The mid-range smartphone market in India, especially under the Rs 30,000 price bracket, is getting interesting, with brands constantly trying to outdo each other by offering competitive smartphones. Vivo has just launched another new contender in this space, the Vivo V50e, which has an eye-catching design, a versatile camera setup, and a focus on performance and battery backup.
But how does it live up to expectations in real-world use? We spent a good amount of time with the device to see how it fares in this crowded segment, where it faces a lot of competition. Here’s our detailed review of the Vivo V50e.
Vivo V50e review: Design, display
There are two colours of the Vivo V50, Sapphire Blue and Pearl White. We got the Pearl White for the review. It draws inspiration from sapphire gemstones, giving the device an elegant and premium aesthetic, without much shimmer or glitter like the other colour option. However, if you use this phone without a case, the back is a fingerprint magnet and attracts smudges as well.
Interestingly, even though it has a large 5,600mAh battery, the phone is pretty lightweight, weighing in at 186 grams and measures 7.6mm in thickness. The plastic unibody design also doesn’t creak while applying pressure, and the sides with the silver metallic finish provide a premium look. Thankfully, there’s no compromise with durability as the Vivo V50e boasts IP68 and IP69 certifications for superior protection against dust and water. The phone features a USB Type-C port on the bottom edge for charging and data transfer, along with a dual speaker setup, which is fairly loud.
For display, the Vivo V50e features a large 6.77-inch quad-curved AMOLED display with support for Full HD+ resolution, HDR10+, and Widevine L1 certification. In terms of colour output, the screen produces rich and punchy contrast and shades with deep blacks, and the 120Hz refresh rate makes every swipe and scroll feel buttery smooth. It is suitable for all things, ranging from gaming, multimedia viewing, and scrolling through social media apps.
Moreover, in the Professional colour profile, the colours look accurate and vibrant, if you like a punchy output. However, with a peak brightness of 1800 nits, the display may occasionally appear to have a faded output, especially under harsh sunlight. Still, everything stays crisp and readable in any other situation, and thanks to its minimal bezels and smart curvature at the edges, the display feels almost borderless. Plus, accidental touches are also rare at the sides, meaning no frantic mistakes while gaming.
Vivo V50e review: Performance and software
The Vivo V50e is equipped with the same MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset, which we saw in its predecessor, the Vivo V40e, paired with 8GB of RAM. For basic use, this combination is more than enough for all kinds of tasks, and even if you switch between multiple apps. We also didn’t feel any lag while doing day-to-day stuff like texting, scrolling social media, watching videos, or during light gaming sessions.
However, power users may feel slightly disappointed with the device’s performance, as you'll encounter occasional stutters in more demanding gaming titles like Call of Duty: Mobile or Genshin Impact. Thankfully, with a few graphic tweaks, the gaming performance can be slightly improved. Moreover, it stays surprisingly cool even under heavy load for a longer time, which is always welcome.
On the software front, the V50e comes with Funtouch OS 15 based on Android 15. The company promises three years of OS updates and four years of security patches. The interface is mostly clean and responsive, with plenty of customisation options. However, the experience is marred by pre-installed bloatware, which often send unnecessary notifications and recommendations, requiring users to turn them off separately.
Vivo has also included a few AI features in the software package. The Circle to Search is genuinely useful for a quick search of on-screen content. Other tools like screen translation, object eraser, and the transcription tool work well. Even the AI enhancements in the camera app produce decent output with multiple editing options. However, the occasional software glitches and bloatware are outweighed by the overall smooth performance and useful feature set of the Funtouch OS 15.
Vivo V50e review: Camera performance
The Vivo V50e comes with a rear dual-camera setup, consisting of a 50MP main sensor paired with an 8MP ultra-wide lens. While the smartphone lacks Zeiss tuning like the V50, it comes with all the camera modes and capabilities of its elder sibling. We really liked the portraits the device captured, as the edge detection is neat, and the background blur looks natural without any oversharpening.
In daytime photos of plants and buildings against the bright afternoon sky, the device does tend to overexpose the background. However, it gives adequate colour output when the exposure is stepped down a notch, with the profile set at ‘Natural’. However, in artificial lighting, while shadow detail is well preserved, overall colours can appear slightly muted. The 8MP ultra-wide camera follows the same colour science, though its smaller sensor produces noticeable noise, particularly in the shadow areas or in darker environments.
Selfies, though, produce great details, as with the 50MP selfie shooter with an f/2.0 aperture, the images are sharp, and details remain intact most of the time. Even the portrait shots produce adequate details and can be relied upon for great output, even under low light. The best part is that, like the main rear camera sensor, the Vivo V50e can record 4K videos at 30fps from the selfie camera as well.
Vivo V50e review: Battery and charging
The Vivo V50e is packed with a big 5600mAh battery with 90W wired charging support. In our testing, it easily lasts a full day, which includes light photography, gaming, video or audio calling, scrolling through social media apps, and more, with some juice still left. Even during extended usage of the 5G network, the device’s battery didn’t drop down significantly, which definitely speaks about its battery optimisation.
With the supplied 90W charger, the V50e takes close to 50 minutes to fully charge from 0-100%. This is on par with the V40e, which features an 80W charger but a slightly smaller 5500mAh battery. Thankfully, the device also doesn’t heat up abnormally while charging.
Vivo V50e review: Verdict
The Vivo V50e provides a great balance of adequate performance and long-lasting battery life. It may not be an enthusiast’s favourite phone, but it offers good value for users who want a safe and reliable smartphone in this price segment. Moreover, the sleek and premium design, with its reliable camera setup that produces natural-looking shots, adds a touch of premium experience, which many average smartphone users crave.
However, unlike its predecessor, which was released last year, the device has now been released in a segment that is now bristling with competition. Especially, if one wants to do heavy gaming or wants a more versatile camera setup, there are other phones in this segment like the iQOO Neo 10R and the Nothing Phone 3a Pro with a more powerful SoC or an additional telephoto camera sensor. Still these are minor compromises in an otherwise stellar package, as the Vivo V50e delivers good value, especially if battery life, display quality, and selfie camera are your top priorities.
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