Vivo X200 Pro Evaluation: The Premier Smartphone to Outshine in 2025
Vivo's flagship series is renowned for its stellar portrait camera capabilities, and following my assessment of the Vivo X100 Pro, I selected the X200 Pro due to its return of the review unit. However, earlier models had some shortcomings, such as subpar battery life and software. Vivo has finally managed to rectify all these issues with the X200 Pro, transforming it from a simple camera-focused device to a comprehensive flagship that stands out. With the new year approaching, I have high expectations for the X200 Pro to set the bar in 2025.
Unmatched Camera Capabilities
The X200 Pro boasts an impressive triple camera system comprising a 50MP primary sensor, a 200MP periscope telephoto lens, and a 50MP ultrawide lens. Vivo replaces the 1" sensor with a 50MP 1/1.28" Sony LYT818 sensor, which is not a significant downgrade, although it may call for more natural bokeh without using Portrait mode. Users, including myself, tend to utilize the telephoto lens more frequently than the primary lens, and this has been met with upgrades.
The X200 Pro is equipped with a new 200MP periscope telephoto lens that supports macro capabilities. This enhancement results in a more natural optical zoom of 3.7x, while the 50MP ultrawide-angle lens remains unchanged. The cameras are protected by Zeiss T* Coating, which reduces lens flare (similar to the iPhone).
With excellent photo quality, all three cameras excel in capturing photos during daylight. They deliver a wide dynamic range, along with impressive detail and accurate white balance. Photos captured using both the primary and telephoto lenses are pleasing, as the vibrant colors avoid oversaturation.
The telephoto camera is powerful, offering excellent detail in addition to an appealing color tone. Moreover, human subjects are represented with appealing skin tones, and background separation is noticeably improved when using Portrait mode, with improved edge detection.
Portrait mode utilizes a 135mm focal length, which does not feature directly in the Photo mode, but accessing it in Portrait mode is enjoyable. The X200 Pro takes outstanding portraits at 50mm and 85mm focal lengths, while the 35mm focal length has also seen enhancements in terms of detail and clarity.
Playing around with Zeiss bokeh effects and filters provides an enjoyable experience, with the Vintage effect being a personal favorite. With impressive zoom capabilities, the X200 Pro delivers excellent photos up to 7.4x, which is remarkable for a phone with a single telephoto lens, although 10x zoom photographs may lack fine details but still maintain a high level of quality.
Switching to the Macro mode results in new perspectives with remarkable details, outstanding background blur, and excellent tonality.
In low light conditions, the X200 Pro outperforms most flagships. Both the main camera and 3.7x zoom lens replicate the distinctive Vivo look—vibrant, sharp, and detailed photos. However, under warm artificial lighting, images may display a warmer appearance than expected, and the indoor warmth-lit photos may seem softer.
The camera interface features an abundance of features while remaining uncluttered. Vivo has also added a new Street photography mode, which demonstrates a more contrasty look and feel. The X200 Pro offers numerous features to explore to enhance your photographs.
All three cameras support 4K30 and 4K60 video recording, with the primary camera supporting 8K30 at 1x and 2x. The main and telephoto cameras can record at 4K120, while ultra stabilization supports 2.8K at 30fps or 60fps across 1x, 2x, and 3.7x. If you produce a lot of videos, you will need to test out the best combinations of lenses for yourself. The stabilization is outstanding, and the footage appears sharp and vibrant.
The selfie camera remains unchanged, providing a 32MP shooter that performs well during daytime but is subpar in low light.
If I had to choose a camera system from the iPhone, Galaxy, Pixel, and Vivo, I would opt for the Vivo X200 Pro for its outstanding capabilities in portraits and also its impressive performance in low light. Neither the iPhone nor the Pixel can compete in the portrait department, while the iPhone also falls short in low light conditions.
Addressing Past Issues
Having possessed the Vivo X100 Pro for over nine months, I encountered persistent issues, such as the device being slippery, the excessive curvature of the display, and a battery life that could not surpass one day. The Vivo X200 Pro addresses all of these concerns.
The X200 Pro offers a refined in-hand feel, featuring a wider and shorter design rather than a tall and narrow one. Although it weighs 228 grams, which is not the lightest, it feels premium rather than bulky. I do not find the prominent camera module bothersome; instead, I would opt for this design with superior functionality over a minimized module with compromises.
On the external front, the X200 Pro sports a 6.78-inch UHD AMOLED display that boasts a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate. It represents an improvement over the X100 Pro, with reduced side curves for improved usability. It peaks at 4,500nits for supported HDR content (supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision). It is legible in direct sunlight, and the screen retains a vivid appearance, making it enjoyable for media consumption. In addition, it features reduced screen flicker for less eye strain with 2160Hz PWM dimming.
The screen is shielded by Vivo's Armor Glass, supposedly offering 11 times greater drop resistance than average. My experience indicates it performs better than the Vivo X100 Pro, being the only phone I've damaged due to an accidental drop so far. The X200 Pro also earned an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, along with an IP69 rating for resistance against pressurized water flow.
Moving on to the battery, which I've found to last an entire day, the Vivo X200 Pro features a 6,000mAh carbon silicon battery, supporting 90W fast charging and 30W fast wireless charging. I've been perfectly content with charging my phone once in the morning and getting through the day without any worries.
Powerful Performance and Enhanced User Interface
The Vivo X200 Pro is driven by the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 SoC, comparable in performance to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. It comes paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. In actual usage, I encountered no lags or stutters, and multitasking proved smooth. BGMI ran without trouble even at its maximum settings.
The new ultrasonic fingerprint scanner proved to be 100% effective in my testing. It operates swiftly and allows users to personalize the animations according to their preferences.
The Android 15-based FunTouch OS 15 boasts a more refined look; however, its animations appear slower compared to Oppo's ColorOS. Notifications can still be received from the Browser app, and I appreciate the cleaner interface overall. There's still room for improvement, though, particularly concerning better widgets and quicker animations.
Vivo offers various AI features such as AI transcript assist, AI Note Assist, AI-enhanced signal boost, and AI screen translation, among others. However, like most AI features on smartphones, these need improvement to become more dependable. As an example, a human input is necessary for the auto transcript function. Regardless, having it on my device undeniably simplifies tasks.
Vivo promises four years' worth of Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates for the X200 Pro. This promise is quite reassuring, given that the Vivo X100 Pro was among the first to receive the Android 15 update.
Vivo X200 Pro Review: Conclusion
Retailing at INR 94,999 (approximately USD 1,110), the Vivo X200 Pro is more budget-friendly compared to popular flagships like the iPhone 16 Pro, Galaxy S24 Ultra, or Pixel 9 Pro XL. Its main competitor, the Oppo Find X8 Pro (INR 99,999), offers a superior software experience although battles with inconsistent Hasselblad color calibration.
The Vivo X200 Pro maintains and strengthens its predecessor's advantages while addressing key weaknesses. With the market's leading camera system, a crisp display, impressive performance, reliable battery life, and ergonomic design, it represents the most complete Vivo smartphone as of yet—and one of the top all-around flagships you can purchase. To me, it stands out as the best value-for-money flagship of the year.
Advantages:
- Good grip
- Exceptional camera quality
- Most adaptable camera system available
- Brilliant and intense display
- Reliable battery life
Disadvantages:
- Potential improvement in selfie camera performance
The Vivo X200 Pro's competitive pricing makes it an appealing option against flagships like the iPhone 16 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, which are priced significantly higher. Meanwhile, the Oppo Find X8 Pro, while offering a superior software experience, struggles with inconsistent Hasselblad color calibration.
During the review process, I discovered that the X200 Pro performs impressively when compared to the Apple iPhone 16 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in terms of camera capabilities and battery life, outperforming both in many aspects.
When considering which camera system to choose from the iPhone, Galaxy, Pixel, and Vivo, the Vivo X200 Pro takes the lead with its exceptional portrait capabilities and impressive performance in low light conditions. While the iPhone and Pixel falter in the portrait department, the iPhone also struggles in low light conditions.
