Vivo just gave US and European phone photography bargain hunters a big reason to be jealous of their Indian counterparts: the newly revealed Vivo V80 mid-ranger brings the company’s Zeiss-influenced image processing to a much higher price point for the first time.
The Vivo X300 Ultra was one of my top phones for photography this year, but it demanded top-tier prices even if you lived in a region where it was officially sold. The V80 doesn’t come close to matching it on the hardware front with a more mainstream 50MP main snapper, 50MP telephoto good for 3x optical zoom and an 8MP ultrawide, plus a 50MP front cam with autofocus for selfie duties, but on first inspection it comes impressively close on color tones and textures.
That’s because Vivo’s filter-like picture profiles apply tone changes at a processing level, not as an effect slapped on your shot after you press the shutter button. The resulting photos look closer to analog film than the HDR-heavy, high-contrast shots you get from Google, Samsung, or Apple. How well it stacks up in terms of clarity, for example, a Google Pixel 10a can wait for a full review, but also the few quick snapshots I took after unboxing my demo unit, evening atmosphere.
Elsewhere, the Vivo V80 looks the part with a flat metal frame and frosted glass rear. Even the phone-spanning camera bump is made of glass, which really gives the impression of a much more expensive handset. It’s a hair under 7.7mm thick and weighs a very respectable 203g. You get both IP68 and IP69 resistance ratings, so water and dust won’t be a concern, and there’s an ultrasonic fingerprint reader under the screen.
I’ve only had the phone for a few days, but its 6.59in AMOLED display has given me no reason to sneeze: the 2750×12360 resolution is plenty sharp enough for a mid-ranger and the 144Hz refresh rate feels perfectly smooth when scrolling, although you’ll mostly get 120Hz unless you’re playing games that support more. Colors have a lot of oomph and of course contrast is great.
I still can’t vouch for Vivo’s claimed 5000 nits peak brightness, which would be enough to give much more expensive flagships a run for their money, but outdoor visibility was very good indeed.
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor is a giveaway that we deal with a more modest device here. It is unchanged from the previous gen Vivo V70, so it should cope well with Android 17 everyday features and functions – even with Vivo’s slightly cluttered OriginOS 7 interface on top – it won’t break any benchmark records.
I’m more interested in the huge 7200mAh battery, which should comfortably get through a full day of photography and still have some in reserve. Expect two days of mixed use. Even better, 90W fast charging should get you back to full in less than an hour with a compatible power brick.
The Vivo V80 is now on sale in India, priced at Rs 62,999 (around $650/£490) for the 8GB/128GB base model. It’s shipping in your choice of Sunrise Anthem, Horizon Blue and Stellar Black colors.
