vivo X500 Pro Max: mobile photography reaches new heights

The last time I held a superbly crafted smartphone that had been transformed into a professional camera was in 2013, when Sony unveiled the Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 at IFA in Berlin, an external camera with Zeiss optics designed to be clipped onto a phone and paired with the device via a wireless connection or NFC technology. Putting the new vivo X500 Pro Max through its paces, compared to that experience 13 years ago, is a quantum leap forward and really brings home just how fast innovation in the field of mobile imaging has progressed. Starting with the packaging: an elegant black box containing the phone box at the top and the photography accessory kit in the lower drawer. The choice of Tenerife for the flagship’s European debut was strategic, allowing us to immediately appreciate its strengths whilst capturing volcanic landscapes, boat trips out to sea to photograph dolphins and whales, sunsets and starry skies. These vastly different settings and lighting conditions were ideal for putting the capabilities of the lenses – the main one being a 200 MP lens – co-developed in collaboration with Zeiss, to the test, from backlit shots to moving images and the use of the wide-angle lens.

The smartphone performed exceptionally well during the various experiences organised by vivo. The X500 Pro Max is easy to handle, attaching accessories is quick and intuitive, and there are so many features available for fine-tuning photos and videos that a few hours aren’t enough to assess them all.

The CIPA Level 7.0 image stabilisation for handheld shots with longer exposure times, even in low light, is certainly a key factor, as is the Zeiss Gen 2 Ultra live teleconverter, which allows for a focal length equivalent to 400 mm for long-distance photography, with over ten shooting modes available. One wonders about the long-term durability of this mount (including the 200 mm focal length version), which clips onto a slim metal ring that is in turn attached to the plastic mount protecting the lens. On the software front, the device offers a user-friendly interface thanks to the new OriginOS 7 operating system, based on Android 16, one of the highlights of which is Quick Share, which facilitates file transfer between compatible devices.

The price of the smartphone in the 1 Terabyte configuration, complete with all accessories (around 2,500 euros), is on a par with that of an ultra-premium laptop and a high-quality TV. It is very high, therefore, but in our view justified by this phone’s capabilities. The vivo X500 Pro Max is a device that allows you to ‘experience’ photography and videography at an exceptionally high level of quality, and the impression is that it can hold its own against a professional-grade camera or video camera (particularly when it comes to long-distance photography and videography), whilst offering the advantage of being adaptable to any context or situation.