Vivo X51 Review: Stunning Display And Decent Cameras, But Too Expensive For The Mass Market

Vivo X51 is actually Vivo X50 Pro that has been renamed. The hardware is the same, the camera module still has the word Pro on it.

However, Vivo did do some tweaks to differentiate the phone from its X50 Pro sibling.

Design & Build: Lightweight, Stylish, And Thin

Let’s start our Vivo X51 review with the appearance of the phone.

At first glance, the X51 is a real looker. The rear’s finish is a frosted glass called Alpha Grey, which looks smooth without being slippery. The slim and tall form makes the Vivo X51 a comfort when holding in one hand.

The weight of 181g can be counted as lightweight for a modern smartphone. The curved edges also contribute to the overall comfortable feeling of holding it.

While the headphone jack is non-existent, the phone comes with a USB-C adapter and has support for Bluetooth 5.1.

Cameras: World's Smallest Gimbal?

On the rear, the Vivo X51 sports a quad-camera set-up consisting of a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultrawide lens, a 13MP lens with 2x zoom, and an 8MP with 5x optical zoom camera. On the other side, it features a 32MP front camera.

The primary camera yields vivid-looking images but if you take a closer look, the photos aren’t as detailed as they appear. The ultrawide camera doubles as a macro shooter and much like the 5x zoom, the photos they take suffer a lot from this lack of details.

What makes the Vivo X51 stand out is the gimbal for the main 48MP camera. Unlike electronic image stabilization and optical image stabilization, this method moves the camera module to counter the effect of instability.

It’s true that the gimbal can make images look smooth, you will be disappointed to expect smoothness at a professional level. The gimbal also lets you record videos at 60FPS in 4K.

Night shots are one of the weaknesses of the Vivo X51. The photos look decent but given the fact that it has a gimbal, we have reason to expect higher stability when the phone takes multiple exposures needed for detailed night photos.

With that being said, don’t expect much with features like Astro Mode, which lets users have a long exposure when they take pictures of a starry night and also counter blurs caused by the Earth’s movements.

Vivo X51 Specs & Display: Stunning Screen, Middling Specs

Under the hood, the Vivo X51 is powered by a Snapdragon 765G, RAM of 8GB, and onboard storage of 256GB.

The 765G won’t hold up against flagship chips when it comes to gaming but it can handle day-to-day tasks, and 5G just fine.

While photography doesn’t live up to expectation, you can still count on the 6.5-inch AMOLED screen with HDR10+ and 2376 x 1080 resolution. If you are on the market for a phone to stream YouTube or Netflix, the Vivo X51 is definitely the one for you.

The 90Hz refresh rate makes animation looks smooth and the rich color scheme is pleasing to the eyes. However, it would be unwise to pay for the phone just because of the screen. A display like this is available across price brackets and you can easily find a similar offer at a cheaper price.

Software: A Better FunTouch

Much like the X50 Pro, the Vivo X51 runs on Funtouch OS, Vivo’s OS based on Android 10. According to the company, by the time the phone reaches the market, it will have support for Android 11.

On the X51, FunTouch offers a bloatware-free experience. While it isn’t the best you can find, it’s close to vanilla Android so there shouldn’t be any complaint.

Battery & Charging: 2-Day Battery Life

The Vivo X51 draws power from a 4315mAh battery, meaning it can last for two days straight on one single charge. However, if you put the phone through too many heavy tasks, expect a shooter life span.

Users can have 65% of juice after half an hour of plugging the phone in, courtesy of the 33W wired charging. There is no wireless charging support though.

Vivo X51 Price & Availability

The expected price of Vivo x51 5G in India is Rs. 64,999. It will go on sale in the UK market starting October 29.

Verdict

With a gorgeous display and solid camera setup, Vivo X51 is a good phone to consider getting.

However, with other brands offering flagship phones at a more affordable price, Vivo would have a hard time competing for market share.

This is a great phone indeed but the pricing scheme doesn’t offer a balance between the cost and the value.

>>> Vivo X50 Price In India: A Camera-Centric Smartphone