On Monday, Chinese tech firm Vivo unveiled its new X200 series flagship smartphones, including the X200, X200 Pro, and X200 Pro Mini, at the National Aquatics Center in Beijing. Vivo also announced a joint lab with Arm and collaboration with MediaTek to make a second-generation 3nm Dimensity 9400 chipset for the devices. The premium model, the X200 Pro, boasts a 200 MP ZEISS APO (Apochromatic) telephoto camera with custom algorithms, a main camera with ZEISS T* Coating, and the Vivo x Sony LYT-818 sensor.
Why it matters: The powerful 3nm Dimensity 9400 chipset and advanced imaging capabilities position Vivo as a major player in the high-end smartphone market. The company’s latest flagship launch will intensify competition with its rivals in the China market such as Huawei, Apple, Xiaomi, and Oppo.
Details: At the launch event, Arm’s executive vice president Will Abbey and MediaTek’s senior vice president Xu Jingquan took to the stage together with Vivo’s vice president of products, Huang Tao, and Vivo’s chief operating officer, Hu Baishan, to unveil the new products.
- The Vivo X200 series is the world’s first smartphone to feature the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 flagship processor, built on TSMC’s 3nm process. The Dimensity 9400 offers a 35% improvement in single-core performance and a 28% improvement in multi-core performance compared to its predecessor, the Dimensity 9300, while reducing power consumption by 40% at the same performance level, said the company.
- The processor includes one Cortex-X925 ultra-core clocked at 3.62GHz, three Cortex-X4 ultra-cores clocked at 3.3GHz, and four Cortex-A720 large cores clocked at 2.4GHz. The GPU is the new Arm 12-core Immortalis G925, and the phones also feature the eighth-gen NPU 890.
- The main camera on the X200 Pro offers a ZEISS T* Coating and a 1/1.28-inch Vivo Sony LYT-818 sensor, manufactured using a 22nm process. With an f/1.57 aperture and optical precision calibration technology, it rivals 1-inch sensors in photo capture and excels in video recording, Vivo stated. The 200 MP ZEISS APO telephoto camera, enhanced by Vivo’s BlueImage algorithms, offers rich detail at 20x zoom.
- The X200 Pro also includes a Super Stage Mode with its 200 MP camera, enabling 100x zoom to capture performances up to 30x. Its Super Landscape Mode integrates features for capturing nightscapes and starry skies, as well as an HDR mode for effortless landscapes, according to Vivo.
- The X200 Pro is equipped with a 6,000 mAh battery featuring third-generation silicon anode technology and a semi-solid state battery design. In tests run by Vivo, the battery life from full charge to automatic shutdown was 13 hours and 15 minutes. This battery system enhances energy density and ensures reliable performance even in low-temperature conditions, down to -20 degrees Celsius.
- The X200 series also supports long-distance off-network communication, including one-to-one voice calls up to 2 km and SOS text broadcasting up to 4 km.
- The Vivo X200 Pro is priced between RMB 5,299 ($748) and RMB 6,799 ($959), depending on storage. Currently, it is available for presale in the Chinese market, with overseas release dates yet to be determined.
Context: In the second quarter of 2024, Chinese smartphone shipments hit 71.58 million units, representing a year-on-year growth of 8.9%, according to market intelligence firm IDC.
- During the quarter, Vivo held the largest market share in China at 18.5%, followed by Huawei at 18.1%. Oppo secured 15.7% of the market, while Honor and Xiaomi accounted for 14.5% and 14.0%, respectively.