vivo V50 review

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Introduction, specs, unboxing

The first big vivo launch for 2025 has come to pass and it brought us the sleek V50 model. It's a photography-oriented midrange smartphone with thin design, an immersive screen, one impressively large battery and a trio of 50MP cameras with Zeiss optics.

We often recommend vivo V models for their all-round experience but also especially for their excellent photo and video quality on a midrange budget. And the vivo V phones have been following more or less the same formula with small improvements every year. Last year, the V40 really made the package complete by adding full water protection and stereo speakers.

Now, the vivo V50 perfects the formula even further. It brings a refined design with a larger Aura light, an updated 50MP main camera with a better OV50e sensor plus Zeiss optics for all three shooters. And there is now an even larger 6,000mAh battery with faster rated 90W charging.

The vivo V50 has a 6.77-inch 1080p AMOLED, which is a downgrade from the 6.78" AMOLED with 1260p on the previous models. However, this year the model introduces a new Dimond Shield Glass protection (in collaboration with Schott), which should be up to 50% more drop-resistant compared to the V40's first Schott glass.

The V50, just like the V40 and V30, runs on the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip and its memory options max out at 12GB RAM + 512GB just like on the older models.

The trio of cameras remain a 50MP main + 50MP AF ultrawide for the back, plus a 50 AF selfie at the front. As we mentioned, the main camera features a new sensor by OmniVision, while all cameras come with Zeiss optics. The focus remains on the ever-improving Portrait mode photos.

The V50 is powered by a larger 6,000mAh Si/C battery with 90W fast charging. It boots Android 15 with Funtouch 15 skin and will get three major updates in the foreseeable future.

vivo V50 specs at a glance:

• Body: 163.3x76.7x7.4mm, 189g; Glass front, glass back or plastic back; IP68/IP69 dust tight and water resistant (high pressure water jets; immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.77" AMOLED, 1B colors, HDR10+, 120Hz, 1300 nits (HBM), 4500 nits (peak), 1080x2392px resolution, 19.93:9 aspect ratio, 388ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7550-AB Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x2.63 GHz Cortex-A715 & 3x2.4 GHz Cortex-A715 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 720.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 2.2.
• OS/Software: Android 15, up to 3 major Android upgrades, Funtouch 15.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 23mm, 1/1.55", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.0, 15mm, 119˚, 1/2.76", 0.64µm, AF.
• Front camera: 50 MP, f/2.0, 21mm (wide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm, AF.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS, OIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 6000mAh; 90W wired, PD, Reverse wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi 5; BT 5.4; NFC.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

The V50 will hardly excite V30 and V40 owners (both 2024 models), as it offers too few upgrades. But the improved overall package might be able to compete better with phones by other makers. The only unexplainable move is the display downgrade - the resolution has gone from 1260p (453ppi) down to 1080p (388ppi). But maybe the display is now better in some other aspects - we'll test that in detail.

Unboxing the vivo V50

The vivo V50 box offers everything to get you started - a 90W power adapter, a USB-A-to-C cable, and a special protective case.

The case has reinforced corners for additional drop protection, which should bring extra peace of mind.