The Vivo X50 Pro is the world’s first smartphone to have gimbal stabilisation built right into the camera system itself. Being an avid videographer, I reached out to Vivo and they were kind enough to send over a unit for us to review. Boasting a gimbal camera system and Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 765G, what else does the sleek Vivo X50 Pro have to offer?
Vivo X50 Pro – Specifications
Specs | Vivo X50 Pro |
CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G |
RAM | 8GB |
Storage | 256GB UFS 2.1 |
Display | 6.56-inch FHD+ AMOLED 90Hz Refresh Rate HDR10+ |
Camera (Rear) | 48MP Main 8MP Periscope 13MP Portrait 8MP Ultra-Wide Gimbal Stabilisation |
Camera (Front) | 32MP |
Battery | 4,315mAh 33W Fast Charging |
Connectivity | 5G Network Bluetooth 5.1 USB Type-C Wi-Fi 5 Under-display Fingerprint Sensor |
OS | Funtouch OS 10.5 Android 10 |
Design + User Experience
The Vivo X50 Pro feels really slim, and it is such a pleasure to hold in the hands. I’ve never even put on the included casing because I really enjoyed feeling the matte textured finish on the back. It may be matte, but surprisingly, it isn’t as slippery as expected.
The camera bump has a 2-step design, and it is still acceptable as it isn’t too thick. It’s wide enough that it can sort of be laid flat on a surface, and still be used without the phone moving around too much. But if you are bothered by the camera bump, you can always throw on a casing, and it’s gone.
Connectivity wise, all the SIM tray, USB Type-C port, and speaker grille are all placed on the bottom. This leaves the other three sides to be free and have a more streamlined look, which I really appreciate. The power and volume buttons are still on the right side, and I’m okay with that because that’s where my thumb would naturally rest anyway.
Moving into the era of TWS earbuds, the Vivo X50 Pro doesn’t come with a 3.5mm audio jack. For those who have a pair of TWS earbuds, this may not be a big problem. But for those who don’t, we really encourage you to get one as there a lot of great options available at an affordable price. Vivo also has the TWS Neo earphones available in the market.
We were a little disappointed that the phone didn’t come with any IP rating, which means it is vulnerable to water and dust intrusion from your daily wear and tear. It isn’t a dealbreaker, just you would need to be extra careful with your phone.
When it comes to biometrics and security, the device’s in-display fingerprint sensor works really quickly. Even the face unlock is so fast that it logged in even before I had the intention to.
Display
The Vivo X50 Pro has a 6.56-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. Visuals are bright, and the colours are vivid, making it enjoyable when you’re watching videos or gaming.
The high refresh rate of 90Hz allows navigation on the phone to be a lot smoother, as every animation on screen just becomes so much more fluid. The sides are slightly curved and that makes using the phone alot more comfortable, especially when you’re swiping from the sides to go back.
On the top left, you’ll find the punch hole notch for the 32MP selfie sensor. It isn’t intrusive and the top and bottom bezels are minimal too, giving it an excellent 92% screen-to-body ratio. Despite having all that screen real estate, I’ve never felt my palms were intruding into screen and making accidental touches, which is great.
Performance
Packed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the Vivo X50 Pro can definitely keep up with my everyday tasks. From social media browsing to email management, app launching to gaming, the device handles these tasks swiftly without any hiccups or restraints. But what I did notice is that the device does tend to warm up a little if you’re continuously using it for long hours, especially if you’re gaming or filming a video. That being said, it isn’t warm to the point of discomfort.
Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of Vivo’s custom Funtouch OS. But with the X50 Pro’s new enhancements like the 90Hz refresh rate and improved UX design, it felt much more appealing this time I’m using it. Everything just flows so smoothly, and I’ve had fun using it as my daily driver for the past few weeks.
Here are some of the synthetic benchmarks we’ve ran on the Vivo X50 Pro:
3DMark
Geekbench 5
Camera
The gimbal stabilisation system is built into the quad camera system on the rear of the device. With the 48MP sensor (Sony IMX598) with f/1.6 headlining the setup, the device also has:
- 13MP Portrait – f/2.46
- 8MP Ultra-wide – f/2.2
- 8MP Telephoto – f/3.4
- 32MP Selfie – f/2.45
Initially, my first thought when I took photos with the device was that the image quality was on par with Huawei smartphones that have Leica lenses built in.
Images were bright, and detailed. But, if you zoom in on the images, the outlines tend to be blurry and there are some artifacts (albeit rarely) here and there.
When it comes to the Vivo X50 Pro’s gimbal stabilisation system, I assure you it is no marketing gimmick. The gimbal does a fantastic job (after you calibrate it properly) of minimizing shakes, jerks, and motion rolls. This in turn, also helps with photography, especially when you’re taking night shots with the dedicated “Starry Sky” and “Super Moon” modes.
The telephoto sensor also works really well, offering up to 60x digital zoom as well as 5x hybrid zoom. When you’re 60x zoomed in, the image does lose some details and dynamic range, but you can still definitely make out what was captured.
As for selfies, they’re impressively bright a little too detailed, where it would show the imperfections of my rather bland face. So, what I did was to turn on the AI beautification mode to smoothen things out so my face could look more acceptable.
Overall, the camera is a pleasure to use, but there is a little delay when you’re switching between photo modes because it takes a while to switch lenses.
Here are some sample shots during my time with the Vivo X50 Pro:
To show you the how the gimbal camera system performs, check out our video on YouTube here:
Audio
The Vivo X50 Pro only has a single speaker system, which is located on the bottom of the phone. It is loud, and sounds really bright. It’s great for listening to vocals and dialogues with its great handling of highs. But, when it comes to mids, it gets a little messy and the lows are practically non-existent.
If you rest your pinky finger on the bottom, there’s a chance you would cover the speaker grille, thereby muffling the audio coming out of it.
Battery
The Vivo X50 Pro’s 4,315mAh battery lasted me two days on basic usage. On heavy use, it could last me till the end of the day. Recharging it from 0 to full takes about an hour and a half. thanks to the fast 33W fast charging.
Conclusion
The Vivo X50 Pro is definitely one of the better looking Android smartphones of 2020. It is a premium mid-range smartphone that encompasses a great camera system, a fluid display, and decent performance. Carrying a mid-range processor, Vivo’s asking price of RM3,199 might be a little high, but you’re getting a beautiful device with built-in gimbal along with 5G connectivity for future-proofing. If it’s too far off from your budget, you can always check out the smaller Vivo X50, but you’d lose the gimbal stabilisation system, of course.