Vivo X200 Pro Review: Tantalising telephoto

It’s an unusual dynamic in the smartphone photography arena when the telephoto lens emerges as the defining feature, yet that’s precisely the case with the Vivo X200 Pro. My time with this device has revealed a deliberate and somewhat backward-seeming strategy by Vivo – a recalibration of certain elements to facilitate significant advancements elsewhere, most notably in its remarkable 200-megapixel periscope telephoto. In our in-depth vivo X200 Pro review we see if the rest of the device can knock our socks off like the telephoto experience.

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This isn’t just about sheer resolution; it’s the lens’s versatility that truly shines, delivering results that consistently impress. The X200 Pro ultimately presents a mobile photography package that stands among the most complete on the market, further underscoring the incremental progress observed in the dominant phone brands.

Design & Build

The Vivo X200 Pro marks a departure from previous Vivo devices by omitting prominent marketing labels on the phone body. Beyond the Zeiss logo (including its T* Coating) and Vivo’s own branding, the design avoids unnecessary visual embellishments.

Vivo has also refined the hardware with a welcome flatter screen, retaining only a subtle edge and more rounded corners. The semi-matte aluminium sides enhance grip and ergonomics, particularly when holding the phone for photos.

While the material of the glass back is unspecified, its visual impact is dominated by the significantly enlarged camera module, a common trend among flagship phones, though notably larger than those on iPhones, Samsung Galaxies, or Google Pixels. This substantial camera bump is also evident from the side profile, though the included silicone case offers minimal visual mitigation.

Durability is a strong point, with IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance. The IP69 designation indicates the phone’s ability to withstand high-pressure, high-temperature water jets, offering added peace of mind.

The front features the familiar 6.78-inch AMOLED (2,800 x 1,260) panel seen in the X90 Pro, now with tougher Armor Glass, Dolby Vision support, and increased peak brightness for compatible content.

Internally, Vivo distinguishes itself with the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 processor, a 3nm chipset positioned to compete with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite. Memory and storage configurations start at 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with options scaling up to 16GB and 512GB or 1TB.

The phone carries a noticeable weight, similar to an iPhone 16 Pro Max. The combination of curved front and back glass with a potentially slippery finish raises handling concerns without a case. Given its strong camera focus, a faux-leather back could have enhanced both grip and aesthetic.

The right-side buttons offer satisfying tactility, with sufficient protrusion and a positive click.

The Vivo X200 Pro is available in three colour options: Titanium Gray, Carbon Black, and Cobalt Blue. Its robust build extends to excellent environmental protection, with both IP68 (dust and submersion resistance) and IP69 (high-pressure water jet resistance) ratings. The unboxing experience includes a 90W charger, USB-C cable, and a transparent case.

Display

The Vivo X200 Pro features a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with minimal bezels, resulting in an immersive 90% screen-to-body ratio that feels impressively modern. The panel supports a smooth 120Hz refresh rate.

Users can choose from three colour calibration presets, along with an adaptive colour mode that adjusts based on ambient lighting. A particularly intelligent blue light filter utilizes AI to fine-tune blue light reduction while attempting to maintain colour accuracy. A standard blue light filter option is also available.

The display boasts a remarkable peak brightness of 4,500 nits, primarily relevant for HDR content. In more typical full-screen scenarios (20% APL), the brightness still exceeds 2,000 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. The minimum brightness of 1.6 nits is less ideal for very low-light viewing, though the smart colour calibration attempts to mitigate this somewhat.

The in-screen fingerprint scanner employs ultrasonic technology, an upgrade from the optical sensors used in many competitors, including the previous Vivo X100 Pro. Ultrasonic scanners offer enhanced security and accuracy, even with slightly damp or smudged fingers. The X200 Pro’s unlocking speed and reliability were found to be consistently good.

Camera(s)

Our comprehensive camera benchmark tests reveal the Vivo X200 Pro’s photographic prowess, particularly highlighting its exceptional 200MP zoom camera, which achieved the highest zoom clarity to date, surpassing current competition. While the main camera nearly matched the top smartphones, the selfie camera appears to be a relative weakness.

Taking a look at that telephoto, let’s start with this scene taken of Cape Town with the main camera we will then zoom in on.

You can barely see the highway sign in the middle of the image, which we then zoom in on to reveal the split of the N2 and M3 driving out of the city. Notice the depth of field of the buildings in the background as well. Truly impressive.

In its default setting, the X200 Pro tends towards generous exposure, resulting in bright images that avoid blown-out highlights. However, this brightness can occasionally lead to a slightly washed-out appearance. Thankfully, users can choose between the default Vivid mode and a more natural, Zeiss-tuned option.

Colour reproduction is slightly saturated, offering a pleasing vibrancy without straying too far from realism – a common preference among smartphone users. Detail captured by both the main and zoom cameras is impressive, with subtle sharpening that avoids harsh artifacts.

As expected, the ultra-wide camera exhibits softer details compared to the main sensor, and its colour rendition is also less accurate, particularly with blues in daylight skies tending towards a neon hue.

The selfie camera delivers acceptable results, though it imparts a somewhat pinkish-pale tint to skin tones, and its dynamic range is noticeably narrower than the main camera’s. Detail capture, however, remains decent.

Comparing the X200 Pro’s video capabilities to the well-tested Galaxy S25 Ultra reveals Vivo’s inclination for brighter footage. This can sometimes make the video appear slightly washed out, although highlights are generally well-preserved. Conversely, the Vivo excelled in nighttime video, producing brighter and more realistic footage, whereas the S25 Ultra introduced a noticeable red cast on the subject’s face. Video detail on the Vivo is excellent, and the 200MP zoom camera clearly elevates its video zoom capabilities.

Software

FunTouch OS remains a somewhat average Android skin, presenting a generally stock-like visual experience overshadowed by a significant amount of pre-installed bloatware. This includes third-party applications such as Facebook, Lazada, Truecaller, and LinkedIn, alongside Vivo’s own less desirable additions like the Hot Apps/Games shortcuts and Lockscreen Poster advertisements.

Compounding this, the phone prompts users to download even more bloatware post-setup, although a small “skip” option is available. On the positive side, Vivo commits to four major OS upgrades and five years of security patches, which, while not matching Google or Samsung’s superior policies, meets the minimum expectation for a device in this premium price range in the South African market.

The Vivo X200 Pro also incorporates several AI-powered features, including object erasing, photo upscaling/enhancement, people removal, and recorder summaries. Regrettably, the majority of these functionalities necessitate an active internet connection, while the recorder summarization feature requires a Vivo account. While offline manual object removal is possible, the results are generally subpar.

Performance

As one of the initial devices featuring the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 chipset, the Vivo X200 Pro delivers flagship-level performance in benchmarks. However, its CPU performance still trails the Snapdragon 8 Elite. While the X200 Pro outperformed the ROG Phone 9 Pro in ray tracing stress tests, it either matched or fell behind the ASUS device in other GPU stress tests. The phone also exhibited higher temperatures compared to the Snapdragon-powered competition, though it remained cooler most other hardware intensive gaming devices.

Notably, some of the other Dimensity-equipped phones have sometimes demonstrated superior and more consistent performance, continuing a trend where recent MediaTek-powered Vivo phones have shown inconsistencies in sustained performance. This suggests a potential area for Vivo to focus on optimization, particularly in sustained performance and cooling solutions.

In real-world usage, the Vivo X200 Pro provided a seamless experience. I encountered no system performance issues during multitasking, app launching, or screen transitions. Demanding games like Genshin Impact ran smoothly at 60fps. The only instance of performance lag occurred when capturing multiple consecutive full-resolution 200MP photos, which resulted in a multi-second delay between shots – a common limitation observed in most phones with a 200MP camera option.

Battery

The Vivo X200 Pro boasts a substantial 6,000mAh silicon battery. During my testing, I consistently achieved around eight hours of screen-on time, which, while not exceptional, is still commendable. I put the phone through a demanding day during a recent work trip to Denmark, involving a morning media event with extensive photo and video capture and uploading, followed by afternoon sightseeing with more photography, and evening activities including dinner and amusement park photos until late. Impressively, even with heavy usage including navigation via Google Maps until 11 PM, the phone still retained approximately 30% battery.

More typical, moderate usage patterns in Cape Town resulted in needing to charge the device every other day. While the upgraded battery capacity doesn’t translate to a full three days of typical use, it still offers respectable endurance for a flagship device.

Charging is swift thanks to the included 90W wired charger, capable of fully replenishing the battery in under an hour. However, the bundled charger lacks PPS support and utilizes a USB-A to USB-C cable, which feels somewhat dated. For those preferring a cable-free experience, the phone also supports 30W wireless charging.

Conclusion

The Vivo X200 Pro offers a compelling flagship experience in South Africa, primarily distinguished by its revolutionary 200MP telephoto camera, setting a new benchmark for mobile zoom. Coupled with an admirable primary camera, it’s a strong contender for photography enthusiasts.

The refined design and robust durability are positives, along with the vibrant display and reliable ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. While performance from the Dimensity 9400 is generally smooth, sustained performance and the bloatware-heavy FunTouch OS are areas for improvement.

The battery life is commendable with fast charging. Ultimately, the X200 Pro’s exceptional camera capabilities make it a standout device in the local market, despite some software and sustained performance considerations.