vivo V50 5G Review: Photography Expert Inside, Stunner Outside

vivo, a prominent player in the mid-range premium smartphone market, consistently updates its product line every six months to maintain competitiveness and innovation. The vivo V-Series is designed for consumers seeking stylish, camera-centric smartphones priced under 40,000. The newest member of this series, the vivo V50 5G, was announced today. Notably, Vivo has chosen to forgo its typical approach of releasing both standard and pro versions within the V-Series, as there is currently no V50 Pro.

 The vivo V50 5G features a larger battery, a sleeker design, new color options, and an array of photography capabilities tailored for Indian celebrations. However, the critical question is whether the V50 5G can substantiate its price point. Let’s explore this further.

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vivo V50 5G Review: Design & Build

vivo emphasizes photography features and aesthetics in its V-series smartphones. The vivo V50 5G can be seen as a refreshed version of its predecessor, the V40 5G, maintaining a similar design language. This smartphone boasts a sleek, lightweight profile and an ultra-stylish appearance, particularly with its new color options. It is available in Titanium Grey for a sophisticated look, Starry Night for those who prefer a sparkling finish, and Rose Red for a blend of style and elegance.

I had the opportunity to review the Rose Red variant and was thoroughly impressed by its overall design. My admiration wasn’t solely due to my preference for the rose color; the redesigned camera module, featuring a larger Aura Ring light, adds to its appeal and enhances low-light photography capabilities. The Rose Red version has a matte finish on the back, which resists smudges and fingerprints effectively. Weighing in at 199 grams, it also includes a protective case in the box to safeguard against accidental damage.

The device features a volume rocker and a power button located on the right edge, while the left edge remains unoccupied. On the bottom edge, you will find the SIM tray, USB-C port, and speaker grille. Notably, the power button also functions as a fingerprint scanner. The rear of the phone is designed with a circular camera module that accommodates dual camera sensors, along with an Aura Ring that illuminates when portrait mode is activated.

The smartphone boasts curved sides and an ultra-curved display, recognized as one of the finest in its category. With an IP68 and IP69 rating, the device is resistant to both water and dust, providing peace of mind in challenging weather conditions. Overall, while Vivo may not have introduced a significant design overhaul, the V50 5G presents a smartphone that combines solid build quality with appealing aesthetics.

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vivo V50 5G Review: Display

The vivo V50 5G features an Ultra Quad Curved Display on its front, more specifically the VisionOX VM7. This 6.77-inch AMOLED screen offers Full HD resolution, an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz, and a peak brightness of 4500 nits. Notably, the screen is characterized by its extremely thin bezels surrounding it. Additionally, the display delivers sharp, vibrant, and detailed images with outstanding viewing angles.

The display features vibrant colors and a high contrast ratio, ensuring dynamic visuals. With a peak brightness of 4500 nits, the panel remains clearly visible even in the most intense sunlight. It supports HDR 10 and is equipped with Widevine L1 certification, allowing for FHD streaming on platforms such as Netflix.

YouTube videos can be viewed in resolutions up to 2160p, and the 120Hz refresh rate provides exceptionally smooth navigation. Users can select from three refresh rate modes: Standard 60Hz, High 120Hz, and Smart Switch, which automatically adjusts based on usage. We found the display would stay at 120Hz most of the time, even in Smart Switch, which is a good sign.

Notably, unlike many other smartphones, the refresh rate does not drop to 60Hz when Always On Display (AOD) is active, meaning battery conservation is not prioritized in this scenario.

vivo V50 5G Review: Speaker & Haptics

The vivo V50 5G features dual stereo speakers that provide high-quality audio, enhancing the experience for both gaming and media consumption. While the speakers perform adequately, there is room for improvement. In terms of haptic feedback, the response is quick and effective, but the vibration could have been more tactile.

vivo V50 5G Review: Software & AI

vivo V50 5G operates on Android 15 with Funtouch OS 15 pre-installed. The software interface is vibrant, intuitive, and user-friendly, showing minimal changes from the previous generation. However, the company promises three years of major OS updates along with a suite of useful AI features for the V50. Additionally, vivo has committed to providing four years of security patches for this device.

A notable drawback of the vivo V50 is the extensive bloatware included, with 51 pre-installed applications such as Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn, Netflix, PhonePe, Sheets, Rolling Twins, WeCloud, and Wallet, among others. The presence of so many apps on a device priced over 30,000 is somewhat disappointing.

vivo’s AI suite presents an array of innovative features with the vivo V50 5G. This device includes practical AI functionalities such as Circle to Search, AI Eraser 2.0, Live Call Translation, and AI Transcript Assist. The Circle to Search feature enables users to obtain additional information about items displayed on their screens, while the AI Eraser allows for the removal of unwanted objects or individuals, enhancing the quality of photos.

Additionally, Live Call Translation and Transcript Assist are valuable tools for communication. Although the features are somewhat limited, they prove to be beneficial and indicate potential for future enhancements.

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Vivo V50 5G Review: Performance

vivo V50 5G is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, a reliable mid-range system on a chip that also powered the V40 5G from the previous year. In everyday use, the V50 delivers a seamless and responsive performance, making it suitable for daily tasks and moderate multitasking. However, during benchmark evaluations, it exhibited some shortcomings, particularly when compared to vivo’s own T3 Ultra. Below are the benchmark scores for the device.

Multitasking was manageable until the system was running 35-38 applications at once; beyond that point, noticeable lags and stutters began to occur, which was expected. In terms of gaming, titles such as Genshin Impact performed well at lower settings, but began to struggle at medium settings.

Conversely, COD Mobile maintained smooth performance even at medium settings, indicating that performance can vary based on the specific game and the duration of the gaming session. BGMI also runs smooth, with no noticeable overheating or lags.

The thermal performance during gaming is acceptable, although the device did experience significant heating near the rear camera module during CPU throttling tests. Regarding storage, it continues to utilize LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage, which now feels somewhat outdated. Overall, the vivo V50’s performance is an area where it falls slightly short.

vivo V50 5G Review: Cameras

vivo V50 5G is equipped with a dual-camera configuration on the rear, consisting of a 50MP primary sensor and a 50MP wide-angle sensor. The company has maintained its collaboration with ZEISS to enhance the sensor capabilities and has included a variety of effects, modes, and filters to provide a professional-level photography experience.

The vivo V50 features a primary camera that includes Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), providing enhanced stability for photography. When capturing images in daylight, the main sensor delivers impressive detail and vibrant colors. It stands out as one of the top point-and-shoot sensors within its price category, producing DSLR-like images across various conditions.

The main camera sensor supports up to 20x hybrid zoom, and the samples provided demonstrate the clarity of its 20x zoom capabilities. While the detail in 20x shots may not match that of 5x or 8x images, it still retains a commendable level of detail. Additionally, there are several filters available for those looking to enhance their images for social media.

The vivo V50’s primary camera is equipped with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to ensure stable photography. Images taken with the main sensor in daylight exhibit a wealth of detail and vibrancy.

The device does not feature a 50MP telephoto camera; however, its 50MP ultrawide lens effectively captures expansive areas. The images produced are vibrant and detailed, maintaining their quality even when zoomed in.

vivo V50 5G truly shines in its portrait mode. This mode enables photography at 1x, 1.5x, or 2.2x zoom levels, all of which maintain lossless quality. The portrait lens kit offers various options, including landscape, street, natural, and classic portraits, complemented by seven bokeh flare modes designed to enhance the professionalism of your images. These portrait styles deliver precise edge detection and a pleasing bokeh effect, although the clarity of facial details may not meet all expectations.

The vivo V50 is equipped with a 50MP front sensor that provides exceptional exposure for facial features and background elements. It effectively retains shadows and accurately represents skin tones, resulting in a natural appearance.

Additionally, selfies taken in low light conditions are rich in detail. Even the 50MP front sensor has portrait mode with all seven ZEISS Portrait styles available for the main camera. More than talking about the camera setup, the shots clicked using vivo V50 group selfie camera do the talking.

Wedding Style Portrait

The vivo V50 features a wedding style portrait mode, allowing you to capture the perfect moments at weddings. Essentially, vivo has developed customized filters, tailored for Indian weddings. Here are some samples:

Portrait Mode (Zoom samples)

Some more camera samples clicked using various filters & modes:

Night mode samples:

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vivo V50 5G Review: Battery Life and Charging

The vivo V50 5G excels not only in design and camera capabilities but also boasts an impressive battery performance. Equipped with a substantial 6,000 mAh silicon-carbon battery, the device offers over a day’s worth of power with light to moderate use. However, for those who engage in heavy usage, a recharge may be necessary before the day concludes.

During my testing, I began using the phone at 9 AM and did not need to charge it until 10 PM. My activities included web browsing, watching Instagram reels, streaming YouTube videos, listening to music, gaming, taking photos, and making calls. Despite this extensive usage, the phone managed to last until the evening without requiring a recharge, indicating a commendable battery life.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the vivo V50 5G?