Vivo may have one more flagship waiting in the wings. Just a day after launching the X500, X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max in China, the company has reportedly confirmed that a Vivo X500 Ultra is still in development and could launch in March or April 2027.
According to Weibo tipsters Smart Pikachu and Digital Chat Station, a Vivo executive indicated that the X500 Ultra will arrive in that window. A screenshot shared by Smart Pikachu appears to show the executive confirming the launch timing, although Vivo hasn’t independently confirmed the claims. Android Authority also contacted Vivo for confirmation but had not received a response.
The report is significant because the Vivo X500 Pro Max was assumed to have filled the role previously occupied by Vivo’s top-of-the-line Ultra models. The latest information suggests Vivo is instead keeping the Ultra as a separate tier.
Vivo X500 Ultra launch confirmed
This is the first time in a few months that we’re hearing of the Vivo X500 Ultra, and also the first instance we heard of a ‘Pro Max’ in the flagship X series. The newly launched Vivo X500 Pro Max is already a serious camera flagship. It has a 50MP Sony LYTIA L910 main camera with a 1/1.28-inch sensor, 3-degree OIS and up to 17EV dynamic range, paired with a 200MP 1/1.4-inch periscope telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom and CIPA 7.0 stabilisation. It also supports a 400mm Zeiss telephoto extender. The phone runs on the Dimensity 9600 Pro and packs an 8,000mAh battery. That leaves the X500 Ultra with a fairly high bar to clear. Vivo could use the Ultra to focus more on imaging hardware, besides simply adding a faster chipset or larger battery.
What could make the Vivo X500 Ultra different?
The previous Vivo X300 Ultra (review) already shows how Vivo has separated the Ultra from its other flagships. It has a 200MP 1-inch-type Sony LYTIA 901 main camera, 200MP telephoto, 50MP ultrawide and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with Vivo’s VS1+ imaging chip. In India, the 16GB + 512GB model is priced at Rs 1,59,999, opening a new segment for Vivo.
Vivo could push that formula further with the X500 Ultra. An earlier leak in July suggested the company was testing 200MP periscope sensors in 1/1.12-inch, 1/1.3-inch and 1/1.4-inch sizes, while a 35 mm main-camera setup has also been under consideration. Vivo’s recent Ultra phones have also supported dedicated camera accessories. The X200 Ultra offered a 200mm add-on lens, while the X300 Ultra introduced a 400mm telephoto extender. A similarly ambitious accessory could help distinguish the X500 Ultra from the Pro Max, particularly for long-range photography, though the X500 Pro and Pro Max also have their dedicated photography accessories this year.
For buyers considering the X500 Pro Max, the possible Ultra is mainly relevant if photography is the priority and there is no urgency to upgrade. The Pro Max already brings a large 200MP telephoto and 400mm accessory support, while the Ultra is still months away and its camera hardware remains unconfirmed. If Vivo follows the X300 Ultra playbook, the X500 Ultra could instead be positioned as a more specialised photography flagship, with bigger sensors, more advanced imaging hardware and dedicated camera accessories justifying its place above the Pro Max.
