Vivo tests 3 huge 200MP zoom cameras for X500 Ultra

Vivo still appears undecided on the camera setup for its future X500 Ultra. According to leaker Digital Chat Station, the company is testing three different 200-megapixel periscope modules before settling on the final design. For a flagship built around mobile photography, that choice may matter more than another round of spec-sheet performance gains.

Vivo is reportedly comparing sensors sized 1/1.12-inch, 1/1.3-inch, and 1/1.4-inch. The source describes the largest option as the boldest choice for telephoto shooting, while the other two look like safer compromises between image quality, phone thickness, and the practical limits of fitting the hardware inside a smartphone.

The tradeoff is straightforward: a larger sensor can gather more light at long focal lengths, where phones usually struggle. But that also means a bigger camera module and less internal space. Large periscope systems do not pair easily with thin phone designs.

The leak also lines up with June rumors that Vivo had dropped a separate 10x periscope for the X500 Ultra. At the time, Digital Chat Station said the company had shelved a prototype with a 10x camera and returned to a setup built around one 200MP periscope and in-sensor zoom. If that is accurate, the current decision is no longer about how many telephoto cameras to include, but how large that single module should be.

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Vivo has already taken this approach in earlier camera-focused phones, including the X100 Ultra and X200 Pro, both of which emphasized a large 200MP periscope. Rivals are following a similar path: Xiaomi is pushing a 200MP telephoto module in its Ultra lineup, while Samsung has spent years making megapixel counts relevant again as a zoom selling point.

There is still plenty of time before launch. If Vivo keeps its usual schedule, the X500 Ultra is not expected before the first half of 2027, with a debut in China ahead of a global release. By then, it should be clearer whether Vivo will go with the massive 1/1.12-inch telephoto sensor or choose the more conservative 1/1.3-inch or 1/1.4-inch options instead.