Vivo has been vigorously developing cameras since last year’s X30 series. From the Vivo X30 Pro+ 50x zoom and X50 Pro’s micro-yuntai two Pro-level products, we can see Vivo’s determination to make the X series the flagship of the image again. However, in the context of the increasing number of camera pixels on the mobile phone, a product of X50 Pro alone may not be able to fully compete with the “multi-cup offensive” of other manufacturers. So vivo this time also added Vivo X50 Pro+ in the X50 series. The new character pushes the camera pixels to Samsung GN1 1.2μm 50MP Camera.
As the model with the highest configuration in the series, the X50 Pro+ also has many remarkable features in other parts than the camera.
The back cover of the phone is made of plain leather, and the color matching is more mature; the maximum refresh rate of the screen reaches 120Hz; the core uses Snapdragon 865, and the maximum memory is increased to 12GB; the fast charging power has also reached 44W.
So this time, the super-large cup is not as simple as the camera size is large, and there are many invisible places behind it that have different levels of upgrades.
X50 Pro+ Design & Appearance
The front of vivo X50 Pro+ adopts the currently mainstream screen design of digging micro-curved surface. The screen ratio is very high, and the visual impact of digging is also small. At the same time, the smaller surface can greatly reduce the interference on the screen display.
The quality of the screen is also very high, E3 AMOLED panel, DCI-P3 color gamut, supports 120Hz high refresh rate, and 240Hz touch sampling rate, has a peak brightness of 1300nit, supports HDR10+.
The top hole is dug and contains a 32MP front camera. The top uses a micro-slit earpiece design, and the opening is almost invisible. The chin adopts the flagship COP package without suspense, and the four frames are quite narrow.
The AG glass process is used on the back, which has a unique light effect under the light and is not easy to be contaminated with fingerprints. This is a very creative R3 rounded rectangular camera module. The two-color cloud-scale solves the thick feeling of the main camera convex hull, making the entire camera look flat and stretch. The periscope module uses the same theme color as the back cover color. Reject the same camera module.
The top and bottom are deliberately made flat. There is only one microphone opening on the top plus a decorative landscaping design. The bottom is the SIM card slot, Type-C charging port, and speaker opening.
The volume key and power key are placed on the right side of the phone. The charger supports 55W fast charging at most, but vivo X50 Pro+ currently supports up to 44W fast charging.
X50 Pro+ Cameras
Among the imaging systems of vivo X50 Pro+, the most noticeable is the GN1 main camera customized by Samsung Semiconductor, which is the latest image sensor of Samsung Semiconductor.
It supports Dual PD and Tetracell technology, has 50 Megapixels, single-pixel 1.2μm, the sensor area has reached an exaggerated 1/1.3 inch, one step away from the 1-inch card machine, the largest mobile phone image currently in production One of the sensors. Its output in the four-in-one model is 12.5 Megapixels, and the single-pixel is 2.4 μm, which increases the light sensitivity by four times.
In order to focus quickly, 100MP phase detection focus units are thrown
Focusing speed will greatly affect the photographing experience. For faster autofocus speed, ISOCELL GN1 uses dual-pixel technology with 100MP phase detection focus units:
Specifically, each pixel on ISOCELL GN1 consists of two photodiodes, which receive light from the side of the microlens on top of the pixel. The phase detection autofocus process then creates a “copy” of the two images based on the incident light, one copy on each photodiode, and the sensor evaluates it as the human eye.
Then adjust the lens element until the two images are the same, which indicates that the object is in perfect focus in the camera view.
Schematic diagram of dual-pixel technology
The phase detection autofocus is much faster than the traditional contrast detection system. The traditional contrast detection system analyzes the contrast between the edges and moves the focus motor until the contrast reaches the clearest level. However, the speed of the phase detection autofocus process depends on the size of the phase detection pixels contained in the sensor.
Many mobile phone sensors use only 5-10% of the total pixel capacity for phase detection, but ISOCELL GN1 can rely on its dual-pixel technology. ISOCELL GN1 embeds two photodiodes in each pixel, resulting in faster, more accurate autofocus experience.
The ISOCELL GN1 has a sensor size of 1/3.31 inches and a resolution of 8160 pixels by 6144 pixels, which provides 50MP resolution, while the 0.8μm pixel size of the traditional sensor is 48MP resolution of the 1/2 inch sensor of the traditional sensor. With its dual-pixel technology and software algorithms, photos taken with ISOCELL GN1 can achieve comparable image resolutions up to 100MP.
The 50MP resolution of ISOCELL GN1 means that ISOCELL GN1 can capture fine details and provide users with the ability to crop images without significantly reducing image quality. It also provides users with the option to reduce the image size during post-processing to further reduce noise.
Clearer photos with larger pixels
Pixels capture light and convert it to data, and different pixel sizes also affect the resolution of the image sensor. Sensors with smaller pixels can provide ultra-high-resolution images with clear details, while sensors with larger pixels will receive more light, which improves the sensitivity of shooting in low light conditions.
For larger pixel sizes, Samsung Semiconductor has been introducing various technologies to enhance detail and photosensitivity over the years. ISOCELL GN1 has 1.2μm pixels, almost double the 0.8μm small pixels that other high-resolution sensors have. Therefore, At night, the image manifests itself in theory and will rise.
ISOCELL GN1 also has Samsung’s pixel isolation technology ISOCELL Plus, which uses a physical barrier to isolate pixels, so that more light is collected by the microlens and then absorbed by the pixel’s photodiode. The result is higher color fidelity and higher sensitivity, bringing natural tones and shadows to high-resolution photography.
Make all-weather preparations for day and night
For a long time, taking pictures in a dark environment often encounters problems that are too dark, too blurry, or too grainy. Thanks to the adoption of Tetracel technology, ISOCELL GN1 can capture clear photos in low light conditions.
Unlike traditional RGB sensors, in traditional RGB sensors, pixels with different color filters are arranged in a mosaic pattern, while Samsung’s Tetracell sensor groups pixels with the same color filter adjacent to each other in groups of four. When shooting in low-light conditions, the sensor can treat these four-pixel groups as a large pixel, which means that more light can enter the sensor to obtain a brighter and less noisy image.
Given that ISOCELL GN1 has larger pixels than other sensors, adding Tetracell can provide greater image quality improvement for shooting in low light conditions, and under bright lighting conditions, the sensor uses a re-mosaic algorithm to rearrange pixels to high resolution The normal RGB mode of the rating image.
What has Tetracell brought to HDR?
Under mixed lighting conditions, such as when shooting a dark subject against a bright background, it may be difficult to obtain the correct dynamic range, so that the light and dark areas of the image are properly exposed.
Traditional HDR technology is used to solve this problem by taking multiple images and stacking them for post-processing to obtain a wider dynamic range in the final image.
Real-time HDR can optimize exposure for different areas of the frame
However, ISOCELL GN1 does not need to use continuous photos and stack them together but uses Tetracell technology to provide better colors and shadows, mid-tones, and highlight details.
ISOCELL GN1: shadows, mid-tones, and highlights
Each pixel in a group of four takes photos at different exposure times: two pixels for medium exposure, one pixel for long exposure, and one pixel for short exposure. This allows the sensor to capture light from the scene in front of it with higher accuracy. ISOCELL GN1 combines the information of these three exposure levels, can generate HDR images in a single photo, and users can preview them immediately.
About Smart ISO
The original ISO determines the sensitivity of the image sensor to light and is determined by the conversion gain value. This value affects the full well capacity or how much light the photodiode can receive and the noise level. Integrating a fixed original ISO into an image sensor will limit its ability to adapt to changing lighting conditions.
Traditional image sensors usually come with a single high ISO. Although this helps reduce noise in low-light environments, the smaller full-well capacity reduces the ability of these sensors to display bright areas in bright environments.
ISOCELL GN1 has an additional low ISO, which can accurately respond to bright environments, and its Smart-ISO technology selects the ideal conversion gain value for each lighting situation. The result is the best dynamic range and reduced noise in various shooting conditions.
For example, when the sun is shining, it will choose a lower ISO sensitivity to increase the panoramic ability and expand the dynamic range of the bright part of the scene. If the camera uses a higher local ISO in these situations, the signal will be over-amplified, burning the bright parts, and there will be little detail in those areas of the image.
Low ISO when there is sufficient light
Conversely, when shooting late at night, Smart-ISO technology will choose a higher ISO to produce the best brightness and less noise, and capture more dynamic range in the dark areas of the scene, even in the scene. Show every detail. The shaded area of the picture.
Experiences
As mentioned in the preface, the most eye-catching vivo X50Pro+ is 1/1.31 inches, a 50-megapixel super outsole Samsung ISOCELL GN-1 with a single-pixel area of 1.2 μm, 7p lens, and a maximum aperture of F1.85. So far, vivo brought the Samsung GN1.
The other modules other than the main camera basically inherited the well-known predecessor X30 Pro: 13-megapixel super wide-angle, 32-megapixel Samsung GD1 outsole 50mm portrait lens and 13-megapixel 5X periscope, especially the one that is good at shooting The human GD1 portrait lens is still evocative.
Vivo X50 Pro+ is equipped with an independent color temperature sensor, which can automatically sense the color temperature of multi-band light and adjust the white balance. From the perspective of the actual film, the color performance is more restrained, and a relatively natural imaging strategy is used.
This is a picture taken in the light fog and haze weather conditions. The actual visual perception is more muddy and dull than the color of the photo, which basically shows that X50 Pro+ should be a targeted algorithm adjustment for smog. Under the environment with better lighting conditions, the central area has better resolution.
HDR 
HDR is a traditional advantage project that vivo continues to promote and devote. Under ISOCELL GN1’s talented Tetracell technology, each pixel in a group of four takes photos at different exposure times: two pixels for medium exposure, one pixel for long exposure, and one pixel for short exposure. A single photo combines three kinds of information to generate an HDR image. The contrast between light and dark is appropriate, and the performance of highlight suppression and purple fringe control is satisfactory.
Shooting the starry sky in the city is a very difficult thing. As shown above, if you use conventional methods to shoot the night sky of the city, it is difficult to capture the stars.
The vivo X50 Pro+ provides a starry sky mode. After clicking the shutter, after long exposure of about two minutes + multi-frame synthesis, the small stars that emit weak light in the night sky are captured.
When shooting this set of night scene proofs, the lighting conditions were extremely poor, and the visual effects were basically dark. When shooting under such adverse lighting conditions, the entire screen looked relatively clean and the brightness was basically acceptable.
In the traditional RGB sensor, pixels with different color filters are arranged in a mosaic pattern, while the Samsung Tetracell sensor equipped with vivo X50 Pro+ places pixels with the same color filter adjacent to each other in groups of four. When shooting in low-light conditions, the sensor can treat these four-pixel groups as one large pixel, which means that more light can enter the sensor and a brighter, less noisy image can be obtained.
Hardware & Performance
As we said in the preface, the previous X series did not have the top performance configuration that would satisfy the enthusiasts who “run the world”, but they all have distinctive features other than their own performance, such as thin and light, such as fast charging, such as Beauty selfie…to serve your own user group.
What is rare this time is that the X50 Pro+ as the flagship of the “Super Large Cup” is equipped with the Snapdragon 865 platform. While maintaining the same tonality as in the past, it also launched the attack of the top flagship performance platform. In short, the Snapdragon 865 can be regarded as a comprehensive upgrade version of the Snapdragon 855. The process technology has been upgraded from the first generation 7nm (N7) of TSMC to the second generation 7nm (N7P). The CPU is still a 1+3+4 three-cluster architecture. , But the large core is fully upgraded to the Cortex-A77 architecture, the frequency is unchanged, and the GPU is upgraded from Adreno 640 to Adreno 650, and the performance is increased by 25%.
Even with the LPDDR5 memory + UFS3.1 paired with the Snapdragon 865 platform, the X50 Pro+ is not missing. In terms of performance alone, it is difficult for the vivo X50 Pro+ to be pulled out of the egg-like the previous X series models. Next, run a point.
Master Lu Score
Master Lu can evaluate and compare the five core hardware of CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, and display, which is more suitable for ordinary white users to understand mobile phone related information.
It can be seen that in the Master Lu’s scoring system, the vivo X50 Pro+ scores at the highest position, and the overall improvement in performance can be seen.
CPU test
Compared with the Snapdragon 855 Plus, the improvement of the Snapdragon 865 on the X50 Pro+ is more direct on the CPU. This refers to the fact that Qualcomm no longer uses the self-developed architecture and also fully switches to the ARM architecture. This is also a general trend. The CPU of Snapdragon 865 is the only main core that Qualcomm does not design independently.
Specifically, the CPU core used by the Snapdragon 865 is the same as the Snapdragon 855 Plus with a 1+3+4 architecture, the frequencies are 2.84GHz, 2.42Ghz, 1.80GHz, and the cache capacity has not changed, but the 1+3 large core upgrade In the Coterx-A77 architecture, the L3 cache has doubled to 4MB, and the four small cores are still Cortex-A55 architecture, with a frequency of 1.8GHz.
Although the core frequency and L2 cache have not changed, compared with the improvement of the Snapdragon 855 Plus based on the Cortex-A76 core, Qualcomm’s main change on the Snapdragon 865 is the use of ARM’s Cortex-A77 architecture directly on the CPU core. However, Qualcomm still uses Cortex integrated technology to customize some parts of the CPU interface IP, so the name of the CPU core of the Snapdragon 865 is still Kryo.
In the GeekBench5 test, the Snapdragon 865 used by the X50 Pro+ benefited from the new A77 architecture and achieved excellent results in both single-core and multi-core performance tests. Among them, the single-core led by nearly 19% compared to the Snapdragon 855 Plus. Compared with the Snapdragon 855, the single-core lead is close to 35%, and the multi-core lead is about 25%.
GPU test
After talking about CPU, let’s talk about the GPU. Adreno 630/640 GPUs are 2-core GPUs, each GPU core has 256 and 384 ALU units, and the performance of Adreno 650 has been improved by 50%, which means that it may be composed of 3 256-ALU cores Or 2 512-ALU cores.
In terms of texture filling, the previous generation Adreno 640 has performed well, each core has doubled from 12 groups of TMU units to 24 groups of TMU units, a total of 48 groups of TMU units, which also makes the texture fill rate: pixel fill rate reached an uncommon 3: 1 ratio. The Adreno 650 GPU has brought a 50% improvement in pixel processing performance compared to the previous generation. Now its pixel fill rate performance is the same as ARM’s Mali GPU.
Qualcomm once pointed out that the Adreno 650 GPU has improved performance by an average of 25% in different tests and loads. It should be noted that Qualcomm clearly stated that the performance increase in some loads will be even higher. For example, the high-load test Aztec Ruins in GFXBench may have a performance improvement of more than 25% at this time.
RAM
LPDDR5 has been commercialized this year. The new memory standard will increase the energy efficiency of each bit of data by more than 20%. Naturally, Snapdragon 865 supports LPDDR5 memory. X50 Pro+ is equipped with up to 12G LPDDR5 memory this time, and the stacking level has reached the peak level of the X series so far.
It is worth noting that Qualcomm uses a hybrid memory controller in the Snapdragon 865 to support both LPDD5 and LPDDR4X memory. The former supports up to 2750MHz and the latter up to 2133MHz.
LPDDR5 uses the highest 16 Bank programmable and multi-clock architecture, the introduction of Data-Copy and Write-X instructions to reduce power consumption, and link ECC error correction. Micron claims to use LPDDR5, which saves 5%-10% of the power of the whole machine and extends battery life by 5%-10%.
In addition, LPDDR5 memory has a huge impact on smartphone performance. Compared with the LPDDR4 standard in 2014, LPDDR5 has been upgraded from 3200Mbps to 5500Mbps and can transfer 44GB of data per second. Vivo is the first manufacturer to use UFS 3.1, but the opportunity to debut before this was given to its own “little brother” iQOO.
According to vivo official data, compared to UFS 2.1, UFS 3.1 sequential read rate increased by 137.2%, random read rate increased by 99.8%. Compared with UFS 3.0, UFS 3.1 achieves higher write performance, lower power consumption, and more stable performance management.
However, UFS 2.1 is now somewhat “stale” and has been decentralized from the flagship to low-end models. So let’s use Androbench to test whether this work has improved compared to UFS 3.0, which is currently used by mainstream flagships.
The actual measurement shows that even in the face of the current mainstream flagship UFS 3.0, the vivo X50 Pro+ equipped with UFS 3.1 is still ahead of the former in all directions.
5G experience
The vivo X50 Pro+ is equipped with Qualcomm’s new second-generation 5G baseband Snapdragon X55, and it is the most advanced and perfect 5G solution to date. Multimode supports 2G to 5G standards and covers all major frequency bands in all regions of the world. And the first time to achieve the highest 5G rate of 7Gbps.
The Snapdragon X55 baseband is manufactured using the most advanced 7nm process currently. A single chip can fully support 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G. Among them, the 5G part realizes “full coverage”, that is, it fully supports millimeter-wave and frequency bands below 6GHz, and TDD time-division dual Industrial and FDD frequency division duplex mode, as well as SA independent networking and NSA non-independent networking modes.
The Snapdragon X55 completes the FDD frequency band below 6GHz, so as to achieve full coverage of the FDD/TDD two modes, especially the 800MHz and lower frequency bands only exist in the FDD mode, complete support is essential.
For the 4G part, the Snapdragon X55 is also improved from the previous 4G baseband. The highest support standard comes to LTE Cat.22, and the speed can reach 2.5Gbps. The Snapdragon X55 supports up to seven carrier aggregations and 24 data streams. It can also support advanced FD-MIMO technology.
Compared with the previous generation of Snapdragon X50, X50 only supports 5G mode (5G NR). It must cooperate with Snapdragon 855 built-in baseband to support 2G/3G/4G, and the support for 5G frequency band is not complete. In addition, it also uses 10nm The process, power consumption and heat generation are not ideal.
In terms of operators, by the present 2020, the construction of 5G networks of the three major operators is still steadily advancing. When measuring the network speed, because the network stability of different regions, different times, and different operators may be different, the network speed measurement results may be different from what you have personally experienced.
t can be seen that in the case of China Unicom’s 5G network, the measured downlink rate of vivo X50 Pro+ at 5G speed reached 753Mbps, and the upstream rate reached 104Mbps; the measured downlink rate of Unicom 4G speed was 45.7Mbps, and the upstream rate was 40Mbps. In terms of downlink speed, the 5G network has increased to 16.4 times the former.
X50 Pro+ Battery
X50 Pro+ has a built-in 4350mAh battery (same as X50 Pro), and uses vivo Super FlashCharge ultra-fast flash charging technology, the maximum charging power reaches 44W (a considerable improvement over the 33W X50 Pro), according to the official statement can be charged in 30 minutes 62% power, 100% power after 60 minutes of charging.
With the special effects fully on, play “Peace Elite” for 11 minutes and 05 seconds to get the power consumption statistics as shown in the figure. From this, it can be estimated that the vivo X50 Pro+ continues to play “Peace Elite” with the special effects fully open, and the battery life is about 5.8 hours.
Connect Wi-Fi to watch 1080P online video at 70% brightness and 30% volume, and get power consumption statistics as shown in the figure. From this, it can be estimated that X50 Pro+ continuous battery life is about 13.3 hours.
Compared with the flagship X50 Pro of the same series, X50 Pro+ has been upgraded to a maximum 44W fast charge, which is a very classic solution of vivo.
It only takes 40 minutes to charge from 29% to 98%, and it is in the state of turning on the screen, which is quite fast for a single-cell battery of 4,350 mAh.
Read Also: Honor 30 Lite Review: What is the Difference Between 90Hz and 60Hz?
Verdict
Overall, especially in terms of product aesthetics and imaging technology stacks, the vivo X50 Pro+, the flagship of the “Large Cup”, has achieved the pinnacle of the blue factory so far, and even in terms of imaging, it is even higher than the highest-positioned flagship of vivo. NEX has it all.
In terms of the imaging system, X50 Pro+ has a more mainstream ultra-bottom image plus an optical image stabilization system than X50 Pro. The new 50-megapixel Samsung GN1 sensor, 1/1.31 inch, single-pixel 1.2μm, specifications after four-in-one It is 12.5 million pixels, 2.4μm, and supports full-pixel dual-core focusing.
Samsung GN1 can be regarded as a unique cheat in the imaging field obtained by X50 Pro+, and it has formed the four major kings of customized main photography in the mobile phone imaging industry with OPPO’s Sony IMX689, Xiaomi’s Samsung HMX, and Huawei’s Sony IMX700Y. After our detailed principle analysis (see the third section of this article) and real shooting experience, I believe everyone will have some understanding and cognition of the strange main camera of Samsung GN1:
1. The pixel capacity of many mobile phone sensors for phase detection only accounts for 5-10% of the total pixels, but ISOCELL GN1 can rely on its dual-pixel technology. ISOCELL GN1 embeds two photodiodes in each pixel, which brings Faster and more accurate autofocus.
2. The sensor size of ISOCELL GN1 is 1 / 1.31 inches, the resolution is 8160 pixels by 6144 pixels, which can provide 50MP resolution, while the 0.8μm pixel size of the traditional sensor is 48MP resolution of the 1/2 inch sensor of the traditional sensor. With its dual-pixel technology and software algorithms, photos taken with ISOCELL GN1 can reach a resolution of up to 100MP.
3. ISOCELL GN1 has 1.2μm pixels, which is almost twice the 0.8μm small pixels of other high-resolution sensors. Therefore, image performance at night rises. It uses a physical barrier to isolate the pixels so that more light is collected by the microlenses and then absorbed by the photodiodes of the pixels. The result is higher color fidelity and higher sensitivity, bringing natural tones and shadows to high-resolution photography.
4. The pixels of different color filters are different from the traditional RGB sensor in a mosaic pattern, which sets pixels with the same color filter adjacent to each other in groups of four. When shooting in low-light conditions, the sensor can treat these four-pixel groups as a large pixel. When the light is sufficient, the sensor uses a re-mosaic algorithm to rearrange the pixels into a regular RGB mode for high-resolution images.
5. In HDR, ISOCELL GN1 does not need to use continuous photos and stack them together, but let the pixels take photos at different exposure times: two pixels for medium exposure, one pixel for long exposure, and one pixel Then a short exposure. Each HDR image will combine the information of the three exposure levels, and the HDR image can be generated in a single photo, and the user can preview it immediately.
The other three cameras are 13MP super wide-angle, 32 Megapixel Samsung GD1 50mm and 13 Megapixel periscopes. After our actual measurement, it is based on the previous work X50 Pro and is based on the common focal length (26-135mm) The zoom capability of the camera is still powerful, and the ultra-wide-angle lens also performs well under sufficient light conditions.
The support of the Snapdragon 865 platform, the further 120Hz AMOLED, and the fast charging of 44W make the X50 Pro+, as the X series model, unable to pick out the slot in the aspects that the paper parameter party is most concerned about. The most important thing is that vivo X50 Pro+ has become the cheapest “super-large cup” flagship among the “+” size on the basis of the price of 4,998 yuan, which is very attractive.