Vivo X200 Ultra assessment: My new favourite telephone

In the final 18 months, I used Vivo’s telephones greater than some other model. The Chinese producer rolled out one hit after one other; the X100 Pro was fabulous, after which the X100 Ultra got here alongside, beating each different telephone at taking pictures and movies. Vivo constructed on that momentum with the X200 Pro, which is well certainly one of my favourite units of 2025.

And now there’s the X200 Ultra, which has a brand new design and even higher cameras than its predecessor. Annoyingly, the telephone is not launching exterior China; Vivo continues to restrict its greatest telephones to its residence market, and it is having a tough sufficient time making certain the gadget is in inventory within the nation.

So if you would like your fingers on the X200 Ultra, you may have to go the reseller route. While I do not normally advocate it, the X200 Ultra is an outlier — it’s a minimum of the most effective telephone I utilized in 2025, and it simply outscores each different rivals in significant areas. I wasn’t positive how Vivo might enhance upon the X100 Ultra, however the X200 Ultra proves that it’s attainable.

Vivo X200 Ultra: Pricing and availability

Vivo unveiled the X200 Ultra on April 21, and the telephone is now accessible in China. The base mannequin has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and it prices 6,499 RMB ($902) within the nation. The 16GB/512GB mannequin prices 6,999 RMB ($971), and there is a 16GB/1TB mannequin that is 7,999 RMB ($1,112).

The gadget continues to be bought out in most variants, and as of writing, solely the 16GB/512GB version is offered. Just like Xiaomi, Vivo is rolling out a customized version that features a Photography Kit, and this has the 16GB/1TB variant of the telephone together with a devoted {hardware} lens, case, digital camera attachment, and different extras. This is the variant I’m utilizing, and it prices 9,699 ($1,346) in China.

Vivo X200 Ultra: Design

Brands do not actually change their designs all that a lot nowadays, and that is true of the X200 Ultra as nicely. The telephone is an enormous slab, and coming in at 229g — the identical as final 12 months — it is without doubt one of the heaviest round. To be honest, the entire Ultra fashions this 12 months are on the heavier aspect as they switched to six,000mAh batteries (exterior of the S25 Ultra, clearly), and to its credit score, Vivo did a very good job with the load steadiness.

The again of the X200 Ultra is dominated by a gargantuan digital camera island; the telephone homes 4 digital camera modules on the again, and given the dimensions of every unit and the decision you are getting, it is no surprise that the housing takes over a 3rd of the again. Thankfully, there isn’t any wobble when utilizing the telephone on a desk.

The housing is cleaner this time because it simply has a metal ring encircling it, and it provides somewhat little bit of magnificence to the design. In an analogous manner, the white mannequin I’m utilizing has a fluted sample beneath the glass that breaks up the design fairly nicely. The design extends to the midway level of the digital camera island, so that you get a pleasant dual-tone impact.

Basically, the X200 Ultra finally ends up trying that rather more distinctive, and that’s significantly true for those who’re pondering of getting the purple mannequin. The different key design change is the change to flat sides; the X100 Ultra had a flowing design, however Vivo is emulating prevailing traits in telephone design and switched to a flat profile.

That mentioned, you get appreciable bevels on the edges, so it is not uncomfortable within the least to carry and use the gadget. And though the X200 Ultra is heavy and has an outsized digital camera island, the load distribution is right, and it would not really feel unwieldy in any respect. Interestingly, you get a digital camera management button on the best that is just like that of the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Find X8 Ultra, and like these two units, I did not use it a lot after the preliminary novelty wore skinny.

While it would not appear to be it if you take a look at the photographs, the X200 Ultra is thinner than its predecessor, and it’s a little shorter and wider. All of those make utilizing the telephone simpler than the X100 Ultra, and Vivo features a respectable silicone case within the package deal, a pleasant addition.

The construct high quality is unbelievable (as you’d think about), and the aluminum mid-frame withstands tumbles with none points. On that be aware, the gadget retains IP68 and IP69 ingress safety, making it stand up to immersion in water in addition to pressurized jets.

Vivo X200 Ultra: Display

Vivo managed to fit in a barely greater 6.82-inch AMOLED panel into a tool that is shorter than final 12 months’s X100 Ultra, and it retains 120Hz refresh in addition to Dolby Vision. The telephone has razor-thin bezels and a flat panel this time, so for those who’re not a fan of the dual-curved designs which have been a mainstay over the past six years, you may be glad to know that it is not a problem on most 2025 telephones.

While it would not get as vivid because the Pixel 9 Pro XL — Google’s telephone continues to paved the way — the panel on the X200 Ultra will get simply as vivid because the X200 Pro, and it outshines nearly each different Chinese model. The telephone does an amazing job with HDR usually, however not all streaming suppliers serve HDR content material. That mentioned, I did not see any points in YouTube.

The telephone is a delight to make use of due to the manufacturing unit coloration calibration, and it has intensive customizability on the subject of adjusting the colours. You get good eye safety options as nicely, and there is 2,160Hz PWM dimming in any respect brightness ranges — a pleasant addition.

Vivo tends to not be as aggressive with throttling video games on its Chinese units, and this permits the X200 Ultra to shine in demanding titles. Basically, this is without doubt one of the greatest AMOLED panels you may get on any telephone immediately, and it’s fabulous at mundane duties in addition to gaming and multimedia. The telephone will get respectable stereo sound as nicely, and you’ll reliably use the onboard audio for those who’re simply gaming casually.

Vivo X200 Ultra: Hardware

While Vivo went with MediaTek on the usual X200 sequence, it switched to the Snapdragon 8 Elite for the X200 Ultra, and that is a good selection. The telephone is among the many quickest accessible immediately, and I did not see any points with lag or slowdowns in common use in addition to prolonged gaming periods.

Like all Qualcomm-based telephones in 2025, the gadget tends to get hotter than final 12 months’s telephones; I noticed it go as much as 50 levels after an prolonged gaming check lasting half-hour. There is not a lot in the best way of throttling, so you’re going to get steady framerates, and outdoors of gaming, the telephone would not warmth as much as any noticeable diploma.

Vivo included nearly all of the extras attainable; the telephone will get AptX Adaptive and AptX Lossless along with the LHDC 5 codec, and there is Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 — no Bluetooth 6.0 just like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra — and dual-band Global Positioning System alongside NFC, USB-C 3.2 customary with DisplayPort, and satellite tv for pc connectivity.

While I acquired the 16GB/1TB Chinese mannequin that has satellite tv for pc connectivity — just like Emergency SOS on iPhones — I wasn’t in a position to check it as it’s usable solely inside China.

Other niceties embrace an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that is quick to authenticate; it’s a lot better than the module you get on Samsung telephones, and I did not see any points in anyway on this space. The vibration motor can be nice, delivering granular suggestions that makes a distinction whereas utilizing the keyboard or navigating the interface.

Vivo X200 Ultra: Battery life

Like different Chinese telephones in 2025, the X200 Ultra will get a substantial battery enhance due to silicon-carbon tech. The telephone will get a 6,000mAh battery, and it simply lasts over a day even with heavy use. In the 2 weeks I used the gadget, there wasn’t single occasion the place the telephone did not final all day. Most of the time, I acquired a day and a half between fees, and battery anxiousness simply is not an issue nowadays — except you are utilizing a Samsung telephone.

When it involves charging, you get 90W as customary, and Vivo continues to bundle a charger within the field. You also can cost the telephone at 50W over the USB PD customary, and that is simply handy. It takes simply over 52 minutes to cost the battery with the bundled charger, so there isn’t a purpose to cost the telephone in a single day.

Vivo X200 Ultra: Cameras

Vivo is not utilizing a 1-inch sensor on the X200 Ultra, however the brand new 50MP 1/1.28-inch Sony Lytia LYT-818 module is unbelievable in its personal proper. What’s attention-grabbing is that there is a second Lytia LYT-818 sensor that handles wide-angle duties, and also you get a 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP9 tele lens with 3.7x optical zoom. Vivo is not utilizing a fourth sensor just like the Find X8 Ultra, and truthfully, the 200MP module is well the most effective of any telephoto choices accessible immediately.

The X200 Ultra has nearly the whole lot you’ll be able to think about; it does 4K120 video with the primary lenses, and 4K60 as customary with all rear cameras in addition to the entrance 50MP module, and it contains Dolby Vision at 4K60 as nicely. Video stabilization is respectable out of the field, and there is an extremely stabilization mode that mainly provides you clear footage whereas capturing handheld on the transfer.

You get a very good vary of capturing modes, and there is portrait video this time, supplying you with the power to shoot video with a constant background blur. The digital camera viewfinder has all of the modes simply accessible, and also you get Zeiss results that alter the look of pictures. I used the Vivid profile more often than not because it gives a vibrancy to the pictures with excessive distinction, however there are a half-dozen results accessible.

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The principal digital camera shoots at a 35mm focal size now, with the wide-angle lens at 14mm, and the telephoto hitting 85mm. The telephone has the most effective wide-angle lens of any gadget I used, and Vivo deserves credit score for utilizing the identical module as the primary digital camera — it makes a noticeable distinction. Predictably, the wide-angle lens takes pictures of the identical caliber as the primary digital camera, and that is simply nice to see.

The 50MP principal lens is the most effective round, and it overshadows something that Google, Samsung, and Xiaomi have to supply. I’ll do a devoted digital camera assessment of the gadget with the exterior lens, however the gist of it’s that the primary digital camera has higher dynamic vary and coloration vibrancy than the 1-inch principal sensor on the X100 Ultra, and that’s an achievement in and of itself. It delivers unimaginable photographs in difficult conditions, and even with little to no seen mild, it produced photos with loads of element and readability.

What I like essentially the most in regards to the telephone is its portrait photographs; Vivo has confirmed over the past 12 months that it is aware of how you can ship beautiful portrait pictures, and the X200 Ultra continues this development. The telephone takes photographs with glorious element and faultless background segmentation, and this can be a key purpose why I proceed to want Vivo’s telephones over OPPO and Xiaomi.

In an analogous vein, the 200MP telephoto is nothing in need of extraordinary. The HP9 module is the most effective accessible immediately, and Vivo as soon as once more put it to nice use, delivering crystal-clear photographs at 3.7x and past. I used to be in a position to get usable photographs at as much as 30x, and it stays the most effective tele lens of any flagship you should buy immediately. Like final 12 months, it doubles as a macro shooter, and also you get respectable element on this mode.

Overall, the X200 Ultra is the most effective digital camera I used but; it does a greater job than final 12 months’s X100 Ultra, and there’s no different telephone that is in a position to measure as much as it.

Vivo X200 Ultra: Software

Similar to different Vivo telephones in China, you get OriginOS 5 as a substitute of Funtouch OS 15 that’s customary on world fashions. I like what Vivo is doing with OriginOS; the interface is fluid, and also you get intensive customizability with unique options that are not accessible within the world construct.

Using a telephone with a China-focused construct is not anyplace as limiting because it was once only a few years in the past; you’ll be able to simply set up the Play Store from Vivo’s app retailer, and as soon as that is accomplished, you’ll be able to check in to your Google account (you may want to enter settings to allow fundamental Google companies), after which arrange the telephone as you’d some other gadget.

I did not see any points with Google Pay or my normal banking utilities, and for essentially the most half, it was simply as seamless as utilizing the worldwide X200 Pro. However, there are two limitations: push notifications from WhatsApp and Gmail proceed to be hit-and-miss, and within the case of WhatsApp, that included calls. Even for those who disable battery optimization (which is enabled as customary), it would not make a lot of a distinction.

I wasn’t in a position to arrange the Pixel Watch 3 with the telephone — it simply would not connect with the smartwatch, and the app crashed continually. So if it’s essential use a Wear OS smartwatch, know that you may’t pair it with the gadget. Outside of those points, there aren’t any issues with utilizing the X200 Ultra as a day by day driver.

When it involves updates, the X200 Ultra will obtain 4 Android OS updates alongside six years of safety updates, and whereas that’s on the decrease finish of the dimensions, it’s what Vivo ensures on all of its units. I might have preferred to see no less than 5 years of updates, however that is not the case.

Vivo X200 Ultra: The alternate options

Chinese producers are doing a very good job with their Ultra fashions, and the Xiaomi 15 Ultra has higher cameras than final 12 months and a design that is simpler to carry and use. While it would not fairly measure as much as the X200 Ultra — I nonetheless want Vivo’s digital camera tuning and auxiliary lenses — the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is bought globally, and would not value as a lot because the X200 Ultra, making it an honest various.

The Find X8 Ultra is the closest rival to the X200 Ultra, delivering an analogous caliber of cameras and all the opposite extras. Like the X200 Ultra, the Find X8 Ultra is proscribed to China and is not launching in different areas, so it’s simply as troublesome to come up with for those who’re exterior the nation. Out of the 2, I’d get the X200 Ultra; Vivo’s software program continues to be higher, and the design is cleaner.

Vivo X200 Ultra: Should you purchase it?

You can buy this if:

• You want the most effective cameras
• You desire a telephone with versatile lenses
• You desire a vivid AMOLED with helpful customizability
• You want dependable battery life

You should not purchase this if:

• You want world guarantee
• You need hassle-free software program

Vivo as soon as once more managed to ship the most effective digital camera telephone of the 12 months, and the X200 Ultra would not have any notable shortcomings. Yes, the software program is somewhat annoying to make use of at occasions because it would not have Google companies built-in out of the field, and push notifications have intermittent points.

However, the remainder of the gadget is excellent. It has the most effective AMOLED panel, the most effective internals, among the many greatest battery lifetime of any telephone, and the most effective cameras accessible immediately. I actually like what Vivo is doing with its digital camera tuning and sensor choice, and the model has constantly confirmed over the past 12 months and a half that it cannot solely measure as much as its rapid rivals, but additionally beat any gadget handily.

Basically, the X200 Ultra is the most effective telephone I used this 12 months. Even although it is not bought exterior China, I like to recommend going the reseller route for those who’re fascinated by upgrading to a telephone with essentially the most versatile digital camera package deal you should buy immediately.