This budget Vivo phone is sturdier than it looks
Let's take a break from the pumped up flagships and see what approximately $213 can get us. Oh, look, it's the just-released Vivo V40 SE 4G!
This budget-friendly friend (released in the Czech Republic with a starting price of 4,999 CZK, or ~$213) surprises with an AMOLED display with a high refresh rate, but corners had to be cut… obviously.
Before we proceed to its specs, I want to highlight some durability data about the Vivo V40 SE 4G. Vivo say that it has tested this fella extensively:
Sounds impressive.
The Vivo V40 SE features a design with a rectangular camera module on the back: nothing to write home about. This module houses three vertically aligned cameras and a LED flash. The camera sensors are accented with a silver or gold ring. The phone is sleek at 7.79 mm in thickness and weighing 186 grams.
The V40 SE 4G is available in two color options: Crystal Black and Leather Purple. The Leather Purple option provides a vegan leather finish for a premium feel. Additionally, the phone boasts IP54-rated water resistance, offering users some protection against some splashes.
The Vivo V40 SE sports a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution. The AMOLED panel should deliver deep blacks and vibrant colors, so that's nice. With a high 120Hz refresh rate, users can expect smooth interactions. The display also reaches a peak brightness of 1800 nits, which is impressive for this price range.
On the rear, the phone features a 50MP primary sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and a flicker sensor. However, the absence of an ultra-wide camera may be a drawback for some users. Dedicated telephoto camera shouldn't even be mentioned. For selfies and video calls, the front of the phone is equipped with an 8MP camera. Just enough.
Now, the not so great part! The Vivo V40 SE is powered by the Snapdragon 685 chipset, based on 6nm architecture with 8 cores. While the chipset is suitable for general tasks like browsing and social media, it may not be ideal for gaming and is limited to 4G connectivity. The phone comes with 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and offers storage options of 128GB or 256GB UFS 2.2. For comparison, the CMF Phone 1 in a similar price range offers a Dimensity 7300 chip with better performance and 5G connectivity.
The device features a 5,000mAh battery with 80W fast charging support, which is simply amazing. It runs on FunTouch OS 14 based on Android 14 and includes additional features like an in-screen fingerprint sensor for enhanced security, 8GB of virtual RAM, and a microSD card slot for expandable storage.
It's amazing what ~$213 can get you these days!
This budget-friendly friend (released in the Czech Republic with a starting price of 4,999 CZK, or ~$213) surprises with an AMOLED display with a high refresh rate, but corners had to be cut… obviously.
- 32,000 times (Tests of drops from a small height)
- 150,000 times (Volume button press tests)
- 20,000 times (USB port tests)
- 500,000 times (Power button press tests)
- (Minus) –20°C to 50°C (Phone in use: –4°F to 122°F)
- (Minus) –40°C to 75°C (Phone in storage: –40°F to 167°F)
In a nutshell, the Vivo S40 SE can be described with the following mixed bag of specs:
- 6.67-inch AMOLED display (I like that!
- Snapdragon 685 chipset, so no 5G (it's 2024, don't expect miracles out of it)
- 8GB of RAM (pretty decent, if you don't do anything crazy)
- 5,000mAh battery with 80W fast charging (simply amazing!)
The Vivo V40 SE features a design with a rectangular camera module on the back: nothing to write home about. This module houses three vertically aligned cameras and a LED flash. The camera sensors are accented with a silver or gold ring. The phone is sleek at 7.79 mm in thickness and weighing 186 grams.
The V40 SE 4G is available in two color options: Crystal Black and Leather Purple. The Leather Purple option provides a vegan leather finish for a premium feel. Additionally, the phone boasts IP54-rated water resistance, offering users some protection against some splashes.
The Vivo V40 SE sports a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution. The AMOLED panel should deliver deep blacks and vibrant colors, so that's nice. With a high 120Hz refresh rate, users can expect smooth interactions. The display also reaches a peak brightness of 1800 nits, which is impressive for this price range.
Now, the not so great part! The Vivo V40 SE is powered by the Snapdragon 685 chipset, based on 6nm architecture with 8 cores. While the chipset is suitable for general tasks like browsing and social media, it may not be ideal for gaming and is limited to 4G connectivity. The phone comes with 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and offers storage options of 128GB or 256GB UFS 2.2. For comparison, the CMF Phone 1 in a similar price range offers a Dimensity 7300 chip with better performance and 5G connectivity.
The device features a 5,000mAh battery with 80W fast charging support, which is simply amazing. It runs on FunTouch OS 14 based on Android 14 and includes additional features like an in-screen fingerprint sensor for enhanced security, 8GB of virtual RAM, and a microSD card slot for expandable storage.
It's amazing what ~$213 can get you these days!
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