vivo X200 Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Just Okay

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The vivo X200 aims to strike a balance between flagship features and practical compromises, but the execution feels cautious. It shares the Dimensity 9400 chipset with the Pro variant, ensuring performance parity, yet the battery takes a hit—5,800mAh here versus the Pro’s 6,000mAh. 

The 90W fast charging is another downgrade from last year’s 120W. The IP68/IP69 rating aligns with current trends, but the main camera is slightly smaller at 1/1.56”, compared to last year’s 1/1.49”, while the rest of the cameras remain unchanged.

So, how does the vivo X200 stack up against competitors like the Find X8, OnePlus 13, iPhone 16, or Galaxy S25? How good is it in isolation? More importantly, has vivo addressed software complaints from previous models, or is the software experience still its Achilles’ heel? Let’s break it down.

vivo X200 Price & Availability

The realme 13 Pro is available in two finishes—Cosmos Black and Natural Green. It is available in two RAM and storage configurations:

  • 12/256 GB: ₹65,999
  • 16/512 GB: ₹71,999

The vivo X200 is available on Amazon, vivo.com, vivo offline stores, and other retailers.

Pros

  • Good display brightness
  • Solid 3X telephoto lens with good focusing distance 
  • Smooth gaming performance
  • Fast charging speed 
  • Good in-hand feel
  • IP68/IP69 water resistance
  • Solid battery life
  • 4 + 5 updates

Cons

  • Missing wireless charging
  • No Dolby Vision support
  • Color oversaturation on display
  • Software bloatware can’t be disabled 
  • No LTPO
  • USB 2.0

vivo X200 Review: Specifications

Display6.67-inch LTPS VisionOX, 120 Hz, 4500 Nits, 1260 X 2800, 460 PPI, Schott Xensation Alpha
SoCMediaTek Dimensity 9400 (1x 3.63 GHz Cortex-X925, 3x 3.3 GHz Cortex X4, 4x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A720, Immortalis-G925, 3nm)
RAM12/16 GB LPDDR5X
Storage256/512 GB UFS 4.0
Main Camera50 MP Sony IMX921, 1/1.56-inch, f/1.59, OIS, PDAF, 23mm, 4K30/60
Ultra-wide Camera50 MP Samsung ISOCELL JN5, 1/2.76-inch, f/2.0, AF, 120°, 4K30/60
Telephoto/Periscope50 MP Sony IMX882, 1/1.95-inch, f/2.67, OIS, 3x optical, 70mm, 4K30/60
Front Camera32 MP Samsung ISOCELL KD1, 1/3.44-inch, f/2.0, 23mm, 4K30/60
SpeakersStereo speakers with earpiece, LHDC
Battery and Charging5,800 mAh, 90W Flash Charge, PD
IP RatingIP68 + IP69 (1.5m for 30m)
Connectivity5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, eSIM
BiometricsUnder-display optical fingerprint, 2D face unlock
Weight197
BuildGlass back, metal frame

vivo X200 Review: Unboxing

Right out of the gate, the packaging feels a step above the usual from other brands. The squarish box deviates from the standard rectangular design, giving a premium first impression. Inside, you’ll find:

  • The vivo X200 itself
  • A USB-A 90W charger (last year’s 120W USB-C PD charger is missed)
  • A USB-A to USB-C cable (no C-to-C this time)
  • A transparent case (an opaque or silicone option would’ve added a touch of class)
  • SIM ejector tool

It’s a well-rounded package, but the downgrade in charging accessories and the lack of a better-quality case feel like missed opportunities.

vivo X200 Review: Design & Build

vivo X200

The vivo X200 delivers a mix of premium and practical, but with a few quirks. The back comes in either a glass or “glass fiber” finish, depending on the color. My Natural Green unit feels velvety to the touch but tends to attract smudges, while the Cosmos Black offers a matte finish. 

The in-hand feel is good, though the device is slightly slippery. Unfortunately, the included transparent case doesn’t help—it feels like your usual transparent case and uninspired.

On the top, you’ll find an IR blaster and mics, while the power and volume buttons are placed ergonomically on the side for easy reach. The bottom houses a USB-C 2.0 port (disappointing for 2025), dual Nano SIM slots with eSIM support, more mics, and the primary speaker. Stereo sound is enabled by the earpiece doubling as a secondary speaker.

The vivo X200 includes Schott Xensation Alpha screen protection but there’s also a pre-applied screen membrane so that you can get started with using the phone as soon as you’ve unboxed it. And, with IP68/IP69 certification, the phone is well-equipped to handle water and dust.

Tipping the scale at 197g and with a sleek 8mm thickness, the vivo X200 feels comfortable to hold without feeling overly bulky. However, better materials for the accessories and more thoughtful design touches could’ve elevated the overall experience.

vivo X200 Review: Display

The vivo X200’s 6.67-inch AMOLED display features a 120 Hz refresh rate, but there’s no LTPO support, meaning you’re limited to fixed modes—60 Hz, 90 Hz, or 120 Hz. Even in the so-called Smart Switch mode, scrolling isn’t smooth at 120 Hz in most apps, including vivo’s own native ones like Albums, iManager, Notes, and Themes. This forces you to lock the refresh rate at 120 Hz manually if you want consistent smoothness.

It supports HDR10+ for better visuals, but the lack of Dolby Vision feels like a major omission in this price bracket, especially since competitors like the Find X8 and OnePlus 13 include it. 

Brightness levels are impressive, with a peak of 4,500 nits (600 nits on manual brightness), ensuring excellent visibility outdoors. The auto-brightness High Brightness Mode (HBM) is also excellent. 

The display also supports 2160 Hz PWM dimming for a flicker-free experience at low brightness and Android Ultra HDR for photos. Oh, and the display is micro quad-curved, just like its Pro sibling.

But color accuracy is a sore point—out of the box, colors appear oversaturated. Viewing the same video or photo on a different device like a laptop makes the oversaturation glaringly obvious. 

To make things worse, the display settings lack a Natural profile, and there’s no ZEISS color profile like the Pro variant. The only alternative, the Professional tuning, overcorrects—muting colors entirely and adding a cooler tone, which doesn’t suit every use case.

vivo X200 Review: Speakers and Haptics

The vivo X200 delivers hybrid stereo sound with the earpiece acting as the secondary speaker. Loudness is good, vocals are clear, and the bass is decent enough for casual use. However, I do believe that the speakers need to be better at this point. 

Haptics are decent and get the job done. They’re responsive but could’ve been tighter for a more refined and premium feel.

Connectivity is up to date with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and an IR port. Dual eSIM support is a nice touch, and call quality is reliable. The earpiece is also loud enough.

vivo X200 Review: Software

The vivo X200 runs on Android 15 with Funtouch OS 15 layered on top, with 4 OS upgrades and 5 years of security patches promised by the brand. While this is great for longevity, the software experience remains a mixed bag.

The usual suspects—vAppStore, vivo Browser, Jovi Home, and others—make an appearance. Unfortunately, they can’t be uninstalled or even disabled, which is disappointing considering brands like Samsung, OnePlus, and OPPO at least allow disabling unwanted apps. vivo’s global search is also filled with ads and recommendations.

Funtouch OS has improved over the years, but it still doesn’t match the clean and refined feel of OxygenOS or ColorOS. Animations are smooth, and enabling blur effects from the Settings adds a nice touch to the UI (should’ve been enabled by default). 

Nonetheless, performance is still solid, with no noticeable lag or stutter, though minor bugs persist—like the YouTube app occasionally getting stuck (a restart fixes it).

There are some new features worth noting. The Albums app now lets you isolate a subject from the background with a long press. The new stage manager-like feature supports multiple floating windows, but app compatibility is limited. 

Most apps and games don’t support floating windows or even split screen. And, it’s not the apps; ColorOS supports these flawlessly, so the issue lies with Funtouch OS.

Widgets options feel underwhelming, and the design of the system apps isn’t particularly modern or inviting, especially the Weather app. While vivo is making strides, Funtouch OS still feels like it’s playing catch-up.

AI Features

While vivo hasn’t fully embraced AI like some competitors, there are a few features worth mentioning. AI Transcript Assist is fast and mostly accurate, while the AI Eraser is inconsistent, working well only about half the time. 

Circle to Search and Gemini AI are also here and the former works really well.

Live call transcription and translation work reliably, and you can also record calls with vivo’s native Dialer app. There’s also AI in the notes app where you can summarize, elaborate, or generate text.

If you’re curious about a deeper dive into Funtouch OS 15, you can check out our detailed overview of it against ColorOS 15 (or OxygenOS 15): Funtouch OS 15 vs. ColorOS 15/OxygenOS 15: More Contrast Than You Think

vivo X200 Review: Biometrics

The vivo X200 features an optical in-display fingerprint sensor that is fast, accurate, and secure in everyday use. However, the placement feels too low on the screen, making it less ergonomic compared to its Pro sibling and competitors like the OnePlus 13.

vivo X200 Review: Performance

The vivo X200 is powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 9400 (3 nm), packing impressive specs—1x 3.63 GHz + 3x 3.30 GHz + 4x 2.40 GHz cores, 12/16 GB LPDDR5X RAM, and 256/512 GB UFS 4.0 storage. On paper, it’s a beast. 

But in both synthetic benchmarks, it lands just below the OPPO Find X8 Pro (same chip) and Snapdragon 8 Elite rivals like the OnePlus 13. Here are the detailed benchmarks.

Synthetic Benchmarks

BenchmarkScore
AnTuTu v102,386,640
AnTuTu Storage Test190,359
Geekbench 6 (CPU)Single-Core: 2,171, Multi-Core: 7,288
Geekbench 6 (GPU)OpenCL: 19,244, Vulkan: 21,839
3DMark Wildlife Extreme5,719 (Avg FPS: 34.25)
3DMark Wildlife Extreme Stress TestBest Loop: 5652, Lowest Loop: 2831, Stability: 50.1%
CPU Throttling (50/30)Throttled to 55% (Avg GIPS: 400,914)
vivo X200 benchmarks

Gaming Performance

Gaming is where the X200 delivers. In Genshin Impact, it averaged 59.2 FPS across multiple sessions, with warming but no overheating issues. BGMI supports 120 FPS, and the X200 nails it at an average of 119.2 FPS—smooth gameplay without major heat buildup.

On Wuthering Waves, the average was 54.3 FPS, with occasional frame drops during intense moments (expected for a demanding title). It’s not as good as the Snapdragon 8 Elite but very capable still.

Thermals are well-managed, and as games get optimized for the Dimensity 9400, performance should improve further. Overall, the vivo X200 handles most tasks and games effortlessly, making it a reliable performer for daily use and gaming alike.

vivo X200 Review: Cameras

Let’s talk cameras on the vivo X200. It’s an interesting setup this time, though there are a few things to note. The main camera, while a slight downgrade from the X100, shouldn’t make much of a noticeable difference in day-to-day use. However, the selfie camera is technically a downgrade as well.

The vivo X100 used the Samsung S5KGD2 sensor (1/2.8-inch), while the X200 has a smaller Samsung S5KKD1 sensor (1/3.44-inch). On a more positive note, the 3X lens now features a 50 MP 1/1.95-inch sensor, which is larger than the previous 1/2-inch sensor and comes with a slightly larger pixel size. The ultra-wide lens remains unchanged. Let’s see how the camera performs overall. 

Main Camera 

This is where vivo flexes its muscles. The main sensor performs reliably, with sharpness that doesn’t go overboard (most of the time). There’s a slight hint of oversharpening, but it’s subtle enough to not ruin the shot. 

The HDR is decent but not flawless or the most consistent that I’ve seen. Low-light performance, though, is where this sensor almost shines. I’d call it a solid A. It handles light exceptionally well in most cases but stumbles with consistency now and then.

Shutter speed in auto mode is fast and precise and I love this. vivo also added a Snapshot mode for even faster captures, but it’s in a separate mode instead of being integrated into Photo mode like Macro is. This feels like an unnecessary detour, at least to me.

The ZEISS color mode is lovely. It does mess up the colors very occasionally but is very consistent most of the time. The vivid mode boosts up the saturation while the textured mode, you could say, adds a bit of contrast. The textured mode is very niche, though.

The Landscape Mode Isn’t That Bad 

Night mode has seen a rather strange redesign. It’s now part of Landscape mode, which is meant to streamline things and it does. Landscape mode bundles Night, Time-Lapse (4K30 or 1080p30), Panorama with ZEISS perspective correction, and Long Exposure (including a stunning Star Trails mode). I don’t have to switch multiple modes now.

Now, about Night mode: it includes a Tripod mode that activates automatically when the phone detects stability and very low light. I’ve seen it hold an exposure for 2 minutes and 48 seconds in pitch-black conditions with a very steady tripod. Impressive? Absolutely. But here’s the frustrating part—you can’t manually toggle Tripod mode or control the exposure time. 

3X Periscope

This 3X optical zoom lens (70 mm) delivers crisp and detailed shots. vivo has nailed the textures here, outperforming OnePlus, which has been slipping with its recent updates.

The focusing distance is an impressive 15 cm (approximately; measured by yours truly), making this lens surprisingly versatile for macros.

The long-range zoom (up to 100X) isn’t good but not particularly impressive.

Macro Mode

Speaking of which, the device performs admirably when it comes to macro. The ultra-wide and 3x telephoto lenses both can be used here, delivering crisp, detailed shots that I’ve found impressive. The 3X telephoto, in particular, is fantastic for macro shots, although it can get a little shaky when you push magnification to around 6X and beyond. 

Despite that, the results are still more than acceptable, and definitely better than what you’d get from devices like the OnePlus 13 or OPPO Find X8, which fall short in this area. The 15 cm focusing distance is far superior to the 50 cm seen on devices like the OnePlus and OPPO, which makes a real difference, even in day-to-day use.

Portrait Mode

The portrait mode on this device offers a range of focal lengths: 23, 35, 50, 85, and 100 mm. Out of these, the 35 to 85 mm range stands out as the best option for detailed, natural-looking portraits. These focal lengths hit the sweet spot, providing sharp and well-balanced images (well, mostly).

The 100 mm crop falls short—it tends to produce softer shots with textures that feel overly processed, which can be a bit off-putting. When it comes to skin tones, this is where vivo struggles a bit. While not always terrible, the skin tones tend to look unnatural at times. Oh, and the edge detection is mostly on-point.

Another recurring issue I faced with portrait mode is with the virtual aperture, which often defaults back to f/16 (natural aperture) even when I’ve manually set it to something like f/4. This can be annoying since it forces me to adjust it manually every time I take a portrait shot. 

What does stand out in vivo’s portrait game is its collaboration with ZEISS, bringing a variety of portrait and bokeh styles. Each style has its own unique feel, with my personal favorite being the Biotar style, which creates this dreamy bokeh effect, with a swirling blur around the subject. 

Ultra-wide

The ultrawide camera on the vivo X200 uses the JN1 sensor (1/2.76-inch, f/2.0, 120°, autofocus), delivering decent detail and minimal oversharpening. The autofocus is a nice touch, offering better focus across the frame. You can even take macros using this ultra-wide lens.

But, like most ultrawides, the low-light performance falls short. You’ll notice softness, not just in the edges but sometimes even in the center of the frame. It’s not the worst ultrawide in low light, but it’s far from impressive. 

Selfies 

The vivo X200 now comes with a smaller 1/3.44-inch sensor, while the aperture remains the same at f/2.0. This reduction in sensor size has had a noticeable impact on selfie quality, both in daylight and low-light.

The camera shoots at 23mm by default, which is really wide. So, vivo has allowed you to crop in digitally by pinching in on the screen—up to 2X. The UX isn’t exactly inviting you to zoom in, which is understandable given the tiny sensor size. 

The selfies in daylight are usable-level at best but the HDR is alright. Detail is scarce and it applies a lot of artificial sharpening once the light gets dimmer, making the image look unpleasant. 

Among the cameras on this device, the selfie shooter is undoubtedly the weakest link. If selfies are an important part of your photography or daily use, the vivo X200 will disappoint. 

Video

As for video quality, it’s good but not without its quirks. All cameras on this device support 4K 30/60 fps, which is a solid spec on paper. You can even switch between all the lenses during recording, including the front.

When filming in daylight, the main camera produces good-quality footage with decent detail and color accuracy. The ultra-wide camera’s quality is as expected and the stabilization is excellent. 

The selfie camera stabilizes well, but the overall video quality doesn’t impress, likely due to its smaller sensor size. To be honest, there’s not much hope for improvement here unless they bump up the sensor size in future models.

The 3X telephoto performs similarly to the main camera in daylight, delivering solid details and well-balanced footage. However, it struggles a bit with stabilization. 

Unfortunately, there’s no Dolby Vision or LOG recording options like the Pro sibling, which is a bit disappointing. Plus, the phone can only record in 8-bit, meaning you cannot properly convert its Rec709 footage to Rec2020 HLG.

Good Cameras? Yes.

Compared to the competition, the vivo X200 is still a very strong contender. It impresses with its sharp main camera and versatile 3X zoom. The portrait mode benefits from ZEISS bokeh styles, and the macro shots are exceptional. Video quality is also good. A strong all-rounder with minor room for improvement.

vivo X200 Review: Battery Life and Charging

The vivo X200 packs a 5,800 mAh silicon-carbon (Si/C) anode battery with a Li-Poly base, setting it apart from competitors that use Li-ion technology. Li-Poly is generally said to age worse than Li-ion, so keep that in mind.

I have an average of 6.5–7 hours of screen-on time (SoT) on this phone. Usage on Wi-Fi and 5G yields consistent results, with minimal screen-off drain—just 2.3% over 12 hours, which is impressive for standby performance.

The 90W wired charging gets the job done quickly, taking the battery from 5% to 100% in about 43 minutes. However, there’s no wireless charging support, which remains exclusive to the Pro variant. 

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the vivo X200?

Smartprix Rating: 8.5/10

Design and Build: 9/10

Display & Speakers: 8.5/10

Software: 8/10

Haptics: 8/10

Biometrics: 8.5/10

Performance: 8.3/10

Cameras: 9/10

Battery Life & Charging: 8/10

The vivo X200 is ideal for users seeking the vivo x ZEISS camera experience without the Pro price tag, especially those who want telephoto and macro capabilities. However, it’s not the best choice if you need wireless charging, USB 3.2, or a top-tier display or software experience. For that, you can take a look at the OnePlus 13 or the OPPO Find X8.

First reviewed in January 2025.


Mehtab AnsariMehtab Ansari
Mehtab Ansari is a tech enthusiast who also has a great passion in writing. During his two years of career, he has covered news, features, and evergreen content on multiple platforms. Apart from keeping a close eye on emerging tech developments, he likes spending time at the gym.

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