Vivo V50 review: Vivo's premium class keeps getting better

With the Vivo V50, the Chinese manufacturer is bringing a new mid- to high-end smartphone to Austria, which is intended to impress with a large battery, a modern design and good cameras.

For an RRP of €599, you get, among other things, a 6,77-inch OLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate, a modern design, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, a 5.260 mAh battery, and a 50-megapixel dual camera. The specs sound great on paper, but how does it perform in everyday use? Does the Vivo V50 impress? Find out all about it in this review.

Conclusion on the Vivo V50

The Vivo V50 is a compelling mid- to high-end smartphone with a beautiful design, a bright OLED display, long battery life, and good cameras. Performance is finally at a decent level, which unfortunately hasn't always been the case with previous mid- to high-end smartphones from Vivo. However, there are also drawbacks, such as the vibration motor and the plastic casing, that you should consider when making a purchase.

In conclusion, I can definitely recommend the Vivo V50. However, I would wait a bit longer until it's available for less, as the RRP of €599 seems too high to me. I think €450-500 would be very fair for what it offers.

Many thanks to Vivo Austria for kindly providing the test device!

Design & Display – one of my highlights with a catch

With dimensions of 163,29 x 76,72 millimeters, the Vivo V50 is a very large smartphone that in many situations is no longer proIt can be easily operated one-handed. However, I have to say that due to its thickness of just 7,39 millimeters and its low weight of 189 grams, it looks quite delicate and feels comfortable in the hand. What I particularly like are the subtle curves on the front and back. This makes it very ergonomic and looks simply great. You can choose between "Satin Black" and "Mist Purple" as the color. I tested the black model, which shimmers gray and purple depending on the light. I really like it!

What I don't like so much is the choice of materials. Vivo uses plastic for both the frame and the back, which is a bit of a challenge considering the RRP of €599. For this price, I expect higher-quality materials. At least the plastic on the back is matte and cleanly processed, making fingerprints barely noticeable. The camera design is quite striking, just like its predecessor, which I like. It's just something different. My absolute highlight is undoubtedly the front. The bezels around the screen are equally thin on all four sides and slightly rounded, which not only looks beautiful but also feels great. Visually, the Vivo V50 is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful smartphones of the year.

The display measures 6,77 inches and, with a resolution of 2.392 x 1.080 pixels, is sufficiently sharp that no individual pixels are discernible in everyday use. It also has a smooth refresh rate of 120 Hz, which makes scrolling and all animations appear buttery smooth. The color reproduction is intense, typical of OLED, yet pleasantly realistic. If you prefer something a little more saturated, you can adjust the color reproduction to your liking in the settings. The viewing angle stability is excellent, and I was also surprised by the maximum brightness. Even on sunny days, I never had any problems reading the content on the display. The display is flagship-quality!

Software – four years of updates & many additional features

The software is the company's own user interface, Funtouch OS 15 – based on Android 15. Vivo promises three major Android updates and up to four years of security updates, which is perfectly acceptable for the price. I've never been a big fan of Funtouch OS in the past, but with the Live V40 and X200 Pro Fortunately, the software became more and more tidy and simply better.

Animations run more smoothly, the control panel is more intuitive and attractive, the settings are a bit cleaner, and I even like the gallery app. What makes Funtouch OS special, however, are the many (useful) additional features. You can customize almost everything to your own taste, which is simply a lot of fun.

Performance – finally significantly better

My biggest criticism of all Vivo mid- to high-end smartphones so far has been the performance. Vivo consistently used processors that didn't match the performance of their respective price ranges. Accordingly, everyday performance was disappointing—simply too weak for the price. With the Vivo V50, Vivo has finally taken an important step in the right direction.

Under the hood is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, supported by a whopping 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. Everyday performance is good and, unsurprisingly, significantly better than its predecessor. Gesture control finally works smoothly enough, apps launch and close pleasantly quickly, and stuttering is rare. While I think you could have expected a bit more for €600, I'm fine with that. The performance is satisfactory!

Battery – long runtime & short charging times

The battery is a whopping 5.260 mAh and can be charged with up to 90 watts. A full charge takes about 45 minutes, which is really good. Unfortunately, the matching power adapter isn't included, which I find very disappointing. The battery life is one of my highlights. I'm always proI got through a day without any problems, and two days were often no problem. At the end of the day, with screen-on time of 3,5 to 4,5 hours, I still had at least 40 percent and a maximum of 70 percent battery left. Even heavy users shouldn't have any trouble getting through a day with the Vivo V50.

Camera - neat

On the back there is a dual camera, which is positioned as follows:

• 50 megapixel main camera – 1/1.55 ​​inch – f/1.88
• 50 megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera – 1/2.76 inch – f/2.0

Picture: TechnikNews

Before each shot, you can choose between three color modes: "Vivid," "Textured," and "Zeiss Natural Color." If you prefer a more saturated look, you should choose one of the first color modes, but if you prefer a more natural look, you should select "Zeiss Natural Color." In this color mode, colors are reproduced surprisingly realistically. The dynamic range is very high, typical of Vivo. The sharpness of both cameras is good, but I would have hoped for a little more from the main camera, as details are lost too quickly due to Vivo's artificial sharpening. Low-light and zoom shots are perfectly acceptable for the price.

The Vivo V50 5G allows video recording in up to 4K resolution – but only with 30 frames pro Second. Those who prefer smoother movements will have to resort to Full HD resolution, where 60 FPS is possible. The integrated "Aura Light" acts as a flexible light source: both brightness and color temperature can be adjusted. The video quality is impressive overall, and the optical image stabilization also does a solid job. Selfie lovers can also look forward to the high-resolution 50-megapixel front camera with autofocus – razor-sharp self-portraits included.

Test photos

Let's take a look at a few test photos. The following images are absolutely unprocessed, but compressed without loss in order to keep loading times and memory consumption of the website low.

Other – fingerprint sensor, vibration motor and much more.

The smartphone can be unlocked using a fingerprint sensor integrated into the display. It unlocks the smartphone quickly and reliably, but could be positioned a bit higher for my taste.

One of my biggest criticisms of Vivo's recent mid-range smartphones was the vibration motors, as they were either annoyingly loud or felt like a low-quality product. Unfortunately, this criticism hasn't really been addressed in the Vivo V50. While the vibration motor is slightly better than the one in its predecessor, it's simply not enough for an RRP of €599. Even the POCO X7, currently priced at €250, is equipped with a noticeably higher-quality vibration motor.

To end this review on a positive note, I'd like to talk about the stereo speakers. They're sufficiently loud and deliver a clear, clean sound.