vivo V50e review: A reliable mid-range smartphone

A phone with an identity

The Vivo V50e looks a lot like the Vivo V50, which is a good thing. The phone has a distinctive look, featuring a circular camera island and a ring light, which initially reminded me of old-school smartphones with a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. In terms of build quality, it is slightly ahead of the competition and offers an IP68/69 water and dust resistance rating.

The phone looks and feels very premium. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The pearl white variant of the Vivo V50e, the variant I’ve been testing, looks class apart, and the matte finish ensures that the plastic back panel does not attract fingerprints.

If you’re someone prone to water-damaging your phone, the Vivo V50e might save you from expensive repairs. However, in case of water damage, the brand won’t honour the standard warranty, meaning the repair will be out of pocket.

The display is a treat to watch

The Vivo V50e has one of the best screens on a phone priced under Rs 30,000. The 6.77-inch FHD+ OLED panel is bright, vivid, and fast, thanks to its 120Hz refresh rate. While the positioning of the fingerprint sensor could have been better, it’s a common issue with most phones using optical in-display fingerprint sensors. The quad-curved panel on the Vivo V50e reminds me of my expensive OnePlus 13, which strikes a nice balance between curved and flat displays. However, it’s quite difficult to find non-UV tempered glass for this phone.

Delivers stunning visuals and is best suited for content consumption. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

Although the Vivo V50e isn’t the best gaming phone in its class, it can handle casual titles, even games like PUBG at medium graphic settings, for a smooth experience. When it comes to content consumption, the screen shines. Watching HDR content on YouTube has been my favourite thing to do on the V50e.

Acceptable pair of cameras

I had high hopes for the Vivo V50e’s photography capabilities, and the device did deliver, especially the 50MP primary camera. Even the samples from the low-resolution 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera were commendable. The phone takes a couple of seconds in post-processing, and the end results are just stunning. Under both good and low-light conditions, the V50e captures photos that are sharp, contrasty, and detailed. However, the final result may look quite different from what you see on the screen, but in a good way.

Here are some camera samples straight from the Vivo V50e camera:

vivo V50e camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

vivo V50e camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

vivo V50e camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

vivo V50e camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

vivo V50e camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

vivo V50e camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

vivo V50e camera sample. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

A good performer, but not the best

The Vivo V50e is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chip, paired with 8GB RAM and 128/256GB of internal storage. It runs on the latest Android 15-based FunTouch OS 15 and delivers a stable user experience, including some AI features like an AI eraser. In day-to-day use, the V50e is more than capable of handling social media, video streaming, and light gaming.

The phone feels fast and snappy. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

If you’re already using a Vivo or iQOO smartphone, you’ll feel right at home. However, if you’re coming from a different brand, there might be a slight learning curve. Also, you’ll need to remove quite a bit of pre-installed bloatware.

For gamer-first users, though, it’s better to opt for a phone with a more powerful chipset.

More than all-day battery life

The 5,600mAh battery powering the Vivo V50e can easily last more than a day for most users. Heavy users might need to recharge by the end of the day, but the 90W fast charging support ensures that isn’t a problem. The charger is included in the box. The device can easily offer over six hours of screen-on time, and battery life is definitely one of the strongest suits of the Vivo V50e.

Large battery and fast charging compliment each other. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

An interesting offering

Most mid-range phones try to focus on one primary aspect and fail to deliver a holistic experience. The Vivo V50e, however, is a well-balanced smartphone that caters to a wide range of users, although it doesn’t have any unique selling points. For anyone considering a new phone under Rs 30,000, the Vivo V50e is clearly a solid choice. That said, there are also strong alternatives like the OnePlus Nord 4 (review), iQOO Neo 10R (review), Poco X7 Pro, and the Nothing Phone 3a Pro (review), which shine in areas like performance and camera.