Vivo has quietly expanded its Y-series in China with the Y500s, a budget phone that leans hard on battery life, a 120Hz display, and a 50MP main camera rather than flashy extras. It lands soon after the Vivo Y300 and uses the same Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip, so the real pitch here is less about raw speed and more about stretching the formula a little further without blowing up the price.
That strategy is pretty familiar in the sub-$300 bracket: Xiaomi, Samsung, and Realme have all spent the last few cycles fighting over battery size and display smoothness because those are the numbers buyers can actually feel. Vivo is playing the same game, and the Y500s is built to look generous on paper where it counts.
Vivo Y500s specs and configurations
Under the hood, the phone uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, a 4nm processor paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. Vivo is selling three versions: 8GB + 256GB, 12GB + 256GB, and 8GB + 512GB.
- Chipset: Snapdragon 4 Gen 2
- RAM: up to 12GB
- Storage: up to 512GB
- Display: 6.75-inch LCD, 1570 x 720, 120Hz
- Rear camera: 50MP primary camera
- Front camera: 8MP, f/2.1
- Battery: 7,200mAh with 44W wired charging
A big battery and a low-resolution panel
The 6.75-inch LCD panel comes with a 1570 x 720 resolution, which keeps the Y500s firmly in budget territory. The 120Hz refresh rate is the more interesting part, because it should make everyday scrolling feel quicker than the usual 60Hz fare even if the screen itself is not especially sharp.
Vivo has also given the phone a 7,200mAh battery with 44W wired charging, which is the kind of spec that will matter far more to buyers than a slightly fancier camera island. In this segment, endurance sells; everything else is mostly decoration with a camera app.
Vivo Y500s price in China
The Y500s starts at CNY 1,800, around $265, for the 8GB + 256GB model. The 12GB + 256GB and 8GB + 512GB versions are both priced at CNY 2,200, around $320, and the phone is already listed for purchase in China through Vivo’s online store in black, gold, and silver.
What Vivo has not said is just as telling: there is no detailed information on the 50MP sensor, which keeps the camera story vague for now. If the company wants the Y500s to stand out beyond the battery spec sheet, that missing detail will matter once rivals start matching the same formula at the same price.