Vivo X500 Pro and Pro Max will arrive in Europe on 27. October; the base X500 won’t

Vivo unveiled the new X500 series in China on 21. September, and just a day later the first official information for Europe appeared. The brand’s Austrian representative confirmed the date of the European premiere and which of the three models will actually reach our continent. For one of them, it’s bad news.

Premiere on 27. October, sale from 5. November

Countdown is already running on the European event page until October 27, 16:00 CET. Pre-orders will go live then as well. According to GSMArena, the phones will hit retail a week later, on November 5.

Anyone who signs up on the page before the debut will get a voucher worth up to €120, which will be deducted from the price once sales start. After November 5, the voucher value drops to €80; it’s valid until the end of November, or until supplies run out.

The base X500 won’t come to Europe

More important than the date is the information about what will reach Europe in the first place. vivo will bring only X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max to Europe. The most affordable model in the lineup, the regular X500, is missing from the European event page. The editorial office of Notebookcheck, which reported it first, points out that if you want it, you’ll have to import it from China.

Nothing surprising here—vivo has been doing it this way for a long time, and the base models of the X series have never been officially sold here. If you’re interested in this one, check out our separate article about the Chinese version.

What’s actually coming to Europe

Both Pro models are the first phones in the world with a dual-nanometer chip, the MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro. The smaller X500 Pro comes with a 6.36-inch LTPO BOE Q11 panel with 144 Hz, a 6,510 mAh battery, and Zeiss-tuned cameras: a 50 MP main sensor, a 64 MP telephoto lens with an 85 mm equivalent focal length, and a 50 MP ultra-wide.

The larger X500 Pro Max is built around a 6.85-inch 2K Zeiss Master Color display and a periscope telephoto lens with a 200 MP resolution. It uses a 1/1.4″ sensor and supports CIPA 7.0 stabilization, starting at portrait-friendly 85 mm. The battery is 8,000 mAh; charging supports 90 W via cable and 40 W wirelessly. Both models also support the optional Zeiss G2 Ultra teleconverter, which extends the focal length to a 400 mm equivalent.

Pro Max also shoots 8K at 30 frames per second, and both Pro models handle 4K slow-motion at 240 frames. In China, the X500 Pro is sold starting from 6 499 yuan and the Pro Max from 6 999 yuan, which is roughly from 790, or 850 €. Vivo hasn’t revealed European prices yet. However, from previous generations we know they’re noticeably higher than the Chinese prices.

The X Fold 6 foldable will go on sale sooner

Alongside the X500 phones, Vivo also confirmed the European launch date for the foldable X Fold 6. It will be available in the official online store starting October 1, almost a month before the X-series flagship. Buyers will get an extended warranty and the Watch GT 2 smartwatch for free.

Besides phones, vivo is also preparing several accessories for the global market: Buds Clip, Buds Ultra, and Headphone Studio headphones. They were introduced in China together with the X500 series.

For Slovak buyers, this is an interesting situation. vivo operates officially in our country, and its phones can be bought in regular stores with proper warranty. And it’s exactly the most affordable model in the lineup—one that would appeal to most people based on price and specs—that will be missing from the offer. If you don’t want to pay a premium price for it, the only option left is importing from China, with everything that comes with it: no local warranty and the risk of missing European bands.

Follow the China Planet website, subscribe to our monthly newsletter, and be sure to check out our Facebook page, the China Planet group, and join our Telegram, where we add the best offers and coupons from China every single day.