For years, the Android flagship space has been dominated by the likes of Samsung, and Chinese brands like Vivo have always played catchup, limiting their availability. But 2024 has been a year of surprises, and I believe Vivo has released the best flagship phone of the year – and maybe the next – with the X200 Pro.
I had a chance to test the vivo X200 Pro. And in this review, I will answer the most burning questions many of you may have: “Is the camera on the vivo X200 Pro really that good?” and “How does it stack up against rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S24 and iPhone 16 Pro Max?” let’s begin
vivo X200 Pro Review
summary
Vivo X200 Pro is the most complete flagship smartphone. It has the best camera setup of any phone, the screen is amazing, the design is great, the processor is blazing fast, and the battery life is off the charts.
vivo X200 Pro Review: Design and Hardware
vivo’s X100 Pro was a beautiful phone, and the X200 Pro is no different. The device features the same design language, and it’s beautiful. Although I would have loved to have the sapphire blue variant with its textured design, the white version of the X200 Pro looks classy and sophisticated when it shines with its camera module.
Speaking of the module, it’s huge – there’s no other way to describe it. While I’m not usually a fan of large camera setups, they are, at least, reasonable on the X200 Pro as it houses some of the larger camera sensors. To give you an idea of ​​its scale, the phone rests on a flat surface at a 3-5 degree angle.
I also like the in-hand feel of the X200 Pro. Vivo has beautifully blended the front and back glass panels into a flat frame, preventing the sides from digging into the palms. Speaking of the sides, they are made of aero-grade aluminum and protect the device from accidental damage, which would be a little common for a large camera module. Weight balance is in the top half of the X200 Pro. So, if you hold the phone slightly down, it will tip. Therefore, I recommend getting a case if you buy the device.
Finally, the X200 Pro has an IP69 rating, meaning it can withstand submersion in 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes and withstand high-pressure jet streams. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor was also solid in my testing, effectively unlocking the device in all situations.
vivo X200 Pro Review: Performance
As this is Vivo’s flagship phone for the western market, the company has gone all out in the display department. The X200 Pro features a 6.78-inch quad-curve 1.5K AMOLED LTPO display with a 120Hz refresh rate that can be as low as 0.1Hz. The panel also supports HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and 2160Hz PWM dimming for people who have issues with OLED displays.
Given these specs, the content-viewing experience on the X200 Pro is simple. Colors look stunning, the display is very sharp, and the HDR brightness of 4500 nits makes bright spots stand out.
On the subject of brightness, I measured an outdoor brightness of over 2,000 nits. It was plenty for a readable display in direct sunlight without any issues.
Finally, the display is protected by Vivo’s Armor Glass, which performed very well in my tests. However, I advise against placing the X200 Pro face down on surfaces, as the quad-curve design makes direct contact with the screen, leading to scratches over time.
vivo X200 Pro Review: Performance
Like the OPPO Find X8, the X200 Pro has a MediaTek Dimensity 9400 chip. Built on a 3nm manufacturing process, the processor includes one Cortex-X925 core at 3630 MHz, three Cortex-X4 cores at 3300 MHz, and four Cortex-A720 cores at 2400 MHz. It is paired with Mali-G925 Immortalis MP12 GPU. My review unit also came with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage.
With these flagship specs, the X200 Pro’s day-to-day performance is excellent. The phone flies through the UI, animations are buttery smooth, and I couldn’t find even the slightest hint of rush or lag in actions like opening the camera or switching between different lenses.
Benchmarks and Gaming
Impossible to push the X200 Pro to its limits with regular use, I also ran a series of benchmarks. On Geekbench, the device scored 2767 in single-core and 8035 in multi-core tests. On the other hand, in AnTuTu, it scored 2368689.
Finally, in the infamous 30-threat 30-minute throttle test, the X200 Pro throttled to 76% of its peak performance. While these scores put the Dimensity 9400 about 5% behind the 8 Elite, it’s important to note that I didn’t notice any heating issues while running these benchmarks, and the X200 Pro didn’t get uncomfortably hot to the touch, unlike the Realme GT 7. Pro and iQOO 13.
Moving on to gaming, the experience was stellar. The X200 Pro can run BGMI at “Smooth” + “Ultra Extreme” settings, which enables 120 FPS. The gameplay was smooth, without any lags or stutters. I also tested CODM, where the phone maxed out the game’s settings and stayed quiet.
Battery life and charging
Continuing the new industry trend, the vivo X200 Pro features a 6,000 mAh silicon-carbon battery, which improves energy density, increases the operating temperature range and supports fast charging. Thanks to these specs, the battery life on the X200 Pro is amazing. I easily finished the days sampling the camera, watching Netflix, and playing Rocket League Sideswipe with over 30% juice left.
However, unlike the X100 series, vivo has slowed down the charging speed to 90W, and the included charger uses a USB-A to USB-C cable. However, the charger fully charged the phone from 0% to 100% in 45 minutes.
vivo X200 Pro Review: Cameras
The cameras on the Vivo X200 Pro are simply insane. But before I digress, the device sports a triple camera setup consisting of a 50MP Sony Lytia LYT-818 1/1.28″ primary 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 shots
Almost all flagship smartphones take amazing daylight shots, and the vivo X200 Pro is no different. The photos it captures have great detail and amazing color reproduction without being too saturated. The white balance is spot on, and the HDR capabilities are excellent.
But I’m not here to talk. While one can easily take a good photo by pressing the shutter button, the X200 Pro is much more than that. Sure, there’s a Pro mode for photography enthusiasts, but most people don’t like to tinker with specific values ​​when taking a quick photo.
Therefore, Vivo has bundled a lot of features for users to take advantage of and capture different scenarios. First, there are three color modes—Vivid, Texture, and Zeiss Natural—each with its own aesthetic. Then there’s the snapshot mode, which allows you to capture fast-moving subjects without blurring. Finally, there are several Zeiss lighting modes, including for concerts and fireworks.
Portrait shots
If there’s one thing Vivo has going for it with the X200 Pro, it’s 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 seen. Using portrait mode on the X200 Pro in daylight is like holding a mini mirrorless camera in your hand, as the shots have a great natural and shallow depth of field.
I love the vintage filter, which gives the photos a unique look. The fact that the X200 Pro isn’t afraid to even out the highlights a bit like a real DSLR to make the subject look better makes the shots even more appealing. However, if I had to nitpick, the phone softens skin tones at night, which may not appeal to everyone.
Night scenes
Vivo really got on the radar of many smartphone enthusiasts with the night capabilities of the X100 series, and the trend continues with the X200 Pro, which takes some great photos in the dark. Colors come out perfectly, the 50MP sensor ensures great details, and the device handles bright and low-light subjects wonderfully. I couldn’t find any downsides, as the ultrawide and telephoto lenses also produced similar processing and similar shots.
Zoom and ultrawide shots
Unlike the S24 Ultra, the vivo X200 Pro includes only one telephoto lens, which can zoom up to 120x. While I wouldn’t recommend using 120x zoom-in shots, photos taken at 5x to 50x are excellent, maintaining sharp details, natural colors, and a balanced dynamic range. Furthermore, Vivo has implemented a macro mode on the telephoto lens, which works like magic. It captures some of the best macro shots I’ve ever taken.
While ultrawide cameras haven’t been a big priority on past Vivo flagships, the one on the X200 Pro is pretty good. It delivers accurate colors, minimal distortion, and fine details in daylight conditions. That said, I wish it had a slightly wider field of view.
Selfies and videos
The 32MP Samsung ISOCELL KD1 selfie shooter on the Vivo X200 Pro works well. Of course, the fact that it doesn’t have autofocus is a big problem, but photos are good, with enough detail in daytime conditions and somewhat balanced skin tones.
Vivo has taken a major step forward in the video department. All four cameras on the X200 Pro can record 4K@60fps videos, while the telephoto lens supports 4K@120fps videos. Specs aside, the results from the X200 Pro are excellent. The phone does a solid job of processing videos pleasingly while maintaining sharpness and natural colors.
vivo X200 Pro Review: Software
Vivo X200 Pro runs FunTouch OS 15 on top of Android 15. As mentioned in previous reviews, I am a fan of Vivo’s UI. It’s slick, the animations are amazing, and the UI is generally super fast and doesn’t contain a lot of bloatware. Apart from this, the company has also bundled many useful features.
First and foremost, Vivo has partnered with Google to bring Circle Search to the X200 series, which is super useful for searching things. The Gallery app has a new natural language search feature and AI live translation for calls. Furthermore, FunTouch OS 15 also includes AI Transcript Assist for Voice Notes and AI Notes Assist, which organizes your notes into a manageable summary.
Finally, there are many AI photo editing features, including AI object eraser and AI repair for old photos. I tested both, and the results were solid. The AI ​​eraser did very well at removing background objects, while the repair feature helped bring out more detail from old blurry photos.
Should you buy vivo X200 Pro?
At 94,999 INR, vivo X200 Pro is the most complete flagship smartphone. It has the best camera setup of any phone, the screen is amazing, the design is great, the processor is blazing fast, and the battery life is off the charts.
The X200 Pro has no inherent limitations, making it the best flagship smartphone money can buy right now. And if you are a Samsung or iPhone user, I think it’s time to give vivo X200 Pro a shot.