Vivo X200 Pro Review
Quite possibly the best camera phone yet
Verdict
The Vivo X200 Pro could be the best camera phone ever, but beyond the cameras, it impresses on all fronts. It’s fast, has a huge battery and a stunning display. The biggest challenge will be getting your hands on one.
Pros
- Exceptional camera system
- Plenty of power
- Massive battery
- Big, bright display
Cons
- Limited availability
- Chunky design
- AI features are a little basic
Key Features
- Incredible camera systemWith big sensors, high resolutions, amazing macro capabilities and Zeiss-backed colour tuning, the Vivo X200 Pro has one of the most impressive camera arrays on the market.
- Serious speedPowered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9400, the Vivo X200 Pro is sharp and speedy at all times, and it’s great for gaming too.
- Massive batteryThanks to advancements in silicon-carbon battery tech, Vivo was able to squeeze a massive 6000mAh cell into the X200 Pro.
Introduction
The Vivo X100 Pro was my favourite camera phone of 2023, and I liked it so much that it was my SIM remained inserted in it for a lot of 2024.
Since then, Vivo has released the X100 Ultra, regarded by many as the best camera phone ever, but it has never made its way out of China. Now, the X200 series has been launched globally, and some of that Ultra DNA is finally making its international debut.
I should note that while this is a global launch, the list of supported countries excludes the UK and US, which is a great shame. However, you’ll be able to buy the handset in some European regions, as well as South East Asia and India. But, depending on where you’re based, getting your mitts on this handset might be trickier than you’d like.
Availability woes aside, the hardware here is so impressive that it’s worthy of discussion. It packs a wild camera array, including the largest telephoto sensor with the highest resolution that we’ve tested so far. It also has a gigantic battery, MediaTek’s latest flagship chip and some serious professional video features, like 4K 120fps capture and a LOG profile.
The Vivo X200 Pro has the potential to be the best camera phone of the year, and maybe even the best phone. I couldn’t wait to try it for myself, and after spending the last week with it, here’s what I think.
Design
- 162.4 x 76 x 8.2mm, 223g
- Aluminium frame, glass back
- IP68 / IP69 rated
The Vivo X200 Pro features a large centrally-placed camera island on its rear panel, a lot like last year’s Vivo X100 Pro. That phone already had a massive camera bump, but this one is even more pronounced. Just one look at this device lets you know it’s very serious about photography, but if you don’t like having bulging pockets, it might not be for you.
Elsewhere, Vivo has opted for a more boxy design. It ditches the sweeping lateral curves of its predecessor in favour of flatter, more iPhone-like, side rails. The front and rear are both mostly flat, with symmetrical micro-curves on all sides. It looks and feels quite similar to the Oppo Find X8 Pro, just with a thicker camera unit.
The rear panel is made from glass and has a smooth matte feel that’s completely immune to fingerprints, at least in the Titanium colourway that I have for testing. It’s also available in a subtle Black finish and a flashier Blue variety with a swirling pattern on the rear.
Just like the Oppo Find X8 series, the Vivo X200 Pro boasts an IP68/69 rating for dust and water resistance. This new standard means that it has been tested to withstand blasts of hot water, on top of all the usual tests. For most people, it’s not something that will ever matter, but regardless, this phone is extremely well protected against the elements.
There’s a basic transparent TPU case included in the box to keep it protected, and while it’s not going to wow you with its quality, it’s always nice to get a freebie. There’s also a factory-applied plastic screen protector, but these things always pick up smudges and scratches too easily for my liking, so I ripped it off at the first opportunity.
Screen
- 6.78-inch 120Hz 1260×2800 OLED
- Quad micro curves, Armor Glass
- 4500 nits peak brightness
The most noticeable change in the display is the new shape. I’m a huge fan of Vivo flagships, but I’ve never liked the curved screens, and this quad micro curve design is a massive improvement.
Essentially, it means the whole screen is flat, and the curves only start around the bezel. So you get all the benefits of a flat panel – like fewer reflections, no colour shifting and no mistouches – but you still get a lovely smooth feeling when you swipe from the edge of the display. It’s the best of both worlds, and the only downside is that the phone feels a little thicker in the hand.
It’s a very spacious display, measuring 6.78 inches diagonally, and it’s very well-specced. It’s an LTPO panel with a refresh rate that can dynamically shift from 1-120Hz as needed, and it’s exceptionally bright, able to hit 4500 nits at its peak. You’ll never have trouble seeing this screen, no matter how sunny it is.
The screen also boasts a staggeringly quick 2160Hz PWM dimming rate. If you’re sensitive to flicker, you should have no trouble with this screen, no matter the brightness level. There are plenty of other eye protection features built in, too, including anti-fatigue brightness adjustment, low-blue-light modes and more.
It’s an impressive screen, and it looks superb with HDR content thanks to that added brightness. Vivo has now extended its partnership with Zeiss to include screen calibration, ensuring that colours are extremely accurate in the default Zeiss Natural Color profile. Of course, if you prefer a more vibrant look, there are tonnes of settings available for you to tweak as you see fit.
Cameras
- 50MP main camera (1/1.28-inch sensor)
- 50MP ultrawide (1/2.76-inch sensor)
- 200MP 3.7x telephoto (1/1.4-inch sensor)
- 32MP selfie camera
As the gigantic camera bump suggests, there are some serious sensors on the rear of the Vivo X200 Pro.
Surprisingly, the main camera sensor has shrunken slightly compared to the previous gen, it’s now a 1/1.28-inch unit rather than a full 1-inch type sensor. However, Vivo says improvements in sensor tech mean that its light-gathering capabilities are not affected.
The periscope telephoto sensor, on the other hand, is much larger. It’s now a 1/1.4-inch sensor, the same size as the main camera on the Oppo Find X8 Pro, and the largest telephoto sensor we’ve seen to date.
It also has a massive 200MP resolution and a slightly shorter focal length equivalent to 85mm on a full-frame camera. In theory, the 200MP resolution should make up for the reach, as you can crop in further without losing much quality.
Meanwhile, the ultrawide carries very similar specifications to its predecessor, as does the 32MP selfie camera.
The X200 Pro takes stunning photos, and the large sensor sizes mean that it’s one of the best options in dimmer lighting conditions. I’m addicted to the new telephoto snapper, 85mm is my favourite focal length for street photography on my “proper” camera, and the results you can get with this phone are just mind-blowing.
Firstly, it’s not the typical wide FOV that you get from a phone, so images immediately feel a little more professional. Then, there’s the natural compression and bokeh you get when taking close-ups, which again gives the appearance of photos taken with a mirrorless camera rather than a phone.
Speaking of close-ups, the minimum focus distance is very impressive on this lens, too. It doesn’t quite rival the Pura 70 Ultra’s telephoto, which is almost like a microscope, but it can still deliver gorgeous macro shots.
As usual, the ultrawide is the least impressive lens, but it’s still very good. It’s a useful 15mm equivalent that’s great for landscapes and group shots, it just doesn’t have quite the same fidelity as the other two lenses. I was pleased to find that it has autofocus, so it can be used for close-ups as well.
The selfie camera delivers excellent results, but it still lacks autofocus, which I think is a bit of a shame. Vivo’s V-series mid-rangers have some of the best selfie cameras in the business, largely thanks to their autofocus lenses, surely it’d make sense to use them here.
That aside, you’re unlikely to be disappointed with shots from the front-facing camera. Vivo’s portrait processing is second to none, and even heavily backlit shots come out with a beautifully balanced exposure and sharp details. The Zeiss-inspired artificial bokeh effects look lovely, too.
If you’re more interested in video, Vivo has also stepped its game up in that department. There’s now a LOG profile, so you can apply your own colour grade, and it can shoot up to 4K 120fps (with audio) for buttery smooth slow-motion shots.
Video stabilisation is excellent, the microphones are decent and autofocus seems to have been improved quite dramatically. One of my biggest gripes with the X100 Pro is that the autofocus was a little hit-and-miss in video mode. This model has a new autofocus algorithm, complete with eye detection, and so far, it seems much more reliable.
Performance
- MediaTek Dimensity 9400
- 16GB RAM, 512GB storage
- Dual stereo speakers
The Vivo X200 Pro is powered by MediaTek’s top chip, the Dimensity 9400, and it’s a bit of a beast. We were impressed with this silicon when we tested the Oppo Find X8 Pro, and it performs just as well with this model.
In some cases, like with the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme benchmark, it easily bests the mighty Snapdragon 8 Elite. However, in other tests, like the GFXBench suite, it falls short. Regardless, it smashes all the best performers using last-gen SoCs, and even the most elite mobile gamer will be satisfied with this handset.
In the real world, this phone feels lightning-quick and it’ll run the most demanding games at maximum settings with ease. It gets pretty warm if you’re pushing the limit for an extended period, but I was pleased to find that it never became uncomfortable to hold.
There’s a pretty comprehensive game mode built in, and you can access a quick settings menu by swiping from the left side of the display while a game is running. Here, you’ll find all the usual stuff like performance modes, notification blocking and messaging, but there were a few additions that I didn’t expect to see.
The game overlay now offers advanced features like frame interpolation, upscaling, game vibration and windowed play. We’ve seen these features before on phones from the likes of RedMagic and Asus ROG, but to find them on a non-gaming-specific handset is a very rare treat.
The Vivo X200 Pro has dual stereo speakers and they’re quite impressive. The Vivo X100 Pro already had very decent speakers, but these sound a little fuller, with more punch in the low end. They’re not going to rival a Bluetooth speaker or headphones, but if you’re watching Netflix or playing games around the house, these will get the job done handily.
Software
- FunTouch OS 15
- Based on Android 15
- Circle to Search and Gemini
The global version of the Vivo X200 Pro runs FunTouch OS 15, Vivo’s customised variety of Android 15. I haven’t always been the biggest fan of FunTouch. it’s not a bad skin, but it doesn’t have the same level of polish as its rivals. That’s still true, to an extent, but this version is the best it has ever been.
Part of the reason is Vivo’s deeper integration of Google services. FunTouch OS 15 comes with Circle to Search and it has Gemini as the default assistant. There aren’t a huge number of AI features included, but those that are here are all powered by Gemini, and as a result, they work very well.
Circle to Search is starting to appear on more and more Android phones, but it’s not available on all of them, and I certainly miss it when it’s not there. So, hats off to Vivo for getting in on the action early.
As for the other AI features, they’re about as basic as they come. You’ll only find things like automatic transcription and translation, nice to have, but not exactly exciting. I’m not complaining, some manufacturers go all in on AI trickery, but when it comes to features I actually use, Gemini can handle pretty much everything.
I wasn’t so happy to see the amount of bloatware that comes pre-installed. Vivo is far from the worst offender, but there’s quite a lot of junk here, including a folder filled with recommended apps. Thankfully, FunTouch allows you to remove apps in bulk, so cleaning it up doesn’t take long, but a flagship device like this shouldn’t require you to do so.
Otherwise, I find myself with little to complain about. FunTouch has a bit of a glow-up and it’s looking slicker than ever. It’s still slightly behind Color OS when it comes to smoothness and animation speed, but the gap is closing, and it’s very easy to live with.
Battery life
- 6000mAh silicon carbon battery
- 90W wired charging
- 30W wireless charging
Thanks to recent advancements in battery tech, Vivo was able to cram a super-sized 6000mAh battery pack into the X200 Pro. It’s also a very speedy charger, capable of accepting up to 90W with a wire and 30W without. You’ll need a very specific Vivo charger to take advantage of the maximum wireless charging speed, though.
The wired charging speed has been reduced by 10W compared to last year’s model and the wireless speed is 20W slower, if you’re keeping score. Despite that, I can’t imagine anyone complaining about the speeds on offer here. It’s still enough to get you 50% charged in well under half an hour, and considering this is a 6000mAh cell, that’s impressive stuff.
With my typical use, which is on the heavy side, with lots of video streaming, camera use and doomscrolling, I typically went to bed with 30% or more left in the tank. That’s plenty, but to be honest, I expected better from a 6000mAh pack. Maybe it’ll improve as FunTouch OS receives updates and optimisations, but regardless, it’s more than enough to get through the day, which is all you really need.
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Should you buy it?
You want the best camera phone around
The Vivo X200 Pro is easily one of the most impressive camera phones available today. If you value photography over everything else, this needs to be on your radar.
It’s not available in your region
Unfortunately, Vivo’s definition of “global” tends to exclude the UK and the US, and that means getting your hands on this phone can be quite tricky. You can always import, but that comes with its own set of complications.
Final Thoughts
The Vivo X200 Pro is a real delight, and if you’re ok with carrying a fairly chunky phone, with an absolute unit of a camera bump, you’re sure to love it too. This is likely the best camera phone available in the global market today.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that cameras are the only attraction here, though, it has a lovely display, powerful performance, solid battery life and speedy charging. It looks and feels extremely premium, too.
The downside is the availability. This phone isn’t coming to the UK, and to no one’s surprise, it’s not coming to the US either. The only European countries that are currently confirmed are Spain, Italy, Poland and Hungary.
So for a lot of our readers, the only way to get one would involve importing, which is a real shame, as most people aren’t going to want the hassle. That said, if there is ever a phone that’s worth the hassle, this is it.
If importing doesn’t appeal, I think the best alternative is the Oppo Find X8 Pro. It has had a much broader release (including the UK) and it has cameras that come very close to matching Vivo’s amazing snappers. Besides, it has advantages of its own, including more advanced AI features, a slightly more polished OS and support for the Blackmagic Camera app.
If you can get your hands on it, though, the Vivo X200 Pro will not disappoint. It’s an exceptional phone, and easily one of my favourites.
How we test
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as a main phone for over a week
Thorough camera testing in a variety of conditions
Tested and benchmarked using respected industry tests and real-world data
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FAQs
Yes, the Vivo X200 Pro is rated IP68/69, which means it can withstand dunks in freshwater as well as jets of hot water. It’s very well protected.
Yes, the global version of the X200 Pro supports eSIM, but the Chinese model doesn’t. So if you need eSIM, make sure you get the version with FunTouch OS installed.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
