There have been some interesting smartphones this year but all of them highlight one aspect without fail — the camera. Even if the megapixel game played by the primary lens remains unchanged across a few devices, the same shot comes out differently for every user. Some are great shots while others are, well, good. Most of us shoot on full auto mode with impressive output for Instagram. If something extra is needed, I might as well go for a standalone camera. It’s about what one wants from the camera module.

This is where the Vivo X50 Pro comes in. The company has looked at its camera system closely to push it a little bit further, into what could be the pro zone. There are many little things that add up to offer great pictures… great enough to ensure that the smartphone can take care of most demands vloggers make as well as those of a casual photographer, without breaking the bank.

Stable affair

Many swear by DJI’s portable gimbal, which allows buttery-smooth videos even in the shakiest of hands. No, the phone doesn’t ship with the DJI biggie. But what the X50 Pro ships with is admirable gimbal-like stabilisation. Usually what we get is OIS and EIS stablisation methods but with Vivo’s Gimbal Camera System, motion shaking is taken care of way better than competition. With the “double ball suspension mount” structure, the mechanism achieves flexible “two-axis rotation” on the x- and y-axis as well as offer “z-axis translation”. The anti-shake angle reaches maxmium ±3 degree or 300 per cent of traditional OIS.

The mechanism shines under low light because on many rival brands, the shutter speed is usually long, taking in more shakes. Also, the rotation of the entire module in the Gimbal Camera System minimises image distortion or cropping.

Zero to 60x: Guess what we captured from the rooftop in Gouri Bari on an apartment block near Khanna cinema at 7pm! The Telegraph

There is also motion AF tracking. What does that mean? Choose any object in the frame and lock it. Then try moving the camera in any direction but the object you choose will remain the focus and with good stablisation.

What you get on the rear camera panel is 48MP main (f/1.6 Gimbal Camera System), 8MP super wide-angle (120 degree, macro 2.5cm), 13MP bokeh (f/2.48) and 8MP 5x telescopic (60x hyper zoom). Yet, like we have always said, it’s not about the megapixel. The IMX598 sensor delivers more light and an increased signal-to-noise ratio, improving image quality at night.

But there is a quibble. Agreed that night shots are clearer than most smartphones in this price range but, at times, night photos are a little too clear to be called night shots. The overall level of incoming light may appear a little too much for comfort.

There are also modes like Starry Sky, Supermoon and Pro Sports. We tried the last mentioned on pets with good clarity. The gimbal stablisation reduces shaking and with the “motion-deblur algorithm”, clarity is achieved. With more light entering, the exposure time is shorter. Sadly, we couldn’t try Supermoon or Starry Sky.

The other feature we like is smart zoom while shooting videos. Once the camera focuses on an object, you get a focused frame but when you pan, a bigger frame automatically gets captured until you return to the original object. The zooming happens automatically.

And then there are some more options to up your Instagram and vlogging game, like video bokeh and video cutout (when a subject is recognised, the skin tone and colour of the clothes are retained while the background can be a rocking one).

In the last few months, the zoom game has lost its charm. Nonetheless, some good stuff is here. The X50 Pro has a telescopic camera with 60x zoom to deliver acceptable quality snaps. Yes, it’s quite amazing but no, these are pictures one would need once in a while.

We can go on and on about the camera bit, but all these little features may come in handy to a blogger. One more feature for the road? Let’s make it two. There is a photo restoration option which clears up photos that maybe lying around the house. Second, while taking photos we tend to capture the shadow of the hands or other unwanted things. There is a shadow removal mode, which is a good addition.

The other things

Yes, we are calling this section other things because the phone is mainly about the camera. Powering the device is the 2.4GHz Snapdragon 765G octa-core processor. This is one chip you will hear a lot about this year as it ushers in affordable 5G phones. There are a number of 5G devices out there but these mainly come with Snapdragon 865, which is expensive. 5G, of course, is not something the India government is talking about at the moment but hey, the technology is here. The meat of the global smartphone market is in the mid-range devices and here 765G is important.

Moving past, the screen sports 90Hz refresh rate, making all kinds of scrolling easy on the eye. This is one feature that makes a huge difference in the way we use phones. Scrolling feeds becomes so much more comfortable. The screen response rate of 180Hz makes gaming easier.

But but but... one issue I have with the phone. Actually two. While taking photos on landscape mode, one has to be really careful with one’s finger placement. Second, chubby palms while taking photos. The screen’s rounded corners somehow love my chubby palms, turning on features I don’t want. Let’s throw in a third issue. Bloatware. I don’t want PhonePe on the phone. While setting up the phone, if one is not careful, apps like Candy Crush and Bajaj Finserv may find a spot on the phone. A caveat: you can remove the bloatware.
Is it for you?

Vivo wants us to use the new phone as a camera. A suggestion: It would have been lovely if Vivo had thrown in a camera interface that replicates one on standalone cameras. Yet, there are enough pro photography chops to compete with flagship brands. In a market where almost every other phone is smarter and faster, the Vivo X50 Pro focuses wholeheartedly on the camera department, delivering eyeball-pleasing results consistently.

X50 Pro (5G) The Telegraph

At a glance

Device: X50 Pro (5G)

• Processor: Snapdragon 765G
• ROM/RAM: 8GB+256GB
• Battery: 4,315mAh; 33W Vivo FlashCharge
• Weight: 181.5g
• Screen: 6.56-inch; 90Hz refresh rate
• Camera: 48MP main (f/1.6, Gimbal Camera System), 8MP super wide angle, 13MP bokeh, 8MP 5x telescopic (60x hyper zoom); front — 32MP
• Stabiliser: Gimble Camera System, OIS, EIS
• Price: Rs 49,990 (8GB+256GB); first sale — July 24 (pre-booking is on)