Vivo X200 Pro review: Impressive, but not groundbreaking

Conclusion on the Vivo X200 Pro

In conclusion, the Vivo X200 Pro is one of the best smartphones, if not the best, on the European market. It impresses with a very strong overall package without any major weaknesses. Highlights include the high-quality casing, the bright OLED display, the flawless performance, and the outstanding zoom camera. The battery life, the fingerprint sensor, and the stereo speakers are also impressive across the board.

The videos and the high RRP of €1.299 are less convincing. Of course, we mustn't forget that the competition has similarly priced – in some cases even more expensive – smartphones in its portfolio, but that doesn't really make it any better. Even though the Vivo X200 Pro hardly shows any weaknesses, it lacks the groundbreaking feature that clearly sets it apart from the competition and justifies the high price. Therefore, the Galaxy S25 Ultra or Google Pixel 9 Pro are certainly the better choice for many, as they are (currently) significantly cheaper. However, anyone simply looking for an all-around strong smartphone with the best zoom camera on the market and willing to pay the premium price will definitely be happy with the Vivo X200 Pro. Personally, I like it the best of all the 2025 flagships so far.

We would like to thank Vivo Austria for providing the test device!

Haptics, design & processing

Display – it couldn’t be better

The display measures 6,8 inches diagonally and has a razor-sharp resolution of 2.800 x 1.260 pixels, making it virtually impossible to see individual pixels during use. The pixel density is 452. It also boasts a smooth refresh rate of 120 Hz, which is particularly noticeable. Scrolling and animations on the Vivo X200 Pro are among the smoothest on any smartphone.

Colors are reproduced very realistically in "Natural" color mode, which I really like. The white level is excellent, and thanks to OLED, the black level is also really good. The viewing angle stability is very stable – even when tilted sharply to the side, the colors hardly change color. My absolute highlight of the display, however, is the maximum brightness. The panel can be used even in bright environments. proeasy to read. Vivo is definitely at the top here.

Software

The software is Funtouch OS, based on Android 15. According to the manufacturer, the Vivo X200 Pro will receive security updates until 2030. Major Android updates will end in 2029. That's fine, but Samsung and Google, in particular, offer significantly more in this area.

I already praised the Vivo V40 for how Funtouch OS has become increasingly cleaner and simply better over the past few years, and the same is true of Funtouch OS on the X200 Pro. The home screen, notification bar, control panel, and lock screen all appear clean and well-thought-out. Fortunately, there's no bloatware. The Settings app is a bit confusing in my opinion, but that may also be due to the numerous additional features, some of which are very well implemented. For example, you have the option to customize the Always-On Display or configure the animation when unlocking using the fingerprint sensor integrated into the display. Almost all other animations can also be customized. You essentially determine how the user interface looks and functions—that's exactly why I like Funtouch OS!

Performance – excellent

There's a small peculiarity under the hood: unlike most of this year's flagships, the Vivo X200 Pro doesn't use a Snapdragon processor. Instead, vivo relies on the MediaTek Dimensity 9400. Just like the Snapdragon 8 Elite, it's manufactured using a 3-nanometer process, which makes it very efficient on paper. Even in everyday use, I didn't notice any differences in efficiency compared to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Heat development is also good.

But how about performance? Excellent! Apps launch and close incredibly quickly, thanks to Vivo's extremely well-optimized animations. I didn't notice any stuttering or lag, and the overall operating speed is extremely fast. Even with more complex tasks, the X200 Pro doesn't pose any problems. Vivo is definitely at the forefront here, and I even find its performance slightly better than that of the HONOR Magic 7 Pro.

Battery – it can hardly be better

The battery has a capacity of 5.200 mAh, which is pretty decent. I'm always progot through a day without a load without any problems and even two days were mostly proThis is easily possible. With a screen-on time of 3,5 to 4,5 hours, I still had at least 50 percent and a maximum of 70 percent battery left at the end of the day. For comparison, I achieved almost the same results with the HONOR Magic 7 Pro. I simply love how much better battery life has become on smartphones in recent years. Hats off to Vivo!

If the battery should run out prematurely, there's no reason to panic, because the Vivo X200 Pro recharges in a flash. It can be fully charged with up to 90 watts of power in just under an hour. Unfortunately, the appropriate power adapter isn't included, which I'd recommend for the current price I find it a real shame. Wireless charging is possible with up to 30 watts, which is okay, but definitely not a top-of-the-line value. HONOR, for example, delivers a bit more here.

Camera – the true zoom champion

On the back is a triple camera setup developed in collaboration with ZEISS. It's positioned as follows:

• 50 megapixel main camera: f/1.57, 1/1.28 inch
• 50 megapixel wide-angle lens: f/2.0, 1/2.76 inch
• 200 MP Zeiss telephoto lens with 3,7x optical zoom: f/2.67, 1/1.4 inch

The main camera of the Vivo X200 Pro delivers impressive images with outstanding dynamic range and excellent sharpness. Especially in daylight, the photos are full of detail and look simply stunning. In terms of sharpness, the Google Pixel 9 Pro However, it does hold its own well. The colors depend heavily on the selected mode: in "Natural Color" mode they appear beautifully natural and balanced, while the "Vivid" mode is far too oversaturated for my taste – it might look impressive at first glance, but for my taste it's simply too much. Even in low light, the camera performs at a very high level. The sharpness is good and the exposure seems very well balanced – the Vivo X200 Pro even handles difficult lighting conditions very well. One small drawback: the white balance often tends to be too warm, which makes the images appear slightly yellowish. This isn't always noticeable, but can be distracting in some scenes.

The ultra-wide-angle camera continues the high standards of the main camera. What particularly surprised me was that the sharpness is even better than on the Google Pixel 9 Pro, something not many smartphones in this category can achieve. The dynamic range is also strong, and distortion at the edges of the image is pleasantly minimal. Even in low light, the ultra-wide-angle camera performs well. However, compared to the Pixel 9 Pro, the rather unreliable white balance is noticeable here too.

Now we come to the absolute highlight: the zoom camera. I have to say – this is the best smartphone zoom camera I've ever used. Especially between 5x and 10x magnification, the images are simply outstanding. The sharpness is extremely high, and even fine details are preserved. Even at 30x magnification, the photos are still usable – something I've rarely seen before. Even in low light, the zoom camera delivers really good results. Zoom cameras usually struggle with blurry, noisy images at night – but Vivo has really done a great job here. The HONOR Magic 7 Pro can't keep up in a direct comparison, and the Google Pixel 9 Pro also has to admit defeat. Unfortunately, I can't say how it compares to the new Xiaomi 15 Ultra, as I haven't tested the 15 Ultra (yet).

For selfies, a 32 megapixel front camera is responsible, which delivers solid results with high sharpness proUnfortunately, the videos are the camera's only drawback. They're by no means bad, but the image noise is far too high for such an expensive smartphone. Additionally, the image stabilization could be a bit better, and the colors are oversaturated. Samsung and Google are noticeably better here.

Other – Fingerprint sensor, vibration motor & more

As befits a flagship, the Vivo X200 Pro is equipped with stereo speakers. They get very loud and deliver clear sound with comparatively powerful bass. Even at high volumes, the sound is still pleasant.