vivo X200 hands-on review

2024-10-19

The vivo X200 is smaller than both its predecessor and its Pro sibling, however, the circular camera island on the back is just as big – and the cameras on it just as impressive.

vivo X200 specs at a glance:

• Body: 160.3x74.8x8.0mm, 197g; Glass front, aluminum alloy frame, glass back; IP68/IP69 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.67" AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 4500 nits (peak), 1260x2800px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 460ppi.
• Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 9400 (3 nm): Octa-core (1x3.63 GHz Cortex-X925 & 3x3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 & 4x2.4 GHz Cortex-A720); Immortalis-G925.
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.0.
• OS/Software: Android 15, OriginOS 5 (China).
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.6, 23mm, 1/1.56", PDAF, OIS; Periscope telephoto: 50 MP, f/2.6, 70mm, 1/1.95", PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Ultrawide: 50 MP, f/2.0, 15mm, 1/2.76", AF.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.0, 20mm (ultrawide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K, 1080p, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps.
• Battery: 5800mAh; 90W wired, Reverse wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4, aptX HD, LHDC 5; NFC; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

This year, vivo chose a 6.67” display for the vanilla model, down from 6.78” last year. This makes the X200 several millimeters shorter than the X100 and it’s half a millimeter thinner (7.99mm vs. 8.5mm). However, it’s not that much narrower (74.8 mm vs. 75.2mm) and not that much lighter (197g vs. 202g), so the in-hand feel is only slightly improved.

The display has a quad-curved design and is a Zeiss Master Color Screen, which renders natural hues. It’s an OLED panel with 1,260 x 2,800px resolution (20:9) and 10-bit colors (HDR10+). It runs at 120Hz, note that this isn’t an LTPO panel. The display can reach 4,500 nits peak local brightness and uses 2,160Hz high-frequency PWM dimming. There is a built-in fingerprint reader, but it is the optical kind rather than ultrasonic like on the Pros.

vivo’s BlueVolt battery, which uses a third-generation silicon anode, is significantly denser (834Wh/L) than that of the X100 – the new, smaller phone has 5,800mAh capacity, up from 5,000mAh. And it’s a durable battery too, vivo says that it can be charged at -20°C (-4°F). According to vivo, you can spend 20 hours watching videos or playing games for 10.5 hours before you deplete the battery. Once that’s done, it will be quick to recharge at 90W (but there’s no wireless charging).

Speaking of gaming, this is among the first phones with the Dimensity 9400, which promises a 35% gain in single-core CPU performance and 41% improvement in graphic rendering. Ray tracing gets a massive 40% boost too, making this one of the first phones to hit 90fps in Arena Breakout, which makes heavy use of ray tracing.

The vivo X200 is capable of going on real world adventures too, as it is rated IP68 for dust and water resistance. It now has an IP69 rating too, so you can wash it with hot water and not worry about damaging it.

The phone is equipped with a trio of Zeiss lenses. The main camera has a 50MP sensor (IMX921, 1/1.56”) with a bright f/1.57 lens with OIS. It is joined by two other 50MP modules – a 70mm periscope with an f/2.57 lens and a 15mm ultra wide (f/2.0, 1/2.76”), both with autofocus. Interestingly, it’s the tele lens that is used for macro photography, not the ultra wide. The lenses have Zeiss T* coating, which cuts down reflections and improves the light transmittance of the glass.

The X200 is a 5G phone and while it doesn’t have satellite connectivity like the X200 Pro, it is nevertheless useful in case of emergency. A new offline communication technology based on Bluetooth can send voice messages between compatible phones at up to 2km (1.2 miles) and SOS texts at up to 4km (2.5 miles). This is useful in cases of emergency when the cell network goes down or in places that are outside of cell coverage.

The X200 is available in the same four colors as the X200 Pro and we photographed all four. The new Sapphire Blue is the hero color. It looks like a wavy brush stroke and the paint particles that are embedded in the glass catch light coming from different angles.

Today’s event only covered the X200 series launch in China, so we don’t know whether the vivo X200 and its siblings will be available elsewhere. For what it’s worth, both the X100 and X100 Pro launched in India, but only the X100 Pro made its way to Europe. vivo is keeping mum on the subject for now. The X200 is on pre-order in China right now and will be available from Saturday (October 19) starting at CNY 4,300 (this converts to $605/€555/₹51,000) for a 12/256GB unit, but options go all the way up to 16GB/1TB.