vivo has officially announced a significant upgrade for its upcoming X500 Pro smartphone, which will feature a brand-new 85mm Zeiss 64-megapixel APO super telephoto lens. This announcement comes from Han Boxiao, a product manager at vivo Communications Technology Co., Ltd., who stated that this new lens will rival the performance of some 200-megapixel solutions with 4x optical zoom.
Customized Sensor for Uncompromised Quality
The new telephoto lens utilizes a “Blueprint × Sony LYTIA610” sensor, which Han described as almost tailor-made for vivo. This innovative sensor employs a unique GG1×1 RB2×2 design. The goal of this complex structure is to overcome the long-standing challenge in smartphone photography where achieving both excellent autofocus and high resolution in a single sensor often involved a trade-off. vivo aims to deliver both with this new technology.
Han explained the rationale behind the custom design: “Half of the G pixels use a 1×1 structure, while the other half of the R and B pixels use a 2×2 structure. The signal processing logic is extremely complex. To reach its theoretical maximum, which is to achieve the full resolution of a 1×1 structure and the autofocus performance of a 2×2 structure simultaneously, requires extremely deep and powerful telephoto pixel reconstruction algorithms. vivo has the accumulation and confidence to take on this challenge.”
Inheriting and Advancing Telephoto Lens Excellence
Beyond the sensor innovation, vivo is also upgrading its renowned telephoto lens design, a factor credited for the superior performance of previous models like the X100 Pro. Han highlighted that the company consistently prioritizes meticulous lens design, ensuring each element meets the highest pixel accuracy requirements.
He further elaborated, “This time, we have not only replicated the standards of the first-generation APO telephoto lens of the X100 Pro, but we have also eliminated previous compromises. The technology from the X100 Pro, while pushing the limits of resolution, was too large and had to be cropped to a 100mm, 50MP solution. Now, with the 85mm full 64MP, it corresponds exactly to the 100mm 50MP of the X100 Pro. Strength is never instantaneous; it always comes from the inheritance of past efforts.”
Four Key Capability Upgrades
These two “only vivo can do” advancements are expected to bring four major improvements to the X500 Pro’s camera system:
- Enhanced Stabilization: Professional-grade CIPA 7.0 stabilization, similar to the “Thanos” telephoto lens found in Pro Max models.
- Improved Autofocus: Faster focusing and more stable telephoto video tracking.
- Advanced Telephoto Video: Support for 4K 120fps slow-motion and 4K 60fps HDR video direct output.
- Superior Remote Resolution: The 85mm GG1×1 RB2×2 64MP sensor provides more flexibility for secondary cropping, enabling higher effective zoom resolutions.
Broader X500 Series Launch
As previously reported, the vivo X500 series is slated for a September launch and will include three models: the X500, X500 Pro, and X500 Pro Max.
Additionally, leaker @Digital Chat Station has revealed that the main camera of the vivo X500 series will be a collaboratively defined “Blueprint Light Shield 900” from Sony. This 50-megapixel, 1/1.28-inch sensor is described as “movie-level” with new ultra-high dynamic technology, achieving an industry-leading dynamic range of 17EV. It will also feature 3° gimbal-level OIS and CIPA 7.0 professional stabilization.
