Hands-On: Zeiss Zoom Lens For The Vivo X200 Ultra

Forbes

04-05-2025

Vivo X200 Ultra with the 200mm lens add-on
Vivo's newest Ultra smartphone, the X200 Ultra, has a very impressive camera system on its own: a triple 50-megapixel lens array with (relative in the mobile space) large sensors and fast aperture. By itself, the phone has a high chance of claiming 'the best smartphone camera' throne of 2025. But Vivo didn't stop there. The Shenzhen-headquartered company and long-time collaborator Zeiss worked together to build a zoom lens that attaches to the phone to extend the latter's 85mm optical zoom to 200mm.
I've been testing the whole kit for the past week, and I am very impressed. The lens, officially named ZEISS 2.35x Telephoto Converter, is well-built, constructed out of mostly metal and featuring 13 glass elements inside. It attaches to the phone via a special case mount which is included with the lens as one kit.
The ZEISS 2.35x Telephoto Converter
The case looks great on its own to my eyes, with a two tone finish consisting of faux-leather and plastic frame that snaps onto the Vivo X200 Ultra. There's a kickstand at the bottom of the case, along with a circular ring that wraps around the camera module with a 67mm filter thread.
The case needed to use the lens.
The lens snaps onto the mount the same way a real camera lens does, requiring lining up the lens to the mount's marker, followed by a twist and a snap. As someone who's tested his fair share of add-on lenses for smartphones, this one feels much more premium.
The Zeiss lens has a metallic mount.
There's a camera grip that also attaches to the bottom of the case to turn the whole setup into something resembling a camera. The grip adds a dedicated shutter button for photos and videos, as well as two dials to adjust camera settings. The grip also packs a 2,300 mAh battery inside to give the phone extra juice.
The camera grip.
Vivo X200 Ultra with the Photography Kit
But how does the lens perform? Well, first of all, temper your expectations. This is still ultimately a smartphone that fits into your pocket, so its telephoto sensor size (1/1.3-inch), while large for a phone, is still small compared to a dedicated camera. So photos snapped by the lens still has a digital look to it, likely because Vivo also likes to use sharpening for zoom photos.
But with the right lighting and a steady hand, you can definitely get some jawdropping long zoom photos for a phone. For example, I was able to snap a 800mm portrait of my friend, who was standing over 20 feet away.
Where friend stood relative to me (left); the camera viewfinder; the finished photo
The finished photo (right image in above collage) features very strong natural bokeh and background compression, and while the image slightly digitally sharpened his face, the portrait came out far better than what any previous smartphone is capable of. This is also an 800mm shot, meaning it's a four times digital zoom of the phone's default 200mm focal length. For those not familiar with camera terminology, 800mm is roughly about a 34X zoom from an iPhone (theoretically, anyway, because an iPhone cannot zoom that far).
A 200mm shot with the Zeiss add-on lens
Notice the shallow depth-of-field and natural bokeh of the 200mm lens.
You do need good lighting to get the above shots, which look like they were snapped with a real camera. In low light conditions, the image quality takes a hit. But still, considering the relative affordability (compared to the cost of typical camera lenses), this is an excellent accessory for mobile photography enthusiasts. I can see myself bringing this lens when I go to concerts or vacation.
The Photography Kit, which includes the 200mm lens, case, camera grip, a lanyard, is retailing in China for 1599 yuan, which converts to around $219. This does not include the cost of the Vivo X200 Ultra, which starts at about $900. But the total price of about $1,120 is considered affordable in the camera space.
PR image of the kit
Vivo X200 Ultra in red
As for the Vivo X200 Ultra by itself: it's a top notch flagship phone with the best processor, camera hardware, and screen around. Even just the phone by itself will capture some excellent images, just not as far as 200mm.