Vivo T4 Ultra review: Reliable phone with sleek design

Last week, Vivo's new T4 Ultra hit stores in India with prices starting at Rs 39,999.

It comes with incremental upgrades over the predecessor in terms of design changes, camera hardware, processor, and more.

I have been using the device for close to a week, and here are my thoughts on the latest premium mid-range Android phone.

Design, build quality and display

Vivo T4 Ultra retains most of the design elements of the predecessor, which, by the way, is visually appealing.

It has a gorgeous curved slab design with a nice colourway and frosted glass on the rear side. The frame has a metal-like finish, which blends beautifully with the smooth display at the top and the back panel. Though made of polycarbonate-based material, it is sturdy and offers a good grip for the fingers to hold on to the device.

Vivo T4 Ultra.

The massive camera module in the pill shape looks pleasant to the eyes and, most importantly, doesn't protrude much. The phone can easily slip in and out of the pocket without any hassle.

Also, the frosted glass with a matte finish on the back does a fantastic job of repelling the fingerprint smudges effectively.

Add to that, the company offers a transparent silicone cover that ensures the device is protected during accidental falls. It should be noted that the four corners are extra thick and soft to absorb the impact effectively and ensure there is less damage. Also, if the device falls with the display facing down, there is less chance of screen damage, provided the surface is flat and even like smooth marble, granite or ceramic floor.

Vivo T4 Ultra.

The display is protected by SCHOTT Xensation α (alpha) cover glass and on top of that, the company has pre-fitted another layer of screen guard. This arrangement ensures the display is protected against scratches in scenarios where the phone is kept in the closed confines of the pocket with the coins and keys.

And, the device comes with an IP64 water-and-dust rating, meaning it can survive water spray. However, if your phone gets wet, ensure to dry it before connecting to the power outlet for charging or data transfer to a device.

The company has covered all bases to ensure the device serves the owner for several years.

Vivo T4 Ultra.

On the front, it sports a 6.78-inch 1.5K (2800×1260p) AMOLED screen with a 20:9 display, 120Hz refresh rate and supports up to 5,500 nits peak brightness, and HDR10+.

Multimedia content, be it on OTT apps or short videos on social media platforms, appears vibrant with brightness set the max. Even outdoors with little shade, the motion picture and even text can be viewed and read with ease.

Vivo T4 Ultra.

Also, the Vivo phone has an Eye Protection feature, when turned on, reduces the blue light emission. This ensures there is less eye fatigue while reading e-books and watching videos during the night.

The in-display fingerprint sensor works fine with a lower false rejection rate.

Performance

The device is powered bya 4nm class MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ chipset with Immortalis-G720 GPU, 8GB / 12GB LPDDR5 RAM with 256GB / 512GB UFS 3.1 storage.

The device worked smoothly in all day-to-day scenarios. It supports all popular gaming titles available on the Google Play Store and doesn't overheat when playing indoors.

Vivo phone also supports several generative Artificial Intelligence features, including AI Note Assist for summarising and translating more than 20 languages. It also has Live Text for pulling text from any image instantly.

Vivo T4 Ultra.

With Circle to Search, users can simply draw around any object to get accurate results in real-time. It also offers on-device Call Translation as well.

It runs Android 15-based Funtouch OS 15 and comes with a lot of third-party apps. Thankfully, the base model comes with 256GB storage. There is more than enough space to install 100 more apps without any worry of losing of memory any time soon.

The devices in three configurations-- 8GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 512GB storage.

It houses a 5,500mAh cell capacity. It consistently delivered full-day battery life under normal usage.

It also boasts of 90W SuperVOOC charging speed capability. 10W faster than the predecessor. It takes less than 40 minutes to fully charge from zero to 100 per cent.

Vivo T4 Ultra's camera sample.

Photography

The T4 Ultra boasts of triple-camera module-- main 50MP (with Sony IMX921 sensor, f/1.88 aperture, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation) with 8MP ultra-wide camera (with Galaxycore GC08A8 sensor, f/2.2) and a 50MP 3x periscope telephoto camera (with 1/1.95-inch Sony IMX882 sensor, f/2.55, 15 cm macro, up to 10x, up to 100x hyper zoom) with LED flash.

Vivo T4 Ultra's camera sample.

It takes brilliant photos in the sunlight, and one thing you notice in the photos is that the flowers come off a tad vibrant than they actually appear to the eyes. But, I am not complaining as they look wonderful in the frame, worthy to be shared on social media platforms.

Vivo T4 Ultra's camera sample.

With portrait mode on, the phone takes nice, sharp photos of the subject and artfully blurs the background.

Vivo T4 Ultra's camera sample.

It supports ultra-wide angle mode and, as advertised, does a fine job of accommodating a vast area within the frame without any software trick of bending structures as such.

Vivo T4 Ultra's camera sample.

At a close-range scenario, too, the T4 Ultra excels in capturing minute details.

Vivo T4 Ultra's camera sample.

It supports 2X optical zoom and can digitally zoom up to 100X. The image quality remains good up until 30X, and beyond that, it begins to accumulate grains.

Vivo T4 Ultra's camera sample.

It also supports several generative AI tools, such as AI Eraser, which can help the user remove unwanted objects from the frame without leaving any trace, including the shadows.

At night, the Vivo phones do a decent job with sharp photos with less noise.

Vivo T4 Ultra's camera sample.

On the front, it houses a 32MP camera with a 1/3.1-inch Galaxycore GC32E1 sensor, f/2.45) for selfies and video calling. It takes nice selfie photos in the bright sunlight.

And, the native camera app also offers an array of filters and even tools to alter the sizes of the chin, nose, eyes and also adjust skin tone, to make the face photogenic and share it on social media platforms.

Both the front and the back cameras can record 4K videos. The recorded videos are stable and on par with rival brands in its class.

Final thoughts

Vivo's T4 Ultra is a reliable performer with a stylish design. It has excellent build quality with eye-catching design elements, a good display and a feature-rich camera hardware. Also, it delivers good, smooth performance and can easily last a day under normal usage.

Vivo T4 Ultra.

Vivo T4 Ultra comes in two colours-- meteor grey and phoenix gold. It is available in three configurations-- 8GB RAM + 256GB storage, 12GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 512GB storage-- for Rs 37,999, Rs 39,999 and Rs 41,999, respectively.

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