Vivo X500 Series Launch Confirmed to Take Place in September: Key Camera Specifications Teased

Vivo has officially confirmed that the X500 series will launch in China in September, with three smartphones expected to make up the lineup: the Vivo X500, X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max. The company is moving directly from the X300 generation to the X500 series, effectively skipping the X400 branding.

The decision is linked to tetraphobia, a cultural aversion to the number four in parts of East Asia, including China, where its pronunciation is associated with death.

Beyond the naming change, Vivo is placing a strong emphasis on camera and video capabilities with its upcoming flagship smartphones.

Vivo X500 Series Camera Features Revealed

Vivo Product Manager Han Boxiao has revealed that the X500 series is being developed with a focus on imaging, particularly video recording. The Pro models will feature a Zeiss Super Dynamic main camera, developed through collaboration between Vivo's BluePrint imaging team and Sony.

The main camera will use the new BluePrint Guangyu 900 sensor, a 50-megapixel 1/1.28-inch sensor designed to deliver a wider dynamic range.

Vivo claims the sensor can achieve up to 17EV of dynamic range, which it describes as the highest in the industry. The wider dynamic range is also designed to benefit video recording by preserving more detail in bright highlights and dark areas, particularly in backlit conditions.

Vivo X500 Pro Series Tipped to Support 4K 240fps Video

The X500 Pro series will reportedly support 4K video recording at 240fps for slow-motion footage. It will also support 4K 120fps HDR video with direct HDR output.

For stabilisation, the main camera supports 3-degree optical image stabilisation (OIS). Vivo is also highlighting CIPA 7.0 professional stabilisation, with the aim of producing smoother handheld footage without requiring a dedicated gimbal.

The 3-degree OIS capability is expected to be particularly important on the Vivo X500 Pro Max.

Vivo X500 Series Could Get 200MP Periscope Camera

Tipster Digital Chat Station has also shared additional information about the camera hardware. According to the leak, the X500 series has the internal codename "Thanos 500" and will continue to focus on both photography and video.

The lineup is also expected to inherit the 200-megapixel "Thanos" telephoto camera from the Vivo X300 Ultra. The camera reportedly uses a custom large-format 200-megapixel HP0 sensor paired with a periscope lens.

The combination of a high-dynamic-range main camera, advanced stabilisation and a high-resolution periscope telephoto sensor suggests that Vivo is targeting both still photography and video performance with the X500 series.

Vivo has confirmed the September China launch, but the exact launch date and global availability of the X500 lineup have yet to be announced.