Xiaomi has canceled its Ultra, but vivo hasn’t! The Ultra 500 is rumored to get a Snapdragon and is expected to show up in spring 2027

Vivo introduced the X500 series in China only last month, but people are already talking about a model that’s set to complete the lineup. According to the well-known Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station, vivo X500 Ultra is coming and, unlike the X500 Pro Max, it won’t run on a MediaTek chip—it will use the most powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. The leak also shares details about the display, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and an approximate launch timeframe that lines up with when the predecessors arrived.

Notebookcheck notes that the X500 Ultra will be one of the few real “ultra” phones of this generation, because Xiaomi, according to it, canceled its 18 Ultra model a few months ago. These are still unofficial details, so take them with a pinch of salt, even though Digital Chat Station has been right about vivo more than once.

Vivo X500 Ultra with Snapdragon and a BOE display

As of now, the top model in the series is vivo X500 Pro Max, powered by MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro. The Ultra is expected to return to Qualcomm and get the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip with the SM8975 designation, which vivo hasn’t used in the X500 lineup so far. That should put its CPU and gaming GPU performance on par with competing Snapdragon-powered flagship devices.

The display is said to have a 6.85-inch diagonal, i.e., slightly more than the 6.82 inches on the X300 Ultra, and 2K+ resolution. The LTPO panel should support a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz. It’s expected to be flat, with symmetrical bezels and noticeably rounded corners, and—rumor has it—an under-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is hidden beneath it. Notebookcheck is puzzled that BOE would supply the panel, considering that the cheaper iQOO 16 from vivo received a new Samsung M16 panel last month.

Camera: Vivo is testing two 200 MP sensor modules

As for the camera itself, Digital Chat Station didn’t say anything this time, but the Gizmochina portal points to older testing reports. On prototypes, Vivo is trying a 200 MP periscope telephoto lens with different-sized sensors from 1/1.4 to 1/1.12 inches, but which one it will ultimately choose is still unclear.

For the main camera, vivo is reportedly considering two options: a 50 MP LOFIC sensor with a 1/1.28-inch size and a 35 mm focal length, or a 200 MP LOFIC sensor with a 1/1.12-inch size. What the X500 Ultra will look like is still unknown, so the photo above shows its predecessor, the X300 Ultra, which we had in hand in our review.

A battery around 7 000 mAh and a spring premiere 2027

When asked about the battery, the leaker in the comments said that 8,000 mAh would be a success, but so far the capacity starts at 7,000 mAh. That suggests the phone could have a battery around 7,000 mAh, i.e., less than the X500 Pro Max with 8,000 mAh. But it could still change before the launch. It’s expected to be introduced in March or April 2027, just like the X300 Ultra, which vivo showed in March this year.

While the X500 Pro and Pro Max are officially revealed here on October 27, the X500 Ultra might—according to Notebookcheck—remain exclusive to China. With the X300 Ultra, we finally did get a global version, so there’s also a chance for the successor. Still, we won’t know for sure until the spring premiere.

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