Vivo is still in the early stages of developing its next flagship, the X500 Ultra, and according to a new report from trusted leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the company’s imaging team has yet to settle on a critical component: the 200MP sensor for the periscope telephoto camera. Three different sensor sizes are currently being evaluated, each with its own trade-offs in image quality, physical footprint, and optical complexity.
The Three 200MP Sensor Candidates
According to the leak, vivo’s engineers are choosing between three 200MP sensors with different optical formats:
- 1/1.12-inch sensor — The largest option, offering the best light-gathering capability and potentially the highest image quality
- 1/1.3-inch sensor — A middle-ground choice that balances size and performance
- 1/1.4-inch sensor — The most compact option, making it easier to integrate into the phone’s design
Each sensor size brings distinct advantages and challenges that will ultimately shape the X500 Ultra’s camera capabilities.
The Challenge of Fitting a Large Sensor in a Periscope Module
The primary challenge vivo faces is mechanical. Periscope telephoto modules use a prism to redirect light through a lens assembly that sits parallel to the phone’s body. This design allows for longer focal lengths in a thin package, but it places strict limits on the sensor size that can be accommodated.
The 1/1.12-inch sensor — the largest of the three candidates — would deliver superior low-light performance and dynamic range thanks to its larger individual pixels and greater total light capture area. However, it would require a larger prism and lens assembly, which could increase the thickness of the camera bump or force compromises elsewhere in the phone’s internal layout.
On the other end of the spectrum, the 1/1.4-inch sensor is the easiest to integrate but offers the least light sensitivity. This is the same sensor size used in the vivo X300 Ultra’s 3.7x telephoto camera, so it represents a known quantity that vivo’s imaging team already understands well.
