Vivo has unveiled the Vivo X500 family in China, comprising the Vivo X500, X500 Pro, and X500 Pro Max. We’re only interested in the first two, as historically, those are the only models that have reached our shores. You might be wondering where the Vivo X400 is, because it doesn’t exist. China’s got a bad case of tetraphobia.
It seems it was easier to skip straight to the X500 Series. Not that we’re complaining. The X500 family seems like a worthy successor to one of our favourite phones ever, if a teeny-bit too expensive. We don’t doubt the X500 series will follow in its footsteps, especially now that it’s packing the flagship Dimensity 9600 Pro chipset.
Vivo X500
That’s only for the X500 Pro and up, however. That’s why it’s charging the big(ger) bucks. The 3nm Dimensity 9600M powers the spartan Vivo X500, which isn’t all that different from the Dimensity 9500 that came before it. Vivo’s paired up the recycled chipset with a healthy 12GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and up to 1TB of storage.
Nobody expected even Vivo’s vanilla beater to be a slouch in terms of raw power. We’re far more interested in the X500’s 6.59in AMOLED (2,750 x 1,260) that’ll cap out at 144Hz. Then there’s the 7,000mAh battery, bolstered by 90W wired charging and 40W wireless. Of course, Vivo’s punting the cameras as it always does here, hard.
Even the weakest of the line-up isn’t going to disappoint in that department. And it doesn’t, at least according to the specs on paper. It’s got a trio of cameras in the back, led by the Sony-made 50MP (f/1.68) shooter. It sits alongside the 64MP, also Sony-made, telephoto lens. A 50MP ultrawide rounds out the offering. On the front, you’ll find a 50MP selfie camera. If it’s anything like the X300 Pro, it’ll do well.
X500 Pro
If you absolutely must have the Dimensity 9600 Pro, you’ll want the Vivo X500 Pro. It’ll bring 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage along. The display is smaller than its X300 Pro counterpart, now featuring a 6.36in LTPO AMOLED and a 144Hz refresh rate. It’s bright, too, maxing out at 4,500 nits.
The X500 Pro’s battery hasn’t seen any upgrade, which is slightly disappointing. The 6,150mAh cell should be more than capable, but we’d have liked to see some improvement. The cameras, again, are the star of the show. A 24mm 50MP main camera with Sony’s LYTIA L910 sensor is the primary shooter. A 64MP telephoto and 50MP ultrawide sensor are present. The front is home to a 50MP JN1 selfie cam.
An official South African launch is yet to be confirmed, and likely won’t be for a couple of months, judging by the X300’s launch schedule. When it does arrive, however, we don’t expect ’em to be cheap. The Vivo X500 starts at CNY 5,500, converting to a little under R13,400. Expect that number to balloon massively by the time it reaches South Africa. The Vivo X300, for instance, still demands a price of R30,000 all these months later.
The Vivo X500 Pro starts at CNY 6,500, a price we’d love to pay when converted to SA’s R15,800. It’ll likely start somewhere closer to the R40,000 mark, if past releases are any indication.
