ZTE Axon 40 Ultra vs vivo X80 Pro: The ZTE Axon 40 Ultra with its under-display camera technology is a sweetheart. While the vivo X80 Pro with its impressive camera setup is one of the best you can get in 2022. But, looking beyond these obvious features, which is better between the Axon 40 Ultra and vivo X80 Pro?
In this post, I’ll compare the specs of the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra vs vivo X80 Pro side-by-side to help you know which is better. At the end of this post, you will know which of these phones you should buy and why.
See Also: ZTE Axon 40 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra: Which is the best Ultra
ZTE Axon 40 Ultra vs vivo X80 Pro Specs
| Specs | Axon 40 Ultra | vivo X80 Pro |
| Display | 6.8-inch, 120Hz | 6.78-inch, 120Hz |
| RAM | 12/16GB | 8/12GB |
| Storage | 256/512GB/1TB | 256/512GB |
| Back Camera | 64 + 64 + 64MP | 50 + 8 + 12 + 48MP |
| Front Camera | 16MP | 32MP |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
| Software | Android 12 | Android 12 |
| Battery | 5,000mAh (65W) | 4,700mAh (80W) |
| IP Rating | N/A | IP68 |
Axon 40 Ultra vs vivo X80 Pro: Display, Build, and Design
The ZTE Axon 40 Ultra comes with a 6.8-inches AMOLED display while the vivo X80 Pro comes with a slightly smaller 6.78-inches AMOLED display. Aside from the display size, another difference between both phones is that the Axon 40 Ultra gives you access to a full display with its under-display camera while the vivo X80 Pro has a punch-hole display.
One more thing is that the vivo X80 Pro has a better display resolution. It has a QHD+ resolution (1440 x 3200 pixels) that is better than the FHD+ resolution (1116 x 2480 pixels) of the Axon 40 Ultra. Although the peak brightness of both phones is 1500 nit and both phones have a 120Hz refresh rate, the display of the vivo X80 Pro is more colorful.
The designs of both phones are also very different. As stated above, the Axon 40 Ultra gives you access to a full screen but the vivo phone has a punch-hole. On the rear, the designs are also very different. The camera module on the rear of the Axon 40 Ultra is placed vertically while that of the vivo X80 Pro is placed horizontally across the top back panel.
As per the build, both phones have a glass front but the rear panel is different. The Axon 40 Ultra has a glass back with a matte finish while the vivo X80 Pro has a glass back, ceramic back, or eco-leather back depending on the color you buy.
Most of the display features on both phones are the same but the vivo X80 Pro gives you a more colorful display while the Axon 40 Ultra allows you to use the full-screen thanks to the under-display camera tech.
See Also: ZTE Axon 40 Ultra Price in UK and Availability
Axon 40 Ultra vs vivo X80 Pro: Photography and Videography
When it comes to photography and videography, both smartphones are really good but one gives you more options. The camera combination of the Axon 40 Ultra is 64MP primary camera, 64MP periscope telephoto, 64MP ultra-wide lens, and a 16MP selfie camera. While the camera combination of the vivo X80 Pro is 50MP primary camera, 8MP periscope lens, 12MP telephoto lens, 48MP ultra-wide lens, and a 32MP selfie camera.
The back cameras of the Axon 40 Ultra are really good and can take nice photos. All three 64MP on the ZTE phone can shoot videos in 4k resolution which is impressive. But the cameras of the vivo X80 Pro take better photos. The photos from the vivo X80 Pro are more colorful and true to life. Also, the 32MP front camera of the vivo X80 Pro takes way better photos than the 16MP under-display camera of the Axon 40 Ultra.
When it comes to videography, the vivo X80 Pro is also better. Although the Axon 40 Ultra has an electronic stabilization and takes good videos, the vivo X80 Pro offers better stabilization. Shooting videos on the vivo X80 Pro is more stable and gives you better color. Even under low-light conditions and when taking night photos/videos, the vivo X80 Pro is still better.
The truth is, the Axon 40 Ultra is a good camera phone but the vivo X80 Pro is just better. The ZTE phone has a 3.5x zoom lens, the vivo phone has a 5x and 2x zoom telephoto lens. The Axon 40 Ultra has OIS and gyro-EIS stabilization, and the vivo X80 Pro has OIS, gimbal OIS, gyro-IES, and Pixel Shift stabilization.
See Also: OPPO Find X5 Pro vs vivo X80 Pro: which should you buy
Axon 40 Ultra vs vivo X80 Pro: Performance | Storage | RAM | 5G
Axon 40 Ultra and vivo X80 Pro are 5G smartphones. Both phones are also powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 5G chipset from Qualcomm. Although the performance of phones is similar they’re not quite the same.
To put out there, the Axon 40 Ultra and vivo X80 Pro can play graphics-intensive games in the highest framerates. But, the performance of the vivo X80 Pro is more consistent. While the performance of the Axon 40 Ultra tends to drop after a while, that of the vivo X80 Pro keeps up for a longer time. This might be to better cooling or thermal paste for the chipset.
Running AnTuTu, Geekbench, and 3D Wild Life tests on the Axon 40 Ultra and vivo X80 Pro gives us the following results
| Tests | Axon 40 Ultra | vivo X80 Pro |
| AnTuTu Score | 935380 | 1009269 |
| GB5 Single Core | 1211 | 1188 |
| GB5 Multi-Core | 3206 | 3480 |
| 3D Wild Life | 8821 (53FPS) | 9784 (58FPS) |
vivo did a better job implementing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip inside its phone. And this shows not only from the numbers above but also from real-life use when under heavy use. It’s important to note that both phones do get warm under intense use.
ZTE Axon 40 Ultra and vivo X80 Pro has a minimum of 8GB of RAM and a minimum of 256GB of storage. The maximum RAM inside the Axon 40 Ulta is 16GB while that of the vivo X80 Pro is 12GB. You can get a version of the Axon 40 Ultra with 1TB of storage but the vivo X80 Pro caps out at 512GB of storage. None of these phones have space for storage expansion via a microSD card slot.
See Also: vivo X80 Pro vs iQOO 9 Pro: which is better
Axon 40 Ultra vs vivo X80 Pro: Software
The ZTE Axon 40 Ultra boots MyOS 12 based on Android 12 out of the box. ZTE promises three years of major software updates and monthly security patches for the smartphone. vivo X80 Pro boots Origin OS Ocean based on Android 12 out of the box. vivo promises three years of major software updates and four years of monthly security patches for this phone.
Both phones have support for Google Mobile Services. You can download and install apps from the Google Play store and also use other Google-related services.
Axon 40 Ultra vs vivo X80 Pro: Battery
The ZTE Axon 40 Ultra is powered by a 5,000mAh battery while the vivo X80 Pro is powered by a 4,700mAh battery. Axon 40 Ultra has support for a 65W fast charge while vivo X80 Pro has support for an 80W fast charge.
The ZTE Axon 40 Ultra has a bigger battery that lasts longer while the vivo X80 Pro has a faster charge. You can use the Axon 40 Ultra for about 7 hours under intensive use while you can use the vivo X80 Pro for a little above 6 hours under intensive use.
See Also: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max vs vivo X80 Pro: which is better
ZTE Axon 40 Ultra vs vivo X80 Pro: Price
The price of the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra with 8 + 256GB storage option is $899 while the 8 + 256GB storage option of the vivo X80 Pro is priced at $999. The vivo X80 Pro is $100 more expensive (see table below for discounted price on both phones).
Buy ZTE Axon 40 Ultra and vivo X80 Pro
| Axon 40 Ultra | Price | vivo X80 Pro | Price |
| Buy on Giztop | $849 | Buy on Giztop | $929 |
ZTE Axon 40 Ultra vs vivo X80 Pro: Verdict
So, between the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra and the vivo X80 Pro which is better? Both phones are really good but the vivo X80 Pro offers some extra perks.
The vivo X80 Pro offers better display quality, more durability, a faster charger, a better camera, and better performance. Two things you’ll love about the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra are the full screen and big battery. Plus the Axon 40 Ultra is also cheaper which makes it a good bargain.
However, the first phone to recommend between the Axon 40 Ultra and vivo X80 Pro will be the vivo X80 Pro. It’s the more complete flagship phone of these two phones and it’s worth the extra 100 bucks you’ll pay.
So, if I’m to score both smartphones, I’ll score the ZTE Axon 40 Ultra (48%) and the vivo X80 Pro (52%). The vivo X80 Pro has those extra perks that you’ll need in a smartphone. And this makes it the better phone to buy.
