The Vivo T series has consistently provided smartphones with jaw-dropping features, including massive batteries, powerful performance, and versatile camera systems, all at an unbeatable price. The T4 Ultra takes this series to the next level. It is significantly more ambitious. It now features an additional periscope camera with 3x optical zoom alongside its racing genes, fuelled by the MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ processor.
Vivo T4 Ultra
Rs 37,999
What Is Good?
- Comfortable form factor
- Good and consistent overall performance
- Dependable cameras in daylight
- Seamless app-opening animations
- Vibrant, bright display
What Is Bad?
- Bloatware
- Low-light camera performance needs improvement
- Slightly underwhelming battery life compared to rivals
Stuffing numerous features to become prominent can be a breezy task. However, rendering them useful is a significant challenge in its own right. So, let’s see how the Vivo T4 Ultra fares in this review.
Design and Build Quality
The T4 Ultra isn’t a compact phone, but it looks smaller when placed beside the T4. But using and holding the phone in my palm was quite comfortable. Due to my small hands, I couldn’t reach the notification shade single-handedly. However, I would still cover 80% of its entire footprint with ease. Besides, holding it in my hands felt natural due to its dual-chamfered edges.
| Design | Specifications |
| Colour Options | Phoenix Gold (reviewed) and Meteor Grey |
| Weight | 193g |
| Thickness | 7.45 mm |
| IP Rating | IP64 |
| Port and Button Placements | Bottom: Primary microphone, SIM Card tray, USB port, and speaker grille
Top: Secondary microphone and speaker Right side: Power button and volume button |
On a side note, the T4 Ultra’s IP64 protection against dust and water is underwhelming, considering its competitors provide superior protection.
While the T4 Ultra’s proportions won my heart, I must admit that its design fell short of recreating this reception. To clarify, I have a bone to pick with its Phoenix Gold variant.
Vivo’s designers may have aimed to conceive a design of elegance for the T4 Ultra. Instead, they have unfortunately landed on a rather gaudy aesthetic. My eyes felt uneasy looking at it, but folks, like my parents and younger cousins, sang its praises, making it quite a polarising style. In my opinion, a tamed/minimal look would have been much appreciated.
Display and Audio Quality
The T4 Ultra features the same quad-curved display as the T4, which is A-OK. Its curvature and minimal bezels made content-watching more immersive.
| Display | Specifications |
| Size | 6.67-inch |
| Type | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1260×2800 pixels |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Display Protection | Schott α |
| Peak Brightness | Claimed: 5000 nits, Tested: 2220 nits |
| Minimum brightness | 14 nits |
Additionally, watching various YouTube videos and an episode of the Kekkai Sensen series pleased my eyes. Every frame was rich in detail and appeared with soothing, vibrant colours.
Since the T4 Ultra supports HDR10+ on streaming services like Netflix, you can watch movies or series with more precise colour tuning and improved brightness.
Speaking of the stereo speakers, they are loud and can produce a decent amount of bass. While the audio quality is decent, you can only hear the intricate blends of instruments better in songs like Ed Sheeran’s “Sapphire” when you bring the phone closer.
Performance and Software
Like the T3 Ultra, the T4 Ultra employs a year-old chipset, the MediaTek Dimensity 9300+. Since Vivo used a similar chipset in the X100 Pro, it has exceptionally optimised this new SoC inside the T4 Ultra. My usage experience was outstanding, given that all my tasks, including watching videos and gaming, were executed swiftly.
| Hardware | Specifications |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ |
| RAM | Up to 12GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | Up to 512GB UFS 3.1 |
| Storage Test | 159951 |
| CPU Throttling Test | 71 per cent of its max performance |
| Software Version | FunTouchOS 15 on Android 15 |
| Connectivity Details | Bluetooth 5.4, Wifi 6, and NFC |
| Number of Software Updates | Three years of software updates and four years of security patch updates |
I ran benchmarks to quantify its performance. It was at par with last year’s flagship phones; however, it slightly trails behind some of its current-generation rivals.
Grid Legends ran smoothly at all times without jitters in sight.
Considering it can only run at 30fps, the 5% low differed by a margin of 2fps, even while screen recording my gameplay. It ran that stable.
The FunTouchOS 15 on the T4 Ultra offers a satisfying blend of smooth app-opening animation and rapid transitions. While these particular qualities may impress you, its decade-old aesthetics and cluster of bloatware are off-putting for folks seeking a fresh, pristine user experience.
The phone’s update policy is promising but somewhat underwhelming, especially when considering that the Realme GT 7, one of its rivals, offers longer software support.
Camera
The T4 Ultra’s primary and telephoto cameras produce delightful images that are rich in detail and feature nearly accurate colour.
The telephoto snapper captures alluring macro shots even if you stand slightly far from your subject.
| Cameras | Specifications |
| Primary camera | 50-megapixel Sony IMX921, f/1.88 (OIS) |
| Secondary camera | 50-megapixel Sony IMX882, 3x optical zoom, f/2.55 |
| Tertiary camera | 8-megapixel GC08A8, Ultra-wide, f/2.2 |
| Selfie camera | 32-megapixel, f/2.45 |
| Video capabilities | Up to 4K at 60fps for the rear and front cameras |
The cameras produce captivating portrait images with a consistent human skin tone and terrific subject detection.
However, they can struggle with luminous backlighting, resulting in most of the subject’s detail being overshadowed. Moreover, both occasionally oversharpen their images.
The 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera almost maintains natural colours but lacks the details of its siblings due to its lower megapixel count.
The low-light performance is pleasing. Photos taken in dimly lit areas can sometimes appear blurry due to sudden movement.
Furthermore, the human face in these images lacks detail. However, photos captured in normal lighting exhibit ample clarity and are visually appealing.
The front camera captures captivating selfies in ample lighting, but it erases facial details in dim lighting.
Battery
The T4 Ultra runs on a 5,500mAh battery, which is smaller in size compared to those of its rivals. However, Vivo has done its best to ensure this phone achieves an acceptable result in our PCMark Battery Test. While it lasted almost 18 hours in the test, the Realme GT 7, with its beefier battery, outperformed it by five hours and 42 minutes.
| Battery | Specifications |
| Capacity | 5,500mAh |
| PCMark Battery Test | 17 Hours 29 Minutes |
| Charger Support | 90W |
| Charging Speed | 42 minutes 25 Seconds |
Its real-world performance was satisfactory with moderate use. However, more intensive usage did not take long to exhaust its charge before the end of the day.
The 90W charger-in-the-box takes almost 43 minutes to recharge the battery from 0 to 100 per cent.
Verdict
The Vivo T4 Ultra is a compelling product with numerous strengths and fewer drawbacks. Its comfortable form factor, tremendous performance due to the MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ SoC, and reliable cameras deserve a lot of praise. Whether you are a gamer, an occasional shutterbug, or a casual internet dweller, this phone perfectly fits every need.
However, Vivo has compromised on certain aspects of the T4 Ultra, which you should note: The user interface is swift and features seamless app-opening animations, but it lacks visual appeal and contains bloatware. A change in light intensity occasionally alters the camera quality. Moreover, it doesn’t offer a battery life equivalent to its similarly priced rivals.
Ultimately, the Vivo T4 Ultra is an easy-to-recommend smartphone that can fulfil almost all needs and sits well in the value-for-money category.
