Tech Blog #176 | Vivo X100 Ultra - 200MP Periscope Zoom!!!

Chinese smartphone manufacturers try to optimize their camera departments by heavily investing in camera hardware. When companies like Sony introduce a new camera sensor, they try to implement on their next flagship smartphone so they can have higher scores in camera ratings, like DXOMARK. Vivo released their Vivo x100 series a while back. But they are not done. It's time for the Ultra now.

The Vivo X100 Ultra has an elegant, high-end design that combines metal and glass components. It weighs 229 g and has a thin profile, measuring 9.2 mm in thickness. The gadget is weatherproof and long-lasting thanks to its IP69 and IP68 dust/water resistance. The phone has a sophisticated camera setup on the back, and it feels more modern and luxurious thanks to an elegant display on the front which features an in-display fingerprint sensor for convenient and secure biometric authentication.

The Vivo X100 Ultra features a stunning 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a 1440P resolution and a 120Hz variable refresh rate. This display technology produces vibrant colors, deep blacks, and high contrast, resulting in an unparallel viewing experience for multimedia and gaming. It also supports Dolby Vision and HDR content, which provide high dynamic range and vibrant visuals. With a maximum brightness of 3000 nits, the display is visible even in bright outdoor conditions. The screen-to-body ratio is around 89.8%, giving users a large viewing area to enjoy their content.

The Vivo X100 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which is built on a 4nm process. It has an octa-core CPU and an Adreno 750 GPU, which provide excellent gaming and multitasking performance. The phone is available in several variants, including 256GB storage with 12GB RAM, 512GB storage with 16GB RAM, and a top-tier 1TB storage with 16GB RAM, providing ample storage and smooth multitasking capabilities. All variants come with LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 4.0 storage technology.

The Vivo X100 Ultra brings an impressive camera setup, with a 50 MP main camera and a large 1/0.98" sensor size, allowing it to capture detailed and vibrant photos. It also has a 200 MP periscope telephoto camera with an 85mm focal length, which offers 3.7x optical zoom and up to 20x magnification in telephoto macro mode. The 50 MP ultrawide camera has an f/2.2 aperture and 116˚ field of view, allowing for versatile wide-angle shots. The cameras feature Zeiss optics and T* lens coating, resulting in high-quality images with reduced aberrations. The phone also has advanced video recording capabilities, including 8K recording at 30fps, 4K recording at 30/60/120fps, and 1080p recording with gyro-EIS and Dolby Vision HDR.

Vivo didn't forget to showcase the quality of their 200MP periscope camera. A few sample images were posted on twitter and their official website. take a look at 10X and 30X samples. There's no visible pixel peeping in those samples. It's highly doubtful about the conditions in which these photos have taken. With open sunlight on the object, it always tends to capture a nice, detailed image, just like shown here.

The Vivo X100 Ultra comes with a large 5,500mAh Si-C battery, which provides enough power for extended use. It supports both 80W wired charging, which allows you to quickly recharge your device, and 30W wireless charging for added convenience. This allows you to stay connected and productive throughout the day without fear of running out of battery. Charging speeds are slower than those of its siblings. I believe this is due to the focus on battery longevity.

The Vivo X100 Ultra is reasonably priced, beginning at CNY 6,499 ($898) for the 12/256GB variant and increasing to CNY 7,999 ($1,105) for the 16GB RAM and 1TB storage model. Despite its high price, the X100 Ultra provides excellent value for users seeking a flagship smartphone with high-end features. With its impressive camera system, powerful performance, and premium design, the Vivo X100 Ultra is an impressive rival in the flagship smartphone market, appealing to those who value photography and performance in their mobile devices.