Vivo introduces smartphone with 'gimbal' camera stabilization - Tablets and phones - News

Vivo has announced the X50 series of smartphones in China. The X50 Pro stands out with its camera stabilized with a gimbal system. That system has more freedom of movement than regular optical stabilization and would therefore work better.

The Vivo X50 series consists of three phones and only the middle model, the X50 Pro, has the gimbals system. The gimbal is used for the primary camera, which consists of a 48-megapixel sensor. That would be a modified version of Sony’s IMX598. A report of Vivo’s presentation is seen at Gizmochina.

According to Vivo, the stabilization system is modeled after a professional gimbal. Such motorized mechanisms are used, among other things, on drones to stabilize the camera image. Separate gimbals are also available, for example to stabilize a smartphone or film camera.

Like optical image stabilization, a gimbal works by creating a counter-motion when the camera shakes. In principle, a gimbal has more room to move for that. How well that works in practice on the Vivo X50 Pro smartphone is not yet clear. Vivo makes it clear that the stabilization works over two different axes.

It is striking that Vivo only puts the gimbal in the X50 Pro and not in the X50 Pro + top model. That most expensive version has a Snapdragon 865-soc and a 120Hz screen, while the regular X50 Pro has to do with a Snapdragon 765 and 90Hz screen. The Pro + model uses a relatively large one 50-megapixel sensor from Samsung, which was recently announced. Both Pro models also have a periscopic telephoto lens.

For now, the Vivo X50 smartphones are only available in China. The cheapest version of the X50 Pro with gimbal stabilization costs 4298 yuan, which is about 542 euros. Whether Vivo will also release the X50 series in the Netherlands and Belgium is not yet known.

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	Vivo X50	Vivo X50 Pro	Vivo X50 Pro +
Dimensions and weight	159.54mm x 75.39mm x 7.49mm 170g	158.46mm x 72.8mm x 8.04mm 181.5g	158.46mm x 72.8mm x 8.04mm 181.5g
Screen	6.56 ″ FHD + OLED 90Hz refresh rate Flat display Single-hole punch HDR 10+	6.56 ″ FHD + OLED 90Hz refresh rate Curved display Single-hole punch HDR 10+	6.56 ″ FHD + OLED 120Hz refresh rate Curved display Single-hole punch HDR 10+
Soc	Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G	Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Memory and storage	8GB LPDDR4X + 128GB UFS 2.0 8GB + 256GB	8GB LPDDR4X + 128GB UFS 2.1 8GB + 256GB	8GB LPDDR4X + 128GB UFS 2.1 8GB + 256GB 12GB + 256GB
Battery and charging technology	4200 mAh battery 33W fast charging	4315 mAh battery 33W fast charging	4315 mAh battery 44W fast charging
Rear cameras	Primary: 48MP Sony IMX598 custom sensor, f / 1.6, four-axis OIS Secondary: 13MP portrait, f / 2.48 Tertiary: 8MP ultra-wide-angle, 120 ° FoV, f / 2.2 Quarternary: 5MP macro, f / 2.48, 1.5cm super macro	Primary: 48MP Sony IMX598 custom sensor, f / 1.6, gimbal OIS Secondary: 13MP portrait, f / 2.46 Tertiary: 8MP periscope, f / 3.4 Quarternary: 8MP ultra-wide-angle, 120 ° FoV, f / 2.2, 2.5cm macro	Primary: 50MP Samsung ISOCELL GN1 custom sensor, f / 1.6 Secondary: 13MP portrait, f / 2.46 Tertiary: 8MP periscope, f / 3.4 Quarternary: 8MP ultra-wide-angle, 120 ° FoV, f / 2.2, 2.5cm macro
Front camera	32MP, f / 2.48	32MP, f / 2.45	32MP, f / 2.45
Features	NFC WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.1 SA & NSA Dual-mode 5G In-Display Fingerprint Scanner	NFC WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.1 SA & NSA Dual-mode 5G In-Display Fingerprint Scanner AK4377A Hi-Fi Sound chip	NFC WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.1 SA & NSA Dual-mode 5G In-Display Fingerprint Scanner CS43131 Hi-Fi Sound chip
OS	Android 10 with Funtouch OS shell	Android 10 with Funtouch OS shell	Android 10 with Funtouch OS shell
price	8GB + 128GB: 3498 yuan 8GB + 256GB: 3898 yuan	8GB + 128GB: 4298 yuan 8GB + 256GB: 4698 yuan	8GB + 128GB: 4998 yuan 8GB + 256GB: 5298 yuan 12GB + 256GB: 5998 yuan