Forward-looking: Vivo may not be an instantly-recognizable smartphone brand in the US, but it is one of the most popular mobile manufacturers in China, India, and other leading Asian markets. The company recently launched its X100 and X100 Pro phones globally, and is now rumored to be working on the X100 Pro Plus, which is giving us hints of what's to come in 2024.
Smartphones with 200MP cameras have emerged in the past year, primarily for main cameras. However, Samsung Semiconductor is now hinting a shift towards 200MP telephoto cameras, a move that could further enhance smartphone photography.
Telephoto cameras have gained popularity among smartphone enthusiasts as they offer a longer optical zoom range and enhance the quality of portrait photographs. A larger telephoto sensor could bridge this quality gap when compared to a main camera sensor and provide a shallower depth-of-field, achieving the desired blurry background effect in portrait shots.
With frequent leaks being common for most Chinese smartphones, a recent Weibo post by prolific tipster Digital Chat Station has seemingly revealed key details about the camera setup of the X100 Pro Plus. According to the post, a prototype X100 Pro Plus model currently being tested by Vivo features a Samsung-made 200MP periscope telephoto camera with a whopping 200x digital zoom.
The tipster goes on to claim that the engineering samples of the upcoming phone are capable of 4.3X optical zoom, while the final retail units will likely be able to offer a more impressive 10x optical zoom. The posts also reveal that the camera will have a 1/1.5 inches sensor with a 100mm focal length.
According to prior leaks, the Vivo X100 Pro Plus could be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and feature a 2K display with an under-display fingerprint scanner. The device is also said to offer at least 12GB of memory and 512GB of built-in storage in the base model, with more premium variants offering even higher RAM and storage options.
While Vivo devices have historically never been sold in the US, the aforementioned news could still be significant for American market. Vivo is owned by China's BBK Electronics – the same company that also owns a bunch of other popular mobile phone brands, such as OnePlus, Oppo, iQOO, and Realme.
While OnePlus flagships are typically reworked versions of Oppo devices, there's always a chance that some technology from Vivo and other BBK brands might also find its way into next-gen OnePlus devices sold in the US. That said, it remains anyone's guess whether the company will introduce the 200MP Samsung camera with 200x zoom in OnePlus devices intended for the US market.