Earlier this year, both OPPO and vivo brought the Ultra variants of their respective flagship smartphone lineups to the global market. Now, if you were holding off on buying either of these devices in hopes of getting your hands on their successors, you may be out of luck. A recent rumour suggests that the selection of Ultra models will be quite limited next year.
According to an X post by serial tipster Kartikey Singh, the two companies have decided against launching their next generation Ultra smartphones internationally. If this proves true, then both the OPPO Find X10 Ultra and the vivo X500 Ultra will not be making their way out of China. The leakster also went on to note that these brands will instead focus on the Pro Max models.
Although the post did not offer any explanation for the change, the reason is probably obvious at this point. The ongoing memory shortage has led to skyrocketing component costs. As it becomes increasingly expensive to manufacture devices, companies have been reevaluating their product strategies.
Over the last few months, we’ve seen phone makers raise their prices, and even outright cancel devices that have been in the works. While budget brands and products have been disproportionately affected, it shouldn’t be surprising that the memory crisis also has an impact on the top-of-the-line premium offerings.
Only One Ultra Smartphone Globally
The tipster’s post also reiterated the claim that the Xiaomi 18 Ultra has been scrapped entirely. Past reports have claimed that the phone would have been too expensive to release.
If the rumour mill is to be believed, then the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra will be the only true Ultra-branded flagship to have a global presence. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t have competition. According to the leakster, the upcoming Pro Max models will be “more Ultra” than what Samsung has in store.
Even though there is still quite some time before the Galaxy S27 series launches, leaks have offered some idea of what to expect. Apparently, the Ultra variant will ditch the 10MP 3x telephoto lens, so the camera setup may comprise a 200MP main, a 50MP ultrawide, and a 50MP 5x periscope telephoto. Early rumours indicated that the primary camera could feature a variable aperture, but more recent reports have claimed that the company has decided against this feature. Beyond that, the phone could come with a horizontal camera bar.
Pro Models Already Spotted In Leaks
Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 18 Pro series has been the subject of multiple leaks, revealing a 200MP main + 200MP telephoto + 50MP ultrawide combo. Of course, the highlight of these models is the built-in secondary display, which would give these phones an edge over the rivals.
Similarly, the OPPO Find X10 lineup was spotted out in the wild last month. The Pro variants have been rumoured to feature a triple 200MP camera setup, with the Pro Max version sporting the same telephoto lens as the Find X9 Ultra.
Once again, it goes without saying that these leaks should be taken with a grain of salt. The companies in question have yet to confirm or deny these rumours.
(Source: Kartikey Singh via X)
