The vivo V series has served as the brand’s midrange device, though with an update cycle that’s a lot more frequent that annually from the looks of it. The latest in the line, not counting variants, is the V50, which was launched locally last month, with the brand putting a lot in showing off one specific colour as the prettiest of of the lot.
Colour notwithstanding though, is the vivo V50 worth its asking price? Or is it a fashion statement as much as it is a practical smart device? Let’s find out.
Specifications
Looks & Functionality
Having been given a preview of the phone prior to the launch, I’ve shared my initial thoughts of the phone then. After using it for a couple of weeks, I can say that I’ve made no new discoveries since.
But in case you missed it, the vivo V50 is a phone that sits pretty comfortably in hand, with the curved sides and back, and the curves at the very edge of the screen. As I’ve noted back then, the curved edges of the screen make for a very noticeable screen protector, and indeed I’ve since accidentally peeled some of it off. But depending on the severity, it should not be something that gets in the way of life.
The metallic frame around the sides of the vivo V50 is indeed quite the fingerprint magnet, but because it’s on a much smaller surface area, it ended up not being something I notice as much as I thought I would. Not much else to say about the back of the phone that hasn’t already been said, considering its similarities to the predecessor model.
On the user experience side of things though, things have taken a slight hit after more extensive use. With 12GB of RAM, while you won’t initially run into issues when using the vivo V50, once you start doing anything intensive with it, like using a navigation app, snapping lots of photos or recording videos, or even gaming, you will start to experience some choppiness when scrolling through your social media. Nothing a quick restart can’t solve, but it’s something to note nevertheless.
Performance & Battery
On that note though, we come to the performance of the vivo V50, which runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. Not the latest and greatest by any means, and the synthetic benchmarks certainly reflect this, but it’s certainly sufficient for your everyday use.
In real world testing, I’ve partially mentioned the performance of the vivo V50 in the section above. Gaming works fine with it, but I’d recommend against doing anything that’s both intensive and cannot be done in short bursts. My testing was done with Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, with graphical setting set to the maximum, then dialing things down as soon as I start seeing stuttering.
Swinging to the other extreme is battery life. You can do a fair amount of streaming and still end the day with just under 50% battery life. I wouldn’t try pushing it through the second day unless you know you can be vey frugal with your phone usage. Going through our usual video loop test, the vivo V50 lasted just under 23-and-a-half hours. Charging, using the brick that came with the box, took just a couple of minutes over an hour.
Camera
Considering the long-term partnership between vivo and ZEISS, it’s no surprise that the main feature of the predecessor makes a return. The setup is a pair of 50MP shooters, and the performance is also more or less what you’d expect given prior performances.
But to go into detail, there’s slightly better colour correction this time around, with colours leaning more towards neutral rather than the usual warm. There’s also a better balance between natural and vibrant. There is also an improvement in the amount of noise in low light scenarios, but it’s mostly an algorithmic thing. And as I mentioned before, once you see it, it’s pretty hard to unsee it.
Sample Images
Competition
realme 14 Pro
Launched a month after the vivo V50, the realme 14 Pro is the one in its owns series that isn’t being marketed as a budget gaming phone. Specs-wise, this comes with 6.77-inch Full HD+ 120Hz screen, a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy chipset, 12GB of RAM and a choice of 256GB and 512GB of storage space. Despite the way it looks, it only sports a 50MP main + 2MP depth sensor at the back, with a 16MP shooter in front. Powering it is a 6,000 mAh battery with 45W charging.
POCO F7 Pro
On the flip side, the POCO F7 Pro is, despite its name, the more affordable model in its range, while also being a gaming phone. The screen here is a 6.67-inch 120Hz 3,200 x 1,440 display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, a 6,000 mAh battery with 90W charging, a 50MP main + 8MP wide angle combo at the back, and s 20MP secondary camera. Memory comes in at 12GB, but you get a choice of 256GB or 512GB of storage.
Conclusion
While the vivo V50 is a pretty phone, especially if you pick the brand’s own favourite colour of Ancora Red, just about everything else about the phone fits its asking price. Which is not a diss on the phone, especially now that, with its spec sheet, it’s not completely losing the pricing competition.
In terms of value proposition, it’s actually in a pretty good spot. Opt for more affordable device, and you things could go either way in terms on the value proposition. Shell out a tad more, and you get a gaming phone with a better chipset, but as is the nature of gaming phones, know that there will be some compromises in the imaging department. Ultimately, the V50 is one of the more compellingly-priced phones by vivo.
Photography by Adrian Low, Archilius Sampurai
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