Vivo V50 Review: The Sequel That Exceeds Expectations

Vivo has a knack for designing gorgeous smartphones, and the Vivo V50 is no exception. The Red Rose colour looks stunning, the design exudes premium vibes, and the subtly curved display adds an elegant touch. However, beneath all that beauty lies a familiar story—the same chipset from the Vivo V30, a two-generation-old choice.

Vivo V50

Rs 34,999
8.4

Design & Build

8.5/10

Display

8.5/10

Performance

7.5/10

Battery Life

8.5/10

Camera Quality

8.5/10

UI Experience

8.0/10

Audio

8.5/10

Day To Day Usage

9.0/10

Value for Money

8.5/10

What Is Good?

  • Great design and premium display
  • Very comfortable to hold
  • Captures images with rich details
  • Reliable battery life
  • No thermal management issues at all

What Is Bad?

  • Comes with the same chipset as last year
  • Bloatware, pre-installed Vivo apps

The camera specifications remain nearly identical to the Vivo V40, though this time, Vivo has sprinkled in the magic of ZEISS in the rear as well as selfie camera. So, is the Vivo V50 the upgrade you’ve been waiting for, or just a stylish déjà vu? I’ve been using this phone for a while, and here’s my review.

Pricing and Availability

The Vivo V50 is available in three variants on Vivo’s official website, Flipkart and Amazon.

Device Storage Price
Vivo V50 8GB RAM + 128GB Storage Rs 34,999
8GB RAM + 256GB Storage Rs 36,999
12GB RAM + 512GB Storage Rs 40,999

Design and Display

Vivo always seems to nail the aesthetic game, and the Vivo V50 is no different. I got my hands on the Red Rose colour, and it’s gorgeous. Vivo says this colour celebrates India’s cultural richness, symbolising the love and passion at the core of Indian weddings. But, considering the timing of the launch in the month of love, I can’t help but feel it’s a nod to the romance of roses.

Vivo V50 Design

The back panel has a matte finish, but here’s the catch: it collects a lot of smudges, which can get annoying really quickly. So, if you plan to use this phone while indulging in some Indian food, don’t be surprised if you find yourself wiping off greasy fingerprints more than you’d like.

Design Specifications
Weight 189 grams
Thickness 7.4mm
Colours Rose Red, Starry Night, Titanium Grey
IP Rating IP68 & IP69 dust and water resistance
Port and Button Placements Bottom: Primary microphone, USB port, Speaker grille, SIM tray
Top: Secondary microphone, speakers
Right Side: Power and volume buttons

The design is pretty much in line with its predecessor, the Vivo V40, but this time, the camera module gets an upgrade with luxury-grade diamond textures, inspired by high-end smartwatches. It definitely gives off a premium feel. And that circular aura light feels like having a mini ring light on the go. Despite housing a 6,000mAh battery, it manages to stay light—almost like it’s defying the laws of physics.

The subtly curved display further elevates the premium touch. It’s bright in every lighting condition—yep, even when the sun is basically trying to burn your eyes. The display isn’t exactly bezel-less, but they are extremely thin.

Vivo V50 Display

Display Specifications
Size 6.77-inch
Type AMOLED HDR10+ display
Resolution 1080 x 2392 pixels
Refresh Rate 120Hz
Peak Brightness Claimed: 4500 nits Tested: 1855 nits
Minimum Brightness 06 nits

When streaming on Netflix, it has support Widevine L1 certification and HDR10 support, so you can watch high-quality content on OTT platforms. If you’re all about that multimedia experience, this phone’s display delivers high contrast and punchy colours.

The sound quality of its stereo speakers is impressive. No matter if the volume’s low or high, or whether the song’s hitting those deep notes or soaring highs, everything sounds crisp.

Performance and Software

Vivo seems to have a long-term relationship with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3—it powered the Vivo V30, stuck around for the V40, and is still going strong in the V50. Clearly, performance isn’t Vivo’s top obsession. But before you jump to conclusions, let’s look at the performance.

Everyday activities on Vivo V50

I threw every benchmark I could at it, and guess what? Not once did it break a sweat. To wrap things up, I ran a CPU throttling test, expecting at least some thermal drama. And boy, oh boy—this is the first phone we’ve tested that showed zero CPU thermal throttling. That’s really impressive!

That said, the AnTuTu score barely budges past the Vivo V40’s. Check out our score graph below to see how it fares against the competition.

iQOO Neo 9 Pro
1,634,256
realme GT 6
1,561,973
Xiaomi 14 Civi
1,355,861
OnePlus 12R
1,343,165
Motorola Edge 50 Pro 5G
827,231
vivo V50
818,280
vivo V40
813,692
vivo V30
804,164
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
710,635
Honor 200
699,959
AnTuTu Overall benchmark score analysis
Hardware Specifications
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
RAM Up to 12GB
Storage Up to 512GB
Storage Test 818280
CPU Throttling Test No CPU thermal throttling detected
Software Version Funtouch OS 15, based on Android 15
Connectivity Details Bluetooth 5.4

In everyday use, this phone didn’t throw any tantrums. Whether I was endlessly scrolling through Instagram, catching up on my latest Netflix binge, sending messages, or snapping photos — everything ran like a well-oiled machine. Even when I pushed it with Call of Duty: Mobile, it held its ground like a pro. No overheating, no sudden frame drops—just smooth gameplay. That said, if hardcore gaming is your thing, you might be better off with the Realme GT 6, OnePlus 12R, or the iQOO Neo 9 Pro.

On the software side, it’s the usual Vivo experience—familiar, functional, and packed with pre-installed apps. Some, like Netflix and PhonePe, are useful, while others exist purely to bombard you with notifications.

Vivo V50 Software

Vivo has also sprinkled in some AI magic. Circle to Search remains as handy as ever, and you also get features like Live Call Translation, AI Transcript Assist, AI Screen Translation, and AI Eraser 2.0 to play around with.

Circle to Search Feature on Vivo V50

As for software support, Vivo is offering three years of major Android updates and four years of security patches, which should keep things running smoothly for a good while.

Cameras

Every camera on the Vivo V50 comes with ZEISS integration—yep, even the selfie camera.

Camera Specifications
Primary Camera 50-megapixel ZEISS OIS main camera
vivo camera bionic spectrum
f/1.9 aperture
Secondary Camera 50-megapixel ZEISS ultra-wide camera
119-degree field of view
f/2.0 aperture
Selfie Camera 50-megapixel ZEISS group selfie camera
92-degree wide angle
f/2.0 aperture
Video Recording Capabilities Up to 4K at 30fps

In broad daylight, this phone captures photos with vibrant, punchy colours, sharp details, and absolutely no grain. The photos have true-to-life colours. I was pleasantly surprised by the phone’s helpful suggestions, like nudging me to switch to Food mode for, well, food photos, or reminding me to go to Portrait mode for a cleaner shot. For someone who forgets to change settings half the time, this was helpful.

The ultra-wide camera impressed me by delivering shots with no grain around the edges, even in bright daylight. The field of view is noticeably wider, making it easy to capture a lot more in a single frame without feeling cramped.

Portraits on the Vivo V50 are stunning, with rich skin tones, sharp edge detection, and excellent background blur. Vivo has introduced ZEISS multifocal portraits in this phone, featuring with iconic bokeh effects, making it easier to snap breathtaking portraits.

But, I did run into a weird moment with a portrait of a bunch of roses. In the background, a sunflower lamp made an unexpected appearance, and its leaves looked like they were melting. It was…unsettling, to say the least. But, that’s just a one-off case.

On the bright side, low-light shots are beautifully captured with rich colours in 1x, 2x, and even ultra-wide modes. Lens flare did sneak in every now and then, particularly when the light source was directly in the frame.

As for selfies, the Vivo V50 makes sure you’re well-lit, but the skin tones tend to look a bit unnatural, both in daylight or low light.

Battery and Charging

The Vivo V50 comes with a 500mAh larger battery than its predecessor, the Vivo V40. During my time with the phone, I found the battery to be pretty impressive.

Vivo V50 Battery

I charged it up around noon, and even after a YouTube marathon, downloading apps, binge-watching Netflix, and snapping a few photos, it only dropped to 90 per cent by the end of the day. As I’m writing this, after running some benchmark tests, the battery’s still sitting at 60 per cent.

Battery Specifications
Battery 6,000mAh
Charging Adapter 90W FlashCharge
Charging Time 44 minutes
PCMark Battery Test 21 hours and 14 minutes

When it comes to charging, this phone impressed me by going from dead to fully charged in just 44 minutes. So, not only does it have great battery life, but it also charges up quickly when you’re in a hurry.

Verdict

The Vivo V50 feels like a familiar sequel—like watching a movie you’ve seen before but with a few new twists. The design, the chipset, and even the overall vibe are reminiscent of the Vivo V40. The company seems to be sticking with the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” approach—and honestly, it works to an extent.

ZEISS cameras this year really took the photo quality up a notch. For Rs 34,999, it’s a solid choice if photography is your thing. Battery life is also a winner, easily lasting over a day and a half with heavy use.

If you’re on the Vivo V40 or the V30, this upgrade won’t offer you great value. But if your phone is older than that, the V50 is a worthy contender if you have Rs 34,999 and a knack for photography. However, keep in mind that this phone isn’t aimed at performance enthusiasts. For that, you will have to look at other options.