Vivo has been at the forefront when it comes to mobile camera technologies.The Vivo X smartphone series lineup is well known for bringing advanced camera features to the table. This flagship series has recently been refreshed with new models in India. The new Vivo X100 lineup includes the vanilla X100 and the X100 Pro both of which has been introduced as the camera flagships. The latter comes as the top-tier model offering premium features such as 50MP Zeiss-backed triple lens setup, powerful Dimensity 9300 chipset, a 120Hz display and more.
Now, the Vivo X100 Pro definitely offers the best-in-class camera hardware on papers. But is the camera performance worth the hype? Also, this phone appears to be a complete package if you look through the spec-sheet. Is that the case or its just the camera that makes it worth an investment? Well, we have been using the Vivo X100 Pro for almost a month now and here is our take.
Pros
- Upgraded cameras perform well overall
- Super high clarity levels with daylight shots
- Offers high speed performance with a variety of tasks
- Gaming experience is good
- Clean and vivid visuals
Cons
- User interface isn’t entirely free of bloatware
- Phone feels a bit slipper without cover
- Selfie camera doesn’t support 4K recording
Vivo X100 Pro : India Price
Vivo X100 Pro has been launched at Rs. 89,999 in India. You get 16GB RAM and 512GB storage configuration at this price point. This camera flagship is available in three color options including Startrail Blue, Asteroid Black, and Sunset Orange globally. Only the Asteroid Black color variant has been introduced in the Indian market.
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Vivo X100 Pro: Box Contents
- Vivo X100 Pro (main unit)
- Quick Start Guide and user manuals
- Warranty Card
- SIM ejector tool
- Phone cover (back case)
- Power brick
- USB Type-C charging cable
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Design Overview: Usage Comfort And Appeal
The Vivo X100 Pro doesn’t deviate much in terms of designing compared to its successor. But still gets some new elements that maintains the premium and luxury feel in addition which is signature for the X series. The primary difference that you will notice at the first glance is the re-designed camera island.
The X100 Pro gets a big protruding camera module wrapped with a stainless steel layering. Now, this is a unique touch to enhance the appeal overall with the new-gen model. This design as per Vivo is inspired from the Sun and Moon Halo.
Speaking of the construction overall, the X100 Pro offers a sleek design and includes the same 3D curved edge display as the predecessors. Its durability is enhanced with the aerospace-grade stainless steel wrapping at the side panels. At the rear, it features Fluorite AG glass which seems resistive to fingerprints and smudges. This will address concerns of the masses who like flaunting their phone without covers as keeping it clean isn’t a big task.
But the smartphone does feel slippery without the cover. So, if you wish to avoid any mishaps with accidental falls, make sure you use the provided case. The ports and keys placement remains standard as most of the Android flagships.
It has the volume and the power key on the right spine and the SIM card tray, USB Type-C port, and the speaker grille are positioned at the bottom. This phone comes with a hybrid SIM slot and not a dedicated microSD tray.
The X100 Pro with a weight of around 200 gms isn’t super heavy. But the overall build and the form factor might feel a little more than that. But that doesn’t cut down on the comfort during extensive usage. Summarizing the design aspects, the Vivo X100 Pro feels super premium and oozes out luxury with its each stance.
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Performance Review: No Compromise Gaming And Multitasking
Under its hood, the X100 Pro features the high-end Dimensity 9300 processor. It lands as the first Android smartphone in India powered by the latest MediaTek flagship chipset combined with the in-house V3 imaging co-processor. This setup collectively offers high performance power for not just gaming but imaging as well.
The unit comes with 16GB of physical RAM in addition to up to 16GB virtual RAM. This allows for high-speed efficiency with all tasks you perform on the X100 Pro. Toggling between the loaded apps and also the app loading is instant. We could see it handling most extensive apps and games smoothly with no lags at sight.
We have been using this phone extensively all this while. And throughout the usage there hasn’t been a single flinch even when there are several of heavy apps running in the background. You get to swiftly toggle between loaded apps. What also impresses us is that the unit doesn’t heat up radically despite heavy usage or gaming. This is credited to the updated vapour chamber cooling module.
For the gaming enthusiast, playing the most graphic-hungry games is a pleasing experience. No stutters on the screen whatsoever. You can tune in the highest graphics settings and will get an immersive gameplay experience throughout.
The X100 Pro boots on Android 13-based Funtouch OS 14. Vivo has customized the new UI which now feels refined compared to the previous versions. But it still isn’t entirely free of bloatware. You will see a bunch of pre-installed apps but the updated UI seems neat and easier to use.
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Vivo X100 Pro Camera Review: Hands Down The Best
Vivo has showcased the best of camera tech with the X series and the X100 Pro isn’t anything different. This year too, the latest camera flagship comes with Zeiss-labelled camera hardware. The imaging setup on the Vivo X100 Pro has a 50MP Sony IMX989 lens. This primary lens is a large 1-inch sensor with PDAS, OIS, and also laser-assisted autofocus.
The secondary 50MP Zeiss telephoto lens with 0.5-inch OV64B sensor is the star of the show here. This is new addition which replaces the older 64MP OmniVision lens and is further clubbed with a 50MP Samsung Jn1 sensor that captures ultrawide frames.
Image detailing is no compromise with the Vivo X100 Pro cameras. We have been truly impressed with the quality of images we got with each click. Every shooting mode is treat and you get the best-grade outputs you can imaging with any smartphone camera. The detailing levels are sharp despite the lighting conditions in the background. The same is the case with the dynamic range which is high with the X100 Pro’s cameras.
But what truly captures the attention is the quality of portrait shots you get with the X100 Pro cameras. Vivo is offering a professional-grade portrait experience where you can select from different focal lengths for the shots. There is a 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 100mm portrait shot modes. You can select the apt mode for high-quality bokeh photos.
When shooting portraits using the Portrait camera mode, Vivo lets you select specific professional portrait focal lengths (24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 100mm) which have been optimised keeping in mind the camera sensors and lenses. Portrait photos captured at all of these focal lengths came out well with excellent detail even under artificial or low light conditions.
The imaging experience isn’t limited to the portrait mode. The X100 Pro offers premium photography experience with the Astro mode as well as the macro shots. We have captured some of the best moon photographs with the X100 Pro which we are sharing below. Macro photography is also next level and you witness the expertise Vivo has with cameras here. We are coming up with a detailed camera review soon so stay tuned with us.
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Battery Backup
A 5,400 mAh battery acts as the powerhouse for the Vivo X100 Pro. This flagship has 100W fast wired charging support along with 50W fast wireless charging. The former takes around 30 minutes for up to 90 percent backup. The full charge is well under an hour mark (within 40 minutes). Now, for the ones who are on a constant run, this quick charging time is surely handy.
That said, the backup this unit offers is more than a day if usage is moderate. This includes basic app usage and occasional media playback. If you are constantly hooked to the screen binging on any videos or gaming, you might need to give it a re-plug by the end of the day.
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Verdict
The Vivo X100 Pro undeniably stands out with its exceptional camera performance. While the camera does most of the talking, this phone remains to be complete package when it comes to the performance delivery. Vivo has done a great job with improving the overall photography and user experience with the X100 series making it one solid bet to invest in.
