Vivo’s flagship X-line has come to represent some of the best cameras in any smartphone, and that looks to hold with 2022’s new Vivo X80 phones too.
The company first unveiled the X80 and X80 Pro in China, and the two phones have since launched worldwide too, though only the Pro has made it to Europe. But is there an even more powerful X80 Pro+ on the way later this year?
When is the Vivo X80 global release date?
Vivo first unveiled the X80 and X80 Pro in China on 25 April. Both phones are on sale there now.
Just as importantly, Vivo launched the phones globally on 18 May, with a gradual rollout across various markets – which differs for each of the two models so far:
- X80 will be available in Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines) and South Asia (Pakistan and Bangladesh).
- X80 Pro will be available in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore), Europe, Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia), Latin America (Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru).
In India the phones are available to buy now, while Europe only gets the Pro model (and not in every country), and neither is launching in the UK or US.
Still, that’s progress after none of the Vivo X70 series made it to Europe.
There’s also one more phone to consider. Vivo used the Chinese launch of the phones to tease a third in the series: the X80 Pro+. There’s a little while to wait for this model though, which will launch some time in Q3 – a.k.a. July-September. Going by previous track record, it’s pretty plausible that this model will remain China-only.
It’s a little surprising to see the X80 series so soon – not because it doesn’t fit the series usual launch cycle, but only because it comes mere weeks after the company launched the X Fold, X Note, and Pad in China, all of which came in early April.
We chatted about the Vivo X80 series on an episode of our weekly podcast Fast Charge, which you can watch right here:
How much does the Vivo X80 cost?
Here are the prices we have so far for the X80 and X80 Pro, the latter of which includes European pricing. Bear in mind that pricing for the X80 Pro varies across Europe, even within the Eurozone, but we’ve included the lowest we’ve found here:
- X80: from ¥3,699/₹59,999 (about £625/$775/€735)
- X80 Pro: from €1,100/¥5,499/₹86,999 (about £905/$1,120)
Of course, we don’t yet know how much the Pro+ will cost. We do have one leak there though, from @Shadow_Leak, who predicts that the X80 Pro+ will start from ¥6,499. His prediction for the X80 Pro was pretty close (¥5,699), correctly calling the price hike relative to the X70 series, so we suspect he’ll be close to the mark here.
What are the Vivo X80 specs?
With two phones official we know all about the X80 and X80 Pro and thanks to leaks we think we know a little about what to expect from the Pro+ when it launches. Here’s how each of the three phones shape up.
Vivo X80
The Vivo X80 is the cheapest phone in the series, but it’s no slouch.
It’s available in three colours: black, orange, and green (though the orange is exclusive to China). The finishes vary by more than just the colour though: the black model has a glass rear, the orange is vegan leather, and the green sports a ceramic build.
The X80 is powered by the flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset, along with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage.
The display is a 6.78in, FHD+ OLED curved screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage – so it should look pretty slick.
Power comes from a 4500mAh battery, with 80W wired fast charging but no support at all for wireless charging.
As for camera, there’s a triple lens setup on the rear. All three come with Zeiss’s T* lens coating, which reduces glare. The main shooter uses the brand-new 50Mp Sony IMX866 RGBW 1/1.49in sensor with an f/1.75 lens with OIS.
That camera is joined by a 2x zoom telephoto/portrait camera at an f/1.98 aperture, using the 12Mp Sony IMX663 1/2in sensor, packing gimbal-style stabilisation. Finally, there’s a 12Mp ultrawide with a Sony IMX663 sensor and f/2.0 aperture.
As for the front, you get a punch-hole selfie camera with a 32Mp 1/2.8in sensor and an f/2.5 lens.
In China, the phone ships with Android 12 running Vivo’s OriginOS Ocean, though the international release is more likely to use the company’s FuntouchOS skin.
Vivo X80 Pro
The X80 Pro is pretty similar to the X80, but with a few key enhancements. It’s the only phone in the series we’ve tested ourselves, so read our Vivo X80 Pro review to find out what we think.
The design is especially similar, with the same colour and finish options – though in this case only the black model is launching globally. Otherwise, the only real difference is that the camera module is a little larger, to fit in an extra lens below the main camera ring.
There’s one other change to the build, though it’s not visible: the X80 Pro boasts an IP68 rating, meaning it’s about as safe as phones get when it comes to water and dust protection.
In China you can buy the X80 Pro with either the Dimensity 9000 or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 inside, though only the Snapdragon iteration makes the cut worldwide.
RAM and storage options are similar, with 8GB or 12GB RAM, and 256GB or 512GB storage – though only the 12+256GB variant gets a global launch.
The display is the same size as the X80 – 6.78in – but is upgraded to an LTPO 2.0 AMOLED, which means it can drop its refresh rate all the way down to 1Hz in order to save power, and has a higher QHD+ resolution.
It also packs another upgrade. While the X80 includes an under-display fingerprint sensor, the X80 Pro upgrades to an ultrasonic sensor with a significantly larger sensing area – making it easier to hit the right spot of the screen to register a print.
The battery is also a touch larger at 4700mAh, and while the wired charging is the same at 80W, you also get 50W wireless charging, with reverse charging supported too.
The camera probably packs the biggest upgrades though. The main camera is completely different: it’s also 50Mp, but uses the 1/1.3in Samsung ISOCELL GNV sensor at a bright f/1.57 aperture with OIS.
The 2x zoom camera is the same as the X80, but at a slightly wider f/1.85 aperture. There’s also a 5x zoom periscopic camera though, with an 8Mp optically-stabilized sensor at an f/3.4 aperture.
Finally, the ultrawide gets a serious upgrade too: to a 48Mp Sony IMX598 sensor at an aperture of f/2.2. The selfie camera is the same though, a 32Mp punch-hole at f/2.5.
Like the X80, the Pro ships with Android 12 and OriginOS Ocean.
Vivo X80 Pro+
The X80 Pro+ is likely to offer a few key upgrades from the regular Pro – though we’re not sure what.
While we had seen a few leaks for the Pro+ before the initial launch event, some of those turned out to be for the Pro after all, leaving it unclear which might still refer to the upcoming phone.
The camera is likely to get the bulk of the upgrades, and one old leak predicted that it will use the 50Mp Samsung GN1 sensor, at an even wider f/1.3 aperture. We’d also heard about a jump to a 44Mp selfie camera – not seen on either of the current X80 handsets.
There aren’t many other leaks for the Pro+ that look plausible in the wake of the X80 and X80 Pro launch, so it looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer to hear more about that phone’s upgrades.
Of course, we’ll update this article as and when more details become available, so check back periodically so see what we find. In the meantime, you can also read
best Vivo phones and
best phones for a host of worthwhile alternatives.