The Galaxy S22 Ultra is unquestionably the best smartphone right now for zoom photography, thanks to its 10x optical zoom camera. However, the upcoming Vivo X90 Pro+ could take away that title from Samsung’s flagship by featuring a much better 10x telephoto camera.

According to tipster Ice Universe (@universeice), the upcoming flagship smartphone from Vivo, the X90 Pro+, is set to launch in December 2022. Interestingly, the tipster claims that the Vivo X90 Pro+ will have a “very powerful” 10x telephoto lens and could “kill the Galaxy S22 Ultra telephoto camera.”

Apart from Huawei P40 Pro+, which is only available in China, the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the S22 Ultra are the only smartphones right now that feature a camera with 10x optical zoom, giving them photography capabilities that no other smartphone has to offer right now.

Samsung needs to use bigger sensors in its flagship smartphones

If the tip from Ice Universe stands out to be true, the Samsung twins could lose the title for offering cameras with the highest optical zoom. That being said, the X90 Pro+ could have a tough time beating the Samsung flagships as the South Korean firm has two generations of experience in offering 10x telephoto cameras.

The 10x telephoto camera, however, might not be the only highlight of the Vivo X90 Pro+. The leak also claims that the X90 Pro+ will use a 1-inch IMX989 sensor for the main camera as well as feature the upcoming flagship smartphone chipset from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It will also feature Samsung Display’s E6 OLED panel, which is its newest and is reportedly used in Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro series.

The upcoming Vivo phone is using a bigger primary sensor than the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It could also use a bigger telephoto sensor. If Samsung wants to stay relevant, it needs to stop running after megapixel numbers and implement better camera hardware (like the ISOCELL GN2).