If your concert footage usually stars the back of a stranger’s head, the vivo X500 Pro Max was built with you in mind. Pre-orders opened on 20 October 2026 at S$2,499, at vivo’s stores in 313@somerset and Jurong Point, on vivo’s official Shopee store, and at retailers such as Challenger and Courts. Orders placed by 30 October get S$200 off plus a free 200mm Telephoto Extender + Case.
The X500 Series has two phones. The cheaper vivo X500 costs S$1,999, and both reach stores on 31 October 2026. The pitch is reach, from a 200MP zoom camera on the Pro Max to support for a 400mm-equivalent clip-on lens, backed by batteries that vivo calls the largest it has ever fitted in an X Series phone.
Zoom Built for the Cheap Seats
The Pro Max’s main draw is its 200MP ZEISS APO Telephoto Camera, which pairs a 1/1.4-inch sensor with an 85mm-equivalent focal length. By vivo’s own comparison, last year’s X300 Pro used the same headline sensor size and resolution, so the hardware is familiar. The changes are in the software and the accessories built around it.
vivo’s X-Track Engine handles autofocus (AF) tracking at up to 60 frames per second (fps) in Snapshot mode. It adds a 30x Long-Range Motion Snapshot for fast subjects far away and 4K 120fps Pro AF Tracking Video for clips. Lock-On Subject Tracking keeps a subject sharp even when they duck out of frame or behind someone. vivo’s fine print says it only recognises humans, though, so the Bishan park otters are on their own.
Stabilisation is rated to CIPA 7.0, the standard set by Japan’s Camera & Imaging Products Association. vivo says that rating allows longer handheld exposures in dim light with less blur, which matters most at the back of a dark arena.
For serious reach, the Pro Max works with the vivo ZEISS Telephoto Extender Gen 2 Ultra, a 400mm-equivalent lens that supports more than 10 shooting modes, including Stage, Snapshot, and Pro. Check the box carefully, though, because the free pre-order gift is a different and shorter 200mm Telephoto Extender + Case, worth S$399 and available while stocks last.
Clip-on phone lenses need plenty of light to perform, so that 200mm freebie makes the most sense for daytime football, outdoor gigs, and birds at Sungei Buloh. For the price of ordering before the end of October, that’s a pretty generous deal.
Stage Mode for Concert Kids
Concert-goers on either phone get Stage Mode 3.0, which bundles Auto Framing Fancam Video, 4K Dual-View Stage Video, 4K Stage All-in-One Recording, and Super Telephoto Stage Snapshot. Dual-View is the one to try first, because it records both you and the artist at the same time, so your reaction and the drop end up in one clip.
The Pro Max’s 50MP main camera shoots native 4K at 240fps for slow motion and has what vivo calls 3° Gimbal-Grade OIS (optical image stabilisation). If you film sports, 240fps changes how you work: you get one take that you can slow down later, so there’s no need to guess the moment beforehand.
There’s also 17 EV Log video, a flat colour profile that editors grade afterwards (EV stands for exposure value, a measure of dynamic range). Read the footnote before you rely on it, since vivo says the full 17 EV range only applies in Video mode with the Golden and Vivid styles. Casual shooters will probably get more out of Film Style mode, which adds a 2.4:1 widescreen crop, motion blur, halation, and grain in a single tap.
7,800mAh for Long Days Out
The Pro Max carries a 7,800mAh battery (7,605mAh rated), and the X500 has 7,500mAh (7,270mAh rated). vivo’s figures put last year’s X300 Pro at 6,510mAh. On paper, that’s a big jump for anyone who records a full gig and then needs Google Maps to get home.
Both phones support 90W wired and 40W wireless charging. The 40W wireless speed needs the vivo 50W Vertical Wireless Flash Charger 2, and vivo says the first-generation version of that charger won’t work with the X500 Series. Bypass Charging keeps the phone cooler when you use it while plugged in. The semi-solid-state battery is rated to run at temperatures down to -20°C, which is handy for that Hokkaido winter trip.
That battery sits in a big phone. The Pro Max has a 6.85-inch 2K display that vivo calls its largest yet on a flat-screen phone, and it weighs 229g in Sunset Orange. Both models are rated IP68 and IP69 for dust and water resistance.
The X500 Is the Sensible Sibling
The vivo X500 drops to a 64MP, 1/2.0-inch telephoto at 72mm equivalent. vivo says its 50MP, 1/1.28-inch main camera uses a sensor similar to the one in the X300 Pro. It runs on the Dimensity 9600M rather than the Pro Max’s 2nm Dimensity 9600 Pro, and it’s smaller and lighter, with a 6.59-inch screen and a weight of 211g.
It still gets Stage Mode 3.0, the 7,500mAh battery, and the same 90W charging. For most people filming friends and the odd gig, the X500 is enough phone, and it saves you S$500. The Pro Max earns its price if you plan to use that extender regularly.
Playing Nicer With iPhones
OriginOS 7, vivo’s software, lets Quick Share send files to iPhones through AirDrop. It also adds connectivity with AirPods, Apple Watch, and iCloud, while vivo Office Kit links the phone with a Mac. vivo says the AirDrop link relies on third-party services, so how it works could change. Even so, getting concert clips into an iPhone-heavy group chat without sending them over Telegram is a welcome fix.
The Deals, and Which to Pick
The pre-order perks apply to both phones. You get the S$200 Pre-order Discount for orders placed by 30 October 2026, the free 200mm extender and case, 2-Years International Warranty Coverage (worth S$129), and 3-Months Screen Protection Coverage (worth S$199). Online pre-orders, such as through vivo’s official Shopee store, also get three months of Google AI Pro with 5TB of cloud storage, worth S$87.
If you buy in store, at 313@somerset or Jurong Point for example, you also get the Jay Chou Exclusive Gift Box (worth S$69), 0% interest instalments with DBS/POSB credit or debit cards, and an extra S$50 trade-in bonus from 1 to 30 November 2026, with trade-in values of up to S$1,320. With the pre-order discount, the Pro Max comes to S$2,299.
Our pick is to pre-order before 30 October, while the free extender is still in stock. If you’re a Singtel customer, note that Singtel’s pre-order window opens later, on 23 October. Choose the Pro Max if zoom is the reason you’re upgrading, and the X500 if you mostly want the battery and Stage Mode.
🗓️ Pre-orders: 20 to 30 October 2026 (Singtel from 23 to 30 October 2026)
📦 In stores: From 31 October 2026
💰 Price (RRP): vivo X500 (12GB + 512GB) S$1,999; vivo X500 Pro Max (12GB + 512GB) S$2,499
🛒 Where to buy: vivo Experience Stores, Shopee, Lazada, TikTok, Challenger, Best Denki, Courts, Harvey Norman, Gain City, and Singtel
🎨 Colours: X500 in Dusk Black and Sunny White; X500 Pro Max in Starry Gray and Sunset Orange
📍 vivo stores: 313@somerset, 313 Orchard Road, #B2-44/45, Singapore 238895; Jurong Point, 1 Jurong West Central 2, #B1-15, Singapore 648886
Your next concert, match, or sunset doesn’t have to end up as a blurry speck. Compare the two phones on the vivo X500 Pro Max and vivo X500 pages, pre-order from vivo’s official Shopee store before 30 October, and follow vivo Singapore on TikTok to see what that 400mm reach can do!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of vivo Singapore.
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