vivo V50 Unboxing and Review

Last week, I reviewed the vivo V50 Lite 5G, and now it's time to explore its photography-focused sibling, the vivo V50. The vivo V50 features significant upgrades over its predecessor, the V40. One of the standout enhancements is the new 50MP main camera with a sensor developed by OmniVision. Additionally, the V50 comes equipped with a large 6,000mAh battery that supports faster 90W charging, which vivo claims is the slimmest on the market.

While the V50 introduces several new features, it retains many similarities with the V40, including an AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, IP68/69 ingress protection, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, and options for up to 12GB of RAM with storage choices of 256GB or 512GB.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on this device, and I'm excited to share my unboxing experience with you. We'll also take a closer look at the smartphone's features to help you determine if it suits your needs. So, without further ado, let’s begin the unboxing!

Unboxing the vivo V50

The vivo V50 is packaged in a high-quality box that resembles its predecessor. The front of the box prominently features the V50 logo and highlights the inclusion of AI capabilities in this model. On the back, you'll find essential details about the device, including the model number, IMEI number, serial number, color, and more.

Upon opening the box, you'll discover the following items included: the vivo V50 smartphone, a SIM card ejector tool, a quick start guide, important information (including the warranty card), a 90W FlashCharge power adapter, a USB Type-C to USB-A charging cable, and a silicone case. Please note that the vivo V50 does not come with headphones, so you'll need to provide your own.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the device’s physical appearance.

Design and Walk Around

The vivo V50 looks familiar and presents a refined design compared to the vivo V40. Its aesthetic is highlighted by the Dual Ring Camera Module, where the camera and flash are arranged in circular formations in separate upper and lower sections.

In the Philippines, the vivo V50 is offered in three colors: Mist Purple (which I have), Ancora Red, and Satin Black. The Mist Purple variant, according to vivo, is inspired by the gentle embrace of morning mist. I appreciate this matte design, as it is less prone to fingerprint smudges and scratches.

The vivo V50 features a dual-glass body with a plastic frame, weighing just 189 grams and measuring 7.4 mm in thickness. Despite its slim profile, the V50 is equipped with a 6,000mAh battery, making it one of the slimmest phones in vivo's lineup with such a large battery. Additionally, its screen has a 41° curvature that seamlessly transitions into the smooth, curved back cover, ensuring a comfortable grip.

On the front, the phone boasts a large 6.77-inch FHD AMOLED display, which is protected by a new Diamond Shield Glass developed in collaboration with Schott. According to vivo, this glass is up to 50% more drop-resistant than the Schott glass used in the V40 and comes with a pre-installed screen protector. At the top of the screen, there is a centered hole-punch camera, while the earpiece, which also functions as a speaker, is discreetly positioned above the display. Additionally, the fingerprint reader is located beneath the screen.

The back of the device is equipped with a new camera module featuring a dual-camera 50MP ZEISS system, along with the Zeiss logo. The cameras are encircled by a metal ring that has a diamond pattern. Additionally, below the cameras, there is a new, larger ring-shaped Aura Light.

The volume rocker and power button are located on the right side, while the top of the phone remains clean, featuring only two openings for the secondary microphone. At the bottom of the vivo V50, you’ll find a USB Type-C charging port, a downward-firing speaker, a microphone, and a dual SIM card tray. Unfortunately, the phone does not include a 3.5mm audio jack.

Additionally, the vivo V50 boasts IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance. The IP68 rating indicates that the device is completely dust-tight and can be submerged in water up to 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes. The IP69 rating offers enhanced protection against high-pressure water jets, contributing to its durability.

Display and Multimedia

The Vivo V50 is a smartphone that boasts a large 6.77-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2392 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. This marks a slight downgrade from the previous model, which had a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1260p. Additionally, vivo has transitioned from a curved display to a more standard 2.5D finish, which is a positive change.

Despite this change, the AMOLED display delivers vivid colors and offers excellent viewing angles. It features a peak brightness of 4,500 nits, which automatically adjusts to maintain brightness even in outdoor conditions. The maximum overall brightness can reach up to 1,300 nits.

Similar to its predecessor, the vivo V40, the V50 includes dual stereo speakers. The audio quality is impressive, and the volume can get quite loud. However, for an even better audio experience, it is still recommended to use headphones or an external speaker.

Camera

Rear Cameras

The vivo V50 camera continues the legacy of its V series predecessors by delivering professional-quality portraits with significant enhancements, thanks to ZEISS Optics.

The device features a dual-camera setup, which includes a 50MP F1.9 primary camera equipped with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF). Unlike the Samsung ISOCELL S5KGNJ sensor found in the V40, the vivo V50 uses the OmniVision OV50E sensor, previously seen in the V30. Additionally, there’s a 50MP F2.0 wide-angle camera with autofocus. The V50 introduced an upgraded Aura Light, now enhanced by 100% compared to its predecessor.

The vivo V50, in collaboration with ZEISS, features the ZEISS Multifocal Portrait mode offering professional portrait focal lengths (1x - 23 mm, 1.5x - 35 mm, and 2.2x - 50 mm). It also includes AI Facial Contouring Technology, which corrects common selfie distortions in real-time for natural-looking results. Additionally, the V50 boasts AI 3D Studio Lighting 2.0 for Ultra Clear Backlit Selfies, enhancing performance in bright conditions to ensure vibrant, three-dimensional selfies with optimal lighting effects.

In bright lighting conditions, the rear cameras produce impressive results, showcasing vibrant colors, sharp details, and excellent dynamic range.

The vivo V50 also excels in low-light and nighttime photography, capturing images with vivid colors and considerable detail.

Front Selfie Camera

The front-facing camera, featuring a 50MP F2.0 aperture and autofocus, takes detailed and sharp photos that reflect real-life colors and natural skin tones. While the background blurring for portrait selfies isn’t perfect, it is still quite effective.

Videos

Regarding video capabilities, the vivo V50 supports up to 4K resolution at 30fps for both the rear and front cameras. The device includes Aura Light Portrait Video, which enhances video clarity in low-light scenarios. Furthermore, Hybrid Image Stabilization (OIS + EIS) ensures smooth footage. Videos captured with the main camera are notably good, featuring low noise and abundant detail.

Funtouch OS, Apps, and Security

The vivo V50 smartphone features a heavily customized user interface called Funtouch OS 15 (FOS15), which is based on the Android 15 operating system. The design aesthetics of FOS15 have been significantly upgraded, introducing new materials and resources in various modules, including Wallpapers (static, immersive, and video), Themes, Icons, Clock Widgets, Fingerprint Recognition Animation, Call Backgrounds, and Always-On Display.

The V50 incorporates Google's integrated search tool and the Gemini AI assistant. Additionally, it offers a Google Lens-powered screen translation feature. Users can also benefit from live translation during phone calls, and an AI Transcript Assist utility for summarizing spoken conversations. The gallery editor includes AI-powered functionalities that allow users to delete objects, remove people, and eliminate reflections.

The V50 is eligible for three major operating system updates, and vivo assures that intelligent control over background tasks will ensure smooth, lag-free performance for up to five years (60 months) without significant slowdowns. Furthermore, the phone comes pre-installed with the standard suite of vivo and Google apps, along with some additional bloatware.

In terms of security, the vivo V50 is equipped with an in-display fingerprint scanner and facial recognition for unlocking the device. Both methods function effectively, with the fingerprint scanner being notably fast and accurate. However, the face unlock feature may be slower in low-light conditions.

Hardware and Performance

The vivo V50, like its predecessors the V40 and V30, is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 mobile platform, which is built using a 4nm process. It features one Cortex-A715 core clocked at 2.63GHz, three Cortex-A715 cores running at 2.4GHz, and four Cortex-A510 cores that can reach speeds of up to 1.8GHz. Additionally, it is equipped with an Adreno 720 graphics processor.

The performance of the vivo V50 is notably smooth, easily handling resource-intensive applications. For gaming, it delivers a seamless experience and supports a wide variety of games. The device also includes features such as Game Boost mode, 4D Game Vibration, and a Vapor Chamber cooling system to enhance performance.

The vivo V50 supports Extended RAM 4.0 technology, which allows the phone's RAM to be expanded virtually by using internal storage. This lets the device utilize up to 12GB of its internal storage, resulting in a total of up to 24GB of RAM.

In the Philippines, the vivo V50 is available in three variants: one with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, another with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (which is the model I am using), and a third option with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. My 256GB unit has used 28.19GB of storage out of the box. Unfortunately, the device does not support microSD card expansion.

Below are the benchmark scores for this device:

• AnTuTu v10.5.0 – 809,422
• AnTuTu Storage Test v10.5.0 – 56,217 (979.7 MB/s Seq. Read, 838.0 MB/s Seq. Write)
• Geekbench 6.4.0 – 1,133 (Single-core), 3,164 (Multi-core)
• PCMark – 10,504 (Work 3.0)
• 3DMark – 5,409 (Wild Life), 5,476 (Wild Life Unlimited)

Battery Life, Charging, and Connectivity

The vivo V50 features an impressive 6,000mAh battery, marking the highest capacity in the V Series to date. With moderate usage, this battery can easily last an entire day without needing a recharge. In the PCMark Work 3.0 Battery Life Test, the device achieved a remarkable score of approximately 18 hours and 47 minutes.

Additionally, the vivo V50 comes with 90W FlashCharge technology, allowing the 6,000mAh battery to charge from 0 to 100 percent in just 46 minutes. The device also includes energy-saving software such as the BlueVolt Battery System and AI Sleep Mode. These features help to minimize background power usage and idle consumption, ensuring that a full charge lasts from morning until night.

In terms of connectivity, the vivo V50 is equipped with standard features such as dual-SIM (nano-SIM) support, 5G connectivity, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, and a USB Type-C port.

vivo V50 Specifications

6.77-inch FHD (1080 x 2392) AMOLED display, 388ppi, 120Hz Refresh Rate
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, 4nm
Adreno 720 GPU
8GB/12GB RAM (LPDDR4X)
256GB/512GB of internal storage (UFS 2.2)
Dual-rear cameras (50MP F1.9 main + 50MP F2.0 wide-angle)
50MP F2.0 front camera
ZEISS Optics / Aura Light
Dual-SIM (nano) / 5G Connectivity
WiFi 6 / Bluetooth 5.4
GPS, A-GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS
USB Type-C / Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
IP68/IP69 Dust and Water Resistant
Funtouch OS 15 (Android 15)
6,000mAh Battery with 90W Fast Charge
163.3 x 76.7 x 7.4 mm (dimension)
189g (weight)
Colors: Ancora Red, Satin Black, and Mist Purple

Price and Availability

The vivo V50 is available in three variants:

• 8GB of RAM with 256GB of storage for Php 26,999
• 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage for Php 27,999
• 12GB of RAM with 512GB of storage for Php 30,999

You can purchase the vivo V50 at any vivo concept store or kiosk, as well as online through the vivo website, Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok.

Verdict

Even it borrows most of its hardware from the V40 and V30 before it, still brings slight improvement compared to its predecessor. The vivo V50 is still a good camera-focused mid-range smartphone, featuring a distinctive design, strong hardware, a powerful camera setup no include a better OV50e sensor plus Zeiss optics for all three shooters, and there is also an even larger 6,000mAh battery with faster 90W charging.

All things considered, if you looking for a photography-focused smartphone in the mid-range category, this is one of the right choices. But if you are upgrading from the V30 and V40 you better wait another year.