Vivo’s new X500 smartphone offers flagship imaging, a massive 7,500mAh battery, and 8K live video capabilities, positioning itself as a compelling mid-range device in China.
vivo has unveiled the X500 in China, positioning it below the X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max while keeping several flagship features intact. The phone is built around Zeiss-branded imaging, a large battery and MediaTek’s newest high-end chipset, and it arrives in four finishes: Earth Echo, Sunny Day, Dawn and Night.
The handset is relatively substantial. vivo says it measures 8.15mm thick and weighs 211g in three of the colour options, rising to 213g in the Night version. Its display is a 6.59-inch flat OLED panel with 1.5K resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate, while the LTPS screen is rated for up to 4,000 nits peak brightness and 2,160Hz PWM dimming to reduce visible flicker at low brightness.
Inside, the X500 uses MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600M, a 3nm chip running at up to 4.21GHz, alongside a Mali-G1 Ultra MC12 GPU. vivo pairs that platform with its Blueprint Imaging Chip V3+, 12GB of LPDDR5X Ultra memory and UFS 4.1 storage in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB variants. The company also claims the phone is designed to stay smooth for up to 72 months, although real-world longevity will depend on usage and software support.
The camera system is led by a 50MP main sensor using a 1/1.28-inch Sony LYTIA-828 unit with Zeiss optics and gimbal-level stabilisation rated at CIPA 5.5. It is joined by a 50MP ultra-wide camera and a 64MP Sony LYTIA 610 telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, 72mm equivalent focal length, CIPA 5.5 stabilisation and a 15cm minimum focusing distance. vivo also sells optional zoom accessories, including the “Lipstick 200” teleconverter and a 200mm Zeiss Teleconverter G2 with 2.35x magnification.
Battery capacity is another major selling point: the X500 carries a 7,500mAh cell with Bypass Charging 2.0. vivo says the phone can record 4K video at 120fps for slow motion, supports native 4K cinematic Live with film-style colour profiles and is the first smartphone to offer native 8K Live, with sharing partnerships such as Weibo already in place. Other features include an ultrasonic 3D fingerprint reader, an IR blaster, IP68 and IP69 protection, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, dual SIM support and OriginOS 7, which adds a liquid-themed interface and coordinated visual effects for selected photos.
In China, pricing starts at CNY 5,499 for the 12GB/256GB model, rises to CNY 5,999 for 12GB/512GB, and reaches CNY 6,999 for 12GB/1TB. vivo has not yet confirmed availability outside China.
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