vivo has launched the X500 series as three phones, but the flagship camera model is not among them. The company has now given the X500 Ultra a release window of March or April 2027 for China, and leaks describe a device that differs from the rest of the line in three key areas: a Qualcomm chip instead of MediaTek, a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera, and a considerably higher price. Two other rumored models, the X500e and X500 FE, have not been mentioned by vivo at all; the Ultra is the only “missing” model the company has spoken about itself.
Expected design of the vivo X500 Ultra in green
What you need to know
- vivo product vice president Huang Tao said the X500 Ultra is planned for release by March or April 2027; this is the only official date, and it applies to China only.
- Leaker Digital Chat Station reported in July that vivo was testing three 200MP periscope telephoto options with 1/1.12-inch, 1/1.3-inch and 1/1.4-inch sensors.
- The Ultra is rumored to use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, while the X500, X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max run MediaTek Dimensity 9600-series chips. vivo has not confirmed the processor.
- No official pricing exists; the X500 Pro Max starts at 6,999 yuan, and the source author estimates the Ultra at roughly 8,000–9,000 yuan.
Why the Ultra is on its own schedule
vivo has not explained why the top model was held back from the X500 launch. Based on the leaks, however, the X500 Ultra looks like a separate product rather than a bigger-camera X500 Pro Max: a different processor, a different camera set and a different price. Presenting it alongside the base models could also have overshadowed the newly launched X500 Pro and Pro Max, which vivo needs to sell now.
There is a practical reason as well. According to leaker Digital Chat Station, as reported by Gizmochina, vivo was still testing several camera options for the Ultra over the summer, and the final choice does not appear to have been made. Without a finished configuration, there is nothing to show.
Three 200MP periscope telephoto candidates
The cameras are the main point of interest. Like the X300 Ultra before it, the X500 Ultra is expected to be vivo’s most photography-focused phone. In July, Digital Chat Station said the company was evaluating three different 200-megapixel periscope telephoto modules with sensor sizes of 1/1.12, 1/1.3 and 1/1.4 inches.
The vivo X500 Ultra’s camera module
The difference between these options is not resolution but sensor size: a larger sensor gathers more light and performs better in the dark. The 1/1.12-inch option is the most aggressive — sensors of that size are normally used for a main camera, not a zoom lens. The other two are seen as compromises between image quality, body thickness and cost. Which one reaches production is still unknown.
Two main-camera options
The main camera is also reportedly down to two candidates. The first is a 50MP, 1/1.28-inch sensor with LOFIC technology, optical stabilization and a micro-gimbal that compensates for shake over a wider range. The second is a 200MP, 1/1.12-inch sensor, also with LOFIC. In both cases the lens is described as a 35mm equivalent — a slightly narrower field of view than the typical smartphone wide-angle camera.
Snapdragon instead of Dimensity
The standard X500, X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max run MediaTek Dimensity 9600-series chips. The Ultra is rumored to switch to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. For buyers that could mean higher performance and possibly different behavior in games and photo processing, since Qualcomm uses its own algorithms and camera pipeline.
The processor expected in the vivo X500 Ultra
This is another sign that the Ultra is a distinct device rather than an X500 Pro Max with a bigger camera. Still, the processor information is rumor only; vivo has not officially confirmed it.
Release window: March or April 2027, China first
After the X500 series launch, vivo’s vice president of products Huang Tao said the X500 Ultra is planned for release by March or April of next year. This is the only official date for any of the unreleased models in the series, and it refers to China only.
There is no clarity on an international release. The source publication notes that in its own market, new vivo models usually appear several weeks after the Chinese launch, so buyers outside China should not expect the phone before late spring 2027 at the earliest.
Price: above the X500 Pro Max
There is no official pricing for the Ultra, but the rest of the series provides a reference point. The vivo X500 starts at 5,499 yuan, the X500 Pro at 6,499 yuan, and the X500 Pro Max at 6,999 yuan. If the Ultra ships with a Snapdragon chip, the largest of the telephoto sensors under test and a gimbal-stabilized main camera, the source author estimates a starting price of around 8,000–9,000 yuan. That is an estimate, not a leak, but the author argues such a device will not be priced below the Pro Max.
A vivo X300 Ultra listing on AliExpress
Wait for the X500 Ultra or buy the X300 Ultra?
Given roughly half a year of waiting, an uncertain global release and a likely price premium, the source author suggests considering the current X300 Ultra. It is the same class of device — a vivo camera flagship built around photography — and the X500 Ultra is expected to build on the same concept. Judging by the leaks, the next generation refines that formula rather than reinventing it, and differences between successive models of this type tend to show up more in benchmarks than in everyday photos.
The X300 Ultra is already on sale, and the author argues that for buyers who simply want a top-tier camera phone, waiting for a moderate generational gain is not essential. In the author’s view, waiting for the X500 Ultra makes sense mainly if a current-generation Snapdragon chip matters to you, or if you specifically want the large-sensor 200MP periscope — assuming that option is the one vivo ultimately ships.
