Massive one-inch camera sensor on the Vivo X90 Pro receives an international launch

The Vivo X90 Pro, which was first introduced to the Chinese market in November, is now available worldwide. Vivo is keen to emphasize the low-light photography capabilities of the X90 Pro, which is notable for being the most recent smartphone to utilize Sony’s 1-inch-type 50-megapixel IMX989 camera sensor. The non-Pro X90, which will not be available outside of China, follows suit.

However, Vivo is being irritatedly evasive regarding the precise date at which the phones will be available for purchase outside of China. For the time being, it only states that they will be releasing the X90 Pro and X90 in Malaysia at prices of 4,999 MYR (approximately $1,174 / €1,073) and 3,699 MYR (approximately $869 / €794), respectively.

The X90 Pro is not the first smartphone to use a Sony component with a 1-inch sensor, nor is it the first smartphone to do so. However, despite the fact that Sony’s IMX989 sensor was used in the announcements made by Xiaomi last year, neither the Xiaomi 12S Ultra nor the Xiaomi 13 Pro has yet to be made available internationally. As a result, the launch of the Vivo today is more significant to international customers.

Sadly, neither the X90 nor the X90 Pro is scheduled for a US launch, as was the case with many of Vivo’s previous smartphones. The UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and Serbia, as well as India and several Southeast Asian nations, are among the markets in which the X90 Pro will be sold. In the meantime, the X90 is only available for purchase in India and other Asian markets. The highest-end model of the X90 Pro Plus, which was announced in China last year, has not yet seen an international release.

When it comes to the quality of a smartphone’s photographs, the camera hardware is only one part of the story, as is always the case with smartphone photography (and as we saw when we tried out Xiaomi’s 12S Ultra last year). Because of this, Vivo is making a big deal out of the custom V2 chip in the X90 range. It claims that this chip can reduce visual noise at high ISO settings for better low-light shots and produce HDR images that look more natural.

For good measure, there are also some software camera features that are more gimmicky. The “Miniature Effect” appears to create a tilt-shift-style effect, selectively blurring a photo in a manner that can make buildings and city streets appear miniaturized, while the “Cine-flare Portrait” effect, which is marketed under the Zeiss brand, attempts to produce a cinematic lens flare effect in portrait shots.

The X90 Pro has a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, an additional 50-megapixel sensor with a longer 50mm equivalent focal length for portraits, and a main 50-megapixel sensor with a 23mm focal length. On the back of the phone, there is a large circular camera bump that houses all three of them. This design reminds me of the 12S Ultra from Xiaomi.

The MediaTek Dimensity 9200 processor powers the X90 Pro’s internals, which include 256GB of internal storage and 12GB of RAM. It can be charged with up to 120W of wired power and 50W of wireless power, and Vivo claims that the wireless charging option can fully charge the device in less than 30 minutes. Dual stereo speakers and a 6.78-inch 1260p OLED display complete it. Internationally only available in black, it has a vegan leather texture and an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. We will update this article if and when Vivo’s spokespersons respond to our inquiries regarding how many years of major Android and security updates the X90 Pro will receive after release.