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| The Vivo X500 Ultra will finally bring a long-awaited upgrade over its predecessor (Vivo X300 Ultra pictured) |
Vivo's Ultra phones have been stuck at the same telephoto sensor size since the X100 Ultra, but that may be about to change. According to a fresh leak from Digital Chat Station, the upcoming Vivo X500 Ultra is being tested with a 200 MP periscope telephoto camera built around a 1/1.12-inch sensor — the largest telephoto sensor Vivo has ever put in a phone.
The tip comes from a Weibo post by the well-known leaker (you can see the original post here), which describes the "latest engineering version" of a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 "super flagship" sporting a 200 MP 1/1.12-inch telephoto sensor. If that spec sounds familiar, it's because it's a meaningful jump over what Vivo has shipped for the past three generations.
Why this matters: three years at 1/1.4-inch
The X100 Ultra, X200 Ultra and X300 Ultra all rely on 1/1.4-inch 200 MP Samsung sensors for their 85 mm periscope telephoto cameras. The first two use the ISOCELL HP9, while the X300 Ultra moved to the newer ISOCELL HP0. Resolution stayed the same, and so did sensor size — which means low-light telephoto performance has largely plateaued.
A move to 1/1.12-inch changes that math considerably. At the same 200 MP resolution, the larger sensor offers roughly 56% more surface area, which should translate into noticeably better light gathering. In practice, that usually means cleaner night shots, faster shutter speeds and less reliance on aggressive noise reduction when shooting at longer focal lengths.
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| Digital Chat Station's Weibo post detailing the upcoming Vivo X500 Ultra's telephoto specs |
The rest of the spec sheet is shaping up too
In a separate post, Digital Chat Station also claimed the device will feature a flat 6.85-inch 2K 144 Hz LTPO display from BOE, along with an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. That's a notably flat panel for a flagship Ultra, which traditionally leans toward curved screens — so it will be interesting to see whether that detail survives to the retail model.
Vivo Vice President Huang Tao has previously said the next Ultra model will launch in March or April 2027, so there's still plenty of time for specifications to shift. Pricing, as always at this stage, hasn't been announced.
Early days, but the direction is clear
Leaks about engineering prototypes should always be taken with a grain of salt — Vivo is clearly testing multiple configurations, and not every test unit becomes a shipping product. Still, the fact that the company is reportedly evaluating a larger telephoto sensor at all suggests it recognizes that the 1/1.4-inch formula has run its course.
For photographers who care about reach and low-light versatility, the Vivo X500 Ultra is shaping up to be one of the more interesting flagship launches of 2027. We'll be keeping an eye on further leaks as the March/April window approaches.