Vivo X200 Pro review: A camera perfectionist, reliable performance, and a worthy flagship

Vivo X200 Pro review: When we think about flagship smartphones, very few brands and models come to our mind such as Apple iPhones, Samsung Galaxy S series, Google Pixel, etc. However, there is one such underrated brand which has been making its way to the top with its exceptional features, top-end camera capabilities, flagship performance, and whatnot. If you haven’t guessed, I am talking about the China-based brand “Vivo” which has made its way to the top by competing with these dominant smartphone brands. The year 2024 has been quite a crucial year for Vivo, it not only introduced its first foldable to the Indian market, but it also won many hearts with last year’s Vivo X100 series.

Now, just before the year ends, Vivo has launched the new X200 series comprising two models Vivo X200 and Vivo X200 Pro. The new generation was announced with significant upgrades over the predecessor and has some new capabilities that have blown my mind. While I have heard a lot about the popularity of the X100 series from tech experts, it is my first time reviewing any X series model from Vivo. Therefore, I had high expectations for the series, but it not only delivered, it exceeded my expectations.

I have been using the Vivo X200 Pro for over 3 weeks now, and I am flabbergasted by its camera performance, flagship performance, and more. Therefore, without any further adieu, let’s have a look at how the Vivo X200 Pro has been winning hearts.

Vivo X200 Pro review: Design

The Vivo X200 Pro was introduced with a similar design profile as its predecessor, however, there are several noticeable refinements which make the X200 Pro look highly premium. Since the smartphone is camera-centric, the first thing you may notice is the massive circular camera module which takes about half of the smartphone’s rear panel. If I am honest, I was not a very big fan of the camera bump that surrounds a bulky metal ring and glass. But, it surely exudes a premium feel.

Apart from the bulkiness, the camera island feels sturdy, however, If you are a clumsy person like me, you may want to carry the device with a phone case as it wobbles when kept on a flat surface. It also features a matte glass panel and the well-crafted aluminium frame with curved edges feels very comfortable to the hand. And the bonus point is that it does not attract fingerprints or dust. The Vivo X200 Pro is more durable with IP68 and IP69 ratings, making it resistant to high-pressure water jets.

Overall, the Vivo X200 Pro feels highly premium in terms of design and the flat screen which almost every smartphone brand is adopting this year. Vivo surely knows how to impress buyers just by the look and feel and I may pay a whopping Rs.95000 just for the looks of it.

Vivo X200 Pro review: Display

The Vivo X200 Pro features a 6.78-inch quad-curved 8T LTPO AMOLED display with 1.5K resolution. It comes with support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, providing an exceptional viewing experience for HDR content. One of the smartphone’s unique features is that its adaptive display automatically adjusts the colours from warm to cool based on the content displayed on the screen. This feature is good for reducing eye strain.

The Vivo X200 Pro offers up to 4500 nits peak brightness for HDR content, which is also enough for viewing during direct sunlight conditions. It also comes with a new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that enhances security and unlocks the device. It also offers up to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate that makes usage smoother when managing day-to-day activities or even gaming. Therefore, the Vivo X200 Pro provides a flagship experience with a top-end display, smoother usage, best-in-class viewing experience, and impressive brightness. Therefore, if you are someone who consumes a lot of content via smartphone, then the Vivo X200 Pro will be a treat to your eyes

Vivo X200 Pro review: Camera

Now, let’s talk about the real deal which Vivo X200 Pro offers, the X series device is famously known for its camera capabilities, but is the new gen really up to the created hype? Well before getting into the details, let’s know about what new has Vivo introduced to the Vivo X200 Pro camera that makes it the best in the flagship market. Firstly, the smartphone features a 200MP telephoto camera with ZEISS APO floating lens technology and there are new camera modes such as super landscape mode, street photography for professionals, and more. For videography, Vivo has enhanced the smartphone capabilities allowing improved 1080p shooting and 4K with 120FPS, allowing users to capture detailed videos. Now, let’s dive deep into the photography experience and performance.

Daylight photography

Vivo X200 Pro daylight pictured comes out to be absolutely stunning with sharp detailing, vivid colours, and impressive dynamic range. While there is post-processing involved, the camera does not saturate the scene or colour but enhances the lighting which gives a more refined look. However, in the main camera, you may notice the whites appearing brighter than usual which may look odd but can be balanced with basic photo editing. The good thing about the camera is that irrespective of an indoor or outdoor scene, it enhances the brightness and lighting which makes to image look like it was captured from a professional camera.

Nighttime photography

In the nighttime scenario, the Vivo X200 Pro works more impressively, it doesn’t produce lens glare or make the light look any brighter. It beautifully captures the details without any noise or distortion. Most importantly, there is no grainy effect or saturation noticed, just pure and natural images and I enjoyed it throughout the time of my usage. I also compared the nighttime photography with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and I was stunned to see how brighter and detailed the image of Vivo X200 Pro provided. In simple words, the Vivo X200 Pro is just the best camera smartphone I have used this year.

Portraits are the best

Another noteworthy feature of the Vivo X200 Pro camera is the portrait mode. Here, you can explore five focal lengths, 23mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and finally 135mm. My favourite was to use the 85mm for capturing subjects. The impressive part of this mode is that it lets you manage the background blur before or after clicking the image. Therefore, if you are not sure about the background blur, you can just edit it after and it does not ruin the image at all. In terms of portrait pictures, I would just say it’s a pure perfection and work of art. You do not need an expensive DSLR camera as Vivo X200 Pro would do the job beautifully.

Street photography- The new beast for professionals

With Vivo X200 Pro, the company has announced a new Streety Photography mode which has an entirely new user interface. While it’s developed for professional photographers, it can also be managed by a normal user as well with basic settings. It offers four different modes, textured, black and white, vivid, and ZEISS natural. It also offers other advanced features which enable users to capture professional camera-like images

Vivo X200 Pro review: Performance

Talking about performance, the Vivo X200 Pro is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 9400 paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. For multitasking and day-to-day usage, the smartphone is smooth as butter, offering the expected flagship performance. If you are someone who heavily relies on graphic-intensive gameplay, multitasking, high-resolution content watching, or photoplay, the Vivo X200 Pro is the one for you.

This device handles anything you throw at it and it does not budge even a little bit. During testing, I played several games such as BGMI, Call of Duty, and some little time with Genshin Impact and I did not notice any lag, frame drops, or choppy gameplay even after playing for more than an hour. However, you may notice slight overheating near the camera module, but it is not very noticeable. Since it’s a camera-centric smartphone, I do not have any complaints about the performance since the overall usage was seamless. It also offers some impressive on-device AI features in collaboration with Google.

My only roadblock as a smartphone user was the number of bloatware I came across. Despite being a flagship product, the Vivo X200 Pro has an excessive amount of pre-installed apps which clutters the user experience.

Vivo X200 Pro review: Battery

Finally, the Vivo X200 Pro is equipped with a 6000mAh fancy new Semi-solid state battery which Vivo says is safer than the Li-on batteries. In terms of battery life, you can get up to 8 hours of usage with heavy tasks such as using social media, using the camera, multitasking, etc. However, with basic usage, you can easily use the smartphone for up to 10 to 12 hours which is quite promising. The supports 90W wired charging which boosts the device from 1 to 100% in about 45 minutes. Therefore, the Vivo X200 Pro has also excelled in battery life testing, offering all-day usage without any interruptions.

Vivo X200 Pro review: Verdict

Now, should you buy this smartphone? Well if your sole purpose of buying a smartphone is photography, then the Vivo X200 Pro is the best in the market. From professional street photography to DSLR-like portraits, you get everything in this one device. This smartphone is picture-perfect for all kinds of photography and videography. Additionally, it also offers an impressive performance with light gaming, smooth multitasking, and lasting battery life. However, note that the smartphone does not come at an affordable price as it has a price tag of Rs,94999. Additionally, if you are not a fan of FunTouchOS, then you may not like the user experience much as it has a lot of bloatware and the user experience with the OS is not quite smooth. Overall, the Vivo X200 Pro is a stunning device and it has refined its camera game very beautifully.