Vivo’s X500 Pro Max has 17 stops of dynamic range and 4K240 slo-mo

The X500, X500 Pro, and X500 Pro Max launch this month in China, with a global release on the way later.

The X500, X500 Pro, and X500 Pro Max launch this month in China, with a global release on the way later.

Vivo’s new X500 flagship phones have arrived in China, and as usual the company’s focus is firmly on photography. The X500 Pro Max — a new tier in its lineup — is the first phone to use new sensors and silicon from Sony and MediaTek that enable impressive dynamic range and slow-motion video recording.

The X500 Pro Max uses Sony’s new Lytia L910 image sensor , its first to use LOFIC, a sensor technology that enables expanded dynamic range. The 50-megapixel, 1/1.28-inch-type sensor delivers what Vivo calls “true 17 EV ultra-high dynamic range,” more than the 16.5 stops claimed by the Xiaomi 17 Ultra . The excellent 200-megapixel, 3.7x telephoto from the X300 Ultra returns here too, along with support for that phone’s 400mm teleconverter lens .

The X500 Pro and Pro Max are also the first phones run on MediaTek’s new Dimensity 9600 Pro , with the 9600M found in the base X500. The 2nm Pro chip brings with it the usual performance bumps, but also the ability to record 4K 240fps slow-motion video. 10bit Log recording and new cinematic video styles are included too.

Display sizes range from the compact 6.36-inch Pro to the 6.85-inch Pro Max, with the base X500 in-between. All three phones feature OLED displays, silicon-carbon batteries between 6,510mAh and 8,000mAh in size, and run on Vivo’s OriginOS 7 software. Today’s launch is China-only, but a global launch is coming, though we don’t yet know when.