Vivo X200 Pro evaluation: Zooming into greatness

I’ve continuously loved the usage of Vivo’s X sequence units, however it wasn’t till the X90 Pro that the emblem actually began showcasing what it may possibly do at the imaging facet of items. Vivo became that up a notch previous this yr with the X100 Pro; the telephone continues to have probably the most highest digicam applications round, and it is just bested by way of the China-exclusive X100 Ultra — no small feat.

While the X100 Ultra is the most efficient telephone digicam I’ve ever used, the truth that it’s not to be had globally makes it a non-starter. Thankfully, Vivo is addressing that with the advent of the X200 Pro. The telephone has the similar 200MP telephoto lens because the Ultra, and it additionally takes magnificent portrait photographs. You get a brand new 50MP major digicam, and whilst it does not have a 1-inch sensor just like the X100 Pro or Ultra, it takes standout pictures and movies in difficult eventualities.

Honestly, that is all you want to understand concerning the X200 Pro — it brings the most efficient options of the X100 Ultra to a world target audience, and takes pictures of the similar caliber. That on my own makes the telephone in an instant worthy of attention, and also you get quite a lot of different extras, together with a brand new design, brighter AMOLED panel, extra environment friendly MediaTek {hardware}, a far larger 6000mAh silicon battery, and IP69 ingress coverage.

I used the worldwide fashion of the X200 Pro for per week, and here is why I believe that is the digicam telephone to overcome in 2025.

Vivo X200 Pro: Pricing and availability

Vivo unveiled the X200, X200 Pro, and X200 Pro mini in China in October 2024, and the telephones made their international debut on December 12 in India. Vivo is not bringing the X200 Pro mini out of doors China, however the X200 and X200 Pro are to be had in international markets, beginning with make a choice areas in Asia over the approaching weeks.

I were given used to the 1TB fashion of the X100 Ultra, however Vivo is not bringing that garage variant to international markets; the X200 Pro is as an alternative offered in one 16GB/512GB configuration out of doors China. This 16GB/512GB variant is now to be had in India for ₹94,999 ($1,120). The usual X200 may be on sale within the nation at ₹65,999 ($778) for the 12GB/256GB configuration, and Vivo has an extra 16GB/512GB fashion that prices ₹71,999 ($849).

Vivo X200 Pro: Design

Most Android producers have switched to iPhone-esque designs, and Vivo is not proof against the fad both. The X200 Pro has a distinctly boxier design with flat aspects, and it does not glance as sublime because the X100 Pro. While I nonetheless desire units with clean curves, I can admit that Vivo did a just right task with the design; the telephone is a lot more comfy to carry than the iPhone 16 Pro Max or Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Predictably, the digicam island dominates consideration on the again; Vivo has continuously larger the scale of the housing during the last 3 years because it slotted in larger digicam sensors, and the module at the X200 Pro stretches just about around the width of the software. I might have appreciated the internal of the housing to have the similar colour because the again — just like the OnePlus 12 — however Vivo went with a typical black design. That mentioned, the hoop encircling the digicam housing differentiates the design a bit of bit.

I were given the Titanium variant of the software, and it feels nice to carry and use. The boring gray sheen makes the software glance understated, and the again glass has a satin texture that is a lot better than the standard shiny finishes, and it minimizes smudges. The aspects are comprised of aluminum, with Vivo mimicking the texture of titanium.

The design is cleaner than earlier years, with Vivo eschewing the more than a few taglines and metal-etched accouterments it added at the X90 Pro and X100 Pro. The total aesthetic feels mature, and whilst the gray fashion does not draw in consideration as a lot, the blue choice is find out how to move if you wish to have a colour that stands proud.

Thankfully, Vivo put the ultrasound fingerprint module upper up this time round, and I did not run into any problems gaining access to it. While I desire optical modules, Vivo is the usage of a Goodix sensor that is top-of-the-line round; it is quick to authenticate, and does not have any issues of oily or rainy arms.

Coming in at 228g, the X200 Pro is among the heaviest telephones I used lately, in addition to the most important; that mentioned, Vivo did an excellent task with the burden distribution, and although it has large cameras on the again, it does not really feel unwieldy in the slightest degree. I now put instances on telephones that experience flat aspects as I do not just like the in-hand really feel, however I did not have to take action at the X200 Pro; despite the fact that it has a flatter design, the beveled edges and delicate curves on the again the place it meets the mid-frame make it a lot more straightforward to carry and use.

The energy and quantity buttons have higher tactility than the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Find X8 Pro, and the remainder of the ports are usual: you get a dual-SIM tray, IR blaster, and twin stereo sound. The X200 Pro alternatives up IP68 and IP69 ingress coverage, giving it added resilience in opposition to water jets. While I did not check that but, the telephone fell right into a bowl of chutney and got here away unscathed, and that is the reason just right sufficient for my use case (I devour a large number of chutney).

Vivo X200 Pro: Display

The X200 Pro keeps the 6.78-inch dimension as its predecessor, and also you get the similar 2800 x 1260 answer. What’s other this time is the brightness; it manages to hit 4500 nits in HDR content material, and there is an simply noticeable distinction in day-to-day use as neatly.

What’s in particular nice is that the X200 Pro were given simply as vibrant because the X100 Ultra in outside use, and in my checking out, best the Pixel 9 Pro XL controlled to outmatch the software. It does a a lot better task on this space than the X100 Pro, and it is obvious when the usage of the telephones subsequent to one another. You get the standard LTPO tech, and the telephone will get 2160Hz PWM dimming in any respect brightness ranges, giving it a definite edge over Google and Samsung telephones.

While it does not have any place just about the similar curvature as earlier fashions, the panel has an overly delicate curve across the aspects that makes it a bit of higher to make use of. Colors and distinction ranges are very good out of the field, and like every high-end telephones, you get an excellent vary of customizability in tweaking the colour stability. Vivo has helpful eye coverage options as neatly, together with an anti-fatigue mode and automated blue gentle clear out.

There’s a good collection of always-on kinds too, and the telephone has a clean transition from the lock display to the house display, which is one thing you can see on ColorOS as neatly. I did not have any problems streaming HDR content material at the telephone, and after a dozen hours of gaming, there have been no issues on this regard both. The onboard sound is healthier than the X100 Pro, and also you get a just right stereo impact.

The best factor with the panel is that the oleophobic coating is beginning to wear down after only a week of use; my day-to-day utilization hasn’t differed, however the most sensible edge has a visual line the place there is no coating, and that is the reason tough. By distinction, the X100 Pro has been in common use all through 2024, and it does not have any problems with the coating. I noticed a equivalent incidence at the Find X8 Pro too, and I’ll supply an replace as soon as both logo confirms what the issue may well be — it might simply be the coating that used to be used on those two units.

Vivo X200 Pro: Performance

While the X100 Ultra switched to Qualcomm {hardware}, Vivo is obviously intent on the usage of MediaTek’s Dimensity on the remainder of the X100 sequence, and that is the reason a just right choice. The X200 Pro makes use of the Dimensity 9400 — identical because the Find X8 Pro — and it’s unbelievable in day-to-day use. I did not see any slowdowns or lag, and it treated gaming with out breaking a sweat.

The telephone has a tendency to get a bit of warmer than the Find X8 Pro, however simply by two levels Celsius. The steadiness rating of 49% in 3DMark’s Steel Nomad Light check is at the decrease finish of the dimensions, however fortunately, you will not see any jitter even in hard video games, and whilst it throttles in prolonged gaming periods, it nonetheless delivers stable framerates. With 16GB of RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 garage onboard, you do not have to fret about multitasking or garage problems.

Given that the iQOO 13 additionally runs Funtouch OS and is powered by way of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite as an alternative, we will be able to see how the 2 units fluctuate. Obviously, there is no distinction between the 2 in common use, however the iQOO 13 holds up a bit of higher in gaming — it does not throttle as early. Other than that, you get a equivalent degree of efficiency.

I did not see any problems with mobile connectivity, however calls have been garbled now and then; I’m no longer positive if this used to be all the way down to the place I used to be on the time or the mobile sign, however I do not most often run into this drawback, so concept to focus on it. There’s the standard LDAC and LHDC formats along with AptX HD, and also you get dual-band GPS, NFC, and a USB-C port in line with the USB 3.2 usual.

The new vibration motor has beautiful comments, and it makes the usage of the software that a lot more attractive. Overall, there is not a lot amiss with the X200 Pro on this space, and it’s has probably the most highest {hardware} applications round.

Vivo X200 Pro: Battery lifestyles

Like maximum different 2025 flagships, the X200 Pro alternatives up an enormous battery, with Vivo slotting in a 6000mAh unit within the software. It additionally makes use of silicon-carbon tech to ship higher density, and the larger dimension at the side of higher potency lets in it to remaining two days. Even with heavy use, I best needed to price the telephone each and every different day, and it is releasing.

There’s no battery anxiousness in any way with the software, and when you want to plug it in, the X200 Pro makes use of Vivo’s 90W charging usual, and the needful charger is bundled within the package deal. It takes just below 50 mins to price the battery, and it is on par with the most efficient telephones on this space.

Vivo X200 Pro: Cameras

The X200 Pro will get a brand new 50MP Sony Lytia-818 imaging sensor with a 1/1.28-inch sensor, and whilst it’s not as giant because the 1-inch sensor at the X100 Pro, it does an excellent task in its personal proper. The spotlight is the inclusion of the 200MP Samsung HP9 telephoto lens, which is similar one used within the X100 Ultra to nice impact. The wide-angle lens is a 50MP Samsung JN1, which is unchanged from remaining yr, as is the 32MP entrance module.

Vivo makes use of a customized V3+ imaging module at the side of the Dimensity 9400, and this permits the emblem to eke out higher element with HDR video. The X200 Pro has 4K60 Dolby Vision video out of the entire sensors and focal lengths on the again, and the telephone does a standout task with video normally. There’s portrait video, 10-bit LOG, and a boulevard mode that provides a noticeable vignette to resultant photographs.

The digicam interface itself hasn’t modified, and also you get a good selection of capturing modes and filters. Vivo’s collaboration with Zeiss is clear within the portrait photographs and tonal stability of the pictures, and you’ll be able to pick out between 3 kinds: Vivid, Textured, and Zeiss Natural. The Vivid mode has the most efficient colours, and that is the reason the only I used as default when checking out the X200 Pro.

As you would consider, there are not any problems with pictures taken in sunlight stipulations. The X200 Pro does an excellent task keeping element, and also you get colourful colours with very good dynamic vary and white stability. While the sensor itself is not as huge as remaining yr, tweaks to the tuning lets in the X200 Pro to ship a equivalent caliber of pictures.

The major digicam does an unbelievable task in low-light stipulations as neatly, handing over correct colours and main points. Honestly, I do not have anything else to fault with the primary digicam, and the X200 Pro delivers the whole lot I want — photograph high quality is continuously constant, it does a just right task with fast-moving items, and there is no shutter lag in any way.

The greatest trade this time is the 200MP telephoto lens; it is going as much as 3.7x by the use of optical zoom and has OIS, and whilst the larger focal duration is clearly helpful, the place the lens in reality shines is at portrait photographs. The X200 Pro takes pleasant portrait photographs, with class-leading segmentation and bokeh. The highest phase concerning the mode is that you simply get to choose from 5 focal lengths, supplying you with quite a lot of choices to border a topic.

Although the wide-angle lens is an older sensor, it does a good sufficient task more often than not. It’s best in hard low-light eventualities that you’ll be able to make out its boundaries, however in all different capturing stipulations, it delivers usable pictures. The best quibble I’ve on this space is that the selfie lens is not moderately as much as scratch. It’s nonetheless a good module and takes just right pictures, however it does not have the similar high quality because the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Vivo will have to have switched to a more recent sensor.

Outside of that, the X200 Pro has what’s arguably probably the most most powerful digicam applications, and the combo of the 50MP major lens and flexible zoom lens provides it a definite benefit. I’m intrigued to look what Vivo does with the X200 Ultra, as a result of barring that, I do not see another software outmatching the X200 Pro in 2025.

Vivo X200 Pro: Software

I love what Vivo is doing at the device facet of items. The X200 Pro runs Funtouch OS 15 in line with Android 15, and it’s other sufficient to ColorOS 15 and its derivatives that you do not really feel like you are the usage of the similar UI. The interface is blank and optimized extremely neatly to benefit from the {hardware}, and I now like it to ColorOS or MIUI — a large deal making an allowance for its iOS-esque heritage.

I do not have any negatives on this space; I did not see any issues of push notifications or errant crashes, and the UI used to be fluid within the week I used the software. That’s simply with this software; as discussed previous, I used the X100 Pro as a secondary telephone for a lot of 2024, and did not run into any problems there both.

Like each and every different interface, you get a good quantity of AI-backed utilities, together with Circle to Search, AI word summarization, transcribing, and translation. Whether they are in truth usable is down on your wishes; I do not see the purpose of maximum AI gear of their present state, and the one one I exploit with any regularity is the transcribe characteristic that we could me convert audio to textual content.

Vivo does a just right task with device updates, and the X100 Pro picked up constant updates over the process the yr. The X200 Pro will obtain 4 Android OS updates at the side of six years of safety updates, and whilst that is not on par with Google and Samsung, it’s in keeping with what different Chinese producers are doing.

Vivo X200 Pro: The pageant

The Find X8 Pro is the nearest rival to the X200 Pro, with each telephones that includes the similar MediaTek Dimensity platform and handing over standout cameras. With the X200 Pro confined to Asian markets, the Find X8 Pro is a viable selection if you want a tool with flexible cameras. While Vivo’s telephone has the brink at portrait photographs and zoom, the Find X8 Pro does an excellent task by itself. I love Vivo’s colour tuning higher, and Funtouch OS is healthier to make use of than the newest iteration of ColorOS, so the X200 Pro wins out.

Vivo X200 Pro: Should you purchase it?

You will have to purchase this if:

• You want probably the most highest digicam applications to be had lately
• You need an out of this world telephoto lens
• You want a telephone that takes surprising portrait photographs
• You need class-leading battery lifestyles
• You want the most recent {hardware}

You mustn’t purchase this if:

• You want the most efficient selfie digicam
• You need long-term updates very similar to the Pixel 9 Pro XL
• You want a software that is offered within the U.S. or U.Ok.

Vivo did not want to trade too many stuff with the X100 Pro, and fortunately, the emblem retained the most efficient options from the software. The X200 Pro has probably the most highest digicam applications you can in finding lately, and the addition of the 200MP telephoto lens provides it a definite benefit. The portrait photographs you get out of the telephone are in reality unbelievable, and whilst the X100 Ultra nonetheless has a narrow edge, it’s not a lot.

I love the whole lot else concerning the telephone. The AMOLED panel is one of the highest I’ve used, the {hardware} is on par with the most efficient from Qualcomm, and the battery lasts two days between fees. The device is superb to make use of as neatly, and Funtouch OS 15 delivers a just right stability between a fluid UI and quite a lot of customizability.

The best level of competition is that the selfie digicam is not moderately at the identical degree as different flagships. And with the telephone restricted to Asian nations, there is no dependable method to come up with it within the U.S. or U.Ok., and that is the reason an actual disgrace. But if you are in a rustic the place the software is offered by way of Vivo, you will have to imagine choosing it up.

Having used the iPhone 16 Pro Max, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Find X8 Pro within the remaining 3 months, I’m satisfied that the X200 Pro has the most efficient cameras of the lot, and my SIM is staying put on this software lengthy after the evaluation is finished.