vivo X500 Ultra Rumored to Use a 50MP Sony Main Camera

The vivo X500 Ultra may take a different approach to its main rear camera, according to a new leak about an engineering sample. Tipster Digital Chat Station reportedly said on Weibo that the phone is being tested with a 50MP Sony sensor paired with a 35mm lens. vivo has not confirmed the information, so the hardware should be treated as a pre-launch rumor.

What the leak claims

The sensor is identified as Sony’s LYTIA L910, an approximately 50-effective-megapixel mobile image sensor. Sony’s own announcement describes the L910 as a 1/1.28-type sensor with a LOFIC structure, 100 dB single-exposure dynamic range and support for 4K video at 60 frames per second in HDR. Those are capabilities of the sensor itself, not confirmation that every L910 feature will appear in the rumored vivo implementation.

On paper, a 50MP main camera would look like a reduction from the 200MP main camera reported for the vivo X300 Ultra, which uses a 1/1.12-inch sensor. That comparison is limited, however. Resolution is only one part of camera performance; sensor design, optics, stabilization, processing and tuning can all affect final photos and video. A lower megapixel figure therefore does not prove that the X500 Ultra will take worse pictures.

The reported 35mm lens specification remains unconfirmed, along with the phone’s launch timing, price and complete camera setup.

Sources

• GSMArena report
• Sony Semiconductor Solutions: LYTIA L910 announcement
• Gizmochina report