Vivo’s gimbal-equipped X50 flagship phones are launching internationally

Vivo has announced the international launch of its new X50 series of flagship smartphones, including the X50, the X50 Pro, and the X50 Pro Plus. The headline feature is the gimbal-style camera on the two higher-end models, which Vivo says represents a breakthrough improvement on traditional optical image stabilization systems for both photos and videos.

The X50 Pro Plus sits at the top of the range with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, up to 12GB of RAM, a 120Hz 6.6-inch curved OLED screen, and a 4,350mAh battery with 44W fast charging. The primary camera uses Samsung’s new 50-megapixel ISOCELL GN1 sensor and Vivo’s gimbal system, and it’s backed up with a 13-megapixel ultrawide, a 13-megapixel 5x periscope telephoto, and a 32-megapixel depth sensor.

The X50 Pro cuts down in a few areas: the processor is a Snapdragon 765G, the curved screen is 90Hz, the 4,315mAh battery charges at 33W, and the maximum amount of RAM is 8GB. The main gimbal camera uses a 48-megapixel sensor while the ultrawide, telephoto, and depth sensors drop to 8, 8, and 13 megapixels respectively. It is quite a bit thinner than the Plus, though, at 8.04mm versus 8.83mm or 9.48mm depending on the Plus’ finish.

The regular X50, meanwhile, has a Snapdragon 765G, a flat 90Hz screen, a 4,200mAh battery, and a 48-megapixel without the gimbal system. It also drops the telephoto altogether in favor of a 5-megapixel macro lens alongside the same ultrawide and depth sensors as the X50 Pro. It’s the thinnest of the three at 7.55mm.

All three phones have a 32-megapixel hole-punch selfie camera, dual-mode 5G, and Wi-Fi 6. They all run Vivo’s Funtouch OS 10, based on Android 10.

The X50 series will initially launch in markets including India, Indonesia, Russia, and more. Indian pricing is Rs. 34,990 (~$465) for an X50 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, Rs. 37,990 ($505) for 8GB/256GB, and Rs. 49,990 ($665) for an 8GB/256GB X50 Pro. The Pro Plus won’t be released in India.

We just got an X50 Pro in hand; stay tuned for coverage on how the gimbal camera works out in practice.