vivo X50 Pro+ review

Wrap-up

The vivo X50 Pro+ is one very capable flagship with eye-catchy design, one super smooth AMOLED screen, top of the line performance, and, of course, an impressive camera kit and photo quality. Indeed, everything looks quite promising.

That is until the shortcomings start to stack up. The phone is not available outside China, and there are no plans for an international launch. You can import it, of course, but we suspect the die-hard vivo fans are few and far between outside its homeland.

If you get this X50 Pro+, you can install Google Play Store hassle-free. But there will be some Chinese apps and text you won't be able to remove. And then, despite the hefty price, you won't get any increased water resistance, stereo speakers, or even 1080p clips at a steady 30fps frame rate.

We are not sure if the camera experience and the great AMOLED are worth the import hassle as you can get similar specs from other brands that are selling worldwide.

If you live in China, the vivo X50 Pro+ can be a whole other deal for you. Vivo is known for its premium quality across the country and has its loyal fans. And we see no reason you shouldn't get one unless Xiaomi offers you a better deal for a similar phone, say the Mi 10 Ultra.

Alternatives

Indeed, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra is probably the biggest threat to the X50 Pro+. Both phones are currently China exclusives and offer similar specs and snappers. The Mi 10 Ultra isn't as compact and lightweight as the vivo, but it is hands down the best phone for taking photos and videos to date. If the choice boils down to those two - the Mi 10 Ultra is the one you should get if the photo and video quality matter the most.

The Oppo Find X2 Pro is available at even more markets, and it impresses with a higher-res 120Hz AMOLED screen, the same powerful Snapdragon 865 chip, and similar camera arrangement sans the 2x shooter. It cannot do 8K clips (not that it matters), but it has stereo speakers and even faster charging on top of the vivo's specs.

The Huawei P40 Pro+ is yet another limited edition that can be found mostly in China. It beats the rest of the bunch with 10x optical zoom and water-protection (IP68-rated). Just like the Find X2 Pro, the P40 Pro+ also offers a higher resolution 120Hz OLED screen. You can't install Google's package on this one, but you can have one of the best sharpshooters so far. Why not then?

Finally, if you aren't into having the bleeding-edge tech in your pocket, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro may as well be your device. It has one very nice design and body, packs a 90Hz 1080p OLED screen, the fastest Snapdragon chip around, and one flagship-worthy camera with 2x and 5x optical zoom options. The Mi 10 Pro is available from many retailers worldwide, at a good price at that.

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra • Oppo Find X2 Pro • Huawei P40 Pro+ • Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G

The verdict

It's not that the vivo X50 Pro+ isn't a worthy smartphone, on the contrary. It is doing many things right and has a ton of flagship features that few phones can offer at the same time.

It's just that the whole hassle of importing this phone isn't worth it. There are similar Chinese devices that are easier to find internationally and offer the same or even better specs sheets.

Pros

• Beautiful design, compact body
• Excellent AMOLED screen, very bright, HDR10, 120Hz
• Top-notch performance
• Very good battery life, fast charging
• Powerful and versatile camera with consistently good photos day and night
• Smooth Funtouch UI on top of Android 10

Cons

• It's heavily customized for the Chinese market
• No increased water resistance
• No stereo speakers, no 3.5mm jack
• The 4K@30fps is so-so in quality, 1080@30fps is really shot at 25fps