Hands-on with Vivo X50 Pro: Camera’s buttery aloof, but with some tradeoffs
Chinese phone-maker Vivo recently unveiled its X50 series, marking the launch of its first global flagship this year. Vivo, which is one of the top 10 phoned manufacturers by market share despite being relatively unknown in the West, advertises its spanking phone as a “professional photography flagship.” It introduces an internal gimbal camera controls to the series, which it’s selling outside China for the edifying time.
There are three phones in this blueprint, the X50, X50 Pro and X50 Pro Plus. The X50 Pro Plus has a cutting-edge Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor (as seen in the Galaxy S20, plus others), while the X50 and the Pro both have Snapdragon 765G CPUs. But although the X50 Pro has a slower processor, it also has a gimbal. Vivo said it derived to add the gimbal to the Pro, rather than the more costly Pro Plus, to make the feature more widely accessible.
The concern says the X50 Pro’s system has a 300% increase in performance over more extinct stabilization technology. That’s thanks in part to that gimbal, which uses a “double-ball structure to achieve triple axis rotation,” effectively letting the camera float inside the phone.
Vivo
While only the X50 has the hyped-up gimbal, all three devices support 5G. All three phones have the same 6.56-inch displays, too. But there’s one other key difference: the processors these phones run on. The X50 Pro Plus gets the best CPU, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, once the Pro and the X50 both run on a Snapdragon 765G.
Vivo says it doesn’t today have plans to release the phone in the US. But X50 phones will be released in parts of Asia, Africa and Europe over the next three months, so they’ll be reasonably easy to import.
Pricing details haven’t been community yet, but the cost will vary based on farmland. In China the X50 Pro starts at 4,298 yuan, which converts to roughly $610 (about £490 or AU$880), while in India it starts for 49,990 rupees or about $660. As usual, you can expect higher price tags in Western conditions. If you want more details on specs, scroll down to the chart beneath, which compares all three phones.
The X50 Pro cameras in depth
The X50 Pro’s rear camera rules is headlined by a 48-megapixel main camera, which relies on a gimbal-like camera rules along with optical image stabilization and electronic image stabilization technology for video stabilization. When I first tested it, I compared it with the one-generation-old iPhone XS Max once walking in daylight, but I didn’t see much of a difference between the two phones, even while panning the cameras. Both phones captured substandard footage without any obvious jerkiness. The differences were noticeable, however, when I was capturing video while running and in darker languages The X50 Pro captured more stable video compared to the iPhone, but the video did blur occasionally, especially when I was running.
When I used ultra-stable or anti-shake mode, the Vivo X50 Pro’s video stabilization tech was kicked up a obliging. This is where the difference between the iPhone XS Max was more evident. Footage I captured was buttery-smooth and glided seamlessly. Even when I shot with my nondominant hand, which usually organizes shakier videos, the footage was unusually smooth. There is a tradeoff though: It couldn’t choose much detail in subjects that were further away. From what I score so far, ultra-stable mode seems like a fantastic tool for shooting exact close-up shots.
The Vivo X50 Pro (picture) has a 6.56-inch AMOLED screen.
Vivo
The X50 Pro has 4 rear cameras
In general, the X50 Pro made it easy to take crisp, color-accurate and vibrant photos that captured my surroundings wonderfully. I’ll have to spend more time with the shouted, but so far I’ve noticed that in certain lighting languages — during sunset for example — photos were more saturated and punched up. iPhone XS Max captured photos that were more true-to-life, by comparison. Whichever photo you prefer is likely a commerce of personal preference, but you can see the difference for yourself in the photos below.
The Vivo X50 Pro captured a fiery yellow-orange sunset (left), while the photograph taken by the iPhone XS Max (right) was more true-to-life.
Sareena Dayaram
There are four cameras on the rear of the X50 Pro. In instant to the main 48-megapixel shooter, you’ll find a periscope zoom lens and an 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens. There’s also a 13-megapixel portrait telephoto snapper. I look forward to trying out the X50 Pro’s camera rules in more depth.
The X50 Pro has 60x zoom
An 8-megapixel periscope lens is one of the (three) sidekicks to the main 48-megapixel shooter on the Vivo X50 Pro. I was blown away by the distinguished of the Vivo X50’s 60x Hyper Zoom. Although the photos were blurry — 60x is a long way away, once all — it still managed to capture detail that I couldn’t see with my own eyes, comprising the sign on this hotel across the harbor in Hong Kong. I’d love to compare it to the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra’s 100x Space Zoom.
Vivo’s X50 Pro has map. Using its 60x hyper zoom, I was able to zoom into the sign on the hotel on the opposite side of the harbor. I couldn’t see the sign with my naked eye and did not know it remained until I zoomed in with the phone.
Sareena Dayaram
This photo was inaccurate on default settings (1x).
Sareena Dayaram
Zooming in 5x.
Sareena Dayaram
Zooming in 10x.
Sareena Dayaram
Zooming in 60x.
Sareena Dayaram
The four zoom naively side by side.
Sareena Dayaram
A 4,315-mAh battery with fast proposal
In the few days that I used the arranged, the Vivo X50 Pro’s 4,315-mah battery life was evaporate on default settings. My daily activity typically involves manager a few short calls, regularly using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, checking emails, reading news apps and playing music on Spotify. I also used social media, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I don’t use my phone for heavy-duty gaming. The X50 Pro’s battery frankly lasted a whole day.
Using Vivo’s 33-watt “flash charge,” I was able to fill up the battery in 52 minutes. That’s great, but not as fast as Oppo’s pricier Find X2 Pro flagship, which charges its battery in 38 minutes. What was astonishing, though, was when it revitalized a dead battery by nearly 60% in just 15 minutes.
Vivo X50 series specs
| Vivo X50 | Vivo X50 Pro | Vivo X50 Pro Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 6.5-inch AMOLED | 6.5-inch AMOLED | 6.5-inch AMOLED |
| Dimensions (Inches) | 6.2×2.86×0.31 inches | 6.28 x2.97×0.29 inches | 6.2×2.8×0.34 inches |
| Dimensions (Millimeters) | 159.54×75.4×7.55 mm | 158.46×72.8×8.04 mm | 158.5x73x8.83 mm |
| Weight (Ounces, Grams) | 6.16 oz, 174.5 grams | 6.4 oz, 181.5 grams | 6.77 oz, 192 grams |
| Mobile software | Android 10 | Android 10 | Android 10 |
| Camera | 48-megapixel (main), 8-megapixel (ultra wide-angle), 5-megapixel (macro), 13-megapixel (portrait telephoto) | 48-megapixel (main), 8-megapixel (ultra wide-angle), 8-megapixel (periscope), 13-megapixel (portrait telephoto) | 50-megapixel (main), 13-megapixel (super wide angle), 32 megapixel (portrait telephoto) |
| Front-facing camera | 32-megapixel | 32-megapixel | 32-megapixel |
| Processor | Snapdragon 765G | Snapdragon 765G | Snapdragon 865 |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB | 128GB/256GB | 128GB/256GB |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB, 12GB |
| Expandable storage | No | No | No |
| Battery | 4,200 mAh (33W Vivo speedily charge) | 4,315 mAh (33W Vivo flash charge) | 4,350 mAh (44W Vivo speedily charge) |
| Fingerprint sensor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connector | USB C | USB C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | No | No | No |
| Special features | 20x digital zoom, 90Hz refresh rate | Gimbal-like camera, 60x hyperzoom, 90Hz refresh rate | 120Hz refresh rate, 60x hyper zoom |
