Cameras have always been the biggest selling point of Vivo’s V series, and the V80 continues that tradition. On the back, you get a 50MP Sony LYTIA 700V primary sensor with OIS, a 50MP Sony IMX882 telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and OIS, and an 8MP ultrawide. There’s also a 50MP autofocus camera on the front.
I’ve already spent quite a bit of time comparing the Vivo V80 against the Motorola Signature and Xiaomi 17T for a dedicated camera comparison, and I have to say, all three phones are genuinely capable shooters. However, when it comes to portraits, I personally found myself leaning towards the Vivo more often.
But before getting to portraits, let’s talk about the primary camera. The 50MP Sony LYTIA 700V is a fairly capable sensor, and the images it produces have plenty of detail, good contrast, and pleasing colours. Daylight photography is particularly strong, and I like that Vivo’s processing generally strikes a good balance between making an image look attractive and keeping it relatively natural.
You also get different colour profiles, along with the option to create your own colour palette by adjusting the warmth, saturation, and overall tone of an image. I think this is a useful addition because everyone has a slightly different preference when it comes to colours.
Low-light photography is a little more complicated. The primary camera can capture good-looking images after sunset, although highlights from strong light sources aren’t always handled perfectly, and darker areas can lose some finer detail. Night mode helps, but this isn’t quite the consistently excellent low-light experience you would expect from a proper flagship.
Vivo’s collaboration with ZEISS continues to pay off here. The V80 offers multiple portrait focal lengths, including 23mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 100mm, along with different ZEISS-inspired bokeh effects. You can experiment with the look of the background rather than settling for the same artificial blur in every photograph.
The 50MP telephoto camera, in particular, makes a considerable difference. Its 3x optical zoom gives portraits a more flattering perspective, and you don’t need to stand awkwardly close to someone’s face to get a tighter composition. It’s also useful for photographing distant subjects without immediately relying on digital cropping.
There’s plenty to experiment with, too. Vivo offers ZEISS bokeh styles such as Biotar, Sonnar, and Planar, along with creative lighting effects. I particularly appreciate having these options directly in the camera application instead of having to edit every portrait afterwards. That said, I’d recommend turning down the beauty filters if you prefer natural-looking skin textures.
Unfortunately, the 8MP ultrawide camera doesn’t quite live up to the other two cameras. It’s fine for squeezing more people into a photograph or capturing a wider landscape, but the drop in detail is noticeable.
The 50MP autofocus selfie camera is much more interesting. It uses a particularly wide 20mm focal length, which makes it useful for group selfies without having to stretch your arm too far. The autofocus is another welcome addition, while the ability to switch between wider and tighter framing makes it more versatile than a typical front-facing camera.
