Hardwired
In Hardwired, AC Senior Editor Harish Jonnalagadda delves into all issues {hardware}, together with telephones, audio merchandise, storage servers, and networking gear.
I switched to the Discover X9 Professional after utilizing the Vivo X300 Professional, and each telephones have loads of similarities this yr — extra so than prior to now. They’re each powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 platform, get the identical storage variants, have a similar-sized 6.78-inch AMOLED panel, identical ultrasonic fingerprint modules, and an enormous battery.
They even share the identical 50MP Sony LYT-828 essential digital camera and 50MP Samsung JN5 wide-angle modules, and a 200MP telephoto lens — albeit one which’s barely completely different, with the Discover X9 Professional that includes the Samsung HP5 module (Vivo makes use of a customized HPB sensor). Heck, OPPO even has a telephoto extender this yr, which has similarities to what Vivo offers on the X300 Professional.
Though there are numerous {hardware} similarities, these units aren’t equivalent to make use of — removed from it. Vivo and OPPO clearly diverge in the case of their digital camera tuning, and that was instantly evident after I began utilizing the Discover X9 Professional. The software program is refreshingly completely different as properly, even when each telephone makers selected to “borrow” iOS 26’s translucent results.
Anyway, again to the cameras. OPPO is utilizing a brand new Lumo digital camera engine, with the model noting that it overhauled its imaging algorithms to ship cleaner and extra detailed images. Curiously, it is designed to shoot 50MP stills as commonplace, capable of eke out significantly better high quality. Video high quality is improved as properly, and the telephone is now capable of shoot 4K120 Dolby Imaginative and prescient footage — albeit with the principle digital camera and tele lens (wide-angle is restricted to 4K60).
Let’s get to the images. Predictably, the Discover X9 Professional does a improbable job in nearly any lighting state of affairs, delivering detailed images with good dynamic vary and colour accuracy. OPPO says it labored carefully with Sony and Hasselblad to tune each the sensor and its imaging algorithms this yr, and there’s a noticeable distinction within the resultant picture high quality over the Discover X8 Professional.
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Whereas there is not a devoted 6x zoom lens this time, the Discover X9 Professional does simply as properly at each 3x and 6x, producing images which can be simply nearly as good as the principle digital camera — it holds its personal in opposition to the X300 Professional on this regard. The wide-angle lens is the one module that is holding the system again a bit; it does not fairly have the identical tonal stability in difficult circumstances, and does not measure as much as the opposite two cameras.
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There are not any points in low-light situations with the remainder of the cameras, and the telephone does an excellent job with portrait photographs. This is without doubt one of the key explanation why I used the Vivo X200 Professional and Discover X8 Professional a lot over the course of 2025, and I am glad to see each manufacturers making constructive strides with portrait mode on their newest units.
Then there’s the telephoto extender err, removable zoom lens. OPPO went with an identical system as Vivo, however annoyingly, attaching the zoom lens covers up the whole digital camera island, so you may’t use every other lens when it is in use. This is not a limitation on the X300 Professional, and OPPO ought to take into account tweaking the design with the subsequent era. The removable lens does an excellent job extending the zoom vary, and the resultant picture high quality is much like that of the X300 Professional. However the related problem means I did not use it anyplace as a lot as its Vivo sibling.
I nonetheless suppose Vivo has the general edge with the cameras; I choose the model’s picture tuning and colour science, nevertheless it’s solely a matter of selection. From a technical perspective, the Discover X9 Professional delivers images and movies which can be simply nearly as good, and that is nice information — it simply means you get two decisions when contemplating a telephone improve subsequent yr.