Android’s Ultra flagship era could get a second chance in 2027

Posted Monday, October 19, 2026 9:42 am

Aamir Siddiqui (via Android Authority)

Credit: Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

TL;DR

Many Android brands were expected to abandon their Android “Ultra” flagships in favor of slightly lower-placed “Pro Max” flagships, but a new leak indicates vivo could join Samsung in keeping Ultra-tier phones alive in 2027.
Leaked specs for the rumored vivo X500 Ultra include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip, a 6.85-inch 144Hz 2K BOE flat display, a 3D ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, and a battery with a capacity exceeding 7,000mAh.
Tipped for a China launch between March and April 2027, the phone is expected to offer hardware upgrades over the vivo X500 Pro Max.

We’ve seen an extraordinarily high number of Android “Pro Max” flagships launch over the last few weeks, almost signalling the end of Android’s “Ultra” flagship era as brands rein in their costs in this age of AI. We’re still expecting Samsung to launch the Galaxy S27 Ultra in 2027, but it seems one more Android brand will keep its Ultra flagship around, and some of its specs have also leaked.

According to prominent tipster Digital Chat Station on Weibo, an upcoming “super large cup” (Ultra-tier) flagship is essentially locked in with Qualcomm’s upcoming SM8975 platform, commonly referred to as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. The post is very likely alluding to a vivo flagship, which would mark this phone as the vivo X500 Ultra.