If you thought the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra was a... well, ultra-sized phone, then boy, you're in for a surprise: the new Vivo X Note has been announced, and it makes Samsung's flagship look teensy.
This is a new flagship phone from Chinese mobile maker Vivo, launched in China alongside the company's debut tablet, the Vivo Pad. Its flagship feature is something we've already mentioned: its screen size.
With a display that's 7 inches across, the X Note dwarfs the 6.8-inch Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is basically the biggest phone you can buy right now. Sure, 0.2 inches sounds like nothing, but in the phone screen size world it's everything.
This display has a 2K resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and 1,500 nits max brightness. The phone also has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, a 5,000mAh battery, 80W charging, and a faux leather back for a premium feel.
The cameras are a 50MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto for 2x optical zoom, and also a periscope for 5x zoom, though the sensor resolution wasn't mentioned for this - all in all that's a super top-end affair.
Analysis: don't hope to buy it
The phone sounds great. The catch? Most Vivo phones don't sell outside China - there's an outside chance this one will, but we're not holding our breath.
We expect it to be the same story with the Vivo Pad, which looks a lot like a rival for the Apple iPad Air 5.
For both of those products, the exclusivity is a shame. The Vivo X Note sounds like an interesting alternative to the Galaxy S22 Ultra for people who want a premium phone yet don't want a Samsung handset, especially with its stylish design and top-end features.
Loads of companies go for China-only launches though, and there must be a business or import reason for the decision. Still, never say never: we see Vivo phones launch in the west now and then.
