Vivo X200 FE review: Big battery, bold cameras. Is it the ultimate compact Android phone?

For years now, the smartphone market has been pushing users towards giant slabs that scream performance but struggle with ergonomics. That’s exactly where the Vivo X200 FE wants to step in after its launch on July 14, 2024. This phone is Vivo’s take on offering a premium, flagship-level experience after last year’s Vivo X200 and Vivo X200 Pro but in a smaller, manageable, one-hand-usable body. On paper, it packs some serious hardware—a 6.31-inch AMOLED display with LTPO tech, the flagship-grade Dimensity 9300+, a 6500mAh battery, and a camera setup that includes a 3X periscope lens, all under 8mm thickness. But does it deliver that promise without serious compromises?

After spending a week testing the device in the real world, here’s my thorough breakdown of what works, what doesn’t, and why this phone might just be what a section of Android users has been waiting for.

Design and Build: Compact in Form, Big in Function

From the moment I picked up the X200 FE, the design decisions started to stand out. The first thing that struck me was how easily the X200 FE slid into my jeans pocket—and stayed there without feeling like I was carrying a power bank. At 186 grams and just 7.9mm thin, this is no featherweight, but the phone is so well-balanced that it never felt too heavy. When I held it in one hand while commuting or navigating through apps, the flat frame and matte glass back provided a reassuring grip.

The Luxe Grey variant I used has a matte texture that repels fingerprints and doesn’t attract unnecessary attention. It is also available in Frost Blue and Amber Yellow color variants in India. The power and volume buttons are placed comfortably on the right and give a nice click when pressed. Even after hours of usage—whether browsing, gaming, or just doomscrolling—I didn’t feel hand fatigue.

Despite being small in form factor, the device doesn’t shy away from durability. The IP68 and IP69 certifications mean it can survive splashes, dust, and even some accidental drops due to Schott Xensation Core Glass protection. Simply said, I wasn’t anxious about using it during a light drizzle or near the kitchen sink. Further, the camera module, despite housing a periscope lens, doesn’t jut out excessively and blends into the body well.

The stereo speakers on the smartphone pack a punch, and I noticed the top-firing speaker made binge-watching late-night YouTube videos far more immersive than I expected from a compact phone. And having an IR blaster comes in handy more often than many might expect.

This phone doesn’t feel like a cut-down version of a flagship. It feels like a flagship built for different priorities.

Display: Bright, Balanced, and Binge-Ready

Vivo has managed to fit a surprisingly impressive panel into this compact frame. The 6.31-inch AMOLED screen is flat, LTPO-enabled, and supports a dynamic 1Hz-120Hz refresh rate, which helps save battery. It gets incredibly bright too, with a claimed peak brightness of 5000 nits and 1800 nits in HBM. In day-to-day use, especially under harsh sunlight, the screen remained clearly visible.

It supports HDR10+ and Widevine L1, so whether I was watching Netflix or YouTube, the content looked vivid and immersive, even while reading articles, and replying to emails. The bezels are minimal and uniform, which helps in making the screen feel larger than it actually is. This also enhances the comfort of watching videos or playing games in landscape mode.

Though the blacks are deep, but out of the box color calibration might feel slightly on the punchier side, leaning towards saturated tones. I was able to tone this down through settings, but users who prefer natural color accuracy might find it a touch overprocessed. Still, the sharpness, smoothness, and overall viewing experience left little room for complaints.

Also worth noting: the optical fingerprint scanner is good but an ultrasonic one would have been better. Its lower placement on the smartphone’s screen might take a bit of getting used to for some people.

Performance: Fast, Capable, but Not Flawless

Under the hood, the X200 FE runs the MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ SoC (considered on par with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3), paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

From day one, I threw everything at it—heavy multitasking, photo editing, gaming, background audio streaming—and it never lagged.

Now, some might question the absence of UFS 4.0, especially when competitors in this price segment have started offering it. But unless you’re transferring massive files regularly, the difference is negligible in everyday use.

App launches were snappy, multitasking was fluid, and casual games like Subway Surfers or Candy Crush were a breeze. Games like BGMI and Genshin Impact ran at smooth frame rates, with the former supporting 90fps. Genshin held at around 45-50fps, though I did notice very minor frame dips at some moments but the impact was negligible.

Thermals were mostly in check. The phone got warm under heavy load, especially during long gaming sessions, but never uncomfortably hot. It’s important to note that the monsoon weather in NCR likely helped in this regard—peak summer testing could yield different thermal behavior. The CPU throttling remained stable, suggesting reliable sustained performance. I also tried editing a couple of short 4K video clips in CapCut, and it handled that without stutter or heat issues.

That said, there were some animations in the UI that didn’t feel as fluid as, say, One UI or iOS. But that’s not a dealbreaker. It’s a balanced performer that gets most things right without going overboard.

Software: FunTouch Gets a Boost with AI

Running FunTouch OS 15 on top of Android 15, the X200 FE is the most polished iteration of Vivo’s software so far. It now includes four years of Android updates and five years of security patches, which is commendable in this segment.

While bloatware exists (hot apps and hot games), they can be disabled. The UI is clean enough for daily use, and customization has improved. Always-On Display styles, lock screen filters, and dynamic wallpapers add personality.

What stood out to me were the AI features. Tools like AI Magic Move (to reposition objects in images), AI Reflection Eraser, Image Expander, and the Four Season Portrait filters actually work and aren’t just gimmicks. Vivo Docaster is another practical tool that lets you convert PDFs to Word or PowerPoint directly from the gallery—a feature that’s surprisingly useful.

Google Gemini is also integrated, allowing on-screen contextual search and summarization in apps like YouTube and Chrome. While FunTouch still lacks the minimalism of Pixel UI or even OxygenOS, but I didn’t encounter any crashes, memory leaks, or janky behavior during my testing.

Camera: Zeiss Optics in a Compact Body

This is where the X200 FE punches way above its weight. The triple camera setup on the rear features a 50MP Sony IMX921 main sensor, a 50MP IMX882 3x periscope telephoto, and an 8MP ultra-wide. Selfies are handled by a 50MP front camera with autofocus.

Daylight photography was consistently sharp and color-rich, with good HDR processing and minimal shutter lag. The Zeiss Natural Color mode toned down saturation for more realistic hues, and I also enjoyed experimenting with Zeiss portrait filters like CineFlare, Biotar, and Sonar.

The 3x telephoto lens delivered crisp portrait shots, especially in the 85mm and 100mm modes. Vivo offers focal length-based portrait options that replicate DSLR-style compositions. Zooming up to 10x yielded usable shots; anything beyond became more about showing off than practical use.

The ultra-wide is where I felt the compromise. It worked well in bright light but faltered in low-light conditions. Edge distortion was minimal, but the details were noticeably soft. Color consistency also takes a hit when switching between sensors.

Video recording goes up to 4K 60fps on both front and rear cameras. Stabilization worked well while walking or panning shots, and skin tones looked natural. Portrait video is capped at 1080p 30fps but offers real-time background blur. Audio capture was also above average.The smart aura light helped a lot when I had to take quick shots at night without blinding flash, giving photos a more natural ambient feel.

Battery: Huge Numbers, Real Endurance

This phone houses a 6500mAh silicon-carbon battery. It’s not just large on paper—the endurance is real. Even with 120Hz enabled and 5G running, I consistently got 9-11 hours of screen-on-time over multiple cycles.

Charging was equally impressive. Using a 90W charger, the phone charged from 5% to 100% in about 50–52 minutes. There’s no wireless charging here, which is expected at this price, but not a major loss considering the fast wired speeds.

Standby drain was minimal, and the battery optimization algorithms in FunTouch OS did a decent job of background management without aggressively killing apps.

Final Verdict: A Compact Phone Done Right

The Vivo X200 FE isn’t trying to compete with the iPhones or Samsung S series. Also, while it doesn’t have every spec maxed out like the X200 Pro, it gets the fundamentals right: a bright display, flagship cameras, long battery life, and a solid, comfortable design.

Yes, there are some trade-offs: the ultra-wide camera is average, FunTouch OS still needs polish, and the absence of UFS 4.0 might bother spec-chasers. But the phone’s strengths—its Zeiss-backed main and telephoto cameras, excellent battery life, crisp AMOLED display, and robust build—make it one of the most well-rounded compact phones.

Starting at Rs 54,999 (with bank and student offers), the Vivo X200 FE stands as a viable alternative for those who’ve felt ignored by the big-screen-only trend. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely a phone worth considering—especially for those tired of compromising size for substance.

If you are someone, specifically looking for a camera-centric smartphone, then the iPhone 15 might be a good option to check out. Further, if you like the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, then the Xiaomi 15 is also a great option.

But, if you’re someone who finds most premium phones too bulky or fatiguing to use throughout the day, then the Vivo X200 FE, as a compact alternative, could be the answer. And if you’re someone used to premium flagships but want a secondary device that doesn’t feel watered down, this might be the most balanced offering Vivo has made yet.