Vivo T3 Ultra Review: A Performance-Centric Mid-Ranger

The Vivo T series, which stands for Turbo, has been one of the most important series for the brand. The series includes phones meant for power users at an affordable pricing. The company recently unveiled its next-generation T3 series phones, which include the T3 Pro, T3 5G, and more. However, these phones cater to the upper section of the mid-range segment. Now, the company is back with another product for the mid-range segment with the launch of T3 Ultra. The handset has a price tag of Rs 31,999 for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The mid variant with 8GB RAM + 256GB storage is priced at Rs 33,999, while the top-end model with 12GB + 256GB storage is available for Rs 35,999.

The latest smartphone from the brand offers some good value-for-money propositions like the powerful Dimensity 9200+ chipset, the new Sony IMX921 sensor, and more. That said, is it enough to give stiff competition to the likes of OnePlus, Honor, and Realme? Let’s find out in this review.

Vivo T3 Ultra Design: Deja Vu

• Dimensions – 164.1 x 74.93 x 7.58mm
• Weight – 192g
• Colours – Lunar Gray and Frost Green

Vivo has played it smartly with the design of the Vivo T3 Ultra. The latest smartphone is based on the more expensive Vivo V40 series in terms of design and feel, but of course, it has some downgrades. On a positive note, the handset looks sleek and lightweight when holding it. The weight distribution on the Vivo T3 Ultra is fairly balanced, meaning you will not feel much strain while holding or using it for a prolonged period.

The Vivo T3 Ultra offers a sleek design with a thickness of 7.58mm.

I got the Frost Green colour for the review, and I can say that this will probably be a popular choice for the customers. It offers a refresh colour option that gives a cool-minty vibe, but if you like neutral colours, you can also go for the Lunar Gray colour option. The rear panel offers a soft, velvety touch, which makes it quite comfortable to hold in the hand. The camera module looks just like the Vivo V40 series.

Now coming to some downgrades compared to the Vivo V40 series. The frames present in the Vivo T3 Ultra are made of plastic. Secondly, the company has added Schott Xsenation glass for protection, which is also a downgrade from the Corning Gorilla Glass protection available with the Vivo V40 series. That said, the phone does come with an IP68 rating, which makes it water and dust-resistant.

Vivo T3 Ultra Display: Crisp and Bright

• Display – 6.78-inch 1.5K curved AMOLED display
• Refresh Rate – 120Hz screen refresh rate
• Other Features – 480Hz touch sampling rate, Scott Xensation Glass protection, HDR10+, 4,500nits peak brightness

Coming to the display, the Vivo T3 Ultra 5G comes loaded with a curved AMOLED screen that offers a bezel-less experience. Being a curved display, the accidental touches are minimal, which is a common problem with such kinds of screens.

The handset comes loaded with a 6.78-inch quad-curved AMOLED display that offers crisp visuals.

The display offers crisp visuals and vibrant colours. The viewing angles are great, and the outdoor visibility is good, all thanks to the 4,500 nits of peak brightness. You also get three different colour modes to customise the display to your own taste. These include Standard, Professional, and Bright.

The Professional colours have better saturation, while the Bright mode makes the colours pop out slightly compared to the Standard. The handset also comes loaded with a dynamic 120Hz screen refresh rate, making the whole scrolling experience smooth. There is also a Visual Enhancement mode that optimises the colours and contrasts for apps like YouTube and Netflix to further make the viewing experience a better one.

The handset is available in two colour options: Lunar Gray and Frost Green.

The device also features an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is fast and reliable. The handset also packs stereo speakers, which deliver good audio output. However, you can crank it up to full volume, there is a little distortion.

Vivo T3 Ultra Software: Offers Good Features, though still bloatware-ridden

• Software – FunTouch OS 14
• Version – Android 14
• Updates Promised – 2 Years of OS updates and three years of security patches

The Vivo T3 Ultra comes loaded with FunTouch OS 14, based on the Android 14 operating system. The user interface does have its fair share of hits and misses. On the positive side, you get a plethora of customisation options. One can change the colours, style, icons, and pretty much anything in the user interface. My personal favourite is the Kinetic Wallpaper, which makes the flower bloom based on your step count. So, if you reach 4,000 steps (which you can also customise), it will fully bloom, giving a sense of achievement.

The handset ships with Android 14 with FunTouch OS 14 running on top of it.

However, there are some misses as well. Like every iteration of the FunTouch OS, you get a noticeable amount of bloatware. Although you can delete third-party apps, the same cannot be said for first-party ones, which is a bummer. The next culprits are the Hot Games and Hot Apps, which offer ads for popular apps and games. You also have a V-Appstore that spams you with notifications. Then comes the iManager app, which scans for every app you install from the Play Store and displays trending apps and games, which is the biggest turn-off for me. And sadly, there is no option to delete or disable these apps, so you need to bear them for eternity.

Vivo T3 Ultra Performance: Fast and Snappy

• Processor – MediaTek Dimensity 9200+
• Memory – Up to 12GB
• Storage – Up to 512GB

Vivo T3 Ultra comes loaded with the latest MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ processor, which is a rarity in this price segment as most of the phones are usually powered by the Dimensity 7300 variants or Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset. I must admit that the company has done a good job by introducing a flagship-grade SoC at this price point, which is also reflected in the synthetic benchmarks in the table below:

In day-to-day usage, the phone offers a smooth and fluid performance. The phone is responsive and offers a snappy performance. Whether it be scrolling Reels, watching videos on YouTube, or heavy multitasking, you will face no lag or stutter.

The smartphone is powered by a powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ processor.

When it comes to gaming, the phone handles most of the casual and heavy titles like a boss. I played Call of Duty: Mobile at Very High graphics and Max frame rates. During the gameplay, I didn’t notice any lag or stutter. However, on the downside, the phone did heat up quite a bit during prolonged gaming sessions. The heating issue was also noticeable while I ran benchmarks or recorded high-res video. The company should look into the throttling issue, and we might see some improvement in future updates (hopefully!).

Vivo T3 Ultra Cameras: Mixed Bag

• Rear – 50-megapixel Sony IMX921 sensor with f/1.79 aperture + 8-megapixel Ultra-Wide Camera
• Front – 50-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture

Vivo has also added some good arsenals in the camera section. The smartphone comes with a better 50-megapixel Sony IMX921 sensor along with an ultra-wide-angle lens. The camera user interface is quite simple to use, and you can access all the important features with a simple swipe. One can also access different options in the More section, including High Resolution, Slo-mo, Supermoon, Astro, Pro, and more.

The handset comes with three different shooting modes: Natural, Textured, and Vivid. The Natural modes capture close-to-source colours, while the textured mode captures slightly contrast-driven photos. The Vivid mode offers more Instagram-worthy photos.

Vivo T3 Ultra daylight camera samples. (Tap to Expand)

Coming to the performance, the Vivo T3 Ultra delivers good results in the daylight. The primary sensor captures the right amount of details and decent colours. The dynamic range seems to be decent when the lights are apt. However, I noticed the camera to be a bit inconsistent in some conditions. In some photos, the shadows were a bit underexposed and in some, the highlights were a bit off. The phone does not have a dedicated 2x telephoto lens. However, it still manages to capture some good details in the daylight conditions.

Vivo T3 Ultra low-light camera samples. The top image is taken in 2x mode, while the middle one is 1x. (Tap to Expand)

Coming to the low-light performance, the phone was able to capture some decent photos with minimal noise. However, you can still see some noises and grains in dark areas after you zoom in. You will also notice a slight shift in colour temperature in 1x and 2x shots, which was odd.

Vivo T3 Ultra wide-angle camera samples in daylight and low light. (Tap to Expand)

The ultra-wide angle came out to be a mixed-bag one. In daylight, it does capture some decent photos, but the colour appears to be slightly washed out. Moreover, the issue of barrel distortion is quite prominent in the photos.

Portrait mode 1x (bottom) and 2x (top). (Tap to Expand)

The phone comes with portrait mode for both front and rear with 0.8x, 1x, and 2x. Although the rear camera does a decent job of capturing the photos with some natural-looking bokeh, I seriously don’t get the point of using a 2x mode in the selfie camera. This usually results in a passport-like photo, which, for me, is completely unnecessary.

Vivo T3 Ultra selfie camera samples daylight and low light. (Tap to Expand)

Coming to the selfie performance, the handset does an excellent job of handling skin tones and colours. However, the HDR performance is subpar compared to the competition. In low light conditions, you get some decent shots when the lights are ample, but in dark areas, the photo came out to be grainy and full of noises.

The video recording capabilities of the Vivo T3 Ultra are decent as well. You get 4K video at 60fps on both front and rear cameras. The video quality is good, with natural-looking colours and decent stabilisation.

Vivo T3 Ultra Battery: Decent Output

• Battery Capacity – 5,500mAh
• Wired Charging – 80W Fast Charging
• Charger – 80W (Included in Box)

The Vivo T3 Ultra is equipped with a decent 5,500mAh battery, which is again a rare thing in this price segment. The battery backup of the device was decent at best. With casual to moderate usage, I was able to get almost 1.5 days of battery life. However, with heavy usage that includes playing COD Mobile for almost one hour, using the camera to take photos and videos, watching YouTube, scrolling on Instagram, and more, the phone lasted until the end of the day.

The smartphone packs a 5,500mAh battery with 80W fast charging support.

The phone lasted 21 hours and 30 minutes in the HD battery loop test. The charging speeds are also quite decent. With the 80W fast charger provided by the company, the phone charged 33 percent in 15 minutes, 59 percent in 30 minutes, and 100 percent in 55 minutes.

Vivo T3 Ultra Verdict

To conclude, the Vivo T3 Ultra brings a lot of interesting features to the table. You get a premium design that is lightweight and comfortable to hold. The display is probably one of the best in the segment. The performance is up to mark, though there are misses in the software department. The cameras are decent, but we have seen better cameras in the form of  Honor 200 (Review), Realme GT 6T (Review), Motorola Edge 50 Pro (Review), and OnePlus Nord 4 (Review). That said, if you are looking for a performance-centric phone with a decent design and a good display, then you can consider this smartphone.