The Vivo T3 Ultra emerges as a compelling contender in the mid-range smartphone market, boasting a powerful chipset, a stunning display, and a camera system that leans towards the premium side. But with a price tag of Rs 31,999 for the base variant, it faces stiff competition from established players like OnePlus, Honor, and Realme. This review delves into the Vivo T3 Ultra’s design, display, software, performance, cameras, battery life, and overall value proposition, answering the critical question: Does it have the power to disrupt the mid-range segment?
Vivo T3 Ultra Design: Deja Vu
The Vivo T3 Ultra cleverly borrows design elements from the pricier Vivo V40 series, offering a premium look and feel at a more accessible price. The device exudes a sleekness and lightweight nature, measuring 164.1 x 74.93 x 7.58mm and weighing in at 192g. This balanced weight distribution ensures comfortable handling even during prolonged use.
The review unit, in Frost Green, delivers a refreshing and cool-minty vibe, likely a popular choice for users. If you prefer neutral tones, the Lunar Gray option is also available. The rear panel boasts a soft, velvety touch, enhancing the grip and creating a pleasant tactile experience. The camera module mirrors the design of the Vivo V40 series, adding to the overall aesthetic.
While the design borrows heavily from the higher-end V40 series, some downgrades are noticeable. The frame is crafted from plastic and the protection is Schott Xsenation glass, a step down from the Corning Gorilla Glass found on the V40 line. However, the Vivo T3 Ultra compensates with an IP68 rating, guaranteeing water and dust resistance.
Vivo T3 Ultra Display: Crisp and Bright
The Vivo T3 Ultra features a captivating 6.78-inch 1.5K curved AMOLED display, boasting a 120Hz screen refresh rate and a 480Hz touch sampling rate. This combination results in a smooth, seamless scrolling experience, minimizing the awkwardness of accidental touches often associated with curved displays.
The display shines with its crisp visuals and vibrant colors. The 4,500 nits of peak brightness ensure excellent outdoor visibility, and the wide viewing angles guarantee clarity from various perspectives. The HDR10+ certification further enhances the viewing experience, delivering a richer and more immersive picture.
For customization, the Vivo T3 Ultra offers three color modes: Standard, Professional, and Bright. Professional mode enhances saturation for lifelike colors, while Bright mode intensifies colors for a more eye-catching look compared to the Standard mode. Additionally, the Visual Enhancement mode optimizes colors and contrasts for a more enjoyable experience with apps like YouTube and Netflix.
The Vivo T3 Ultra complements its impressive display with an in-display fingerprint sensor, providing fast and reliable unlocking. Stereo speakers deliver satisfying audio output but exhibit a slight distortion at full volume.
Vivo T3 Ultra Software: Offers Good Features, though still Bloatware-ridden
The Vivo T3 Ultra runs FunTouch OS 14 based on Android 14, presenting a mix of benefits and drawbacks. On the positive side, FunTouch OS 14 offers a wealth of customization options. Users can personalize the look and feel with a wide selection of colors, styles, icons, and more. The Kinetic Wallpaper is a standout feature, letting the wallpaper blossom based on your step count.
However, FunTouch OS 14 inherits the infamous bloatware issue. While third-party apps can be deleted, first-party apps remain stubbornly present, a frustrating limitation. Hot Games and Hot Apps bombard users with ads for popular apps and games, and the V-Appstore sends persistent notifications. The iManager app scans installed apps from the Play Store and aggressively promotes trending applications, a major annoyance. Sadly, these apps are unremovable, clinging to the phone indefinitely.
Vivo T3 Ultra Performance: Fast and Snappy
The Vivo T3 Ultra sets itself apart with the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ processor, a remarkable feat for a mid-range device. The processor outpaces most competitors, which typically rely on Dimensity 7300 variants or Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipsets. This flagship-grade SoC delivers an impressive benchmark performance, as illustrated by the table:
| 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 |
In everyday use, the Vivo T3 Ultra shines with its smooth performance. The device handles scrolling, video playback, and heavy multitasking with ease, delivering a consistently snappy and responsive experience.
When it comes to gaming, the Vivo T3 Ultra effortlessly manages most demanding titles. Call of Duty: Mobile, played at Very High graphics and Max frame rates, showcased impressive performance with no lag or stutter. However, prolonged gaming sessions do generate significant heat, and the throttling issue becomes noticeable during benchmarking or high-resolution video recording. This throttling necessitates attention from Vivo, and hopefully, future updates will address this concern.
Vivo T3 Ultra Cameras: Mixed Bag
The Vivo T3 Ultra aims high in the camera department, featuring a 50-megapixel Sony IMX921 sensor with an f/1.79 aperture coupled with an 8-megapixel Ultra-Wide Camera. The user-friendly camera interface offers straightforward access to key functions and additional features including High Resolution, Slo-mo, Supermoon, Astro, Pro, and more.
The camera provides a trio of shooting modes: Natural, Textured, and Vivid. Natural mode captures true-to-life colors, while Textured mode enhances contrast for a more dramatic look. Vivid mode delivers vibrant photos ideal for Instagram and similar platforms.
Daylight performance emerges as a strength. The primary sensor consistently captures detailed and accurate photos with decent color reproduction. The dynamic range proves capable even in challenging lighting. However, the camera exhibits some inconsistency in certain conditions, with shadows occasionally appearing underexposed or highlights exhibiting slight imperfections. The absence of a dedicated 2x telephoto lens is noticeable, but the phone still manages to capture impressive details in daylight.
Low-light performance demonstrates a significant improvement. Photographs display minimal noise, yielding decent shots with just a touch of graininess evident in darker areas at closer inspection. A curious aspect is a slight colour temperature shift observed in 1x and 2x shots.
The ultra-wide-angle lens demonstrates a mixed bag of results. While producing satisfactory photographs in daylight, color appears slightly washed out. Distorting barrel effects are also noticeable in the images.
The portrait mode, available for both front and rear cameras at 0.8x, 1x, and 2x, offers a respectable performance. The rear camera effectively captures photographs with natural-looking bokeh. However, the inclusion of a 2x mode in the selfie camera seems unnecessary, often generating passport-like photos.
The selfie performance delivers a superb representation of skin tones and colors. The phone excels in capturing pleasant selfies, but HDR performance lags behind competitors. Low-light conditions yield decent results in well-lit areas, but darker areas introduce increased grain and noise.
The Vivo T3 Ultra’s video recording capabilities are commendable. Both the front and rear cameras support 4K video at 60fps, producing smooth and detailed footage with accurate colors and decent stabilization.
Vivo T3 Ultra Battery: Decent Output
The Vivo T3 Ultra boasts a robust 5,500mAh battery, a remarkable feature for a mid-range device. Battery backup proves adequate, offering up to 1.5 days of battery life with casual to moderate usage. However, heavy tasks like prolonged gaming (e.g., an hour of COD Mobile), intensive camera use, YouTube streaming, Instagram browsing, and more, resulted in the phone lasting until the end of the day.
The HD battery loop test showcased impressive endurance, with the phone running for 21 hours and 30 minutes. The included 80W fast charger offers speedy charging capabilities. The phone charges to 33 percent in just 15 minutes, reaching 59 percent in 30 minutes and achieving 100 percent in 55 minutes.
Vivo T3 Ultra Verdict
Overall, the Vivo T3 Ultra presents a compelling combination of features. Its premium design, comfortable grip, and stunning display stand out significantly in the mid-range segment. While performance is excellent, the software burden of bloatware is a consistent drawback. Though the cameras deliver decent results, they haven’t quite reached the superior levels achieved by phones like the Honor 200, the Realme GT 6T, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, and the OnePlus Nord 4.
If you’re prioritizing performance, a premium aesthetic, and a top-notch display, the Vivo T3 Ultra deserves serious consideration. However, users who prioritize a clean user interface, unfettered by bloatware, and a camera system exceeding the competition may find the Vivo T3 Ultra a slightly less compelling choice.
