Review Summary
Expert Rating
When we reviewed the Vivo T2 5G last year, we called it a “capable sub-Rs 20,000 contender. The phone offered competitive hardware to take on rivals at the time. Cut to April 2024 and we have its successor in the form of the Vivo T3 5G. This phone promises to be a worthy upgrade with a faster MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chipset, an improved 120Hz AMOLED display, and a bigger 5,000mAh battery compared to its predecessor while maintaining a sub-Rs 20,000 price tag.
Table of Contents
Verdict
The Vivo T3 5G is a well-rounded phone under Rs 20,000. Not only does it get one of the fastest chipsets in this price range, but it also offers a good-looking design, a bright display, and better battery life compared to its predecessor. However, the fact that the phone comes with tons of pre-loaded apps and the promise of only two major software updates could make it less appealing than some of the alternatives in this segment.
Design and display
Remember the Vivo T2’s colour-changing rear panel? Well, Vivo has done away with that and has opted for more static colourways for the Vivo T3. That’s not to say the Vivo T3 looks bland. It comes in Cosmic Blue and Crystal Flake colour options, both offering unique patterns on the rear panel. The Crystal Flake, as the name suggests, features an uneven crystal-shaped pattern as you can see in the images.
The frame is flat with chamfered edges, a popular design choice for phones this year. It’s a solid phone through and through and has a certain heft to it while holding. It’s actually heavier at 188 grams compared to its predecessor, which weighed 172 grams.
Regarding the display, the Vivo T3 5G offers a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The phone gets a peak brightness of 1800 nits, much like the iQOO Z9 5G, which is particularly noteworthy in this price range. The display remains visible even under harsh sunlight and provides good viewing angles. Furthermore, streaming content on platforms like Netflix shows good sharpness and clarity.
Cameras
Despite seeming like a triple rear camera system, the Vivo T3 actually offers a dual camera setup. Similar to the iQOO Z9, the Vivo T3 gets a 50MP Sony IMX882 sensor with OIS support and a 2MP secondary camera that’s used for portrait shots. The third lens that you see is a flicker sensor, which is supposed to help reduce light flicker during video recording. The IMX882 sensor is just as good here as it was on the iQOO Z9. It can capture good-looking photos in daylight with impressive details and pleasant colours.
The primary does an admirable job in low-light settings as long as there is good lighting around. The 16MP front-facing camera also does a decent job with selfies in daylight. Photos appear sharp with good exposure and colour reproduction as you can see in the samples above.
To get a better idea of the Vivo T3’s camera performance, here’s a comparison shot below between the Tecno POVA 6 Pro and the Vivo T3. We found that the image captured with the Vivo T3 offered better colour accuracy and more natural background blur compared to the one taken by the Tecno phone.
Performance and software
The MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chipset is one of the most powerful processors you’ll find in the sub-Rs 20,000 segment and the Vivo T3 gets it. The chipset delivers stellar benchmark results. We saw it with the iQOO Z9 5G and we see it once again with the Vivo T3 5G. We managed to get an AnTuTu score of 7.15 lakh, which is better than the Dimenity 6080-powered Redmi Note 13 (453,839) and Dimensity 7050-powered Realme Narzo 70 Pro (611,860).
The Vivo T3 5G effortlessly handles daily tasks such as social media browsing, checking emails, and multitasking between apps, all without any noticeable lag. Moreover, it proves to be an excellent gaming device, smoothly running demanding games like Call of Duty Mobile at Very High graphics settings, much like the iQOO Z9 5G. The Dimensity 7200 chipset is also power-efficient with the battery draining only 6 percent after a 30-minute gaming session.
Out of the box, the Vivo T3 5G is equipped with Android 14 with the Funtouch OS 14 custom skin on top. In addition to the standard array of Google and Vivo applications, several third-party apps such as Netflix, Snapchat, Candy Crush, Agoda, and Truecaller come pre-installed. This means that you do get a considerable number of pre-installed apps upon initial setup, but most of them can be easily uninstalled if not needed.
One downside to the Vivo T3 5G is that the brand is only promising two major Android upgrades and three years of security updates. Phones like the Realme Narzo 70 Pro, for example, are offering 3 years of major software updates in this price segment.
Battery life
The Vivo T3 5G is backed by a 5,000mAh battery, 500mAh more than what was inside the Vivo T2. This means the newer phone lasts a little longer in comparison, not only because of a bigger battery but also an efficient chipset. In our PCMark Battery test, the Vivo T3 5G showed a respectable 15 hours and 16 minutes of battery life. A 30-minute YouTube session saw the battery drain only about 4 percent. So, you’ll be able to go through a full day and then some on moderate usage. On days with heavier usage, you might have to reach for the charger by night.
Vivo is sticking with 44W charging once again and it takes roughly 1 hour and 10 minutes to charge the Vivo T3 5G from 20 to 100 percent.
Final verdict
The Vivo T3 5G is a reliable phone to buy for under Rs 20,000. It gets many things right, such as a bright AMOLED display, a pretty design, and a better battery life compared to its predecessor. But the two reasons you should consider buying the phone are the chipset, which is among the fastest you’ll get in this price range right now and the 50MP sensor, which delivers impressive photos in daylight.
However, Vivo is only promising two major software upgrades, which puts it behind some rivals in this segment like the Realme Narzo 70 Pro (review) that are offering 3 years of OS updates. Additionally, Funtouch OS does come with a bunch of pre-installed apps out of the box that may not appeal to you. And while the Vivo T3’s battery and charging are decent, the Tecno POVA 6 Pro (review) is objectively better in both aspects. But if these aspects don’t bother you much, the Vivo T3 5G is a pretty powerful phone in the sub-Rs 20,000 space right now.
Editor’s rating: 7.5 / 10
Reasons to buy Vivo T3 5G
- The MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chipset ensures snappy performance for day-to-day usage and light gaming.
- The crystal-shaped pattern on the back makes it an appealing phone in this segment.
- The Vivo T3 5G offers a much better battery life compared to its predecessor and reliable 44W charging.
Reasons to not buy Vivo T3 5G
- With only two major Android upgrades, the Vivo T3 5G might not offer the best longevity.
- While the 50MP primary camera is good, the camera system lacks versatility and could have used a wide-angle lens.
 | Rs. 19,999.00 | Go To Store |
