Vivo X500 Pro Max

At Rs. 289,999, the Vivo X500 Pro Max is clearly cheaper than the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max (Rs. 359,999) and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (Rs. 387,495).

Main advantages:

• The same Dimensity 9600 Pro chip as the Oppo.
• An 8000 mAh battery with 90W wired and 40W wireless charging.
• A 200 MP 3.5x telephoto for detailed zoom shots.
• A sharp 1440 x 3168 display and IP68 plus IP69 water and dust protection.

Main disadvantages: camera dynamic range still needs tuning, there is no anti-reflective coating, and the phone is larger and heavier than before. Our database lists up to 5 major OS updates, against up to 7 on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Verdict: the best value of this group for buyers who want flagship performance, battery life and zoom. Buyers who shoot a lot of ultrawide photos or want the longest support should compare the Oppo and Samsung first.

Official specs: a 6.85 inches LTPO AMOLED panel with 1440 x 3168 resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, and up to 4400 nits peak brightness.

Real-world use: this is a new BOE Q11 panel, bigger and slightly sharper than the X300 Pro's, with noticeably different colour tuning. Vivo lowered peak brightness slightly, from 4500 nits on the previous model, but the screen remains very bright and outdoor visibility is not a problem.

The 144Hz refresh rate keeps scrolling and gaming smooth, and the ultrasonic fingerprint reader now covers a 44% larger area according to Vivo, so it unlocks even when your thumb lands slightly off target.

Limitation: unlike the Galaxy S26 Ultra, there is no anti-reflective coating, so reflections are more visible under bright lights.

The phone runs the MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro, built on a 2 nm process with a new architecture, paired with 12GB or 16GB of RAM.

Real-world use: benchmark scores are clearly higher than the X300 Pro's Dimensity 9500 in single-core, multi-core and graphics tests. In gaming, PUBG and Genshin Impact each ran for 30 minutes at the highest settings with good frame rates, steady performance and only a modest rise in temperature.

Limitation: a heavy graphics stress test could not be completed because the phone showed a temperature warning, at around 45°C. Normal gaming did not trigger this, but extended full-load testing is still to come, so heavy gamers should keep it in mind.

Official specs: a 50 MP f/1.6 main camera, a 200 MP periscope telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom, a 50 MP ultrawide and a 50 MP selfie camera, with Zeiss optics.

Real-world use:

• Telephoto: the highlight. Shots stay crisp at 3.5x, 10x and beyond, and 100x images are clearer than on the X300 Pro. An optional extender lens, sold separately, reaches 400 mm.
• Main and ultrawide: sharp detail, nice colour and contrast, and fast focus on moving subjects, but some HDR scenes show blown-out highlights. Camera updates are already arriving and may improve this.
• Portraits: skin tones look more natural than on the X300 Pro, especially at night, though the older model is slightly sharper.
• Video: improved stabilisation on the main and telephoto cameras, native 4K 240fps slow motion and 4K 120fps 10-bit Log for colour grading.
• Selfies: wide framing and slightly better skin tones, plus a four-microphone setup for audio.

Battery capacity jumps from 6,510 mAh on the X300 Pro to an 8000 mAh silicon-carbon battery.

Real-world use: after a first full charge it comfortably lasted about a day and a half, which points to good battery optimisation. A full drain test is still to come.

Charging:

• A 90W charger is included in the box, the same speed as last year.
• 40W wireless charging is supported.
• Reverse wireless and reverse wired charging let it top up other devices.

Charging speed did not improve, so a larger battery means slightly longer full charges than before.

The phone ships with Android 17 and OriginOS 7. The interface feels well optimised, with a few visual changes over the previous version.

Our database lists up to 5 major OS updates, which is good but shorter than Samsung's 7-year promise on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Camera tuning is being improved through updates, so keeping the phone updated matters more than usual in its first months. Buyers importing a China unit should check language options, Google services and regional features before buying.