Vivo T3 Ultra Review: A Powerful Performer With A Premium Design But Software Woes
Vivo’s T series has consistently aimed to deliver feature-rich smartphones for power users at competitive prices. Their latest offering, the Vivo T3 Ultra, aims to solidify this position with a powerful Dimensity 9200+ chipset, a large 5,500mAh battery, and a camera system featuring the new Sony IMX921 sensor. However, can this phone truly stand out against the likes of OnePlus, Honor, and Realme? This review delves into every aspect of the Vivo T3 Ultra to find out.
Vivo T3 Ultra Design: Deja Vu and Upgrades
The Vivo T3 Ultra adopts a design language reminiscent of the pricier Vivo V40 series, offering a sleek and lightweight feel. The phone weighs 192g, making it comfortable to hold for extended periods. The weight distribution is balanced, reducing hand strain. The review unit, in Frost Green, boasts a refreshing, cool-minty vibe that will likely appeal to many. The Lunar Gray option serves those who prefer a more neutral aesthetic. The rear panel boasts a soft, velvety touch, adding to the overall comfort.
While it borrows design cues from the V40 series, the T3 Ultra makes some compromises. The frame is made of plastic, and the Schott Xsenation Glass protection is a downgrade from the Corning Gorilla Glass found on the V40 series. However, the phone does gain an IP68 rating, offering water and dust resistance.
Vivo T3 Ultra Display: Crisp, Bright, and Curvy
The Vivo T3 Ultra boasts a 6.78-inch quad-curved AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and animations. The curved screen minimizes accidental touches, a common issue with such displays. The visuals are crisp, with vibrant colours and excellent viewing angles. Outdoor visibility is excellent, aided by the impressive 4,500 nits peak brightness.
Three colour modes – Standard, Professional, and Bright – allow users to customize the display experience. The Professional mode emphasizes saturation, while the Bright mode offers more vibrant colours. The phone even features a Visual Enhancement mode that optimizes colours and contrast for apps like YouTube and Netflix, further enhancing viewing pleasure.
Complementing the impressive display is an in-display fingerprint sensor that is both fast and reliable. The handset also packs stereo speakers delivering excellent audio quality, though there’s a subtle distortion at full volume.
Vivo T3 Ultra Software: Loaded With Features, But Bloatware Remains a Hurdle
Running FunTouch OS 14 based on Android 14, the Vivo T3 Ultra offers ample customization options. Users can change colours, styling, icons, and many other UI elements. One highlight is the Kinetic Wallpaper, where a flower blooms in tandem with your step count, providing a sense of achievement.
However, FunTouch OS remains burdened by bloatware. While third-party apps can be deleted, preinstalled first-party apps persist. Hot Games and Hot Apps, along with the V-Appstore, deliver notifications and spam users with promotions. The iManager app, which scans for Play Store installs and displays trending apps and games, is particularly intrusive. Unfortunately, these apps cannot be deleted or disabled, forcing users to tolerate them.
Vivo T3 Ultra Performance: A Flagship-Level Experience
Under the hood, the Vivo T3 Ultra features the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ processor, a rare sight in this price segment. This flagship-grade SoC delivers exceptional performance, reflected in the synthetic benchmarks presented below.
| Benchmark | Vivo T3 Ultra | OnePlus Nord 4 | Realme GT 6T | Motorola Edge 50 Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu v10 | 1,426,439 | 1,074,178 | 1,462,980 | 818,387 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 12,032 | 12,336 | 19,517 | 13,730 |
| Geekbench 6 Single Core | 1809 | 929 | 1,843 | 1142 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi Core | 5073 | 3,817 | 4,756 | 3124 |
| 3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out |
| 3DM Slingshot | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | 8393 |
| 3DM Wild Life | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | Maxed Out | 5394 |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 14989 | 11588 | 11481 | 5457 |
| GFXBench T-Rex | 120 | 60 | 60 | 116 |
| GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 | 118 | 60 | 60 | 61 |
| GFXBench Car Chase | 79 | 60 | 60 | 32 |
The Vivo T3 Ultra delivers smooth and fluid performance in everyday tasks, offering responsiveness and a snappy user experience. Scrolling through social media feeds, watching videos on YouTube, and multitasking are all handled effortlessly.
The phone excels in gaming performance, smoothly handling even demanding titles. Call of Duty: Mobile played flawlessly at Very High graphics and Max frame rates, with no lag or stutter. However, prolonged gaming sessions, benchmarking tests, and high-resolution video recording cause noticeable heating.
Vivo T3 Ultra Cameras: A Mixed Bag of Performance
The T3 Ultra features a 50-megapixel Sony IMX921 sensor with an ultra-wide-angle lens. The camera interface is straightforward, allowing easy access to essential features and various shooting modes. While the phone lacks a dedicated 2x telephoto lens, it still delivers decent detail in daylight conditions.
The primary sensor captures good detail and accurate colours in daylight. Dynamic range is also adequate in well-lit environments. However, inconsistency arises in certain lighting conditions, resulting in underexposed shadows or overexposed highlights.
The low-light performance is decent, showing minimal noise. However, zooming in reveals noise and grain in darker areas. There’s a curious shift in colour temperature between 1x and 2x shots.
The ultra-wide-angle lens provides adequate performance in daylight but suffers from colour washout and significant barrel distortion.
The Portrait mode performs well on both front and rear cameras, capturing pleasing bokeh effects. However, the addition of a 2x mode in the selfie camera, resulting in passport-like photos, feels unnecessary.
The phone excels in video recording, offering 4K videos at 60fps on both front and rear cameras. The video quality is impressive, with natural colours and decent stabilization.
Vivo T3 Ultra Battery: Decent Longevity and Fast Charging Speeds
The Vivo T3 Ultra packs a substantial 5,500mAh battery, rare in this price segment. Battery life is decent, offering up to 1.5 days with casual to moderate usage. Heavy usage, including prolonged gaming, camera use, and social media browsing, allows for a full day of battery life.
The device achieved a 21 hours and 30 minutes score in the HD battery loop test. The included 80W fast charger ensures quick charging speeds: 33 percent in 15 minutes, 59 percent in 30 minutes, and 100 percent in 55 minutes.
Vivo T3 Ultra Verdict: Powerful Performance With Trade-offs
The Vivo T3 Ultra offers a compelling package with a premium design, an excellent display, and powerful performance. However, software bloatware detracts from the experience, and camera performance is inconsistent, especially in challenging lighting conditions.
If you prioritize performance and enjoy a sleek, comfortable design, then Vivo T3 Ultra is a contender. However, it’s crucial to consider the software limitations and the camera performance before making a decision. The device offers a compelling value proposition but is not without its flaws.
