Vivo V50 debuts with three 50MP cameras, 6,000mAh battery and IP68/69 durability

The V50 had been projected to drop as a 1:1 copy of the S20 for the Chinese market, but it is now clear that the OEM has actually put a little more work into bringing it to market in countries such as India today (February 17, 2025).

The smartphone does have a very familiar Aura Light dual rear camera hump that supports wide- and ultrawide-angle functions, albeit without the periscope zoom lens of the S20 Pro. Unlike the S20, both shooters have the same 50MP resolution as the V50's selfie camera.

It is rated for auto-focus while the main camera has OIS, which might help with Zeiss-branded modes such as Multifocal Portrait, Wedding Portrait Studio and Live Photo. The V50 also has a larger display than either the S20 or S20 Pro with a 6.77-inch (still micro-curved) panel, although its resolution is FHD+ rather than 1.5K.

It has the same 120Hz refresh rate and 1,300-nit HBM brightness, and is driven by the same Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC as the S20. 

The V50 does have a smaller 6,000mAh battery, albeit with the same 90W wired charging (faster than that of the upcoming iQoo Neo 10R) and power bank mode. 

Most crucially, the V50 has a better ingress protection rating than even the S20 Pro, as it is IP68/69-certified. 

It ships with Funtouch OS 15 based on Android 15, backed to stay "smooth" for up to 60 months of all-day use (although Vivo does not mention an update time-frame for its new V-series variant).

It has also arrived without a successor for the V40 Pro, suggesting that it will act as a new flagship for its series on its own.

Nevertheless, it starts at a fairly reasonable INR 34,999 (~$403, or ~13% off its recommended price) for an 8GB RAM/128GB internal storage base model; INR 36,999 (~$426) for a storage upgrade to 256GB, or INR 40,999 (~$472) for the V50's top-end 12GB/512GB configuration.

It can be pre-ordered from Vivo in its Rose Red or Titanium Gray colorways, and will be available on Amazon in an additional Starry Night blue option from February 25, 2025.