Vivo T4R 5G review

About 10 days ago, an unassuming package showed up at the Unboxed studio. Upon unraveling it, we laid our eyes on the new Vivo T4R 5G, in all of its bold and beautiful glory. This budget phone from Vivo isn’t here to blend in. It’s slim, it’s curved, it glows like a mirror under café lights, and it knows exactly what it’s doing. It wants to get noticed. Some might call it garish, others beautiful, but what it definitely isn’t, is forgettable.

And it doesn’t stop at just looking good. The T4R backs up its style with surprisingly solid substance. It boasts a curved AMOLED screen that nails the luxe factor without going overboard, a rear camera that punches up with 4K 60FPS video, and a battery that laughs in the face of doomscrolling.

But does it escape the typical budget phone quirks and is it worth your hard-earned dough? Let’s dive into our detailed review of Vivo’s latest budget bet where we’ll answer that and much more.

Vivo T4R 5G review: Build and design

At just 7.39 mm thick and 183 grams, the Vivo T4R feels like someone actually thought about the plight of the hand that’s going to hold it. It’s absurdly slim for the price. And with rounded edges, a quad-curved glass, and a finish that catches light just enough to turn heads, it’s flash without the fuss.

Yes, the plastic build gives itself away; you’ll immediately be able to feel it. But what you get because of this is a device that’s extremely light. Plus, it’s durable with an IP68/69 rating. You can spill on it, drop it, and it can even survive an unexpected monsoon downpour.

It also comes with military-grade ruggedness (MIL-STD 810H), which feels more meaningful than a glass sandwich build, especially at this price.

Colour-wise, the Twilight Blue variant screams look-at-me, while the other neutral tones keep things grounded. The camera bump doesn’t wobble much, and everything’s where it should be – USB-C on the bottom, buttons that are tactile and placed just right with stereo speakers in the mix.

Vivo T4R 5G review: Display

Curved displays have gone out of style for a reason. They’re usually all about the aesthetics, but the tradeoff is a world of accidental touches with disrupts everyday use. But Vivo actually pulls it off here with a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen that’s just curved enough to look luxurious but not enough to mess with usability.

Now, this display supports HDR10+, hits 120Hz refresh rate (smart switching included), and boasts Widevine L1 support, which means your Netflix binge is in full HD. Blacks are deep and colours look vibrant but not unrealistic.

Brightness peaks at 1,800 nits, which is not quite enough to outshine the Mumbai sun, but respectable for everyday use. And when the lights go down, it gets low enough to be gentle on the eyes, helped along by SGS-certified eye protection.

Colour profiles are adjustable, so you can go warm, cool, or true-to-life. It’s a display that respects your content and doesn’t overdo it with gimmicks. The center punch-hole camera and in-display fingerprint sensor round out the experience with modern polish. There really isn’t anything to complain about at this price.

Vivo T4R 5G review: Performance and UI

Under the hood, the Vivo T4R houses MediaTek’s Dimensity 7400. It’s a midrange chip which isn’t designed for blazing fast speeds, but it delivers a smooth and stable ride for everyday users. Paired with 8GB or 12GB RAM (and UFS 2.2 storage), this setup is enough for juggling between Instagram reels, WhatsApp calls, Google Maps, Spotify, and that one app you forgot was running in the background for three days.

Casual gamers will appreciate this phone too. BGMI plays at 60FPS, and it’s pretty stable. It won’t win any mobile gaming tournaments, but it also won’t melt in your hands. Our heating test saw it touching 38-39 degrees Celsius after an intensive 80-minute test that included running benchmarks, playing Genshin Impact, shooting a video, and playing a 4K video, which is pretty impressive.

The plastic body helps keep heat manageable, and throttling is well controlled. Just don’t expect console-level graphics or turbo-charged app load times.

ALSO READ: Vivo T4R 5G launched, bringing quad-curved flair to the budget smartphone space

Where things get a bit messier is the software. Funtouch OS 15, running on Android 15, is bloated and, honestly, looks dated and noisy by 2025 standards. The interface is fine, but Vivo’s insistence on shoving ads, notifications, and preinstalled apps in your face feels a tad pushy.

It does come with perks like bypass charging (great for gaming without battery degradation), call recording without alerts, and deep customisation. But, fair warning, you’ll have to dig through dark pattern menus and toggle off a bunch of things to get there.

Vivo T4R 5G review: Cameras

The Vivo T4R comes with a 50MP Sony IMX882 sensor with OIS and a 2MP depth camera. On the front, there’s a 32MP sensor that’s surprisingly solid.

Let’s be real, Vivo is not pitching this phone to shutterbugs. But for a phone that isn’t “camera-centric”, this one does pretty well. Daylight photos are bright and detailed, but highlights are sometimes blown out. Colours are nice and punchy too, which is a great look for social media. The dynamic range is decent for the price, but it can suffer in low light.

Low light introduces some noise, but the camera still holds up better than expected for the price. Portraits also look great, with impressive edge detection and solid facial details.

On the flip side, selfies are where Vivo flexes. Skin tones are smooth without looking cartoonish, and beautification, even when off, gives just enough polish for those IG uploads. The front camera misses out on stabilisation though, so videos will look shaky.

Rear video supports 4K 60 FPS with OIS, which is a legit surprise in this segment. It performs well in daylight, making the T4R a sleeper pick for casual content creators.

Vivo T4R 5G review: Battery life

This is where the T4R quietly excels. The 5,700mAh battery is a workhorse. With moderate to heavy use, you’ll clock 6-8 hours of screen time easily, and casual users might stretch into a second day.

Charging, though, is more slow burn than flash charge. The 44W fast charging takes about 90 minutes to go from 0 to 100 per cent. Not a dealbreaker, but rivals with 67W and 80W support make this look a little old-school.

Unboxed Take: Who should buy the Vivo T4R 5G?

The Vivo T4R isn’t perfect, but it’s clear on who it’s for. If you want a phone that looks good, feels featherlight, takes a great selfie, and lasts all day without overheating, this is your match.

Just don’t come expecting a clean UI or a photography powerhouse. But for the rest, including students, commuters, Netflix bingers, weekend photographers, and the style-conscious, the T4R is a budget phone that doesn’t feel budget. For these reasons, the Vivo T4R 5G gets a solid 4/5 rating from us. For more detailed reviews like this one, follow Unboxed by Croma.