Vivo S50 and Vivo S50 Pro Mini Launched in China; S50 Pro Mini Becomes Second Smartphone to Launch With Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

Vivo, as promised, has launched the Vivo S50 and Vivo S50 Pro Mini in its home market, China. Design-wise, both smartphones have different designs. The Vivo S50 features a squarish camera deco similar to the Oppo Reno 14 Pro, while the S50 Pro Mini features a vertical pill-shaped camera module that extends towards each side.

Here is more to it.

Vivo S50 (V2528A) Specs and Features

It features a 6.59-inch flat AMOLED (VM9) display with a resolution of 2750 × 1260 pixels, delivering a pixel density of 459ppi. The screen supports a 120Hz refresh rate with adaptive switching between 60Hz and 120Hz, along with HDR support, a contrast ratio of 8,000,000:1, and the P3 wide colour gamut. It displays up to 1.07 billion colours and achieves a screen-to-body ratio of 94.7%. Touch sampling rates include 130Hz under normal use, 300Hz in gaming mode, and an instantaneous response of up to 2000Hz.

Under the hood, it comes with a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, built on a 4nm manufacturing process, paired with the Adreno 735 GPU. It runs OriginOS 6 based on Android 16 and comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X quad-channel RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 internal storage. Memory Fusion is supported, allowing up to 16GB of additional virtual RAM. There is no support for expandable storage.

The battery capacity is 6,500mAh (typical) and features a single-cell design, supporting 90W wired flash charging. Wireless charging is not supported, but OTG reverse charging is available. Charging is handled via a USB Type-C port, which also serves as the digital audio output.

It comes with a 50MP Samsung JN1 front camera with an f/2.0 aperture, supporting autofocus, 2x digital zoom, front flash, and video recording up to 4K. The rear camera setup includes a 50MP Sony LYT-700V main camera with an f/1.88 aperture, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture, and a 50MP Sony IMX882 telephoto periscope camera with an f/2.65 aperture. Optical image stabilisation is available on the main and periscope cameras. Rear cameras support up to 100x digital zoom and can record video at up to 4K resolution, except for the ultra-wide camera, which is limited to 1080p.

The Vivo S50 comes with support for facial recognition and a 3D ultrasonic single-point fingerprint sensor that works even with wet hands, and also carries IP68 and IP69 ratings. It features dual stereo speakers and supports a wide range of audio formats, including AAC, MP3, FLAC, APE, WAV, and OGG. Bluetooth 5.4 is included, with support for codecs such as aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LDAC, and LHDC 5.0.

Connectivity options include dual nano-SIM support with 5G SA, 4G, 3G, and 2G network compatibility, subject to operator support. The phone supports Wi-Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO and MU-MIMO, NFC, and a comprehensive range of global positioning systems, including GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS. USB Type-C supports OTG data transmission.

The Vivo S50 measures 157.52 × 74.33 mm, with a thickness of 7.59mm or 7.49mm depending on the colour variant. It weighs either 196g or 197g. The mid-frame is made from aluminium alloy, while the back panel uses glass. Additional hardware includes an X-axis linear motor, infrared remote control, flicker sensor, gravity sensor, gyroscope, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and electronic compass.

Vivo S50 Pro Mini (V2527A ) Specs and Features

The Vivo S50 Pro Mini, on the other hand, comes with a 6.31-inch flat LTPO AMOLED (U8) display featuring a 2640 × 1216 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, 460ppi pixel density, HDR support, the P3 wide colour gamut, 1.07 billion colours, up to 2000Hz instantaneous touch sampling, and an 8,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Just like the S50, it also comes with IP68 and IP69-rated protection.

It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC built on a 3nm process, making it the second smartphone after the OnePlus Ace 6T to launch with this chipset, paired with the Adreno 829 GPU, and runs OriginOS 6 based on Android 16 out of the box. Like the S50, it comes with up to 16GB LPDDR5X Ultra quad-channel RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage, with Memory Fusion support for up to an additional 16GB of virtual RAM. Expandable storage is not supported.

On the camera side, it offers a 50MP front camera with autofocus and a triple rear setup consisting of a 50MP Sony IMX921 main camera with OIS, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 50MP Sony IMX882 telephoto periscope camera with CIPA 4.0s OIS, supporting up to 100x digital zoom and up to 4K video recording.

It is backed by a 6,500mAh single-cell battery (6,350mAh rated) with 90W wired fast charging, 40W wireless charging, and OTG reverse charging. It supports dual nano-SIM 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, stereo dual speakers, and a Type-C port for charging and audio. Security options include face recognition and a 3D ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. The phone has an aluminium alloy mid-frame and a glass back, measures 150.83 × 71.76 × around 8mm, and weighs between 191g and 192g depending on the colour variant.

Pricing and Availability

The Vivo S50 is available in four memory variants, with pricing starting at CNY 2,999 for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model. The 12GB RAM + 512GB variant is priced at CNY 3,299, while the 16GB RAM + 256GB configuration costs CNY 3,399. The top-end 16GB RAM + 512GB model is priced at CNY 3,599. It is offered in Deep Space Black, Inspiration Purple, Confession (White), and Yoyo Blue colour options.

The Vivo S50 Pro Mini is available in the same colour options of Deep Space Black, Inspiration Purple, Confession (White), and Yoyo Blue. Pricing starts at CNY 3,699 for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant, increases to CNY 3,999 for the 12GB RAM + 512GB model, and goes up to CNY 4,299 for the 16GB RAM + 512GB configuration.

Open sales for both the S50 and S50 Pro Mini in China will begin on December 19 at 10 AM (China time).