Vivo's upcoming flagship shines with star-inspired design in a new render

Vivo, the Chinese smartphone maker, is getting ready to unveil its upcoming flagship series, the vivo X100. Our first official glimpse of the device comes from an image posted on Weibo, one of China's largest social media platforms, by Han Boxiao, vivo’s Product Manager.

The render showcases the vivo X100 Pro in a striking blue color complemented by white elements inspired by star trails. A prominent circular camera island, adorned with Zeiss branding, houses four sensors. Positioned above this array is an LED flash, while the bottom section features the USB-C port and speakers.

Rumors circulating earlier hinted at exciting upgrades for the vivo X100 Pro Plus, including an IMX 989 main camera with a variable aperture and an impressive 200MP telephoto lens. Meanwhile, the vivo X100 Pro might boast a 64MP periscope with a 100mm equivalent lens.

Variable aperture on a smartphone allows the lens to adjust its diaphragm, controlling how much light enters the camera's sensor. Unlike fixed apertures, it provides flexibility for different visual effects. While still rare, examples like the Xiaomi 13 Ultra showcase this tech, mostly seen in Chinese phones, but likely to expand to global models like iPhones and Galaxies in the future.

In addition to the camera enhancements, speculations suggest that the vivo X100 Pro Plus may come equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a sizable 6.78-inch display boasting a 120Hz refresh rate, LPDDR5x RAM, UFS4.0 storage, and an IP68 rating.

An IP68 rating indicates that the smartphone is dust-tight and can withstand occasional splashes, providing robust protection against both dust and water intrusion. Notably, many flagship smartphones, including the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Galaxy S23 Ultra, and Pixel 8 Pro, boast an IP68 rating.

With the launch of the next flagship X series, vivo might reclaim its top position in Chinese sales, a position recently taken over by Honor.