<\/p>\nArticle Jumplist<\/p>\n
<\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n\n1. Gorgeous screen, 144Hz refresh rate<\/li>\n 2. Hurray for OriginOS 7<\/li>\n 3. Imaging performance<\/li>\n 4. Benchmark performance<\/li>\n 5. Battery Life<\/li>\n 6. Conclusion<\/li>\n 7. Pricing and availability<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\nVivo is continuing its flagship momentum in Singapore with the new\u00a0X500 Pro Max (S$2,499 for 512GB)<\/b>, having finally launched them here after its initial China announcement\u00a0at the end of September.<\/p>\n\nNot a Pro, but not quite an Ultra.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
There\u2019s been a mild shake-up when you compare it to the X300, X300 Pro and the X300 Ultra lineup from last year. Since there\u2019s no official statement on the Pro Max (and whether it\u2019s a rebranded Ultra), we don\u2019t quite have a predecessor to compare it to. However, we\u2019ll still treat it as a premium, flagship-grade offering, given the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n
To recap quickly, the X500 Pro Max comes equipped with MediaTek’s <\/b>latest Dimensity 9600 Pro<\/b> chipset, a large 6.85-inch display and a huge 7,800mAh<\/b> BlueVolt battery.<\/p>\n\nEquipped with the case and 400mm telephoto extender.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The real star of this phone is Vivo\u2019s collaboration with ZEISS on its cameras and the option to buy add-on telephoto extenders. As in our review of the X300 Ultra, we won\u2019t score the phone based on these add-ons, but we will include their performance in the photography section below.<\/p>\n
Pricing, however, seems like the biggest stumbling block for this smartphone. The Vivo X500 Pro Max comes in a single 12GB + 512GB configuration for the Singapore market, and it\u2019s priced at a whopping S$2,499<\/b>. That\u2019s S$100 more than the 512GB iPhone 18 Pro Max (where Vivo likely got the phone\u2019s name), and the same price as Vivo\u2019s 1TB X300 Ultra last year.<\/p>\n
Vivo might need to have performed miracles for the X500 Pro Max to be worth this much, especially at the price it commands. Let\u2019s see if the phone makes it easy to part with your money.<\/p>\n
Gorgeous screen, 144Hz refresh rate<\/h2>\n\nScreen is large and displays colours accurately.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
We\u2019re off to a good start with the display. This 6.85-inch<\/b> screen is larger than X300 Ultra\u2019s, with the same 3,168 x 1,440-pixel resolution and a 1-1144Hz<\/b> adaptive refresh rate. It features the same 2K Zeiss Master Colour Display<\/b> tuning, delivering accurate-looking colours.<\/p>\n\nCould be a bit brighter, though.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
4,500-nits<\/b> of peak brightness isn\u2019t too shabby, but we know that\u2019s not in use under direct sunlight since we found it wanting for visiblity in these bright conditions.<\/p>\n
The 1-144Hz adaptive refresh rate works, but it depends heavily on the individual apps and whether they support it. Unfortunately, most apps support only 60, 90, or 120FPS. However, you can feel the high refresh rate when you\u2019re navigating menus or the home screen.<\/p>\n
Hurray for OriginOS 7<\/h2>\n\n
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The liquid glass-esque UI is quite nice.<\/p>\n
Image: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Origin Workbench is a must-have for productivity.<\/p>\n
Image: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Android-based OriginOS 7 builds on the foundation of OriginOS 6, with improvements. Animations are now much smoother, with more Control Centre customisation and a new liquid-glass UI design.<\/p>\n
For the multitaskers among us, Origin Workbench<\/b> is finally on a bar-type phone. We felt it was a very smart implementation on the X Fold5 when it launched, and being able to switch between five apps with a single tap is fantastic for people who need it.<\/p>\n\nNo advertisements for third party ads, so far at least.<\/p>\n
Image: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
More importantly, our main critique with OriginOS 6 is now (seemingly) gone. The incessant advertising notifications and pre-installed bloatware all seem to be gone now, in favour of an extremely clean, minimalist experience.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s fantastic that Vivo has taken this feedback seriously, because the X500 Pro Max now feels like a proper flagship device instead of a midrange phone that needs to make extra money through promoting third party apps.<\/p>\n