Vivo X500 Series Confirmed for September Launch With Major Camera and Video Upgrades

Vivo has announced the official release date of the X500 series phone in China during September. X500 Pro phones will feature a brand new 50MP ZEISS Super Dynamic camera capable of capturing up to 17 stops of dynamic range, 4K 240 fps slow-motion videos, and optical stabilization.

---

Official confirmation from Vivo indicates that its upcoming flagship smartphone series will go on sale in China next month in September. In particular, Vivo X500 series is expected to have three phones - namely, Vivo X500, Vivo X500 Pro and Vivo X500 Pro Max. It is clear that with the upcoming generation, Vivo is giving considerable importance to cameras in terms of its dynamic range and stability.

This news comes at a time when the competition in the premium segment is heating up. This is because flagship brands are finding it difficult to make a difference merely by offering faster processors or hardware components; meanwhile, increasing cost of memory parts is also making things difficult for the smartphones industry. At this time, Vivo appears to be banking on imaging capabilities.

Vivo X500 Pro Series Gets a New ZEISS Super Dynamic Camera

The most significant upgrade announced so far would be the one for the main camera in the Vivo X500 Pro line. The company promises that its smartphones will come with a new ZEISS Super Dynamic camera engineered by its own BluePrint imaging team in cooperation with Sony.

The core of the new system would be a 50MP BluePrint Guangyu 900 sensor of a 1/1.28-inch format. According to the developers, this sensor would be able to shoot up to 17 stops of dynamic range. As far as the definition goes, dynamic range shows how much detail a camera would be able to capture from the brightest to the darkest parts of a particular photo.

In this way, the higher dynamic range would work well while shooting such complicated subjects as people against the bright background or landscapes with both sunny and shadowy spots. It would be able to capture more details rather than leave everything bright or dark.

Nevertheless, the 17-megapixel number is a statement by Vivo, and its actual significance can only be determined when independent testing is done. Many things influence the quality of the camera except the sensor itself such as the imaging processing, exposure, lens quality, and computational photography.

Vivo X500 Pro Focuses Heavily on Video Recording

Vivo is also making the phone capable of capturing 4K video at 240 fps, allowing for slow-motion videos. Moreover, Vivo has included support for 4K 120fps HDR video with direct HDR output.

Vivo is taking an interesting step forward with its camera features because, normally, flagship smartphone camera improvements focus greatly on still photography and megapixels. With the X500 Pro range of smartphones, the company seems to be focusing more on how well the camera captures videos.

Moreover, the camera will have 3-degrees of optical image stabilisation and will also be supported by CIPA 7.0 professional stabilisation. As per the Vivo X500 Pro, the company has made mention of 3-degree OIS for the Pro Max version, and hence, it is possible that stabilisation will be one of the features that distinguish the high-end version from the other models.

The ability of Vivo to deliver good results in terms of stabilisation may allow users to record better handheld videos, especially while moving around or recording people in action.

Vivo X500 Series Could Get a 200MP Periscope Camera

However, while some features of the main camera have been confirmed by Vivo, others remain unconfirmed. According to the tipster Digital Chat Station, the X500 series has the internal codename "Thanos 500" and may include a 200MP HP0 periscope telephoto camera, previously seen in Vivo X300 Ultra.

This information should be treated as a leak right now since the company has not confirmed yet that it is the telephoto sensor it plans to use. In case of the introduction of the large-format 200MP periscope camera in the X500 Pro phones, Vivo will gain considerable advantages in the field of long-distance photography.

Using the periscope camera with the high resolution and a new main sensor focused on dynamic range will provide Vivo with the great imaging system for various focal lengths and help it compete with the camera-focused flagships from Samsung and Xiaomi.

Nevertheless, the imaging capabilities of the phones will not depend only on the sensors they will use. Colour consistency, processing quality, autofocus, exposure transition, and other aspects will also play an important role.

Vivo X500 vs X300 Series Camera Upgrades

It looks like the Vivo X500 series is trying to take a slightly different path in terms of camera improvements compared to the previous generation. For instance, the Vivo X300 Pro had a 50MP main camera and a 200MP telephoto sensor while the Vivo X300 Ultra had a 200MP main camera and a 200MP telephoto camera.

Therefore, the new main camera of the Vivo X500 Pro does not seem to be a megapixel race at all. Instead, the focus seems to be placed on dynamic range, stabilisation and high-framerate video capabilities.

That might make the entire X500 generation very interesting for those who actually use their camera to shoot videos rather than just take pictures. A camera that can retain highlights better, have more stable stabilisation and shoot good slow-motion footage might represent a bigger improvement than megapixel improvements alone.

Of course, this all will depend on the actual performance of these cameras since a claim about a dynamic range or a recording speed means nothing on its own.

Vivo X500 Series Launch Date and What to Expect

It has been confirmed by Vivo that the X500 series will debut in China in September; however, the company has not provided all the details yet. It is expected that the series will include Vivo X500, X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max.

At present, Vivo has highlighted the camera abilities of Pro models. The inclusion of the new ZEISS Super Dynamic main camera, 17-stop dynamic range promise, 4K 240fps videos recording, 4K 120fps HDR video and advanced stabilization can help make the X500 Pro series very interesting for mobile photographers and videographers.

There are also some details that should be announced, such as the exact specifications of chipsets, battery size and capabilities, displays, pricing and availability outside China. Moreover, the information about the alleged 200MP periscope camera remains uncertain.

In summary, it seems like the Vivo X500 series should attract the attention of everyone who is interested in smartphone cameras and video capabilities. Vivo promises a lot on the paper; however, camera tests are needed in order to find out if the new equipment gives any benefits compared to other flagships. The price of new devices will also matter in case the prices of components increase.