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Vivo X100 Pro Review - Peak Camera Performance

Vivo X100 Pro Review - Peak Camera Performance
Tech10 min read
  • Vivo X100 Pro features Zeiss Optics with Zeiss T* Lens coating technology
  • It is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 9300 SoC
  • It starts at a price of ₹89,999
It’s been 8 months since we got our hands on the Vivo X90 series smartphone, and the brand has already introduced the X100 series. Generally this means incremental changes and not serious upgrades for consumers to be excited about. I was also in the same boat until I got my hands on the X100 Pro. The new smartphone while carrying a similar design has stepped up a notch especially in the camera department. And honestly, this is why an X series smartphone stands out, the all new camera set-up deserves your attention. However, is a good camera enough for you to consider this as your next flagship? I will tell you in my detailed review.

Price & Availability
Vivo X100 Pro is available in one variant that packs in 16GFB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. It is priced at ₹89,999.

Camera Performance
Since the X100 Pro features the most significant upgrades in the camera department, it is important to cover this aspect first. The X100 Pro features a 1-inch 50MP primary sensor with laser autofocus and OIS. This is also a floating lens. It is paired with a 100mm 50MP periscope telephoto sensor with OIS and 4.3X optical zoom. Finally there is a 50MP ultrawide sensor. These cameras are packed together at the back in a fairly large circular camera module. Notably the all three cameras have Zeiss’ flavor to them and it shows up.

You can view all the camera samples here - Hong Kong with Vivo X100 Pro!

Starting with the daylight performance of the X100 Pro, which is exceptional. The freedom to just point and shoot adds to the joy since the camera captures a great amount of details, with color accuracy. The dynamic range is excellent with surprisingly good highlights. White balance in bright outdoors isn’t something that would bother you since that is also perfect.

I have clicked a good amount of pictures with a ton of moving subjects in the streets of Hong Kong with this smartphone and it didn’t disappoint me. The noise is minimal with the images and the depth of field is also satisfactory. The default images are of 12.5MP which are fairly good, and I didn’t find a need to shoot full 50MP unless I had to edit the images later.

Using the periscope lens with different focal lengths also delivered consistent and solid results. Especially at the 4.3X/100mm focal length where I assumed the camera would falter, but it didn’t. The image results were stellar with hardly any focus shift which surprised me. The dynamic range was excellent and I didn’t notice any noise.

However 4.3X is not where it stops; you can actually take it to the 100X as well. Is it the best in the business? That's debatable, but does it get the job done? Yes. The images do get grainy as you would expect with the maxed out zoom, however if you are trying to capture action with it, you are in good hands. You can have a look at the samples below for reference.

Now if you zoom out and switch to the ultra wide sensor, it performs in a text book format. This means while it doesn’t have anything out of ordinary to offer, it manages to deliver expected results. Which are brilliant. What stays consistent here is the color accuracy which remains intact through and through.

Now the X100 Pro is also using algorithms actively and might I say efficiently as well. This comes in full display when we take low light shots. It has a night mode which kicks in automatically. When you take an image, it takes a good 3-4 seconds to process it and show you the results. What we see is a highlighted product with results which definitely surprised me. The details are perfect with satisfactory dynamic range in place. The image results remain consistent across all photo modes, be it ultrawide or telephoto with the camera delivering detailed outputs.

Now let's talk about close-up shots and portraits. Starting with the portraits here, which are enhanced further with a buffet of filters we get on the X100 Pro. My favorite is the monochrome filter since it delivers crisp portraits with perfect edge detection. We get 5 focal lengths for portraits here, 24mm, 35mm,50mm,85mm and 100mm. And while the first 4 use the primary camera, the 100mm uses the telephoto sensor. For me the best results were from 50mm focal length since it balances out what I expect from a portrait.

Super Macro mode also lets you play with different focal lengths at 25mm and 46mm. You can also go upto 4.3X and 8.6X if you want. You would notice the camera being switched from primary to telephoto here. I observed the best results at 8.6X. Not only did this allow me to maintain a respectable distance from the subject but also captured the action in detail.

You also have a pro mode over here, which allows you to tinker with every aspect of the camera. From ISO to focal lengths, there are enough options here that you can learn professional photography and terminology.

Let’s talk videos now, the primary camera here can record upto 8K videos at 30FPS. It can do that with 1X and 2X. Rest of the cameras can also record at 4K 30 & 60FPS. There is also always electronic stabilization here.

The video results from the X100 Pro definitely gave me real confidence to shoot content with. With the output showing color accuracy and optimal brightness. However, I did notice the camera struggling with capturing action shots, and audio output was not always the best from the primary camera.

The selfie camera on the X100 Pro is a 32 MP shooter that can record videos up to 1080P at 30FPS. The selfie camera is where the X100 Pro falters a bit, with the camera slapping an AI filter on top smoothing out the skin. You can turn it off, and there will be a significant shift that you will notice right away. The skintones then are generally accurate and the dynamic range is alright.

Videos from the front camera are good enough if you want to vlog with the camera, however the size of the smartphone might discourage you to shoot with it the entire day. However, as an overall media device, the X100 Pro wins big thanks to the plethora of camera options and a battery to support it.

Now that we have covered the camera aspect of it, it’s time to cover other aspects.

Design

Vivo X100 Pro doesn’t falter away from the design language that we are now familiar with the X series. It sports a glass sandwich design, with commendable weight distribution that makes the smartphone easier to hold. This is further elevated by the curved screen design that we get here. The build quality is also commendable since it comes with IP68 water resistant rating.

I would like to point out though, that it is in fact a big phone, and if you have small hands then you will take time to adjust to it. Especially for typing.


The smartphone has a conventional placement of buttons, with the power button and volume rockers placed on the right edge. At the bottom we have the type-C port along with the speaker grill and SIM card slots. The X100 Pro supports 2 nano SIMs.

The variant available in India will be the Asteroid Black which is also the one I reviewed. It has a matte finish on the back which avoids finger prints. However I really wished Vivo launched the more poppier colors in India like the orange we see in international markets.


The X100 Pro is also equipped with an IR blaster which lets you use the device like a remote controller. The feature is making a comeback lately, it's a welcoming addition and definitely useful in more cases than one.

The back as I mentioned in the camera section features a massive camera module that takes up half the space. It is also protruding significantly, which is a small give away for the camera performance we experience here. I also like the ring around the module which gives a vintage look to the smartphone.The flash placement is fresh at the top right which is becoming common as the sensor size grows bigger in cameras. We also observed this in the OnePlus Fold.

Display
The X100 Pro features a 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED display with 3000 nits of peak brightness and 120Hz of max refresh rate. As one would expect this display is of flagship caliber.

I have used the X100 Pro for almost a month now as my primary driver, and my experience has been generally favorable.

I am one of the majority of people who like watching content on their smartphones, and that's what I have done here as well. The X100 Pro is a perfect companion for watching content since it supports HD content across platforms. I have been binge watching What If Season 2 on Disney Plus Hotstar as I type this. The animated show looks brilliant on the display with spot on HDR and no white noise. The projection is crisp and it remains so across platforms.

It doesn’t support Dolby vision which generally doesn’t make a difference in real time. However its surprising that we don’t see it on a flagship device.

I also read content on my smartphone and the big 6.7-inch display with 120Hz of max refresh rate comes in handy to scroll through the web pages. I tried using the smart switch here, which works decently. However I prefer to use the maxed out refresh rate since it doesn’t really affect the battery and delivers a smoother experience.

The refresh rate of course comes in handy while playing games as well. I have been playing Genshin Impact & COD Mobile regularly here and the experience is top notch. With no jitter or lag.

Auto brightness is one aspect which I feel Vivo can work on since I did find myself manually shifting the brightness more often than not. Especially indoors.

You also have an always on display here which also has a healthy option for widgets for you to tap into.

The display is paired with a fairly loud dual speaker set-up which is sufficient for you to enjoy your content.

Software
Vivo X100 Pro runs on Android 14 out of the box with Vivo’s Fun OS skin. Right off the bat what Vivo gets right here is not including any bloatware. I mention this because sometimes we see 3rd party apps sneaking into flagship devices as well these days.

The experience of using the X100 Pro is familiar yet fresh. The UI is easy to understand with the addition of usual Android add-ons. We have the familiar placement of the drop down menu and shortcuts like three finger swipe for screenshot.

You also have add on features in the sound department like you can set the sound for different apps. This adds to the customisation aspect of the smartphone.

Vivo is also promising 3 years Android updates and 4 years of security updates on the X100 Pro.

Performance
The Vivo X100 Pro is powered by Mediatek Dimensity 9300 SoC. This is my first bout with the Mediatek SoC, but since I have experienced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 already I have a point of reference.

The flagship processor has so far been at top of its game in my everyday experience. The smartphone is snappy to use with no lag as of yet. The applications boot up quickly and switching between windows has been a piece of cake.

I have maxed out the settings on all the games that I have tested and the performance is streamlined. The consistency is impressive in terms of managing heat and delivering HD graphics.

For reference I also ran a Geekbench 6 test on the smartphone. The single-core score is 2181 while the multi-core score is 7263. These are respectable numbers and in range with what you expect from a flagship smartphone.

The variant with me packs in 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. This is also the only variant being introduced in India. While I feel the 1TB variant should have been launched as well, I understand that could have been an overkill for most people. This spec sheet is apt for most buyers giving enough storage for your applications and images.

There is also a RAM boost feature which adds another 16GB to the mix however I really don’t see any use of it. The 16GB base RAM is more than enough to handle heavy tasks.

The smartphone runs on a 5400 mAh battery that supports 100W of Flash charging. The smartphone doesn’t take more than 35 minutes to charge from 0-100% making it efficient. The average screen on time during my testing has been in the range of 7 hours, again a number which is flagship worthy.

Verdict
The X100 Pro not only delivers on its promise of providing a solid camera but also manages to impress in other aspects. You can expect impressive battery performance, stellar display, intuitive UI all put together with the most impressive camera I have seen on a Vivo smartphone.

If optics is your top priority and you don't want any compromises, then X100 Pro should definitely be in your list.



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