Vivo’s X Pro series has been known for its excellent cameras, often backed up by impressive hardware and innovative design. So when Vivo launched its X100 series recently, those looking for a relatively mainstream flagship had their eyes on the more affordable X100, but photography fans focused (pun intended) on its Pro bro. And with good reason. The Vivo X100 Pro packs in enough on paper to be considered a phone photographer’s dream.
Like its predecessor, the Vivo X100 Pro also comes with cameras with Carl Zeiss optics. There is a 50-megapixel one-inch main sensor, one of the largest seen in phone cameras (bigger than the sensors on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Google Pixel 8 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra), a 50-megapixel telephoto with 4.3x optical zoom and a 50-megapixel ultrawide sensor. The camera is capable of delivering not just very good images but also 8K video and has digital zoom capability of a staggering 100x.
This being a Vivo phone, there are also likely to be several shooting modes and editing options, with OriginOS on top of Android 14. The phone also comes with a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a 2800×1260 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Keeping all this running is the task of a large 5,400mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging. It is the first phone to run on MediaTek’s new flagship-level Dimensity 9300 chip, so you can be assured that it will handle anything you throw at it with elan.
All this flagship goodness comes at a starting price of CNY 4,999, which is about Rs 57,000 in direct INR conversion. The phone is expected to come soon to India, and although we cannot exactly say when and at what price (previous X series phones generally come at significantly higher prices in India, although we hope this will change), it is sure to face some stiff competition.
Among the phones standing in its way, these will be the Vivo X100 Pro’s biggest headaches:
OnePlus 11: Never Settling Contender
Price: Rs 56,999 onwards
OnePlus has upped its camera game considerably ever since it joined hands with the legendary Hasselblad for its flagship devices. The OnePlus 11 might seem a little old now, but its specs are still outstanding and its triple camera arrangement has got better, thanks to a series of updates.
The phone comes with a large 6.7-inch curved Super Fluid AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate and has a large spherical camera unit on its back with a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, a special 32-megapixel tele portrait camera and a 48-megapixel ultrawide snapper.
There are several special shooting modes including some from Hasselblad, and the phone works very smoothly, thanks to the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor driving it. A 5,000mAh battery keeps it ticking comfortably for over a day and a 100W charger gets it from zero to 100 in next to no time. All this topped off with OnePlus’ clean OxygenOS makes the OnePlus 11 a formidable challenger to any flagship in the market, although the OnePlus 12 already looms on the tech horizon.
Xiaomi 13 Pro: For Those Who Love Leica
Price: Rs 74,999
Its successor might have been unveiled in China already, but there is no doubt that the Xiaomi 13 Pro remains one of the best camera phones in the Indian market and is likely to be one of the biggest challengers to the Vivo X100 Pro when it arrives in India.
The Xiaomi 13 Pro ticks all premium boxes — it comes with a ceramic back design, a brilliant 6.73-inch curved AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, runs on the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and has a 4,820mAh battery that charges at 120W with a wired connection and at 50W with a wireless one.
However, what makes it unique is the triple camera arrangement on the back with lenses from one of the biggest names in the photography business, Leica.
The main camera comes with a one-inch sensor (just like the Vivo X100 Pro) and shoots at 50 megapixels. This is supported by a 50-megapixel floating telephoto camera that provides different focal lengths as well as 3.2x optical zoom, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera.
The phone is a proper Android flagship but it is the Leica-flavoured photography — complete with special shooting effects and a unique colour science — that makes it special.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE: Many Fans Of This Edition
Price: Rs 59,999
The FE or ‘Fan Edition’ variant of Samsung’s Galaxy flagship S series is known for delivering many high-end flagship features at a relatively affordable price. The S23 FE continues this tradition.
In the best Samsung tradition, it comes with a clean design, and a brilliant 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with FHD+ resolution.
The phone sports very good cameras, spearheaded by a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, accompanied by an 8-megapixel telephoto camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens. This setup is bundled with a number of the shooting effects and tweaks that were available on the Galaxy S23 series released earlier in the year, making them formidable performers.
The 4,500mAh battery might seem a little small in comparison to the other devices in this list, but it will easily see off a day of heavy use, although its maximum charging speed of 25W and the absence of a charger in the box might disappoint some.
A few might also frown at the fact that the Indian variant comes with the Exynos 2200 chipset rather than a Qualcomm Snapdragon Series 8, but from what we have seen, it is every inch a flagship processor in its own right.
Google Pixel 8: Computational Photography Wizard
Price: Rs 75,999
It might be seen as being a little expensive by general Pixel standards but the Pixel 8’s AI smarts and photographic muscle ensure that it stands in the way of any Android flagship being released in the market today.
Its 6.2-inch OLED FHD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate makes it one of the most compact phones around, and it comes with the iconic Pixel design, complete with the protruding camera bar on the back.
The Tensor G3 processor powering it might not set benchmarks on fire, but comes with some smart features that are not available on any other smartphone. And of course, this being a Pixel, you get the delights of computational photography with the 50-megapixel main sensor and 12 megapixel ultrawide camera on that camera bar delivering an amazing amount of detail and accurate colours, along with a number of editing options that are exclusive to the Pixel. The 4,575mAh battery gets through a day of usage although it charges at a rather modest 27W (wired) and 18W (wireless), and has no charger in the box.
That said, the Pixel 8 not only comes with clean, uncluttered Android but is also assured of updates for an amazing seven years. A handful for any premium segment Android.
iPhone 14: Still A Hurdle For Many New Androids
Price: Rs 59,999 onwards
It might be a year old, but the iPhone 14 remains a great option for anyone wanting a good camera. It might not have the 48-megapixel camera of the iPhone 15 but the dual 12-megapixel cameras on the iPhone 14 are capable of some extremely good photography and are in a league of their own when it comes to video.
The phone still looks very smart and elegant in the best iPhone tradition and the A15 Bionic remains a very powerful performer, capable of handling high-end games and tasks like video editing. You also get excellent sound, a very good 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, and wireless charging.
All this is topped with the secure and consistently updated iOS, making the iPhone 14 a slightly old but still very much a golden option for anyone looking for a powerful phone in this price segment.