It was early within the yr when Vivo set an Android flagship images benchmark with the X100 Professional That isn’t to say Xiaomi with Leica in its nook, and OnePlus with Hasselblad on its aspect, didn’t attempt to run it shut. When Vikas Tagra, Head of Product Administration at Vivo India says, “the X series represents excellence in the imaging industry,” it isn’t hyperbole. My suspicion is, if Vivo had introduced the X100 Extremely to India, its images benchmark lead would have been better nonetheless. The timing is curious, however by already saying its 2025 flagship, Vivo X200 Professional, the corporate desires to achieve any benefit doable from being an early mover.
Generationally, quite a bit’s modified between the Vivo X200 Professional and the X100 Professional that it succeeds. (Vishal Mathur | HT Picture)
Generationally, quite a bit’s modified between the Vivo X200 Professional and the X100 Professional that it succeeds, in simply lower than 12 months because the market forces demand that. The design sees vital modifications led by a bigger digicam island on the again, a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto digicam as an alternative of the 50-megapixel sensor within the predecessor, a 6000mAh strong state battery which is the primary of its variety and a considerably overhauled Funtouch OS 15. HT had famous earlier that Vivo stole the march by rolling out Android 15 primarily based software program for its telephones, whereas most of its rivals have been nonetheless dabbling with beta testing variations.
“While there are delights we want to talk about, we are intently listening to the pain points of our customers, who may be already using a Vivo phone, or coming from other brands,” Tagra factors out. That’s the reason for why the 50-megapixel digicam troika from the X100 Professional has been shuffled to as an alternative have a 200-megapixel telephoto (the primary of its variety, in our market), as a result of these photographs require that further detailing—extra pixels means extra information for picture processing to work with. “You’d be surprised to know what sort of photos are the favourites for smartphone photography. Nature, landscape, street photography, food, macros and wildlife. Our users tell us, it’s akin to a therapy for them,” he says.
Flagship images, and a context from historical past
It doesn’t in any respect imply that Vivo, and their companions Zeiss, have ignored the human ingredient of issues. The Multifocal portrait mode within the X200 Professional’s digicam, with 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 135mm focal lengths, allow panorama portraits, traditional portraits, determine portraits and close-ups with people on the centre. In our exams, the outcomes are virtually flawless when it comes to depth and the cut-outs processed by the algorithms. But, the all-round capabilities make for a images expertise that’s setting the images benchmark for flagships of 2025 to try to match.
It is not going to be simple, as a result of the simplicity with which the X200 Professional is ready to ship pristine photographs, isn’t one thing much more costly Android flagships have been in a position to match in entirety. Anticipate Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi and others, to strive their greatest with cameras. A smidgen of context could also be vital right here. Samsung’s 2024 flagships, the Galaxy S24 Extremely included, disenchanted with the digicam efficiency from the outset; updates did enhance issues, however largely left patrons disenchanted. Xiaomi has the partnership with German images giants Leica, whereas OnePlus depends on the experience of Hasselblad—they usually’ll intend to catch up, and surpass something Vivo and Leica have collectively managed.
It’s not usually {that a} smartphone can {photograph} the night solar in an ideal mix of illumination, element, texture and represented curvature. Or seize the small print of a high-quality texture, in a extremely low indoor {photograph}, with out it coming throughout as a low gentle shot, HT’s exams of the Vivo X200 Professional attest to its ease of use. Causes are manifold, together with the Zeiss T coating on all three sensors to cut back gentle reflections and flares, using Sony’s LYT-818 sensor for the first 50-megapixel extensive digicam, Zeiss’ picture processing experience displaying by way of in how the digicam is optimised, the V3+ chip for computational imaging, and enhancements to video as nicely together with cinematic sluggish movement in 4K decision at 120fps body charge.
Efficiency, AI and software program cleanup
The Vivo X200 Professional is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 chip, paired with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. Thats the one spec happening sale in India for now, in Titanium Gray and Cosmos Black color choices, with a price ticket of ₹94,999. That additionally places stress on a number of the upcoming flagships, together with these from, OnePlus and Samsung, to provide customers the worth they seek for. Efficiency isn’t in any respect leaving something to complain about. Take as an example, the 6.78-inch AMOLED show. On the face of it, the dimensions and determination appear to have been carried ahead from the earlier era. Nonetheless, this show too has the Zeiss Grasp Color Show ranking, the thought being the photographs clicked from the digicam look life like on this display.
Vivo made the early strikes with Android 15 too, changing into the second telephone maker after Google themselves, to have the ultimate launch of the software program obtainable to shoppers on their telephones. There are greater than minimalist tweaks to the design and interface, animations and transitions redone for pace and readability, better management over parts resembling the color system and icons and definitive enhancements that may be felt to the touch responsiveness. Vivo says the app startup instances will usually be round 20% quicker than earlier than, and there’s as much as 40% quicker reminiscence compressions to maintain efficiency constant.
“Another insight we heard from our consumers is they want the phone to last longer. That is why things such as longer OS upgrade cycles and physical elements such as the Armour Glass, are given value,” says Tagra.
In contrast to many telephone makers who’ve put the factitious intelligence (AI) options entrance and centre with latest launches by way of 2024, Vivo’s merely letting the AI performance outline utility quite than it’s one thing they shout about. The suite is quite vibrant. AI Picture Improve, in our expertise, does a quite restrained job of enhancing readability and including particulars to photographs which will in any other case be spoilt by a blur as an example. A translator, voice transcription, doc scanner and naturally, Google Gemini powered circle to look as nicely.
Whereas Vivo’s restrained remedy of AI inside the X200 Professional could also be an outlier within the smartphone ecosystem in any other case determined for a powerful gross sales pitch within the hope telephones fly off the cabinets, the corporate does perceive the significance of constructing on this. “AI will obviously keep improving. That is one differentiator we must have,” he notes. The truth is, AI has to search out relevance for customers and that could be subjective.
All issues thought-about, that’s the design, specs, the digicam upgrades to what was already a benchmark for Android telephones with the Zeiss experience its trump card, the Vivo X200 Professional is greater than able to take the mantle from its predecessor. Now, very similar to then, the Android flagship digicam expertise benchmark has been laid down by the X200 Professional. It could be fascinating to see if shifting ahead the flagship launch has any affect available on the market as an entire.