vivo X50 Pro+ review

Introduction

The vivo X50 trio has been around for a while, but the flagship vivo X50 Pro+ has been eluding the public since its announcement. While the regular Pro bragged with gimbal-like stabilization and all-round package, this Pro+ version shifts the focus towards performance and photo quality.

The X50 Pro+ upgrades the X50 with an even more fluid 120Hz screen, a faster and flagship-grade Snapdragon 865 chip, speedier storage, and, of course, a bunch of camera sensors of higher quality.

The AMOLED screen remains of the same size and resolution, its refresh rate is now 120Hz, up from 90Hz on the X50 Pro. The Snapdragon high-end bump is surely a welcome addition, but we won't lie, it's the camera that intrigued us the most. The X50 Pro was a versatile shooter and impressed us with its gimble module, but we weren't blown away by its photo prowess.

Now, vivo tries to up its camera game with a brand new sensor for the main shooter - Samsung's 50MP ISOCELL Plus GN1, coupled with an f/1.85 24mm lens and optical stabilization. The sensor behind the periscopic lens for 5x optical zoom is now 13MP, up from 8MP on the X50 Pro. The portrait snapper, a.k.a. the one for 2x optical zoom, gets to enjoy a 32MP shooter, once again up from 13MP on the X50 Pro. And thanks to those high-res promotions, the X50 Pro+ joins the elite league of 8K-capable smartphones.

The X50 Pro+ beats the X50 Pro with two new features - 44W fast charging (up from 33W), and the option to buy it with an eco-leather back (Oppo Find X2 Pro anyone?). And that about rounds up the highlights.

Vivo X50 Pro+ specs

• Body: Aluminum frame, tempered glass front, eco leather or tempered glass back; 158.5 x 73 x 8.8 mm, 192g;
• Display: 6.56" AMOLED, punch-hole notch, 2376 x 1080px resolution, 398ppi; 120Hz; HDR10+.
• Rear cameras: Main: 50MP, Quad-Bayer filter, 1.2µm pixel size, 24mm equivalent focal length, f/1.9 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS. Ultrawide angle: 13MP, 1/4.0", 1.12µm, f/2.2, 16mm, AF, ultra macro. Portrait telephoto: 32MP f/2.1, 50mm, 0.8µm pixels, 2x optical zoom, PDAF. Long-range telephoto: 13MP with periscope 135mm f/3.0 OIS lens, 5x optical zoom, PDAF. Triple-LED dual-tone flash.
• Video recording: Main - 8K, 4K@60fps, rest - up to 1080p@30fps. EIS and OIS (where available)
• Front camera: 32MP, 1/2.8", 0.8µm, f/2.5 26mm lens.
• OS/Software: Android 10; Funtouch 10.5.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865: octa-core CPU (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 585 Prime & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 585 Silver), Adreno 650 GPU.
• Memory: 8GB/12GB of RAM; 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage.
• Battery: 4,350mAh; 44W fast charging.
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM; 5G; LTE-A, USB-C; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 5.1; NFC
• Misc: Under-display fingerprint reader; single down-firing speaker.

Currently, the X50 Pro+ is available only in China, and vivo has no plans to launch it in other markets. You can, of course, buy it and ship it to your country if that's what you want. Today, we will find out if this is worth the hassle and if vivo's best camera to date is also among the best on the market, too.

Now, let's unbox this mysterious X50 Pro+ and see what it is made of.

Unboxing the vivo X50 Pro+

The vivo X50 Pro+ comes packed in a big black box, and it contains everything you may need with this phone. Inside, you will find a 55W charger, a 5A-rated USB-C cable, and a transparent silicone case.

The box also contains a high-quality pair of in-ear vivo headphones (with a mic) ending on a USB-C plug and the SIM ejection tool.