The vivo X500 Ultra isn’t expected any time soon, and it will likely arrive on the global stage in early 2027, but that doesn’t stop the rumor mill from spinning. The latest leak comes from the renowned Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station, and it’s all about the telephoto camera.
According to the report, vivo’s imaging team still hasn’t decided on the right 200MP sensor for the periscope telephoto camera. Engineers are split between three sensor sizes – 1/1.12″, 1/1.3″ and 1/1.4″. Of course, the larger sensor means better low-light performance and generally better image quality, but it also requires more internal space and a more complex design.
The 1/1.3-inch and 1/1.4-inch sensors, on the other hand, will strike a better balance between thickness, overall design and general imaging performance. For context, the current vivo X300 Ultra features a 1/1.4″ sensor for its 3.7x telephoto snapper, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra uses the 1/1.3-inch Samsung ISOCELL HP2 sensor.
This report aligns with earlier rumors about vivo dropping the idea of a dedicated 10x telephoto camera and introducing an in-sensor zoom tech, whatever that means. After all, pairing a large 200MP sensor with 10x optics sounds a bit excessive.
Nothing is final just yet. There’s still a long way to go until the vivo X500 Ultra comes around, so we might hear about more changes in the next few months before the hardware is finalized.
