ZTE Blade V40 Pro and ZTE Blade V40 Vita smartphones review

In this review, we will get to know the available smartphones of the ZTE Blade line. The devices have a nice design, large displays, a good amount of memory, and batteries with a large capacity. Let everything on paper remain on paper, and we will reveal the advantages and disadvantages of these gadgets in practice. Traditionally, let’s start with the specifications.

ZTE Blade V40 Pro specifications

ZTE Blade V40 Vita specifications

Configuration 

The user, in addition to the smartphone, will receive only what is necessary in a box made of thick cardboard: a charger, a USB – Type-C cable (Type-C – Type-C in the older model), a SIM tray removal tool, and documentation. The ZTE Blade V40 Pro user will additionally receive a silicone case. It will not be superfluous to note that the high-speed charging units are quite powerful and compact, which adds convenience to everyday use.

Design and ergonomics

The front panels of both smartphones have a fairly standard look, and that’s understandable, it’s hard to come up with something original here. The main part of the front panel of the ZTE Blade V40 Pro is occupied by a 6.67-inch display. The frames around the screen have a small thickness with minimal protrusion in the lower part. On top, there are traditionally placed: a conversational speaker, a cut-out for a selfie camera, proximity, and light sensors.

The front panel of the ZTE Blade V40 Vita is occupied by a large 6.75-inch display. Unlike the older model, the screen has a less aesthetic drop-shaped cutout for the camera. We should mention a small protrusion of the lower part of the panel and the presence of a light indicator of notifications on the right, next to the conversational speaker.

The rear surfaces of the smartphones are designed quite brightly, and the cases of both smartphones are made of plastic.

ZTE Blade V40 Pro is designed in light colors. The glossy surface is densely dotted with small mother-of-pearl inclusions and shows a gradient with blue, pink, and orange shades at different angles. The manufacturer’s logo is placed in the lower part. Well, of course, the main camera module, which is traditionally located in the upper left corner, could not be done without. It does not look massive and is concisely integrated into the back panel.

The side frame around the entire perimeter is stylized as metal, which visually reduces the thickness of the case. The volume control key and power button with integrated fingerprint scanner are located on the right side. They have a clear course and a convenient location. A tray for two nano-SIMs, a microphone hole, a USB Type-C port, and slots for an external speaker are located below.

The back of the ZTE Blade V40 Vita in our case has a turquoise color. The matte surface is saturated with radial lines that “radiate” the camera unit. The camera module slightly protrudes above the surface. The massive logo of the product line with relief embossing complements the design.

Controls are placed similarly to the older model. Unlike the ZTE Blade V40 Pro, the card tray is located at the top of the left side surface and has an extended format that accommodates two SIM cards and a memory card. It was this ergonomic solution that made it possible to place a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

There are no special complaints about the quality of materials and ergonomics. Smartphones are comfortable to hold in the medium-sized hand. The only thing to pay attention to is the glossy surface in the older model. Although the smartphone is not heavy, it can easily slip out of the hand without a cover.

Displays

ZTE Blade V40 Pro, as already mentioned above, is equipped with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels. The screen has excellent viewing angles and excellent color reproduction. Brightness indicators are in the range of 3.5 – 450 cd/m². Disadvantages include a low screen refresh rate of 60 Hz.

Settings are mostly the same for both devices. There is an opportunity to adjust the color temperature, but there is no choice of image modes.

Unlike the younger model, the Always On Display mode can be activated and configured in the ZTE Blade V40 Pro to display the necessary information on the locked screen.

ZTE Blade V40 Vita has an IPS screen with a diagonal of 6.75 inches. The display cannot boast high resolution, as it is only 1600×720 pixels, which is too little for such a display size. Unlike the older model, it supports a 90Hz refresh rate. Brightness indicators are approximately in the same range — 3.8 – 450 cd/m².

Image quality is radically different from the ZTE Blade V40 Pro’s display for the worse, especially when changing viewing angles.

Software

Smartphones run on Android 11 with the proprietary MyOS shell. The operating system is not new, but it is common practice to equip budget smartphones with it. The main thing is that smartphones under its control work reliably. The devices are equipped with a full set of Google applications. The shell itself resembles “bare” Android – nothing extra, only everything necessary for basic needs. This can be called a plus rather than a minus, the user will decide for themselves what to install and what to refuse.

In places, there is an imperfect translation into Ukrainian of some options in the settings. Their number is not critical, but some can be confusing. For example, the CDMA option without EvDo is the usual auto photo mode.

Hardware platform and performance

ZTE Blade V40 Pro is equipped with an 8-core chipset Unisoc T618. The Mali-G52 module is responsible for video processing. The device has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of permanent memory. It is not possible to expand the permanent memory with a microSD card, but 128 GB will be more than enough for an ordinary user.

ZTE Blade V40 Vita is powered by Unisoc T606 8-core chip. Graphics processor — Mali-G57. In our case, the smartphone had a configuration of 4/128 GB. This amount of ROM in a budget device is pleasantly surprising, but if this volume is not enough, then there is an opportunity to use the combined slot that supports microSD cards.

The chipsets have entry-level status and are manufactured using a 12-nanometer process, so it makes no sense to expect sky-high results in benchmarks.

ZTE Blade V40 Pro test results:

ZTE Blade V40 Vita test results:

Smartphones are equipped with Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and have OTG support. The fingerprint sensor is built into the power button. The scanner works slower in the older model, which is surprising, but it may be fixed with a system update. As telephones, devices work reliably. There are no complaints about the quality of the connection, the speaker transmits the voice clearly, and the interlocutors were also satisfied with the quality of the conversations.

Audio

Smartphones have only one main speaker, that is, the sound is monophonic. The sound quality of the ZTE Blade V40 Pro, unlike the younger model, is better, the sound has hints of volume and is a little louder. The multimedia speaker of the ZTE Blade V40 Vita does not impress with its capabilities, but it sounds clear and without wheezing at the maximum level. It is unlikely that you will be able to enjoy music on both devices, but for watching YouTube, for example, or talking through a speakerphone, it will work. The younger model has a standard connector for wired headphones. For the older one, you need to buy an adapter, but this information will not be useful for users of wireless accessories. By the way, smartphones can be connected to a Bluetooth headset without any problems, and maintain the connection reliably.

Cameras

The interface of the camera application is intuitive and easy to use. All the main options are present: buttons for quickly switching modes, professional settings, HDR mode, portrait mode, various filters, etc. The main mode switch bar is rather slow and uncertain, which often leads to erroneous presses.

ZTE Blade V40 Pro has a main sensor of 64 MP with an aperture of f /1.8 and a macro of 5 MP. ZTE Blade V40 Vita is equipped with a 48 MP sensor with f /1.8 aperture and 2 MP macro. The main camera of the older model shoots in standard mode with a resolution of 16 MP, and the younger one with a resolution of 12 MP. Despite the fact that smartphones have different specifications of the main camera modules, the photos are of approximately the same quality. In the ZTE Blade V40 Pro, the pictures are slightly more detailed, but the younger model can show off more lively colors.

With sufficient lighting, both cameras cope well with their task, but taking pictures in the dark is more difficult, and the quality of the image is worse. Smartphones are equipped with macro cameras rather in order to keep up with trends, another “eye” of the lens on the back panel adds attractiveness to inexpensive devices. You should not count on high-quality pictures.

ZTE Blade V40 Pro photo examples:

ZTE Blade V40 Vita photo examples:

HDR mode actively affects the quality of photos, it should not be underestimated in complex scenes.

I liked the photos in the mode that activates the maximum resolution of the cameras. They are more detailed, but it should be noted that in this case the volume of files will increase significantly.

ZTE Blade V40 Pro and ZTE Blade V40 Vita front cameras have 16 MP and 8 MP sensors, respectively. Selfies taken on the older model are significantly better in detail, but the white balance is significantly shifted towards cold tones.

ZTE Blade V40 Pro photo examples:

ZTE Blade V40 Vita photo examples:

There is no particular difference in how the main cameras shoot video. The maximum possible resolution is Full HD at 30 fps. The quality of the image is sufficient to record an event in good lighting, but no more.

Battery life

The ZTE Blade V40 Pro has a battery with a capacity of 5100 mAh. The complete 65 W power supply unit charges a completely discharged smartphone to 100% in about one hour. In the PCMark Work 3.0 test with a screen brightness of 200 cd/m², the device lasted almost nine hours. This is frankly not enough for a battery of this capacity, so it is possible that the problem will be fixed by updating the firmware.

ZTE Blade V40 Vita is equipped with a battery with a capacity of 6000 mAh. The complete 22.5 W power supply charges a fully discharged smartphone to 100% in about two and a half hours. The device lasted about seventeen hours in the PCMark Work 3.0 test with a screen brightness of 200 cd/m².