The Vivo V40 Pro is here, and it is the most jacked-up V-series phone ever made.
In addition to Zeiss-tuned cameras, it also offers a powerful Dimensity 9200+ chipset, a bright display with 4500 nits peak brightness, and an IP68 rating. By the way, it also finally has stereo speakers.
It starts at ₹49,999, which is quite a good price considering the high-end cameras and chipset on offer.
However, there’s also an underrated camera phone in this segment: the Moto Edge 50 Ultra. Generally, Motorola phones aren’t really known for cameras, but this one proved to be an exception.
Also, it was launched at ₹60,000, but since day one, it has been sold at ₹55,000, because the company did take the launch price criticism quite seriously.
So, which one of these two camera-centric flagship killers is better? Let’s find out!
Vivo V40 Pro vs Motorola Edge 50 Ultra Camera Review
The Vivo V40 Pro has three 50MP cameras at the back: a main, an ultrawide, and a 2x telephoto.
I’m guessing that Vivo is not giving a 3x telephoto on this phone to avoid an overlap with the X100, but it should have been there considering the price.
On the other hand, the Edge 50 Ultra also features a triple rear camera system consisting of a 50MP primary, 12MP ultrawide, and a 64MP 3x periscope lens.
The V40 Pro, as before, has a Zeiss-tuned system, while the Moto has Pantone validated colours on its cameras, even though there is no Pantone label on it.
Please watch the video the see camera samples.
Let’s start with the main camera. Daytime shots are a bit confusing, because sometimes Vivo adds more saturation to colours, other times it’s the Moto. But in general, Moto’s colours are more true to life, while the Vivo adds more contrast.
Vivo’s indoor shots are also contrasty and look crisp, but the Moto extracts more detail in shadows.
Low light photos definitely come out better on the Vivo. However, it adds a blue tint to the sky, to fix it, you gotta disable the dedicated night mode.
The V40 Pro also finally has stabilisation for its 4K 60fps videos, but they still remain less stable than the Moto’s footage.
The Edge 50 Ultra also extracts out more detail in low light videos.
Moving on to the telephoto camera is an obvious victory for the V40 Pro. Vivo’s best in business portrait algorithms make its portrait shots amazing.
Take this photo for instance. It was sitting under a harsh yellow light, which is quite evident in this photo taken by the Edge 50 Ultra. But the Vivo processed everything so beautifully, restoring my skin and shirt colour. And this is without Aura light or beautification enabled.
And this is a constant theme, the V40 Pro is quite unbeatable for portrait photos, of both people and objects.
In fact, Zeiss portraits also work wonderfully with the main sensor.
On the other hand, Motorola’s telephoto camera has shutter lag issues, so a lot of shots I took with it just came out to be blurry.
The Zeiss filters on the V40 Pro add a unique look to your portrait photos, making them stand out.
However, Vivo has been a bit overambitious with the V40 Pro. While its telephoto camera is 50mm, you also get 85mm and 100mm options for portraits, which mostly look oversharpened. So, stick to 50mm for best results.
Also, the Aura Light on this phone is smaller and brighter than its predecessor, but this iteration basically works like a flash, often throwing harsh light on the subject. Not a fan.
Finally, talking of ultrawide cameras, the Moto does a great job. Its ultrawide has a wider field of view, yet it captures more details and better colours than the Vivo.
Coming to selfies, the Moto keeps skin tones more natural, while the Vivo will expose your face much better. It is a matter of personal preference.
It can be hard to choose a winner here, so let me make it simple. The Vivo V40 is better at taking photos of people from both its main and telephoto cameras. It also takes better night time photos from the main sensor. The Edge 50 Ultra has a better ultrawide camera overall. It also takes better videos from its main sensor.
Design & Build
Let’s now shift focus on the design and in-hand feel. Both these smartphones have a curved glass sandwich design, which gives them a sleek and sophisticated look.
The V40 Pro’s unique “bottle opener” camera island and matt grey color look great in my opinion but are prone to fingerprints. It also has a glass back with a plastic frame and despite its 5,500mAh battery, it’s slim and light at 192g and 7.6mm.
The Moto, with a 1,000mAh smaller battery, is thicker and heavier but feels better in hand with its narrower aluminum frame and grippy faux wood finish.
Its camera island blends smoothly into the back, though the oval cutout disrupts symmetry. Both phones are IP68-rated, which is a nice flagship feature to have.
But I should point out that the Haptics are underwhelming on both phones. The Moto’s feedback is weak, and the Vivo’s just feels like an old-school vibrator motor.
Display
Display-wise, the V40 Pro has a 6.78-inch AMOLED with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the Moto offers a 6.7-inch pOLED with a 144Hz refresh rate.
Moto’s warm color calibration isn’t ideal, and its auto brightness struggles outdoors. The Vivo’s display is brighter and doesn’t have these issues. However, the Moto’s Dolby Atmos speakers are superior and sound more clear.
Performance & Software
In terms of performance, the Edge 50 Ultra has the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, and the V40 Pro is powered by the Dimensity 9200+.
Please watch the video to see benchmark scores.
Both score similarly on Antutu, but Vivo shows better CPU stability.
On the Solar Bay Stress test, Vivo once again scored higher, but it demonstrated less stability throughout the test.
Moto’s UFS 4.0 storage means faster game loading, though both phones warm up during heavy use, with the Edge 50 Ultra heating up faster because of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3.
As for software, Motorola’s Hello UI is clean and close to stock Android but has occasional stutters. Vivo’s Funtouch OS 14 is cluttered with bloatware but is highly optimized for speed.
Both phones have AI features, with Vivo offering an AI object eraser and Moto a wallpaper generator.
I would like to see more useful AI features on these smartphones via an update.
Battery Life
Finally, let’s talk about battery life, and there’s no comparison here. The Edge 50 Ultra has a 4500mAh cell while the V40 Pro has 5,500mAh cell. So, you can easily extract 9 hours of screen time from the Vivo with mixed use, while the Moto will not exceed 7.5 hours.
But Motorola does get bonkers charging speeds at 125W wired and 50W wireless.
The 50W wireless charging requires a proprietary charger, so I could not test it, but the wired charging fully charges this phone in approximately 20 minutes.
The Vivo has no wireless charging, and its wired charging is rated at 80W, which is not bad, but is no match for the Moto.
Vivo V40 Pro Review: Better than Motorola Edge 50 Ultra?
So, the V40 Pro and Edge 50 Ultra are two great smartphones for around ₹50,000. However, if I had to choose one, I’d go with the Vivo because of its great portrait algorithms, better display, and superior battery life.
On the other hand, if you film more videos, the Moto might be the better option for you. It also offers a better in-hand feel, and comes with wireless charging.
