Vivo V30e 5G Review: Premium smartphone at ?27,999 with ever-lasting battery life

Vivo V30e 5G Review: The Vivo smartphone journey has been impressive over the years with devices ranging from budget to premium models. However, the company has a greater user base in the mid-range market due to its eye-catching designs, impressive performance, and user experience. Earlier this year, the company launched the new Vivo V30 series, and now it has announced a new addition to the V-series family with the Vivo V30e. The smartphone was unveiled this week in attractive colour options and a unique matte yet glossy finish, making it look premium. The Vivo V30e was announced in the mid-range segment, where the competition is already very strong with powerful smartphones such as Poco X6 Pro, Nothing Phone 2a, OnePlus Nord CE 4, and others.

Nowadays, several smartphone brands are focusing on integrating AI-powered features into their devices, the Vivo V30e is a basic yet impressive smartphone which may be liked by several users who seek smooth performance without breaking the bank. I used the Vivo V30e 5G for over a week to understand its performance, functionality, and more. While it's my first time using a Vivo smartphone, I thoroughly enjoyed how swiftly it carries out tasks. Know more about the newly launched Vivo V30e 5G in this in-depth review.

Vivo V30e 5G Review: Design and Display

The Vivo V30e 5G is an aesthetic marvel which blends well with a glittery matte finish along with the patterned glossy panel. The combination of matte and glossy back design on the Velvet Red colour variant looks very pleasing at first glimpse. The combination was also available in the Vivo V29e, but there are several noticeable design changes in the new-gen. The biggest change will be the circular or gem-cut camera module with a gold ring. The camera module reminded me of the Honor X9b and the Realme 12 Pro. Therefore, in my opinion, it does not have any uniqueness in terms of smartphone design but it still checks all the style requirements.

On the front, the Vivo V30e 5G features a slim 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED display. The display offers up to 1300nits peak brightness which is adequate for high sunlight conditions. In terms of the viewing experience, you can never go wrong with a curved display. Additionally, the smartphone brings out stunningly realistic and vibrant colours but the HDR content was not available which several other mid-range smartphones provide. The smartphone also offers up to 120Hz refresh rate which makes the functioning of the device a breeze. But note that the predecessor supported similar display specs as the Vivo V30e.

Vivo V30e 5G Review: Camera

The Vivo V30e 5G is a camera-centric smartphone, but does it live up to the hype? Well, the smartphone features a dual camera system which consists of a 50MP Sony IMX882 OIS main camera that manages to capture clear and detailed images in a well-lit lighting condition. I liked the fact that the smartphone captured natural colours and tones. The images did not look saturated but nuanced. Although it does not include a macro lens, it still manages to quickly focus on the object. The secondary camera is the 8MP ultra-wide lens which also captures decent images. However, the photos captured during the low-lighting conditions lacked the punch of vibrant colours, which felt like the smartphone could do more. In my opinion, the camera is decent considering the price, but there are more options available such as the Nothing Phone 2a and OnePlus Nord CE 4.

The 50MP Eye AF front camera managed to capture exceptional social media-worthy images. The front camera also provides a natural beauty touch-up feature which makes the skin look smooth and I liked how naturally it enhances the face without making the photo look edited. Therefore, the camera performance of the Vivo V30e 5G is acceptable but not the best in this price range.

Vivo V30e 5G Review: Performance

The Vivo V30e 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Processor which also powers several latest smartphones such as Honor X9B, Realme P1 Pro 5G, and more. While it is an older-generation chipset, its performance gets the job done adequately. While using the device, I did not experience slow performance or jittery usage. However, I was confused about how the fingerprint scanner works it took a great amount of time to scan the finger. On the other hand, the face lock instantly unlocked the device.

After a good 2 hours of usage, you may notice a slight heating around the camera module. In terms of gaming, the smartphone does stutter during extended hours of playing BGMI and you may experience a bit of slower performance. Additionally, BGMI and Free Fire Max do not support Ultra HD gaming.

The Vivo V30e 5G runs on FuntouchOS 14 based on Android 14, and I must say you will not be disappointed with the user interface. The smartphone has several customisation options which will allow you to completely change the look and feel of the device based on your aesthetics. Additionally, the clock app icon showcases time which makes it look extremely innovative. Lastly, the smartphone comes with basic bloatware such as PhonePe, Netflix, and other Vivo apps.

Vivo V30e 5G Review: Battery

The Vivo V30e 5G is equipped with a 5500mAh battery which provides a stellar battery life. The smartphone could easily go up to a day and a half with a single charge in low to medium usage. Moderate usage such as performing basic smartphone tasks like an hour of gaming, scrolling through social media, watching web series, and others could last the battery for an entire day. Even during extended gaming hours, the battery did not drain very quickly, making it a standout smartphone from the crowd in terms of battery life.

Additionally, you also get a 44W charging adapter with the box, which is a rare case in most smartphones. The smartphone requires more than 1 hour and 30 minutes of charging time to fully power up the device.

Vivo V30e 5G Review: Verdict

So should you buy this smartphone? Well, that highly depends on usage. If you are someone who is attracted towards a sleek, lightweight and good-looking smartphone, then the Vivo V303 checks all the boxes. While the smartphone lacks in some areas, it does excel in providing impressive battery life, great viewing experience, decent gaming experience, acceptable camera performance and more. However, if you have heavy smartphone usage and looking for gaming purposes then you can skip this one.