cell phones that are revolutionizing photography

THE photography has become one of the keys to telephony. This may seem strange, because a little over ten years ago having a camera with you at all times was unthinkable, but in 2024 what is strange is that we can arrest someone in Europe and that he doesn’t have one. This is obviously due to the high penetration of smartphones.

Europe is a market where competition is strong, partly because the price is important and partly because The Spanish consumer does not hesitate to evaluate the options even if they are not the ones he has known all his life.. A clear example of this is VIVO, a brand that arrived in our country a few years ago and is gradually becoming known, with products that are good value for money but oriented towards good finishes, good design and a particularly careful photographic section.

And that’s exactly what the new VIVO offers. There we have briefly tested the X200 and X200 Pro Mini modelsbut we mainly did it with the VIVO X200 Pro They confirmed to us that this will be the model that will arrive in Europe in the coming months.

VIVO X200 and X200 Pro Mini

These two terminals were announced as high-end mobile phones with a very specific orientation, which is the same as that of their big brother: photography is key. And the portrait is particularly important. However, each of these two models engages in something different.

He VIVOX200 This is the base model, but it doesn’t particularly reduce performance. It has a different camera system in some sections than its older brother, but it still has a very versatile quad camera, which VIVO has worked on both on a software and hardware level. But it’s the cheapest of the three, starting at 4,299 yuan.

He VIVO X200 Pro Mini It is the most particular terminal, because as the company itself said, few brands offer Pro models in a contained size. The company tested many sizes and analyzed different proportions, coming to the conclusion that it should be a cell phone less than 72mm wide, with a proportional height. In the hand you can feel a small but comfortable terminal. Its rear camera module attracts a lot of attention, which is huge compared to the size of the terminal itself.

The photographic section is very well done. Not only does it have a telephoto lens, but it is periscopic typesomething really strange in a compact mobile. Unfortunately, these types of phones even do without the telephoto lens itself.

And even though we haven’t been able to test it for over an hour It was very interesting to be able to install a battery of no less than 5,700 mAh, an impressive figure. on any phone, but completely incredible in a compact model. And if that wasn’t enough, it has 90W fast charging and up to 30W wireless charging. It doesn’t seem like this phone has much competition at the moment.

VIVO X200 Pro

But the star was the VIVO X200 Pro, which is the model we spent the most time with because it’s the one that, In principle, it will reach our continent. It is a smartphone that maintains the design line of its predecessors, with a huge camera module that allows it to attract a lot of attention. Yes indeed, We no longer have vegan leather finishes what we liked in their predecessors, what we miss. It is available in white, black, blue and in a tone called titanium which seems to be the trendy one in the industry.

The 6.78-inch screen has more than sufficient resolution, but where VIVO wanted to innovate is in vision carewith a new flicker reduction mode that eliminates flickering when the phone is on high or low brightness and reduces eye strain. It’s not something we’ve been able to test directly, but it’s not something superfluous. Additionally, it can be modified and made to behave normally if we wish. It is worth mentioning the frames that are symmetrical on all four sides and only 1.63 mm thick.

The processor has been one of the most praised features, and it’s no wonder. It’s the MediaTek 9400, the first 3nm chip available on Android which is capable of exceeding 3,000,000 points in Antutu, a real feat. In addition to power, this chip is capable of being extremely efficient, especially in VIVO mobiles since The company has collaborated with MediaTek to integrate it into its new high-end mobile phones. He also collaborated with ARM in a joint laboratory founded a few months ago to ensure that software performance is the best possible on ARM architecture chips like those from MediaTek

The battery also promises a lot, and no wonder. 6,000mAh is its capacity, with a semi-solid technology that allows it to operate at -20ºC. This is something we checked since there were several models frozen in a block of ice and they were fully operational in video playback. The charging speed is 90W and it has 30W wireless charging. These speeds are not the highest in the industry and it is possible that this is due to the new battery technology. However, you have to wait until you arrive in Europe to verify that there has been no change since the regulations on our continent are not the same as those on the Chinese market.

The camera remains consistent with what was seen in previous models, the VIVO X100 Pro and X90 Pro. It has three sensors, not fourbecause the company is confident that its new optical zoom system is versatile enough to not require two separate lenses for the same lens. To do this, they used a high-resolution periscopic system that also incorporates macro. Unlike other mobile phones, VIVO did not want to integrate macro into wide anglebecause the bokeh is lost and forces us to be very close to the object. With the inclusion of this mode in the telephoto lens, it is possible to take macro photos from further awaywhich is ideal for photographing insects, for example.

Overall, it seems like VIVO put a lot of thought into this mode, and it’s not a mode that people use a lot. On the other hand, the portrait model is used, which the company also talked about a lot in the presentation. He has several equivalent focal lengths, although not all correspond to a physical camera. For example, the VIVO X200 Pro is capable of taking photos with 10x zoom in a hybrid way, and the result is quite impressive. Particular attention to noise reduction, one of the problems with these solutions. VIVO has worked hand in hand with Sony to improve this section and the truth is that it shows.

The last new feature announced, before moving on to the hardware, concerns the beacons. VIVO and MediaTeK created a communication system which allows its users to communicate without having mobile, WiFi or even satellite coverage. The cell phone acts as a receiver and transmitter and becomes a kind of walkie-talkie. The brands intention is for more businesses of all types to join and create a comfortable and functional global network in emergency situations.

System based on Android 15

We were able to test the three models new VIVO operating system, based on Android 15. These are the first phones to arrive with this version of the system in the world, but it is true that the manufacturer’s customization is so strong that all the important new features are linked to OriginOS 5, its new layer, and not to the system itself .

We try BlueLM, an artificial intelligence system that acts as a chatbot and that it is also capable of giving us descriptions of elements that appear on the screen, simply by circling them with a finger. Works similar to Circle To Search from Google, which has not been available in China since the American company left that market years ago.

We were also able to see for ourselves the fluidity of the systemsomething that VIVO has boasted about and it is true that the animations are impressive even with many applications open. Overall, this is the kind of thing that needs to be tested with much more care and time, and in daily use during a thorough analysis to see if the system really works like that. We don’t know which of these new features will come to FunTouch OS 15the version of VIVO’s operating system for markets outside of China.

Y no hemos de pasar por alto la función de compartir que ha inventado VIVO arrastrando simplemente un elemento a la zona superior, junto a la cámara frontal, que abre el listado de app para compartir el elemento de forma rápida y cómoda. Podemos crear una nueva tare, aenviar una foto, publiar un vídeo, etc.

Conclusión

VIVO ha presentado tres terminales interesantes, sobresaliendo el modelo Mini por lo novedoso y único de su propuesta y el Pro por sus prestaciones. Los precios parten de los 4.299 yuanes para el X200, los 4.699 yuanes para el X200 Pro Mini y 5.299 yuanes para el X200 Pro, lo que sería uno 556, 608 y 685 dollars, al cambio directo, un precio que no es equivalente en la posible llegada a territorio patrio.

A Europa en principio solo llegará este último, en un color aún por decidir. Es de suponer que lo hará en unos pocos meses, con Funtouch pero basado en Android 15, siendo uno de los pocos, si no el único, móvil que se pueda comprar en nuestro país con este sistema. Con todo, es la cámara lo que más puede decantar a un usuario por comprar este móvil, y eso lo analizaremos a fondo en una posterior review.