AMOLED screen on the front. It has thin bezels, which look better with curved sides. The fingerprint scanner is underneath, while a punch-hole holds the selfie camera.

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The left side is clean, while on the right, we have the volume controls and the lock/power switch. The physical keys are clicky and tactile, but it does wobble making it feel flimsy.

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On top, it has the noise-isolating microphone and the words “Professional Portraits”, emphasizing one of the device’s biggest features.

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At the bottom, there’s the SIM tray that can house two nano SIMs — no space for a microSD card. There’s also the primary microphone, USB-C port, and the loudspeaker.

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Mastering low-light photography with the vivo V30 5G’s Aura Light 3.0

Display and Sound Quality

The vivo V30 5G has a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 2800 x 1260 resolution, and all the bells and whistles: 120Hz refresh rate, 300Hz touch sampling for sensitivity, HDR10+, 2800-nits of peak brightness, and P3 color.

You can adjust the screen colors and temperature, schedule the eye protection, switch between screen resolutions, set your preferred refresh rate, and enable the Visual Enhancement feature, which only works with a few apps like YouTube and Netflix.

I had no complaints about the display quality. As expected, it’s contrasty with deep blacks, colorful, fluid, and has ample brightness for outdoor use.

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One thing I want to complain about is the lack of stereo speakers, which should already be mandatory at this price point. It’s especially a big bummer when playing shooter games like PUBG Mobile as you won’t be able to tell which direction enemy footsteps and gunshots are coming from unless you use a pair of earphones.

Hardware and Performance

The vivo V30 5G is powered by a 2.6Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 octa-core processor, with a more powerful (compared to V29) Adreno 710 GPU, and two RAM and storage options: 12GB/512GB, and the unit we’re reviewing, 12GB/256GB.

vivo V30 5G Benchmark Scores

Like its predecessor, the vivo V30’s processor is still behind its competition. The device felt really smooth and snappy during our tests but expect occasional hiccups.

For gaming, Call of Duty and PUBG Mobile were playable under the highest settings. But like most phones, the back panel started to get warm after ~20 minutes of playing. We also managed to max out the graphics settings of Mobile Legends and Asphalt 9.

I tried Farlight 84 under maxed-out settings but had to dial down to HD as we were experiencing lags. Still, Extreme frame rates were possible.

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Genshin Impact was playable under the Low settings, which was set by default. Just make sure you enable the Boost performance mode to get the most out of it.

GameGraphics Settings
Call of Duty: Mobile• Graphics Quality: High
• Frame Rate: Max
Farlight84• Graphics Quality: HD
• Frame Rate: Extreme
• Resolution: Medium
PUBG Mobile• Graphics Quality: HD
• Frame Rate: Extreme
Genshin Impact• Graphics Quality: Low (Default)
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang• Graphics Quality: Super
• Frame Rate: Ultra
• HD Mode: On
Asphalt 9: Legends• Visual Quality: High Quality
• Frame Rate: 60

Software and User Interface

The vivo V30 5G comes with Android 14-based Funtouch OS 14 version. It looks relatively clean and straightforward. You can easily access widgets and the app drawer by swiping up from the home screen. The apps can be organized alphabetically or by usage frequency.

What I don’t appreciate is the large amount of pre-installed apps that results in a very cluttered home screen. Also, we found a lot of redundant apps. You get two browsers, gallery, and app stores — one from Google and one from vivo.

Oh, and we also don’t like the spam notifications from the v-Appstore and other preinstalled apps.

For customization, vivo offers the most AOD wallpaper options that we’ve seen on any OEM interface.

Funtouch OS also has a Simple Mode that has a more straightforward interface for the less techies out there. Plus, you get a bunch of customizable effects, animations, and more.

The fingerprint scanner worked well and vivo offers the most fingerprint animation designs we’ve seen. Face unlock was seamless, too.

You can also enable the Extended RAM feature in the settings and see how much you’ve used. For storage, the system eats up 23GB of space. In addition, there’s a feature lets you see and instantly remove rarely used apps to save space. You can also use the iManager app to optimize the memory and storage with a single button.

Camera

The vivo V30 5G has three 50-megapixel cameras. There’s the main shooter with f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS), an ultra-wide lens, and a 50-megapixel selfie snapper.

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Of course, one of its key features is the Aura Light 3.0, which now uses a much bigger soft light on the back. A traditional LED flash is still here.

In the daytime, the 50-megapixel main camera takes great photos with a vibrancy that’s exciting to the eyes, with the right amount of contrast, well-handled dynamic range, and a lot of details, so you can crop easily if you want to fix the framing after taking the shot.

Low-light shots look equally impressive, especially with the night mode enabled. Noise and grains are barely noticeable, details look relatively sharp, and motion blur is not a big issue.

Meanwhile, the Aura Light 3.0 does a good job of evenly lighting a subject’s face in low light and works much better than the traditional flash (which this one still has) as it prevents overexposure and overblown skin tones.

The light’s color temperature even changes automatically to match the scene and subject. You can also adjust it manually to fit your taste.

As expected, the 50-megapixel secondary rear cameras take sharp ultra-wide a.k.a 0.6x shots with nice colors. Low-light shots are impressive, too. However, it could’ve done a better job handling the contrast and dynamic range.

Finally, the 50-megapixel front-facing camera takes selfies with a lot of details and realistic colors. As a standard, vivo has included an array of face beauty options, portrait mode, and more to improve your selfie-taking experience.

Battery and Charging

One underrated feature of vivo phones is their battery life. What makes the vivo V30 5G special is that it managed to have the same impressive longevity despite its ultra-thin build.

It got a score of 18 hours and 35 minutes in PCMark’s battery loop test — one of the highest we get on any phones we’ve reviewed in the past few months. That’s a loop of synthetic workload with the WiFi and Bluetooth off and the screen brightness and volume at 50%.

I also ran a 1080p YouTube video over WiFi, where the vivo V30 5G managed to last 20 hours and 44 minutes before dropping from 100% to 0%.

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That impressive battery life is paired with a speedy 80W FlashCharge adapter, where a full charge only takes about 55 minutes. See the full test result below:

  • 15mins: 0-31% charge
  • 30mins: 61% charge
  • 45mins: 92% charge
  • 53mins: Full charge

Verdict

With only a few months to come up with a new one, vivo managed to improve the vivo V series impressively. Compared to the V29, the vivo V30 5G sports a bigger battery, a much better ultra-wide snapper, more powerful processor, and upgraded Aura Light.

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Still, compared to most of its competition, vivo falls behind in terms of processor choice, as a lot of competing devices have more powerful performance for the price. The lack of stereo speakers is also very disappointing.

But on its own, the vivo V30 5G is a great daily driver as it still provides a snappy performance, great cameras, a fancy display, and a surprisingly long battery life with fast charging — all packed in a sleek and ultra-thin body.

vivo V30 pricing and availability in PH

The vivo V30 5G has a price of Php24,999 and Php27,999 in the Philippines for the 12GB/256GB and 12GB/512GB variants, respectively. You can get it at vivo physical stores and partner retailers nationwide, and online through Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.

Pros

  • Light, sleek body
  • Colorful, curved display
  • Good cameras with Aura Light 3.0
  • Long battery life with fast charging

Cons

  • Competition has better performance
  • No stereo speakers
  • Thinness is a bit too much
  • Physical buttons wobble

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