vivo X200 Pro review cover

vivo X200 Pro review – Superb flagship camera phone tested

vivo has been on a roll of late with the launch of an array of phones across all price ranges though their flagship camera phone, the titular vivo X200 Pro, is taking most of the limelight. 

Lauded by pundits for its tele macro photography capabilities and its ability to capture crisp shots from a distance in concerts, the vivo X200 Pro is certainly a unique offering in a market replete with dozens of cookie cutter contenders, but is it worth the money? 

vivo Malaysia kindly loaned us a test unit for field testing – after taking it for a spin for the past week, here’s our vivo X200 Pro review where we share our findings on whether their powerhouse camera phone is worth your money.

vivo X200 Pro review – Build and Design

The vivo X200 Pro bears somewhat of a resemblance to its predecessor the vivo X100 Pro with a similarly large rear camera housing, rounded corners as well as a similarly sized 6.78-inch AMOLED display though it has a number of subtle, but important improvements on top of the obligatory bump up in performance from the new Dimensity 9400 chipset.

Unique to the vivo X200 Pro is the inclusion of an improved IP69 rating which is higher than the current IP68 industry-standard, which certifies that the phone is able to withstand pressurised jets of water from all angles on top of being able to survive in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes at a time.

vivo X200 Pro review  front

While not immediately apparent, the vivo X200 Pro also has tough Armor Glass protecting the 6.78-inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED display that vivo claims increases drop resistance by 11 times compared to the material used in the older vivo X100 Pro’s touchscreen. The display is also brighter with a claimed 4,500 nits peak brightness which comes in handy especially when the phone is used under direct sunlight.. 

Improved durability aside, our vivo X200 Pro review sample has a similar layout as its predecessor. You get a power button and volume rocker on the right side and an otherwise unremarkable top and left side save for several opaque antenna bands cut into the metal chassis.

The base of the phone holds a nano SIM card tray, a USB-C port for charging duties as well as a speaker grille with the other one set into a tiny slit just above the 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED 120Hz display that gently curves downwards on all of its four edges to meet the frame.

vivo X200 Pro review camera knurling

The rear portion of our vivo X200 Pro review unit hosts its most distinctive feature – the large rounded rear camera housing that has subtle knurling around its circumference much in the fashion of a real camera lens housing as well as the ZEISS logo and red T* Coating logo subtly emblazoned in the centre. 

There’s no official mention but it is likely that the camera housing itself is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus much like its predecessor the X100 Pro. Bar the camera housing, the backplate also support for wireless charging.

vivo X200 Pro review side

vivo X200 Pro review – The camera housing sticks out prominently from the rear such that the phone does not lie completely flat when placed face up on a flat surface

While the camera housing is indeed striking and distinctive, it’s also rather large and bulges out from the chassis such that the phone cannot lie perfectly flat when placed face-up on a table though it is fortunately symmetrical so it doesn’t wobble about.

When held, our vivo X200 Pro review sample felt premium indeed with the metal frame and backplate lending it a luxurious tactility with the chassis having a relatively even heft when held and sufficiently comfortable enough to use one-handed. 

In Malaysia, the vivo X200 Pro can be acquired in either Black or Titanium Grey with our test sample being the latter which looks rather posh when viewed from afar while remaining relatively fingerprint resistant.

vivo X200 Pro review extras

vivo has also provided a generous selection of accessories including a pre-applied screen protector on the display, a free casing, a 90W fast charger and its accompanying USB cable to go with the phone which lends it added value especially since many competing phones are omitting these accessories in this day and age.

vivo X200 Pro review – Performance and Benchmarks

Rather than opt for the usual Qualcomm Snapdragon options in many other competing phones, vivo has stuck with MediaTek for the vivo x200 Pro, specifically their 3nm Dimensity 9400 chipset that is built on TSMC’s second generation process and which has 28% better CPU performance, 40% lower CPU power consumption and 41% better GPU performance off its Immortalis G925 GPU compared to its predecessor the Dimensity 9300 CPU used in the vivo X100 Pro.

This is paired with fast 16GB LPDDR5X RAM with the option to assign up to 16GB of additional Extended RAM virtual RAM off the onboard 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. Running under the hood of our vivo X200 Pro review sample is the latest Android 15 and their own Funtouch OS 15 interface. Here’s its specifications at a glance:

 

Price RM4,699
Display 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED, 2,800 x 1,260 pixels resolution, 0.1-120Hz refresh rate, 4,500 nits peak brightness, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 2,160Hz PWM dimming
Processor Mediatek Dimensity 9400 + vivo V3+ chip
OS Android 15 with Funtouch OS 15
Memory 16GB LPDDR5X / 512GB UFS 4.0
Cameras 50MP F/1.57 ZEISS True Colour Main Camera w/ PDAF and OIS + 50MP F/2.0 + 200MP F/2.67 ZEISS APO Telephoto w/ PDAF, OIS, 3.7x optical zoom [rear] / 32MP F/2.0 [front]
Battery 6,000mAh Silicon-Anode w/ 90W FlashCharge, 30W wireless FlashCharge (18 hours video playback, quoted)
Size/Weight 162.36 x 75.95 x 8.49mm / 223g

This array of hardware is flagship grade, letting the vivo X200 Pro go toe to toe with other flagship phones of recent vintage. When subjected to benchmarks with the default 16GB of Extended RAM virtual RAM, our vivo X200 Pro review unit managed the following benchmarks:

3D Mark Steel Nomad Light 2,418
3D Mark Steel Nomad Light Unlimited 2,428
3D Mark Solar Bay 11,457
3D Mark Solar Bay Unlimited 11,545
3D Mark Wild Life Extreme 6,218
3D Mark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited 6,223
Geekbench 6 Single core 2,733
Geekbench 6 Multi core 8,159
Geekbench 6 OpenCL 21,190
Geekbench 6 Vulkan 24,034
PCMark 3.0 Work Performance 16,622
PCMark Battery Life   20 hours 3 mins
Geekbench 6 AI (CPU) 3,691 (quantised)
Geekbench 6 AI (GPU) 1,203 (quantised)

When compared to its predecessor the vivo X100 Pro with its Dimensity 9300 chipset, our vivo X200 Pro review sample easily outpaced it with a consistent lead in single, multicore and graphics performance and can even give phones packing the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite a run for their money.

In tests, the vivo X200 Pro proved to be a potent powerhouse, with its Dimensity 9400 processor in tandem with its fast LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage offering fast performance and smooth multitasking. Apps opened nigh instantly and demanding games  were handled on high settings in a smooth fashion befitting a flagship.

Of note is its stability, with our vivo X200 Pro review sample enjoying an exceptional 87.2% stability in the 3D Mark Steel Nomad Light stress test with well managed heat levels ranging from 28°C – 43°C while enjoying a 2,420 best loop score and 2,109 lowest loop score.

Funtouch OS is a generally smooth experience though it does experience an unusually high number of pop-ups and notifications especially in regards to suggestions on apps to install though this can be dealt with permanently. Fortunately, it also has access to Circle to Search by Google for searching stuff and can also translate highlighted reams of text.

The 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display is among the best on test with exceptional brightness at a quoted peak 4,500 nits for clarity even under sunlight and an ultra smooth dynamic refresh rate that can go as low as 0.1Hz or as fast as 120Hz depending on what you are doing onscreen for superior battery efficiency. 

Colour rendition is excellent as well and the display also supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HDR10+ as well for high dynamic range content. Movies looked fantastic, brimming with detail and lush colour rendition as well as deep blacks, making the phone ideal for Netflix binging.

vivo X200 Pro review circle to search

The surreal colours of Squid Game Season 2 and its hot pink Squid Guards and the teal tracksuit wearing contestants looked especially vivid onscreen. The stereo speakers on hand also did well, offering a good level of volume and a fair amount of detail to accompany films and for casual music listening.

vivo X200 Pro review squid

Keeping our vivo X200 Pro review sample powered is a 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery which offers more battery efficiency with a quoted 90W of wired fast charging as well as 30W wireless charging. In field tests, the phone offered exceptional battery life with the PC Mark battery life benchmark offering a whopping 20 hours and 3 minutes of battery life which is an exceptional score by any measure. 

If you stick to the usuals like texting, social media browsing, a few minutes of calls and the like, you’ll comfortably get a comfortable full day and a half of normal usage though your mileage will vary depending on how you use your phone with heavy camera usage and gaming radically draining battery life. Fortunately, charging speeds off its proprietary charger are fast with a full charge from dead zero taking about 55 minutes or so on default settings.

Vivo X200 Pro Review – Cameras

vivo has lavished their X200 Pro with an immensely capable triple camera array. You get a primary 50MP f/1.57 ZZEISS True Colour Main Camera that uses a top-shelf 1/1.28-inch Sony LYT-818 sensor along with optical image stabilisation (OIS). 

vivo X200 Pro review - rear camera

Alongside the main camera, you get a massive 200MP f/2.7 telephoto camera that leverages a large 1/1.4-inch Samsung Isocell HP9 sensor that is capable of up to 3.7x optical zoom, tele macro photography and up to 100x digital zoom for capturing stills from extreme distances. Rounding off this setup is a 50MP f/2.0 ultra wide angle camera that relies on a Samsung Isocell JN1 sensor for scenery and large group shots. 

vivo X200 Pro review  front camera ultrawide

vivo X200 Pro review – Ultrawide angle camera at 0.6x at dawn

vivo X200 Pro review  front camera 1x

vivo X200 Pro review – Primary rear camera at 1x at dawn

vivo X200 Pro review  front camera 3.7x

vivo X200 Pro review – 2x zoom on primary rear camera at dawn

vivo X200 Pro review  front camera 2x

vivo X200 Pro review – 3.7x zoom on primary camera at dawn

vivo X200 Pro review  front camera 10x

vivo X200 Pro review – 20x zoom on primary rear camera at dawn

vivo X200 Pro review  front camera 100x

vivo X200 Pro review – 100x zoom on primary rear camera at dawn

No expense was spared with the lens as well with the lens of the main and telephoto camera featuring a ZEISS *T Coating with GLC coating technology, technologies that typically appear on full-fledged camera lenses that reduce ghosting and haze. The 200MP camera also features a ZEISS APO certification, attesting to its ability to minimise chromatic aberrations.

vivo X200 Pro review  rear 2

 

The enhancements don’t end there and vivo has kitted out the phone with a dedicated vivo V3+ chip built on a 6nm process solely dedicated to improving night and portrait video shots with the ability to offer 4K HDR cinematic portrait videos even in challenging backlit conditions.

That’s not all, vivo has ensured that the phone is a cinematographer’s delight and have kitted it out with a ZEISS Cinematic Portrait video mode, video bokeh capabilities and support for 10-bit log and 4K@60fps Dolby VIsion recording too.

vivo X200 Pro review  rear night

Combined, the vivo X200 Pro’s rear triple camera setup makes for an immensely capable setup on paper with an emphasis on up-close macro work and steady shots from a distance that has the ability to capture up to 8K@30fps video too with 4K video offering up to 30x digital zoom and seamless swapping between stills and video. Up front, you get a single 32MP F/2.0 camera for video calls, up to 4K@60fps video and selfies which seems otherwise unaltered from the vivo X100 Pro.

vivo X200 Pro review  front camera

In daylight conditions, our vivo X200 Pro review sample yielded excellent shots brimming with detail and lifelike colour rendition out to 3.7x lossless optical zoom.vivo X200 Pro review  rear night

Beyond that, vivo’s robust ISP and V3+ chip helps to yield equally excellent shots out to 30x zoom. While shots are viewable at maximum 100x zoom, the camera does its best work at up to 30x in the vast majority of scenarios encountered by most users. 

 

vivo X200 Pro review  rear night 1


vivo X200 Pro review – In low light, the phone was able to catch this signboard from an impressive distance

Where it gains the edge is in tele macro photography, rivalling some competing designs as it relies on its main 200MP camera and offering up to 20x tele macro zoom to capture exquisitely intricate details like the whiskers on a cat and intricate details on a snail.

vivo X200 Pro review - cat

vivo X200 Pro review – The resident office cat captured on auto settings

vivo X200 Pro review - cat 2

vivo X200 Pro review – Tele macro allows for excepctionally up close capture of the cat’s foot pads up close

vivo X200 Pro review - Tele macro zoom

vivo X200 Pro review – The tele macro zoom is able to capture intricate details up close like this small snail

The vivo X200 Pro’s camera array also excels for use in concerts via a dedicated Stage mode in its settings such that it’s able to zoom in to the stage even from quite a distance away to yield very shareworthy shots.

vivo X200 Pro review concert low light (1)

vivo X200 Pro review -Captured at the Pinkfish concert in low light from a distance

vivo X200 Pro review -Captured at the Pinkfish concert in low light

vivo X200 Pro review -Captured at the Pinkfish concert in low light with zoom enabled – allowing for a good view of the dee jays even from a significant distance

vivo X200 Pro review -Even with the challenging light conditions, the phone was able to capture good detail

vivo X200 Pro review -Even with the challenging light conditions, the phone was able to capture good detail and colours

The fact that it’s able to do so in the challengingly dim light conditions of a concert with little stabilisation is quite a feat indeed. Of note is the fact that the rear cameras have fast and effective focus with the V3+ chip allowing the camera to rapidly lock on to challenging subjects with high dynamic rage without having to fiddle about like a shot of KL’s skylines at dawn while retaining detail in the buildings and capturing the burning orb of the sun with equal detail.

Concerts aside, the rear camera also serves up otherwise excellent shots in dim light conditions that preserve a lot of detail and dynamic range out to its default 3.7x zoom while offering surprisingly good colour rendition. Beyond that, there’s a bit of smooshing of fine details if you pixel peep especially in densely detailed shots like buildings and the like but results are still pleasantly shareworthy. 

Videos at 4K@60fps on the rear prove to be smooth and detailed with the option for video bokeh as well as 10-bit log and ZEISS Cinematic Portrait mode offering a wealth of creative options for aspiring auteurs. In contrast, the front camera with its fixed focus does a serviceable job with good skin tones and detail but pales in comparison to the vastly better rear camera array.

All said, the vivo X200 Pro has one of the best rear camera setups mounted on a phone that many near peer contenders would be hard pressed to match.

Should you buy the vivo X200 Pro?

The vivo X200 Pro is an immensely capable flagship camera with a wealth of features, exceptional performance and endurance via its IP69 rating as well as one of the best rear camera setups in the smartphone market. 

Bar the modest OS and security updates which aren’t as long as existing incumbents in the market, the vivo X200 Pro makes for an easy recommendation especially for those seeking a flagship phone with excellent rear camera performance.

vivo X200 Pro review  rear

Vivo X200 Pro review sample courtesy of vivo Malaysia. For more details please visit https://www.vivo.com/my/products/x200-pro

4.7
  • Display
  • Performance
  • Cameras
  • Battery Life
  • AI Capabilities
  • Value