Introduction

Ease of Use

The Vivo X51 5G is a slim and sleek phone wrapped in an attractive metal 'Alpha Grey' shell.

It's thinner than most and the display truly maximises the phone dimensions - it's a gorgeous 6.56-inch AMOLED display that extends into the curved edges of the phone.

Featuring a 600,000:1 contrast ratio and FHD+ display (2376x1080) made from Schott glass, you get a crisp and clear view in the majority of scenarios, save for the brightest of outdoors lighting.

This is not quite the largest display size around, nor is the pixel density (and therefore detail quality) top drawer, but it's plenty big enough for us and should even satisfy moderate gaming use with a 90Hz refresh rate.

Crucially too, when factoring its thin profile, the Vivo X51 5G can be used single-handed quite comfortably, including the quick unlock via the in-screen fingerprint scanner.

A grippy clear case is supplied with the phone so you can keep enjoying that smart exterior with a firm hold, plus a protective film is applied to the screen. The film does pick up scratches, but at least it's doing the job.

Thin dimensions means no headphone jack. Where more and more mid-tier phones are bringing back the jack, we're getting into flagship territory here and you'll need a Bluetooth enabled headset instead.

A benefit of no jack is that it's easier to design the phone with an IP rating. Sadly, despite no jack, there's no water proofing or resistance here. Given the phone already has a metal body and tough display, an IP rating would have sealed the deal for us. Shame. Maybe next time, Vivo?

Battery life is decent - you get a 4,135mAh unit that in general use comfortably lasts a day and goes into the next. Of course, use the phone heavily or sparingly and your experience will differ.

A 33W USB-C charger is supplied with the phone and it's possible to get a 65% charge in as little as 30 minutes. This is the sort of performance we'd expect at this price point.

Inside is the increasingly common mid-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, backed up with a reasonable 8GB of RAM. Also, as its name suggest, the Vivo X51 5G is compatible with the 5G network.

Cheaper phones are available with the same processor, or in limited cases the even more powerful 865G processor. However, the phone feels perfectly supported by Snapdragon 765G. Programmes load instantly, everything flows. This processor feels top drawer.

The operating system is Funtouch OS 10 Global. Heard of that before? Well, anyway, you wouldn't know it, because on the surface you'd think that this Chinese-brand Android phone shared the same OS as a Google Pixel.

Storage is built-in only, though you get an ample 256GB. So, no memory card slot, no headphone jack, really this phone design is as paired back as they come.

The focus for this phone is clear, in fact it's spelled out on the top of the phone; 'professional photography'. Any area where cutbacks have been made - like not offering the top-end processor - are instead pumped into the camera tech.

As we have mentioned in the introduction, the gimbal mounted main camera is the star of the show, but there is so much more around it too.

The rear camera block packs four lenses. Yet, unlike on many other four-lens-camera-blocks, the Vivo X51 features four genuine lenses; 15mm f/2.2 (0.6x), 25mm f/1.6 (1.0x), 51mm f/2.5 (2x) and 128mm f/3.4 (5x), plus a digital zoom up to 60x.

The super wide and 5x telephoto lenses use 8MP, the mid-telephoto is 13MP while the main camera is 12MP, although a high-res 48MP is also available via a dedicated shooting mode. Switch to the selfie camera and it's a 25mm f/2.5 lens with 32MP resolution.

As standard, full-size pictures are 4:3 aspect ratio, although you can shoot in 1:1 or 16:9 aspect ratio. Speaking of 16:9, you get 4K videos up to 60fps when using the rear camera, but videos are capped to 1080p with the selfie camera.

In video mode there is a 3D sound recording, but again this is only available in 1080p at 30fps. Without comparison, we don't know if this feature is as effective as Nokia's 'Ozo' audio.

Shooting modes vary with each lens. The main camera also offers Bokeh (f/2.0) and Super macro, while the Portrait mode that blurs the background can be used with all lenses except the super wide one.

The 'More' option in the shooting modes bar opens up a plethora of additional modes, many of which we will explore in the Image Quality section. It includes 48MP, Pano, Slo-mo, Time-lapse, Pro, Astro Mode, Pro Sports and Supermoon.

Pro mode offers manual control over exposure and also the option to shooting RAW dng and JPEG format simultaneously. You can also display a real time Histogram - did you hear that, camera enthusiasts?

Before getting too carried away unpacking all of the modes, let's shift our focus to the gimbal and the impact that it has on the handling of the camera.

The double-ball suspension mount boasts a 3° rotation to compensate for camera shake. Vivo claims it's 3x more effective than optical stabilisation and the results are a revelation, especially for low light photography and video (for which there's additional electronic stabilisation too.)

A greater degree of shake compensation during photo capture means that the Vivo X51 can be used handheld at night, no problem. One example, using the Astro Mode we got sharp handheld shots with a shutter speed of 16 seconds. Certainly, typical exposure times of 2+ seconds in the Night mode are no problems at all.

The gimbal and image processing are mind-bogglingly effective. Why's this important? Maximising light intake through long exposure time increases image quality. It's what photographers with proper cameras do, although a tripod would be needed!

Sure, most £300+ phones offer a Night mode of some kind. But such phones are usually combining multiple pictures to create a brighter overall picture. The pictures may be bright, but the image quality is not as good.

With it's superior low light image quality and plethora of dedicated night shooting modes, we can't think of a better smartphone for low light photography than the Vivo X51 5G.

Really, stabilisation comes in handy in even in cloudy weather, not just low light. When a smartphone lacks stabilisation altogether, you're always mindful of holding the camera steady in order to avoid blur. There's no worries here.

Video stabilisation is pretty good too, but comes into its own when Super Anti-Shake is employed. You can't shoot in 4K, but these 1080p videos are super smooth. It's a class-leading performance.

A handy on-screen stabilisation tool displays a real-time floating dot inside two circles. Keep the dot inside the inner circle for effective stabilisation. This tool helps you know just what degree of movement you can get away with before scenes become shaky and blurred.

Where stabilisation is effective, perhaps the biggest handling let down is focusing. Autofocus is fine, but not the best around and the most likely cause for any soft images made by the Vivo X51 5G.

You can increase your chances of responsive AF by rooting in the menu and making sure that the focusing mode is appropriate to the scenario. Motion AF offers Eye AF (Auto, left and right), body autofocus and object autofocus. All three can be active at the same time.

After some use, we landed on utilising Object autofocus, through which a simple tap on your desired subject locks in focus even when the scene is recomposed. It's not available in all shooting modes but crucially it is in the main photo mode.

Continuous shooting is employed when you hold down the shutter button when using the regular photo mode. A burst of up to 20-shots is captured over what appears to be around 2 seconds.

By default the phone uses AI to detect the scene and will suggest an appropriate shooting mode. For example, turning the camera to this computer screen right now and the 'Doc' mode is offered. All in all, the phone makes suitable suggestions.

One gripe about the handling of the camera app is that the return/ back arrow from the main menu is located in the very top left by the front camera and often requires a few thumb taps to respond.

Overall, the Vivo X51 is up there as one of the most versatile smartphone cameras that we've used. It's smooth, packs four lenses, offers pro tools and a plethora of easy-to-use shooting modes.

Image Quality

We've established that the Vivo X51 5G's camera is about as versatile as they come and the positive impact the handling has on image quality. You will be able to get shots in scenarios that simply aren't possible with other phones.

But what of outright image quality from the 48MP Sony IMX689 sensor?

Well, predictably the main 25mm f/1.6 rear lens is the sharpest of the bunch, with the 50mm f/2.5 mid-telephoto lens not far behind. For detail quality across the entire image area, we'd happily use either of these lenses in a variety of scenarios.

The super-wide 15mm f/2.2 lens is really handy in tight spaces and of course to fit in more to your pictures - we've used this lens a lot. However, it is a softer lens, especially in the corners where it is also way more prone to chromatic aberrations. When stacked up against the main lens, we're disappointed.

As for the 128mm f/3.4 telephoto lens - it's produces surprisingly decent images in good light, though it is less versatile in low light.

In the bokeh shooting mode, the quality of detail within the sharp-in-focus areas is adversely affected - we can see it by comparing the same picture from the mid-telephoto lens with and without bokeh applied.

Like many other 'quad-camera' phones, the Vivo X51 5G is susceptible to lens flare. You'll need to be careful when pointing the camera towards the sun because at time the effect can be quite strong, more so with the super-wide angle lens.

By default the main camera records 12MP JPEG images, although you can pimp up the resolution with the 48MP mode (8000x6000 pixels). The latter is great for landscape images where you entertain the thought of printing big.

You can also shoot in RAW dng format in the Pro mode. Honestly, we wouldn't necessarily bother - unless the phone is likely to miss the mark completely with exposure setting like white balance.

RAW's look flat and noisy when lined up alongside a well-exposed identical JPEG image, even at ISO 50. We tried to recreate the JPEG processing in Adobe Camera Raw and struggled to obtain the same degree of sharpness and contrast that the JPEG demonstrated.

Simply put, we'd trust the phone's processing to get the most out of the image sensor's capability.

In daylight conditions, pictures look fine. Colours are natural without being overly garish, while auto HDR is applied subtly. If all conditions are favourable, the Vivo X51 5G produces decent images although they don't necessarily stand out compared to the best mid-tier phones.

It really is in low light where the Vivo X51 5G shines. Where other smartphones rely on intelligent processing and multi-picture composites to make a bright night image, the Vivo X51 5G can take the 'traditional' long exposure route to make bright night images, thanks to its incredible gimbal.

By increasing light intake, noise is reduced. For example, an astro picture at ISO 2500 looks a whole lot cleaner compared to a night mode of competing phones. Sure, noise is still there, but it's well managed.

Overall, make use of those night modes and we can't think of a better low light smartphone performer.

Portrait Mode

There's two routes to blur the background and make your subject stand out when using the rear camera; the portrait mode or the bokeh 'lens', and both can be used with all lenses except the super-wide.

For both options there is a bokeh 'slider' to select the strength of the blur effect, with a range from f/0.95 to f/16. However, the portrait mode has its own additional menus where bokeh shaping, picture styles and beauty mode can be applied.

Bokeh shaping includes heart, star and pentagon in addition to the standard circle shape. There are nine picture styles and some of them look great, while beauty mode applies effects such as skin smoothing.

When using the selfie camera a bokeh effect is also possible, although there is no manual control over the bokeh effect strength.

The Vivo X51 5G creates a reasonable looking blur effect. Certainly, when viewed on a small display like that of the phone itself, we're happy.

Like any smartphone, the portrait mode works better when your subject and background is clearly defined. In such a case, there's even a decent attempt at prolonging individual stray hairs rather than simply blurring them out.

However, compared to, say, the intelligent processing of the Google Pixel 4a, the portrait mode misses the mark more often. Zoom in for a closer look and there are at times 'artefacts' - background areas missed out from the blur effect.

There's no option to add the bokeh effect in after capture, although there is a general blur tool like what you find in Instagram.

Portrait Mode Off

Portrait Mode On

Portrait Mode Off

Portrait Mode On

Focal Range

The Vivo X51 has four genuine lenses - there's no fluff here in the camera block. You have a super wide 15mm f/2.2 (full-frame equivalent), a 25mm f/1.6 main camera, a medium telephoto 50mm f/2.5 lens (2x optical) and finally the telephoto 128mm f/3.4 optic (5x optical).

Each lens is genuinely useful, plus a digital zoom up to 60x can be employed, though at the cost of a negative impact on image quality. This is one versatile phone.

Macro

In the standard Photo mode there is an option to select a 'Super macro' setting that is actually rather good.

As standard the pictures are 8MP (3264x2448) and there is minimal distortion and super close autofocusing with a minimum 2.5cm focusing distance. In low light the camera's autofocus does hunt a little, but for getting extra close this mode is a legitimate option.

HDR

HDR takes pride place in the centre of the tool bar where you can choose to turn the effect on or off. The HDR effect is never over the top, so in general we've opted to leave it on.

Usually RAW format increases the amount of detail that can be recovered from highlights and shadows, but we feel the JPEG processing in the Vivo X51 5G already makes the most out of the sensor's capability.

HDR Off

HDR On

HDR Off

HDR On

Night

With the most versatile gimbal we've ever used in a smartphone, the Vivo X51 5G is well equipped for handheld night photography.

There's a dedicated night mode that can be used with a steady hand for sharp shots. When compared to the regular shooting mode, night mode adds a little brightness into shadow areas while lit areas appear similar. The end results are a pleasantly subtle HDR effect.

You've also got an Astro Mode in order to capture clear night skies. In this mode the phone advises you to use a tripod, though it is possible to get sharp shots handheld.

In the example astro photos the phone is propped up against a window with no tripod and the exposure time is 16 seconds. That gimbal really is something, as is this shooting mode.

A further alternative is to use the Pro mode where there is manual control over exposure, including shutter speed times up to 32 seconds, though you definitely need a tripod for that!

The 'Supermoon' mode opens up quick access to the digital zoom, where you can zoom in up to 60x with an on screen guide to line up the moon.

Overall, this is the most versatile smartphone for low light photography.

Night Mode Off

Night Mode On

Astro Mode

Panorama

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Vivo X51 5G camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Vivo X51 5G enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Vivo RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative)."

Sample Movies & Video

Product Images

Conclusion

The Vivo X51 5G is the most versatile snapper that we've tested, and it's only £749. From its four genuine lenses to plethora of shooting modes, many of which are supported by the excellent gimbal, there are few circumstances that the Vivo X51 5G cannot handle.

Portraits with decent bokeh effect, an optical zoom up to 5x (rare at this price), an astro mode that can get sharp handheld shots, a 48MP high-res mode, the super-wide angle optic - this is the most accommodating smartphone camera we can think of so far.

The gimbal employed in the main camera is the star of the show. You'll get sharp and clean long exposure handheld shots at night, when other similar smartphone cameras are, comparatively, a mess.

We've even used the astro mode handheld, achieving sharp shots with a shutter speed time of 16 seconds. The Vivo X51 5G is redefining low light photography for smartphones.

Video shooting is comprehensive too; 4k up to 60fps, slow motion and time-lapse modes, plus that Super-anti-shake mode that pimps the gimbal to give you the kind of stabilisation you won't find in another smartphone.

The more you dig in the camera app the more you find.

The phone unit itself ain't half bad either. We rate the slim and sleek grey metal shell and curved 6.56-inch AMOLED display (though it's a real shame there's no IP rating).

You don't get a top drawer processor, but Snapdragon 765G works a treat. Some cheaper phones also offer better outright image processing quality in good light and for portrait blur, but none can touch the Vivo X51's overall camera prowess.

If image making is one of your primary concerns with a smartphone, the Vivo X51 5G comes with our highest recommendation.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4.5
Features	4.5
Ease-of-use	5
Image quality	4.5
Value for money	4

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Vivo X51 5G.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Vivo X51 5G from around the web.

Specifications

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