Vivo X90 Pro, announced for the Chinese market last November, is getting an international release. The X90 Pro stands out for being the latest to use Sony’s 1-inch-type 50-megapixel IMX989 camera sensor, and Vivo is keen to emphasize the low-light photography capabilities that such a large (for a smartphone) sensor enables. It’s joined by the non-Pro X90, which is getting a more limited release outside of China.
Vivo is annoyingly vague about exactly when however, the phones will be available for sale outside of China. For now, it just says they’ll be released gradually in different markets, starting with Malaysia, where the X90 Pro will cost MYR 4,999 (around $1,174 / €1,073) and the X90 MYR 3,699 (around $869 / €794).
The X90 Pro is far from the first smartphone to come with a 1-inch-type sensor, nor is it the first to use this particular component from Sony. But while we saw Xiaomi announce both the Xiaomi 12S Ultra and Xiaomi 13 Pro with Sony’s IMX989 sensor last year, neither has (yet) been released internationally. That makes today’s Vivo launch more important for international buyers.
Unfortunately, like many of Vivo’s previous handsets, neither the X90 nor the X90 Pro are in line for a US launch. The X90 Pro will be released in select European markets – including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece and Serbia – as well as India and several Southeast Asian countries. Meanwhile, the X90 will only launch in India and other Asian markets. There is no sign of an international launch for the X90 Proplusthe top model announced in China last year.
As is always the case with smartphone photography (and as we saw when we tried out Xiaomi’s 12S Ultra last year), camera hardware is only part of the story when it comes to the quality of a smartphone’s photos. That’s why Vivo is making such a big song and dance about the custom V2 chip used in the X90 range, which it says can reduce visual noise at high ISO settings for better low-light shots and produce more natural-looking HDR images.
There are also some more gimmicky software camera features included for good measure. A “Cine-flare Portrait” effect from the Zeiss brand attempts to produce a cinematic lens flare effect in portrait shots, while a “Miniature Effect” tilt-shift style effect, which selectively blurs a photo in a way that makes buildings and city streets appear miniaturized.
In addition to the 1-inch type 50-megapixel main sensor with a 23mm focal length, the X90 Pro also has an additional 50-megapixel sensor with a longer 50mm-equivalent focal length for portraits, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. All three are contained within a large circular camera bump on the back of the phone, the design of which is reminiscent of Xiaomi’s 12S Ultra.
Internally, the X90 Pro is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9200 processor, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It supports up to 120W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, with Vivo claiming the former can fully replace its battery in less than half an hour. It has a 6.78-inch 1260p OLED display and dual stereo speakers. It is only available in black internationally, with a vegan leather texture and is IP68 rated for dust and water resistance. Vivo was initially unable to provide details on how many years of major Android and security updates the X90 Pro will receive after release, but we’ll update this piece if and when the spokespersons get back to us.
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