vivo X500 Series Lands in India on November 26 With the Watch GT2 and a ZEISS Telephoto Kit

vivo has confirmed the X500 series will launch in India on November 26, 2026, at 12 PM IST, with all three models — the X500, X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max — plus the vivo Watch GT2 and a ZEISS telephoto converter kit. The phones will go on sale via Amazon, Flipkart and vivo's online store, but India prices are still unannounced. The Pro Max leads with a 200MP ZEISS APO telephoto camera on the China model, and the Watch GT2 promises up to 25 days of battery life.

Nahid Joy

Nov 13, 2026 - 09:44

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A hand holds a red vivo X500 Pro Max against a dark background under a red spotlight, showing the phone's large circular camera module with four lenses and the blue ZEISS logo.

vivo X500 Series Lands in India on November 26 With the Watch GT2 and a ZEISS Telephoto Kit

vivo has put a date on its biggest India launch of the year. The company confirmed on Thursday, November 12, that the X500 series will launch in India on November 26, 2026, at 12 PM IST — and it is bringing the full lineup, not just the top model. All three phones, the X500, X500 Pro and X500 Pro Max, will debut together, alongside the vivo Watch GT2 smartwatch and a ZEISS telephoto converter kit for the cameras. Sales will run through Amazon, Flipkart and vivo's own online store, where launch microsites are already live.

The confirmation ends a week of teasers and tips. vivo had been teasing the series in India for about a week, and had previously confirmed only the X500 Pro Max for the market. Thursday's announcement, made through vivo India's official channels and a press release, confirmed that the standard X500 and the X500 Pro are coming too, and that the Watch GT2 — vivo's first smartwatch in India — will share the stage. A new red colourway was also revealed for the series.

What launches on November 26

The event covers more than the three phones. Alongside the handsets, vivo will launch the X500 Pro Max Photographer Kit and the vivo Imaging Grip Kit, both aimed at the photography enthusiasts the series is built for. The ZEISS telephoto converter kit — also called the ZEISS Telephoto Extender Gen 2 — will be available to buy separately, and it works with the Pro Max's telephoto camera to stretch its zoom further. One detail worth noting: the Imaging Grip Kit will not support smartphone charging in the Indian version.

The phones will ship with vivo's latest Android 17-based OriginOS, and the launch event is expected to be livestreamed for viewers in India. A tipster has suggested sales will begin on December 2, but vivo itself has not confirmed a sale date yet — that, along with the prices, is expected at the event.

The cameras are the story

Photography is the whole point of the X500 series, and vivo's ZEISS partnership sits at the centre of it. The standard X500 gets what vivo calls a "floating camera module" with a ZEISS-tuned imaging solution and AI-powered creative tools, while the Pro and Pro Max carry a ZEISS-tuned triple rear camera in a circular housing. On the Pro Max, vivo is highlighting Telephoto AF Tracking Video and a ZEISS TrueDynamic Main Camera — features aimed squarely at people who shoot video as well as stills.

The headline number belongs to the Pro Max. On the model already sold in China, it pairs a 50MP main camera with a 200MP ZEISS APO telephoto lens offering 3.5x optical zoom and CIPA 7.0 stabilisation, plus a 50MP ultra-wide and a 50MP selfie camera. It is the telephoto setup that the extender kit is built around: the Pro Max supports ZEISS Telephoto Extenders in both Gen 2 and Gen 2 Ultra versions, turning the phone into something closer to a camera with interchangeable reach.

What the China models tell us — and what they don't

The X500 series launched in China in September, so the hardware is no secret — but India configurations have not been confirmed, and the figures below are the China models, not a promise for India. The standard X500 has a 6.59-inch 1.5K 144Hz OLED display, a Dimensity 9600M chip and a 7,500mAh battery. The X500 Pro is the compact one this time, with a smaller 6.36-inch 1.5K 144Hz LTPO OLED display, the 2nm Dimensity 9600 Pro processor and a 6,510mAh battery. The Pro Max is the biggest of the three, with a 6.85-inch 2K 144Hz display, the same Dimensity 9600 Pro chip and an 8,000mAh battery. All three have 50MP primary cameras and dedicated telephoto sensors.

Whether India gets exactly these configurations will only be clear on November 26. vivo has a history of adjusting batteries and memory options between China and India, so the safest reading is that the cameras and the overall positioning will carry over, while the fine print may differ.

The Watch GT2 joins the lineup

The Watch GT2 is not a new product — it launched in China last October — but it is new to India, and vivo is pitching it hard on battery life. The watch has a 2.07-inch Ultra-Vision display with always-on monitoring, and vivo claims up to 25 days of battery life, though that is the company's own claim rather than an independently measured result. Reports ahead of the launch also point to a 2,400-nit display and more than 100 sports modes, but vivo has not published a full India spec sheet or a price for the watch yet.

Prices are still unknown — and the tips disagree

The one thing vivo has not said anything about is money. No India price has been announced for any of the three phones, the Watch GT2 or the camera accessories, and the tips circulating online do not agree with each other. One report puts the three phones at roughly Rs 1,19,999, Rs 1,49,999 and Rs 1,79,999, with the photography kit at around Rs 2,29,999, while other reports suggest the range could start under Rs 1 lakh. The watch has been tipped at around Rs 20,000. Treat every one of those figures as unconfirmed — the real numbers arrive on November 26, and if the tipped prices are right, the series will sit below the Find X10 lineup, which starts at Rs 1,39,999.

What is certain is the shape of the launch: three camera-first flagships, a smartwatch, and a lens kit, all arriving on the same day under the campaign tagline "#BornToCreate". For buyers who have been waiting for a phone that takes photography seriously, November 26 is the date to watch — and for vivo, it is the biggest test of its flagship ambitions in India this year. November is a crowded month for launches: Xiaomi's global event in Paris follows on November 17.

Note: the featured photo shows the red vivo X500 Pro Max, the new colourway revealed for the India launch.