technology news: Are these the best smartphones for video recording?

lundi 1 juin 2020

Are these the best smartphones for video recording?

Supplied by Vivo

Vivo teased the X50 series last month, revealing that the phones are equipped with gimbal-style stabilization technology on the main camera. The Chinese brand has finally revealed the phones, and we're actually looking at three devices.

We've actually got the Vivo X50, X50 Pro, and X50 Pro Plus — a similar naming convention as the Huawei P40 family. The gimbal-style stabilization is restricted to the X50 Pro and Pro Plus though, allowing for better quality snaps and videos at night.

Vivo has also implemented a so-called Gimbal Radar in the UI, which is an animated ball that reflects the gimbal system's movement so users know when things are stable.

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It was previously believed that the series was getting a 50MP main camera and it's now confirmed that the X50 Pro Plus will indeed pack Samsung's Isocell Bright GN1 50MP sensor. This particular sensor offers 1.2 micron pixels, taking pixel-binned shots equivalent to a 12.5MP 2.4 micron pixel image. Between the bigger pixels and gimbal stabilization, we're expecting brighter shots than 48MP and 64MP phones.

The Vivo X50 Pro retains the micro-gimbal system but uses a 48MP IMX598 camera instead, while the standard X50 uses a 48MP sensor with standard OIS.

What else to expect from Vivo X50 cameras?

Both the X50 Pro and X50 Pro Plus pack 8MP periscope cameras too, with the brand claiming 60x "Hyper Zoom." Presumably that's just digital zoom rather than optical or even hybrid zoom.

Otherwise, the three phones all have a 13MP 2x zoom lens, and 8MP ultra-wide camera, while the standard variant also tosses in a 5MP macro camera in lieu of a periscope shooter.

Vivo has also implemented its Super Night Mode on all the devices, which isn't a surprise. But what is a surprise is the addition of a Starry Mode, ostensibly being a take on the Pixel 4's astrophotography mode. We're guessing that this is an identical solution as the Realme X3 SuperZoom's Starry Mode, given that the two brands are under the same parent company.

More than just cameras?

The Vivo X50 Pro Plus is definitely the star of the show as far as power is concerned, packing a Snapdragon 865 chipset according to the brand. Meanwhile, the standard and Pro models serve up a Snapdragon 765G processor. The standard variant also gets a 4,200mAh battery, while the Pro model gets a 4,315mAh battery. There's no word on the Pro Plus's battery size.

The phones all share a 6.56-inch FHD+ OLED screen, but with a 90Hz refresh rate for the X50 and X50 Pro. Vivo's own press release mentions a 120Hz rate but doesn't specify a device — this is presumably for the X50 Pro Plus then.

Other specs shared among the three devices include a 32MP selfie camera in a punch-hole cutout and FunTouch OS 10.5 based on Android 10.

The standard Vivo X50 retails for 3,498 yuan (~$490) for the 8GB/128GB version, and the 8GB/256GB variant will set you back 3,898 yuan (~$546). The Vivo X50 Pro 5G starts at 4,298 yuan (~$602) for the 8GB/128GB model, while the 8GB/256GB variant retails for 4,698 yuan (~$658).