Vivo's New Phone Takes Clearer Photos in Bright Light
Vivo launched its new X500 phones in China on September 21. The top model is called the X500 Pro Max, built around new camera and chip hardware from Sony and MediaTek.
For now the phones are only on sale in China. Vivo plans a global release but has not shared a date.
The Pro Max is the first phone to use Sony's Lytia L910 camera sensor and MediaTek's Dimensity 9600 Pro chip, according to launch coverage. The Verge That means two brand-new parts are shipping together in one phone.
The L910 takes 50-megapixel photos and measures 1/1.28-inch type, a standard way to describe sensor size. It is Sony's first phone sensor to use LOFIC, a design that holds more light to protect bright areas. Think of dynamic range as the ability to show a dark doorway and bright sky in the same shot. Vivo claims true 17 EV ultra-high dynamic range, EV being the scale for that span. The claim is about normal still photos, with no heavy editing, which fits Vivo's push for movie-like images straight from the camera.
The other cameras are unchanged. The Pro Max keeps the 200-megapixel 3.7x zoom camera from the X300 Ultra. It also works with the 400mm add-on zoom lens made for that earlier phone.
The X500 Pro and Pro Max are the first phones with the Dimensity 9600 Pro. It is built on a 2nm process, meaning very small parts that can run fast while using less power. The basic X500 uses a different chip, the Dimensity 9600M. Vivo describes the Pro chip as a photo and video engine as much as a general processor.
Video shows the chip difference. The Pro chip allows 4K slow-motion video at 240 frames per second. The series also offers 10-bit Log video, which keeps extra color and brightness for later editing, plus new movie-style looks. Earlier reporting pointed to more Pro Max modes, including 4K Dolby Vision portrait video and 4K 120 fps Log video. NotebookCheck The same early reporting described autofocus tracking at 60 frames per second, helped by a faster NPU, the AI part of the chip.
Screens and batteries differ by model. The Pro has a 6.36-inch screen and the Pro Max has a 6.85-inch screen, with the basic X500 in between. All three use OLED screens and run OriginOS 7. All three use silicon-carbon batteries, which pack more power in the same space, from 6,510mAh to 8,000mAh. Pre-launch specs listed 90W fast charging for the Pro Max. Android Headlines
Vivo listed X500 products for sale in its official mall before the announcement. The current launch covers China, with no date outside China.
The broader context here is a shift in what makes a phone camera better. For years, upgrades meant a bigger sensor or more pixels. LOFIC focuses instead on how much light each pixel can hold and how well bright spots are kept. If the 17 EV claim holds in independent tests, with stable noise and color, phones will handle harsh light with more room than recent models. Engineers will watch how fast it reads, how much power it uses, and how much range carries into video.
In my view, the new 2nm MediaTek chip matters just as much. Fast 4K, steady Log recording, and constant focus tracking strain memory, image processing, and AI speed at once. Vivo is asking one new chip and one new sensor to prove themselves together. It is a hard path, but it is how useful new capability gets built. I have watched my own children ignore spec sheets and judge a phone by whether video looks right at once. What is worth flagging is that LOFIC and built-in movie looks aim at that habit, more usable quality at capture and less fixing later.
