LikeModern strains and slender design,Impressive zoomGimbal digital camera retains video tremendous steady5G connectivity
Don’t LikeLack of stereo audio systemNot water resistantSwipe right down to reply calls
The Vivo X50 Pro is a midrange cellphone on the upper finish of that spectrum and has lots of the trappings of an attractive flagship. Starting at roughly $670, you get a crystalline display screen, 5G, a robust battery, a speedy show and quick charging. But the cellphone additionally has a digital camera characteristic that undeniably distinguishes it from its rivals. The X50 Pro is the world’s first mass-produced cellphone with a built-in gimbal digital camera system that means that you can seize easy, fast-action video with the clicking of a button. Out of Vivo’s trio of X50 handsets — which the Chinese phone-maker is advertising and marketing as knowledgeable images flagship — the X50 Pro is the one one to boast this futuristic characteristic. But Vivo did make just a few compromises. For occasion, it lacks stereo audio system (an enormous downside for music lovers like myself) and it is not water-proof, which many telephones of this class are. It additionally has a midrange processor (Snapdragon 765G) as an alternative of probably the most superior chipset obtainable. If you are not fussed about capturing motion video, you are higher off shopping for Vivo’s base X50 or the OnePlus Nord. Both have comparable specs however do not cost a premium for superior video gimbals and {hardware}. The X50 and Nord characteristic a quad-camera system led by a 48-megapixel shooter, the identical chipset and a quick show, however are almost $100 to $200 cheaper respectively. But if being splash-proof is necessary to you, think about the iPhone 11 ($699 at Apple).
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Vivo would not at the moment have plans to formally launch the cellphone within the US. But X50 telephones have been launched in components of Asia and Europe, in order that they’ll be moderately straightforward to import. Pricing additionally varies based mostly on nation with costs trending increased in Western nations. In India, the bottom variant (with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage) begins at 49,990 rupees (roughly $670, £510 or AU$930), whereas in Eastern Europe it begins on the equal of $780. Vivo’s X50 Pro incorporates a 6.5-inch AMOLED show.
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The X50 Pro’s gimbal digital camera deliversThe X50 Pro has a number of rear cameras. The complete setup makes use of a gimbal-like system and a mix of optical picture stabilization and digital picture stabilization to supply extremely secure video. Vivo says its gimbal system reduces shakiness by as much as 3 times in comparison with conventional stabilization know-how, due to a “double ball structure” that permits it to rotate on three axes. I captured a bunch of video in several lighting situations to see how nicely the X50 Pro stacked up towards one other cellphone identified for its video-camera prowess, the iPhone 11 Pro Max. In brief, the X50 Pro carried out very nicely. When I recorded video whereas strolling in daylight and panning the cameras back and forth, I did not see a lot of a distinction between the 2 telephones. Both captured secure footage with none apparent jerkiness.
The variations had been noticeable, nonetheless, when operating, particularly in darker situations. Although the X50 Pro’s output was regular and seamless, there have been a number of instances when the digital camera went out of focus and blurred barely. The iPhone 11 Pro Max’s footage, alternatively, all the time remained in focus however was extraordinarily shaky. In the tip, I most popular video from the X50 Pro as a result of it was simpler for me to observe secure video with occasional blurs fairly than jerky footage. Apart from video, one other use-case for the gimbal system is taking photographs whereas zooming. I used to be in a position to extra simply seize some nice photographs zoomed in due to the steadiness it offered. Bottom line: The X50 Pro’s gimbal-style digital camera is spectacular and customarily delivers what it guarantees. But it can’t change a full-sized gimbal — it’s constructed right into a cellphone in any case. And whereas its know-how is exclusive, its movies aren’t earth-shatteringly higher than, say, what you get on the pricier iPhone 11 Pro Max. The X50 Pro’s design is slender and classicThough its design is not wholly distinctive, the Vivo’s X50 Pro continues to be a smooth cellphone with a traditional aesthetic. I favor designs like this as a result of they’re extra enduring fairly than envelope-pushing traits that appear to fade away (keep in mind pop-up selfie cameras?). The X50 Pro has a spacious 6.56-inch curved show with a discreet hole-punch selfie digital camera. On the again there is a bigger than common rectangular protrusion that is residence to a rear quad-camera module and the cellphone’s headline gimbal characteristic.The X50 Pro is available in grey, which I really like. Its delicate sheen provides to the cellphone’s premium look. Overall the X50 Pro is neither heavy or exceptionally light-weight, however it’s comparatively slim, which permits me to kind out emails and messages utilizing one hand.The X50 Pro’s display screen has a better 90Hz refresh fee than most telephones, which have 60Hz shows. It provides a silky easy expertise, which I actually like, although it is not as excessive because the 120Hz screens on the OnePlus 8 Pro and Galaxy S20.Vivo’s rear digital camera setup is headlined by a 48-megapixel shooter.
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Vivo’s X50 Pro seems to be smooth and chic with its curved show
See all photographs
The X50 Pro’s a number of cameras have vary In addition to the cellphone’s most important 48-megapixel sensor, there are two telephoto shooters and an 8-megapixel ultrawide-angle lens. These a number of cameras provide loads of selection and vary by way of photographic potentialities, which I actually recognize. For instance, the ultrawide digital camera has a 120-degree area of view, whereas the periscope zoom digital camera can zoom in on an object as much as 60x. In normal, the X50 Pro captured crisp and vibrant photographs that captured my environment splendidly and with correct colours. But in sure lighting situations, throughout sundown for instance, photographs had been extra saturated and punched-up within the X50 Pro than the iPhone 11 Pro. Whichever picture you favor is probably going a matter of private choice, however you’ll be able to see the distinction for your self within the photographs under. Keep in thoughts that the monitor you are viewing these footage on has an have an effect on as nicely. The Vivo X50 Pro captured a fiery yellow-orange sundown (left), whereas the {photograph} taken by the iPhone XS Max (proper) was extra true to life.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
This picture was taken indoors with the default lens. As you’ll be able to see, there was pure gentle pouring via the home windows and it wasn’t the best lighting situations for the digital camera to work with, however the picture got here out nicely.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
This picture was taken utilizing the default shooter and is extra saturated within the picture than it was in actual life.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
This picture was taken at night time utilizing the digital camera’s devoted Night Mode setting.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
The cellphone’s 60x zoom, generally known as “Hyper Zoom,” would not shut in as intimately because the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s 100x “Space Zoom,” however I used to be nonetheless blown away by the sheer energy of it. Photos had been blurry, however they nonetheless retained element that I could not see with my very own eyes. And after I did not must zoom that far, I used to be additionally in a position to take sharp and detailed pictures at 5x optical zoom, which few telephones have. Vivo’s X50 Pro has vary. Using its 60x hyper zoom, I used to be in a position to zoom into the signal on the lodge on the other aspect of the harbor. I could not see the signal with my bare eye and didn’t realize it existed until I zoomed in with the cellphone.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
This picture was taken on default settings (1x).
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
Zooming in 5x.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
Zooming in 10x.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
The 4 zoom modes aspect by aspect.
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
The cellphone’s ultrawide lens captured sprawling landscapes and sunsets. Colors, nonetheless, weren’t as true to life as they appeared after I took footage with the X50 Pro’s different lenses in most lighting situations. For some cause, blues had been darker on pictures taken with the ultrawide lens. This is not a significant flaw, however colour accuracy is tremendous necessary to photographers, they usually’re who Vivo is actively courting with this cellphone. X50 Pro’s software program options and UI The X50 Pro runs FunTouch OS 10.5 on high of Android 10. It’s a clear interface that is straightforward to make use of. There was some bloatware, however most of it might be turned off and it did not trouble me a lot. The X50 Pro additionally comes with darkish mode, an always-on show possibility and an app drawer. It additionally has round icons, which I favor to the rigidness of sq. ones. Like most Android 10 telephones, you may use swiping gesture controls to navigate via the cellphone. But the cellphone does have some unintuitive controls of its personal. In the early days of my reviewing the X50 Pro, for instance, I by accident hung up on a bunch of incoming calls. That’s as a result of to reply a name it’s essential swipe down versus up, which is the extra widespread route on Android telephones. X50 Pro battery and efficiency The X50 Pro’s battery comfortably lasted me all through the day with delicate utilization. That means I used it for gentle gameplay, studying the information on varied apps, answering emails, scanning my social media account and chatting with family members on WhatsApp. When I constantly performed an HD video on Airplane mode for battery exams, the cellphone lasted 15 hours, 22 minutes at 50% brightness. When it did finally run out of juice, it took the cellphone between 52 to 73 minutes to achieve a full cost utilizing the bundled 33-watt flash charger (in the course of the 3 times that I examined it). That’s a fairly good time — most premium telephones take about 90 minutes to completely cost. By comparability, Apple says the quick charger that comes with its iPhone 11 Pro can hit a 50% cost in 30 minutes. Fast charging is tremendous useful, particularly for these events when I’m about to go away my condominium and I notice my cellphone is sort of lifeless. The cellphone’s Snapdragon 765G processor (the G stands for gaming BTW) is a lower-cost possibility for phone-makers to equip their telephones with 5G. It is not as highly effective because the Snapdragon 865 chipset (as seen within the OnePlus 8 Pro ($999 at OnePlus) and the Galaxy S20 line), however the 765G offered greater than sufficient energy for all my processing wants. The X50 Pro stacked up nicely in benchmark exams towards different telephones outfitted with the identical chip just like the OnePlus Nord and LG Velvet. And after I performed extra demanding, graphics-intensive video games equivalent to PUBG, I did not discover any lags or stuttering. The gaming expertise was immersive and graphics had been crisp. 3DMark Slingshot
Note:
Longer bars point out higher efficiency
Geekbench v.5.0 single-core
Note:
Longer bars point out higher efficiency
Geekbench v.5.0 multicore
Note:
Longer bars point out higher efficiency.
Vivo X50 specs vs. X50 Pro vs. rivals
Vivo X50
Vivo X50 Pro
OnePlus Nord
OnePlus 8
iPhone 11
Display dimension, decision
6.5-inch AMOLED
6.5-inch AMOLED; 2376×1,080 pixels
6.44-inch; 2,400×1,080 pixels
6.55-inch AMOLED; 2,400×1,080 pixels
6.1-inch LCD Liquid Retina; 1,792×828 pixels
Dimensions (Inches)
6.28 x 2.96 x 0.29
6.28 x 2.97 x 0.29 inches
6.23 x 2.88 x 0.32 inches
6.3 x 2.8 x 0.31 inches
5.94 x 2.98 x 0.33 inches
Dimensions (Millimeters)
159.54 x 75.4 x 7.55mm
158.46 x 72.8 x 8.04mm
158.3 x 73.3 x 8.2mm
160 x 72.9 x 8.0 mm
150.9×75.7×8.3 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)
174.5g
181.5 grams
6.49 oz; 184g
6.35 oz; 180g
6.84 oz; 194g
Mobile software program (at launch)
Android 10
Android 10
Android 10
Android 10
iOS 13
Camera
48-megapixel (most important), 8-megapixel (extremely wide-angle), 5-megapixel (macro), 13-megapixel (portrait telephoto)
48-megapixel (most important), 8-megapixel (extremely wide-angle), 8-megapixel (periscope), 13-megapixel (portrait telephoto)
48-megapixel (commonplace), 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 2-megapixel (macro), 5-megapixel (depth-sensing)
48-megapixel (commonplace), 16-megapixel (ultra-wide), 2-megapixel (macro)
12-megapixel (large), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide)
Front-facing digital camera
32-megapixel
32-megapixel
32-megapixel, 8-megapixel (wide-angle)
16-megapixel
12-megapixel with Face ID
Processor
Snapdragon 765G
Snapdragon 765G
Snapdragon 765G
Snapdragon 865
A13 Bionic
Video seize
4K
4K
4K
4K
4K
Storage
128GB, 256GB
128GB, 256GB
128GB, 256GB
128GB, 256GB
64GB, 128GB, 256GB
RAM
8GB
8GB
8GB,12GB
8GB, 12GB
Not disclosed
Expandable storage
No
No
No
No
No
Battery
4,200 mAh
4,315 mAH
4,115 mAh
4,300 mAh
Not disclosed, however Apple claims it is going to final 1 hour longer than iPhone XR
Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Yes
In-screen
In-screen
None (Face ID)
Connector
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
Lightning
Headphone jack
No
No
No
No
No
Special options
5G enabled, 20x Digitial Zoom, 90Hz refresh fee
Gimbal-like digital camera, 60x hyperzoom, 90Hz refresh fee, twin SIM assist, 33W quick charging
5G enabled, 90Hz refresh fee, 30W fast-charging
5G enabled; Warp Charge; 90Hz refresh fee
Water resistant (IP68); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wi-fi charging
Price (USD) at launch
$470 for 128GB (transformed from 34,990 rupees)
$665 for 128GB (transformed from 49,990 rupees )
$572 (transformed from 500 euros)
$699 (8GB RAM/128GB), $799 (12GB RAM/256GB)
$699 (64GB), $749 (128GB), $849 (256GB)