Vivo T3 Review: 5 Things We Liked, 2 Things We Wish Could Have Been Better

Last week, Vivo expanded its T series lineup in India by launching the new Vivo T3. It costs Rs 19,999, and just like every other ‘T’ series smartphone from the company, the T3 is also aimed at GenZ and millennials. The device comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chipset, a 50MP camera, and a 5000mAh battery. We took the T3 for a spin to see if it lives up to the hype. Here’s our breakdown of the phone’s strengths and a couple of areas where the phone could have done better.

What We Liked

Here are the strengths of the smartphone that make the T3 a worthy contender:

Design Refresh

The flat-frame designs are taking over the mid-range segment, and the T3 follows suit. Despite its plastic construction, the phone feels sturdy, looks premium, and doesn’t immediately come off as a budget smartphone. The shimmering rear panel with geometric textures adds a touch of visual appeal. While we know that design is subjective, the T3 is definitely a step up from the T2. So basically, for this price, we don’t have any major complaints with the design of the T3.

Upgraded Display

The T3 boasts several display improvements over its predecessor. Firstly, it’s a larger 6.67-inch panel compared to the T2’s 6.38-inch. Secondly, the refresh rate jumps to 120Hz (up from 90Hz). Finally, the panel boasts a peak brightness of 1800 nits (up from 1300 nits) and HDR10+ certification, offering rich colour reproduction.

While visibility in direct sunlight could be a tad better, the overall quality is impressive. We enjoyed watching a few episodes of Peaky Blinders on the T3 – the colours were sharp and vivid. It also comes with various customisation options, allowing you to tweak the colour balance.

Dependable Cameras

Vivo smartphones are known for their camera prowess, and despite its price the T3 is no exception. The hero of the T3 camera system is the 50MP Sony IMX882 sensor, which comes with OIS support. It is capable of taking good shots with ample detail and colour accuracy. Interestingly, the T3 also comes with a dedicated Supermoon mode, a feature we’ve only seen on higher-end Vivo devices.

Vivo T3 Camera Samples

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While most of the photos were usable, we noticed a bunch of noise teeming up around the edges. There’s also this 2MP bokeh sensor that gets the job done without any issues, but including a new Flicker Sensor left us scratching our heads. While it sounds interesting on paper – automatically adjusting exposure for flickering lights – we never encountered a situation where it felt necessary. We would have much preferred an 8MP ultra-wide angle camera for more versatility.

Powerful Performance

The T3 packs a punch with the Dimensity 7200 processor, a significant upgrade over the T2’s Snapdragon 695. The same processor can be found on the recently launched iQOO Z9 too.

There were no lag or heating issues while churning out daily tasks like using YouTube, Gmail, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The AnTuTu score sits around 7 lakh, and even graphically demanding games like Call of Duty: Mobile ran smoothly without any stutter. Keeping in mind its price, the T3 offers excellent processing power.

Solid Battery Life

The T3 gets its juice from the 5000mAh battery, a substantial upgrade from the T2’s 4500mAh battery. It provides ample power for moderate users. The phone easily lasted an entire day with our usage revolving around Spotify, YouTube, using the camera, and a bit of gaming.

The device bundles a 44W fast charger in the box, which is not the fastest as the Realme Narzo 70 Pro supports 67W fast charging with almost the same price tag. However, it’s not bad by any means. The phone can charge from 0 to full capacity in about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

What We Wish Were Better

While the T3 checks most of the correct boxes, there are a couple of things which we wish could have been better:

Bloatware

It runs on the Android-14-based FunTouchOS 14 out of the box. While the UI is smooth and responsive for most of the aspects, it’s the amount of bloatware, which is a bummer. We don’t have much problem with pre-installed apps like Amazon, Facebook, and Snapchat as users might eventually install them, and even if you don’t want these apps, you can remove them quite easily.

But there are still apps like Vivo.com, Vivo Cloud, Game Space, Hot Apps, and Hot Games that are pre-installed, which cannot be uninstalled. Thankfully, Hot Apps and Hot Games can be disabled through the V-App Store, but that’s an additional step that not everyone might be aware of. Apart from that, the FunTouch OS is feature-rich and performs well, but we’d prefer a cleaner, out-of-the-box experience.

Software Support

Vivo offers two years of OS updates and three years of security updates. Many other players, like Realme with its Narzo 70 Pro, offer the same software support. However, we believe smartphone makers should now provide longer software support even on budget and mid-range devices. Samsung just aced this aspect by offering four years of OS updates and five years of security patches, even on its mid-range devices.

Verdict

If you are looking for a smartphone with a stylish design, capable processor, good camera capabilities, and a dependable battery life at around Rs 20,000 mark, then the Vivo T3 might be worth considering.

The upgraded display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a higher peak brightness is a welcome change.

Despite having a handful of bloatware, FunTouchOS delivers a smooth user experience. The lack of an ultra-wide angle camera and the limited software support slightly hold it back. But if you are looking for a no-nonsense smartphone without breaking the bank, then the T3 should definitely be on your list.