Vivo X100 Pro Review

Announced on 13 November 2023 and on sale in China from the 21st at CNY 4,999 for 12GB/256GB, about $700, the X100 Pro never had a US launch; the price here is that conversion, and the export models cost a good deal more. It was the first phone with MediaTek's Dimensity 9300, an all-big-core design that benchmarks past the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and warms the back doing it, paired with Vivo's own V3 imaging chip.

The main camera is the 1-inch Sony IMX989 at f/1.75 with OIS, and next to it is the reason the phone mattered: a 50MP 100mm f/2.5 periscope with a floating lens element and Zeiss APO correction, so 4.3x shots carry no colour fringing and it focuses close enough to shoot insects. Portraits at 100mm are the best any phone produced that year. The 50MP ultrawide is ordinary, and the 1/2.51-inch periscope sensor runs out of light indoors.

The 5400mAh battery went twelve and a half hours in GSMArena's browsing test, the 120W brick in the box fills it from empty in about 31 minutes, and there is 50W wireless on top. The 6.78-inch 1260x2800 LTPO panel is curved, bright and accurate, and the body is IP68 at 221 grams. Software is why this is not an A. China gets OriginOS 4; everyone else gets Funtouch OS 14 on Android 14, which duplicates Google's apps, nags about permissions and buries notifications, with only three Android versions promised. Live with it and the cameras repay you.