vivo X200 Pro Review: DSLR In Your Pocket!

The Android flagship market has been dominated by the likes of Samsung for years, while Chinese brands like Vivo have been playing catch-up due to their limited availability. But 2024 is a year full of surprises, and I believe Vivo has just released the best flagship phone of the year (and maybe next year) X200 Professional Edition.

I had the opportunity to test the vivo X200 Pro. In this review, I’ll answer the questions you might be asking most: “Is the vivo X200 Pro’s camera really that good?” and “How does it compare to competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S24 and iPhone 16 Pro Max?” Let’s get started.

vivo X200 Pro review: design and hardware

Vivo’s X100 Pro is a beautiful phone, and the X200 Pro is no exception. The device shares the same design language, and it’s beautiful. While I do like the royal blue version with its textured design, the white version of the X200 Pro looks elegant and sophisticated, and its camera module is gorgeous too.

Speaking of the mod, it’s huge – there’s no other way to describe it. While I’m not usually a fan of oversized camera setups, at least that’s reasonable in the X200 Pro since it’s packed with some large camera sensors. To give you an idea of ​​its size, place the phone on a flat surface at a 3-5 degree angle.

I also like the feel of the X200 Pro. Vivo perfectly integrates the front and rear glass panels into the flat frame, preventing the sides from sinking into the palm. Speaking of the sides, they are made of aircraft-grade aluminum to protect the device from accidental damage, which is quite common due to the huge camera module. The weight balance is on the top half of the X200 Pro. So if you lower the phone a little bit, it will tip over. So if you buy this device, I highly recommend getting a case.

Finally, the X200 Pro has an IP69 rating, which means it can withstand being submerged in 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes and withstand high-pressure jets. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor was also stable in my testing and effectively unlocked the device in all conditions.

vivo X200 Pro review: Display

Since this is Vivo’s flagship phone for the Western market, the company went all out on the display. The X200 Pro uses a 6.78-inch four-curve 1.5K AMOLED LTPO display with a refresh rate of 120Hz, and the refresh rate can be reduced to 0.1Hz. The panel also supports HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and 2160Hz PWM dimming, which is suitable for those who have difficulty with OLED displays.

Considering these specs, the content viewing experience on the X200 Pro is simply fantastic. Colors look stunning, the display is crystal clear, and the 4,500 nits of HDR brightness make highlights stand out.

Regarding brightness, I measured just over 2,000 nits outdoors. This is enough to make the display readable in direct sunlight without any issues.

Finally, the display is protected by vivo Armor Glass, which performed very well in my testing. However, I recommend not placing the X200 Pro face down on a surface, as the four-curve design will cause direct contact with the screen, which can lead to scratches over time.

vivo X200 Pro review: Performance

like OPPO Find X8X200 Pro is equipped with MediaTek Dimensity 9400 chip. The processor is built using a 3nm manufacturing process and includes 1 Cortex-X925 core clocked at 3630 MHz, 3 Cortex-X4 cores clocked at 3300 MHz, and 4 Cortex-A720 cores clocked at 2400 MHz. It is paired with the Mali-G925 Immortalis MP12 GPU. My review unit also came with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 storage.

With these flagship specs, the X200 Pro’s day-to-day performance is excellent. The phone zipped through the user interface, animations were smooth, and I couldn’t find the slightest sign of stuttering or lag, even during tasks like opening the camera or switching between different lenses.

Benchmarks and Games

Since it’s impossible to push the X200 Pro to its limits with regular use, I also ran a series of benchmarks. In Geekbench, the device scored 2767 in the single-core test and 8035 in the multi-core test. On AnTuTu, on the other hand, it scored 2,368,689 points.

Finally, in the infamous 30-threat 30-minute throttling test, the X200 Pro throttled to 76% of its peak performance. While these scores put the Dimensity 9400 behind the 8 Elite by about 5%, it’s worth noting that I didn’t notice any heating issues while running these benchmarks, and the X200 Pro didn’t feel as hot as Realme GT 7 Pro and iQOO 13.

Turning to gaming, the experience is excellent. The X200 Pro can run BGMI at “Smooth” + “Ultra Extreme” settings to achieve 120 FPS. Gameplay is smooth with no lag or lag. I also tested CODM, and the phone maximized game settings and kept it cool.

Battery life and charging

Keeping up with new industry trends, vivo X200 Pro is equipped with a 6000mAh ultra-large-capacity silicon carbon battery, which improves energy density, increases the operating temperature range, and supports faster charging. Because of these specs, the battery life of the X200 Pro is impressive. I easily finished a few days of work, including shooting camera samples, watching Netflix, and playing Rocket League Sideswipe for an hour, with just over 30% battery left.

However, unlike the X100 series, vivo slows down the charging speed to 90W, and the included charger uses a USB-A to USB-C cable. Nonetheless, the charger charged the phone from 0% to 100% in just 45 minutes.

vivo X200 Pro review: Camera

The camera on the vivo X200 Pro is just crazy. But before I get carried away, the device comes with a triple-camera setup that includes a 50MP Sony Lytia LYT-818 1/1.28-inch main camera sensor, another 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1 ultrawide sensor, and a 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP9 3.7x telephoto lens – The same telephoto lens used in the X100 Ultra.

Daylight shooting

Almost all flagship smartphones can take stunning photos in daylight, and the vivo X200 Pro is no exception. It takes photos with excellent detail and stunning color reproduction without becoming too saturated. The white balance is very accurate and the HDR capabilities are excellent.

But that’s not what I’m here to discuss. While anyone can easily take great photos with just the press of the shutter button, the X200 Pro does much more than that. Of course, there are professional modes for photography enthusiasts, but most people don’t like to modify specific values ​​when taking quick photos.

Therefore, vivo bundles many features for users to utilize and capture different scenarios. First off, there are three color modes—Vivid, Textured, and Zeiss Natural—each with their own aesthetic. Then there’s Snapshot mode, which lets you capture fast-moving objects without blur. Finally, there are multiple Zeiss lighting modes, including concert and pyrotechnic lighting modes.

Portrait shooting

If there is any highlight of the vivo X200 Pro, it is the portrait mode. Thanks to the 200MP lens, you can shoot portraits at multiple focal lengths, including 10x, and the results are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Using the X200 Pro’s Portrait mode during the day is like having a mini mirrorless camera in your hand, taking photos with the best natural shallow depth of field.

I love retro filters, it gives photos a unique look. In fact, the X200 Pro doesn’t shy away from blowing out the highlights a bit like a true SLR camera to make the subject look better and therefore make the photo more attractive. However, if I had to be picky, the phone tends to soften skin tones at night, which might not appeal to everyone.

Night shooting

vivo really caught the attention of many smartphone enthusiasts with its nighttime capabilities on the X100 series, and the X200 Pro continues that trend, taking some of its best photos in the dark. Colors are rendered flawlessly, the 50MP sensor ensures excellent detail, and the device manages both bright and low-light subjects admirably. I can’t find any downsides, as even the ultra-wide and telephoto lenses share the same processing and produce similar shots.

Zoom and ultra-wide-angle lenses

Unlike the S24 Ultra, the vivo X200 Pro is only equipped with a telephoto lens, with a zoom of up to 120 times. While I wouldn’t recommend using 120x for photos, photos taken at 5x to 50x are excellent, retaining sharp detail, natural colors, and balanced dynamic range. Moreover, vivo has implemented macro mode on the telephoto lens, which is simply magical. It captures some of the best macro photos I’ve ever taken.

While ultra-wide-angle cameras haven’t been a focus in past vivo flagships, the ultra-wide-angle camera on the X200 Pro is quite good. It delivers accurate colors, minimal distortion, and good detail in daylight conditions. That said, I wish it had a wider perspective.

Selfies and videos

The 32MP Samsung ISOCELL KD1 selfie camera on vivo X200 Pro works really well. Of course, it’s a big shame that it doesn’t have autofocus, but the photos are good, with plenty of detail in daytime conditions and skin tones somewhat balanced.

Vivo has taken another big step forward in the film field. All four cameras on the X200 Pro can record 4K@60fps video, while the telephoto lens supports 4K@120fps video. Specs aside, the X200 Pro’s results are outstanding. The phone does a great job of processing videos in a pleasing way while retaining clarity and natural colors.

vivo X200 Pro review: Software

vivo X200 Pro runs FunTouch OS 15 with Android 15 on top. As mentioned in previous reviews, I am a fan of vivo UI. It’s smooth, the animations are stunning, and the user interface is generally very fast and doesn’t contain a lot of bloatware. Additionally, the company has bundled some useful features.

First and foremost, vivo has partnered with Google to bring Circle to search on the X200 series, which is very helpful for finding things. The Gallery app features new natural language search capabilities and instant AI translation for calls. Additionally, FunTouch OS 15 includes AI Transcript Assist for voice notes and AI Notes Assist, which organizes your notes into concise summaries.

Finally, there are some AI photo editing features, including an AI object eraser and AI restoration of old photos. I tested both and the results were solid. The AI ​​eraser does a great job of removing background objects, while the repair function helps extract more details from blurry old photos.

Should you buy the vivo X200 Pro?

Priced at INR 94,999 vivo X200 Pro It is currently the most complete flagship smartphone. It has the best camera setup on any phone, the screen is stunning, the design is top-notch, the processor is super fast, and the battery life is off the charts.

The X200 Pro doesn’t have any inherent limitations, making it the best flagship smartphone money can buy right now. If you are a Samsung or iPhone user, I think it is time to try the vivo X200 Pro.