The vivo V50 is a premium mid-range smartphone that strikes the perfect balance between style, performance, and innovative features. The vivo V50 boasts a very pocketable and sleek (163.29 × 76.72 × 7.67 mm; 199g) as well as elegant design, while also being the first-ever V series smartphone to feature vivo’s flagship quad-curved display, elevating both the visual appeal and in-hand experience for users. Thanks to its 41° golden curvature, ultra-narrow bezels, and seamless curves extending across all four edges, the V50’s display creates a floating imagery effect, delivering an immersive and borderless viewing experience.
Whether streaming, gaming, or navigating through apps, the uninterrupted flow of the screen enhances engagement, making every interaction feel effortless and visually captivating. You enjoy your multimedia content and games via the V50’s stunning 6.77″ 2392 × 1080 (387 PPI; 120 Hz) AMOLED with a peak brightness level of 4500 nits making it easy to use outdoors in the South African sun. The accompanying sound from the onboard speakers are not too shabby as well.
On the rear of this device, you find the Double-Ring Cloud Lens Module which features a matte precision Diamond Texture, further elevating the smartphone’s design aesthetic. It houses a 50 MP main camera (with OIS; f/1.88; FOV 84°; 6P lens) plus a 50 MP wide-angle lens (with autofocus; f/2.0; FOV 119.4°; 5P lens) that captures amazing stills in virtually every condition along with good looking 4K/1080P or 720P videos as well. This setup leverages ZEISS optics to provide superior color reproduction and clarity, enhancing every shot.
In terms of the front camera, there is an unusually great 50 MP Super Wide-Angle focus lens (AF; f/2.0; FOV 92°; 5P lens) that ensures selfies and video calls look fantastic as well. The camera leverages vivo’s self-developed AI 3D Studio Lighting 2.0 to deliver stunning, ultra-clear Backlit Selfies. This advanced technology enhances every detail, ensuring crystal-clear and beautifully illuminated selfies in any lighting scenario. Additionally, the 92° wide-angle lens and 0.8x to 2x zoom give users the flexibility to capture everything from close-ups to wide group shots with stunning clarity.
Performance and Battery
Powered by the 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor (boasts a core clocked at 2.63 GHz plus three cores running at 2.4 GHz and a further four clocked at 1.8 GHz) that is coupled with a glorious 12 GB worth of RAM and snappy 512 GB onboard storage to keep things blistering within Android 15 with an Funtouch OS 15 overlay.
In addition, the V50 delivers reliably snappy and smooth performance for multitasking and gaming.
Its 6000 mAh battery, combined with 90W FlashCharge, ensures extended usage and quick charging, getting average users into as possible second day of usage whilst power users who play lots of demanding mobile gaming titles or content creators who take a myriad of photos and videos all day will also get through a working day into the next morning at least.
Conclusion
While it does feature a stunning and thin design, the vivo V50 (R20 999 usual RRP but currently on special for R18 999 at Vodacom) is a camera-first smartphone that excels in portrait photography and offers a robust performance, and long-lasting battery life to boot. While it faces competition from other mid-range devices such as the 512GB variant of the Xiaomi 14T (R18 999) and 512GB model of the Honor 200 Pro (R17 999), but its ZEISS-powered camera system and premium build make it a compelling choice for photography enthusiasts and everyday users alike.
