Vivo X200 FE review: Delightedly small, incredibly powerful, and brilliantly priced

India Today

3 days ago

It seems like just yesterday when I was singing the praises of the OnePlus 13s and already, we have a new phone called the Vivo X200 FE, vying for the same title. Compact flagship phones are clearly having a moment. As a pure smartphone user and enthusiast, I was biased towards the 13s, simply because, in a sea of tall slab phones, its petite form factor brought great comfort. It was short but not shortchanged unless you put its camera under the scanner, which is when some cracks started to become more obvious. The X200 FE is like the 13s but with a potentially better camera system.advertisementBefore I dive in to give you my two cents, let me tell you right out of the gate that the X200 FE doesn't flat-out kill the 13s. The 13s has its own charm and strengths, which I'll try to highlight where necessary. But if you came here looking for a reason to diss OnePlus and its choices, better look elsewhere. I love the 13s for what it is, even if the X200 FE is testing my loyalty big time. I will say this though, writing this review is not easy. The X200 FE starts at Rs 54,999 for a version with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, while a variant with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage will set you back by Rs 59,999 – same as the OnePlus 13s.
But the two couldn't be more different. Where OnePlus went for raw power, Vivo chose to go with something relatively more run-of-the-mill, possibly to cut cost, so it could focus on its core competencies. It is a smart move even if it makes the 13s look more powerful, and it is, given that it uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite and faster UFS4.1 memory even as Vivo makes do with the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus and slower UFS3.1 storage.At the time of writing, the Dimensity 9300 Plus has been around for more than a year after breaking cover in early 2024. With how fast these things are getting updated, some might even call it dated. It is very fast, but it doesn't hold a candle to the Elite or even the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in some benchmarks. The numbers speak for themselves: 1,41,1507 on AnTuTu, 1,103 (single core) and 4,181 (multi-core) on Geekbench 6 and 3,426 on 3DMark Wildlife Extreme.CPU throttling often does not deliver promising results, and it gets hot when pushed. But it's more to do with the chip's flagship nature (being all-big core and all) than any technical bottlenecks. The GPU performance is comparatively better. High-end gaming isn't a concern. In day-to-day life, it almost feels like a 2025 flagship. It flies. But here's the thing: in the T4 Ultra the same chip felt too good to be true, but in the X200 FE, it leaves you wanting. That is just how perception works.But comparison is also the thief of joy. Some things are just built differently. You know one's clearly better than the other, yet you fight all logic and choose the underdog. The heart wants what it wants. Maybe that is how special the X200 FE is, in my experience. For everybody else, it's a reminder that something can be more than the sum of its parts. If you're a stickler for getting the fastest chip in the market, that is okay too.advertisementAnyway, Vivo compensates for these discrepancies by putting a bigger 6,500mAh Silicon-Carbon battery inside the X200 FE and claiming it can pull off more than 24 hours of YouTube playback and nearly 10 hours of gaming on a single charge. It is difficult to say who beat whom. There are various factors at play. The 13s has a smaller 5,850mAh battery but a more efficient chip. With Vivo, it is the opposite. It cancels out really. The X200 FE gets close, if not outright beat the 13s, which is to say, it, too, has great battery life. It can go the distance. On any given day, you can easily expect a full day's worth of use. When fully exhausted, it can top up faster at up to 90W (versus 80W in the 13s). Wireless charging isn't available.Small wonderThe maths and physics are impressive because the X200 FE is a smaller phone. It has a 6.31-inch screen that stretches from edge to edge. It sits flush so it feels like you're interacting directly with every element in real-time, rather than sifting through layers of distance and uncertainty. The panel is LTPO p-OLED with a resolution of 1.5K and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It can get brighter at up to 5,000nits (1,800nits in high brightness mode) though it tops out at HDR10+ whereas the 13s can play Dolby Vision as well. For protection, Vivo is using Schott Xensation Core.advertisementFlat-out displays are all the rage these days. Call it the iPhone effect or whatever. When they are smaller, handling becomes much easier. You're in full control and not the other way round. Using this phone has been an absolute joy, much in the same way the 13s was. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but these phones could really increase doomscrolling time if you're not careful.The X200 FE and OnePlus 13s try to mostly stay out of each other's way when it comes to overall design. The FE – which is short for fashion edition – looks more like the iPhone 16 with its pill-shaped camera deco and clean lines. It has more playful energy where the 13s feels more utilitarian. This is true about the colours as well. You can get it in gray, blue, and dual yellow/black shades. Vivo – like OnePlus – doesn't specify the type of glass it is using on the rear. The frame is made of metal. IP rating is better on the X200 FE. It is rated IP68 and IP69, so it can survive high-pressure water jets and immersion up to 1.5m for 30 minutes. The 13s is only IP65.advertisementIf you've come this far, I am sure you're beginning to get a sense of why the X200 FE is not an ordinary smartphone. In fact, I'll do you one better: I believe it could be one of the biggest sleeper hits of the year. Even more so than the 13s, despite OnePlus' bigger brand recall, because Vivo's value proposition with the X200 FE is simply hard to ignore. It is also unbeatable on many levels, particularly the camera.The biggest draw is that Vivo didn't remove the ZEISS branding. It could have. OnePlus didn't get you Hasselblad at this price, did it? It's not about good or bad. It is about actions. It is also about perception. The name ZEISS instantly catapults it to flagship status, makes you think and believe you are part of some elite group. Of course, this is subjective behaviour.advertisementThere are two big takeaways when you consider the real-world implications. It gives you access to ZEISS colour science and a bunch of exquisite filters that simulate its many iconic lenses (even the phone's display is colour calibrated with help from ZEISS). Say what you will, but we're all suckers for dreamy bokehs and when it comes to fashioning larger-than-life portraits, Vivo commands authority and respect. It is something it does well consistently across different price points.Obviously, you can't do it without good hardware. So, it is kind of mind-boggling that it was able to put not one, not two, but five different focal lengths (23- to 100mm), inside a 7.9mm phone. More than anything, it's the simplicity that steals the show. You don't have to be a pro to master portrait photography on this phone. Anybody can be one. The accessibility, whether it is the phone's form factor or how the camera controls are laid out, is addictive. The X200 FE is truly a point-and-shoot camera you can pocket around. The phone part is a bonus.For those seeking the nitty-gritties, it has three cameras on the back. The wide and telephoto are both 50-megapixel with different sensors, Sony IMX921 and IMX882. The main camera is optically stabilised. It has an f/1.88 aperture. The f/2,65 zoom lens can go up to 100x, though it works best up to 6x (lossless) with 3x (optical) being the golden figure. Both offer fantastic output, even in low light. The detail and dynamic range are spot-on, while you're free to play around with vibe and tonality through colour modes that you can also switch on the fly.Check out full camera samples below; Click to access more Everything works fast and fluidly, focus and shutter speed included. The third camera, which is an 8-megapixel ultrawide, is barely serviceable though. The X200 FE has another 50-megapixel camera on the front. It shoots well with a slight tendency to smoothen facial features, often resulting in less detail – though most people might find this a positive compromise. All in all, this is one of the most complete and capable camera setups on any phone, period, and while it isn't perfect, its sheer size and output should leave even some of the most die-hard critics sitting up and taking notice.Should you buy?Truth be told, that seems to be the whole point of the X200 FE. It is out to challenge the status quo and make small phones great again. There is no dearth of small flagship phones in the market. They are a dime a dozen really. Most of them are one-trick ponies. Sometimes, they are good at a few more things. But none comes to mind when you seek an all-rounder. There is almost always a catch. More often, it's enough to nudge people into going for something else, something which is bigger and expectedly better. The X200 FE not just shows Vivo's engineering might, it proves conclusively that big things can come in small packages.- Ends