The Vivo X500e is shaping up to be the odd one out in the next X500 family. A new Vivo X500e leak says the phone will get a Snapdragon 8-series chip, a 6.59-inch display, and a square, top-left camera module tuned by ZEISS, while the rest of the series is expected to lean on Dimensity 9600-series silicon and a rounder camera design.
That split matters because it suggests Vivo is carving the X500 lineup into two camps: performance-first models for one chipset partner, and a more compact, slightly more premium-feeling variant for Qualcomm fans. It is also the kind of product planning that keeps launch windows messy, since mixed-chip families rarely arrive as a neat bundle.
What the Vivo X500e leak says
According to the tip, the X500e is being prepared as a compact phone rather than a giant slab, with a 6.59-inch screen and a Snapdragon 8-series processor. The camera setup is still partly hidden, but the leak points to an IMX8-series periscope telephoto camera with a large sensor, which is the sort of detail that usually means Vivo wants zoom performance to be taken seriously.
- Display: 6.59-inch
- Chipset: Snapdragon 8-series
- Camera design: top-left square module
- Camera branding: ZEISS-tuned
- Telephoto: IMX8-series periscope with a large sensor
A different design from the rest of the X500 line
The more interesting twist is visual. The other X500 models are expected to use a round camera module, so the X500e could look like it wandered in from a different product family. That is not unusual for Vivo, which has often used design cues to separate mainstream models from the more niche ones, but it does make the naming a little confusing, as if the marketing team ran out of alphabet after breakfast.
There is also no confirmed launch window for the X500e. The broader X500 lineup is expected to break cover in September, but the Snapdragon 8-series rumor makes it less likely that the X500e will arrive alongside the Dimensity 9600 models. A separate possibility is a shared debut with the rumored Vivo X500 Ultra, which is said to use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip and could appear in the first half of 2027.
The Vivo X500e FE question
There is another layer of uncertainty around global branding. Vivo previously turned the China-only S50 Pro Mini into the X300 FE for international markets, so a similar move for the X500e would not be shocking. But because the S60 Pro Mini appears to have been skipped, the X500e may end up serving both China and global markets, which could leave the rumored X500 FE out of the picture entirely.
For now, that is still guesswork. The safer bet is that Vivo wants flexibility: one compact Snapdragon model for buyers who want something less ordinary, and a larger Dimensity-led lineup for everyone else. The only question is whether Vivo can explain all of this cleanly before the rumors start doing its branding for it.