Vivo V15Pro proves pop-up cameras aren’t just for flagship phones

Vivo’s newest smartphone is a mid-range model with some premium features including three rear cameras, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and an AMOLED display with super-slim bezels on all sides… made possible by packing the front-facing camera behind the display. It only pops up when you need it.

That was a feature that was previously limited to high-end phones like the Vivo Apex series. But the new Vivo V15Pro, which is up for pre-order in India starting today, sells for just Rs 28,990 (about $408).

So what’s the catch?

The processor — the Vivo V15Pro features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 chip rather than the more powerful Snapdragon 855 processor you’d find in most flagships.

That said, the Snapdragon 675 isn’t bad for a mid-range processor. It features and octa-core Kryo 460 CPU, Adreno 612 graphics, Qualcomm’s Spectra 250L ISP, Snapdragon X12 modem and support for 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0.

Vivo’s smartphone takes advantage of those features to include a 32MP front-facing pop-up camera and three rear cameras:

• 48MP primary camera
• 8MP super-wide-angle
• 5MP depth camera

Other features include a 3,700 mAh battery, 128GB of storage, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

An entry-level model features 6GB of RAM, but Vivo will also offer a higher-priced 8GB model.

One weird thing? The phone features a micro USB 2.0 port instead of a USB-C port. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se. But at a time when more and more gadgets are shipping with support for reversible USB-C cables, it’d be nice if you could use the same cable to charge this phone and your other gadgets… but alas, that’s not the case.

Like most Vivo smartphones, the V15Pro is unlikely to be sold in North America anytime soon.