Vivo is once again trying to be among the first manufacturers to offer their new generation flagship devices to the Malaysian market. It started with their sub-brand iQOO 12 which was pretty awesome and now the vivo X100 Pro. I have been using this device for a few weeks and I feel that among the best flagship device candidates 2024 has been found.
SPECIFICATIONS
vivo X100 Pro
6.78-inch AMOLED LTPO screen, 2800 x 1260,
3000 nits, 120Hz, HDR10+
Dimensity 9300 processor (4nm)
vivo V3 Chip (6mm)
1x 3.25 GHz Cortex-X4 chip
3x 2.85 GHz Cortex-X4
4x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A720
Immortalis-G720 MC12 Graphics Chip
RAM 16GB LPDDR5X
Internal Storage 512GB UFS 4.0
Primary Camera 50 MP, 1-inch, f/1.75, OIS (Wide Angle)
50 MP, f/2.0 (Ultra Wide Angle)
50 MP, f/2.5, OIS, 4.3x Optical Zoom (Telephoto Periscope)
Telephoto Sunset, Astro Portrait, Zeiss Portrait, Zeiss Natural Color
Front Camera 32 MP, f/2.0
5400 mAh battery
100W wired charging
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM Nano /5G
NFC Yes
Infrared Yes
Waterproof IP68
Fingerprint Scan System under the screen
Sale Price RM4599 (16/512 GB)
DESIGN
The device still looks more or less the same as the X90 Pro, only this time the giant camera bump is in the middle which looks neater. One thing that disturbs this beautiful back panel is the sentence Extreme Imagination – because in my opinion the Zeiss or vivo | logo Zeiss Co-Engineered is enough. The unit I tested uses the name Startrail Blue which is a smooth liquid blue finish with a star spiral pattern.
In the hand the X100 Pro really feels premium, only when I'm used to handling flagship devices that mostly use a flat design on the body and screen. Therefore the curved design that vivo uses makes it feel a little awkward. With it being smooth, the protective frame is very mandatory to use if you don't want the device to crack or break.
The X100 Pro is vivo's sixth generation photography focusing device and the fifth generation with Zeiss, are they still not convinced of the camera's capabilities? Because on top of the device I still want to put the words "Professional Photography", next to the microphone hole and the infrared sensor.
Below there is only one more hole of the same, a USB-C port, a SIM card slot and a speaker grille. The power button and volume adjustment button are placed on the left side. On the front is a curved screen that looks beautiful with a hole for the selfie camera. Finally on the back there is a giant camera bump that houses the three main camera sensors.
SCREEN
The 6.78-inch screen on the device is also one of the most beautiful and bright I've ever used. The brightness of up to 3000 nits is not a problem to use this device under the scorching sunlight. HDR10+ support is also satisfactory as it provides an immersive Netflix viewing experience. In addition, there is a feature that further enhances the color of the display, watching YoTube or Prime Video is also fun.
I only have a small issue, where vivo says the X100 Pro uses an AMOLED screen with LTPO. But the device's adaptive refresh rate seems inconsistent, often moving at 60Hz to 90Hz instead of 1Hz to 120Hz. Others have no problem at all, with the software also helping to make the device's screen friendly to the user's eyes.
BIOMETRIC SYSTEM
vivo X100 Pro uses an optical type sensor. This means, the fingerprint scanning part will light up brightly when using it in a dark area. Don't know why the more accurate ultrasonic fingerprint scanner isn't used when it's not a new technology. Face scan based unlock also works brilliantly.
USAGE AND SOFTWARE – FUNTOUCH OS 14
For years I have complained to vivo Malaysia, why do devices priced above RM4000 still want to include advertisements? Not only advertisements, there are also Hot Apps and Hot Games icons as permanent advertisements on the application platform that suggest interesting applications to users in the vivo application store. Finally on Funtouch OS 14 based on Android 14 running on this vivo X100 Pro is cleaner.
Although vivo has tried to include many elements of stock Android in system settings, security or customization options, Funtouch OS 14 still tries to highlight standalone applications. For example, phone calls and messaging applications are not Google Phone or Google Messages as in competitors. The widget also tries to bring its own identity with an interactive concept.
16GB of virtual memory makes the total memory of the device reach 32GB helping to provide the best performance. Then the Global Search feature makes it easy for me to find things across devices including in applications easily and quickly. Ultra Game Mode allows me to play first without any interruptions but with unexpected performance. Finally Dynamic Effects gives me the opportunity to customize the theme of the device so that it is more personalized with my personality.
PERFORMANCE AND BENCHMARKS – DIMENSITY 9300
MediaTek Dimensity 9300 still uses 4nm construction and it is a competitor to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. I will compare the performance of this device with iQOO 12, iPhone 15 Pro Max and Xiaomi 13 Ultra. The benchmark tests I tested were AnTuTu 3D, Geekbench 6 and two 3DMarks namely Willd Life Extreme and Solar Bay. In this test, the Dimensity 9300 lags far behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It's more like a slightly more powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Antutu 3D
vivo X100 Pro – 1,852,552
iQOO 12 – 2,075,821
iPhone 15 Pro Max – 1,523,961
Xiaomi 13 Ultra – 1,527,588
Geekbench 6
vivo X100 Pro – 2071 / 5032
iQOO 12 – 2181 / 6631
iPhone 15 Pro Max – 2873 / 7228
Xiaomi 13 Ultra – 2015 /5 457
3D Mark Wildlife Extreme
vivo X100 Pro – 24.35 FPS
iQOO 12 – 30.22 FPS
iPhone 15 Pro Max – 22.1 FPS
Xiaomi 13 Ultra – N/A
3DMark Solar Bay
vivo X100 Pro – 6929 / 26.35 FPS
iQOO 12 – 8528 / 32.43FPS
iPhone 15 Pro Max – 4943 / 18.8FPS
Xiaomi 13 Ultra – N/A
I tried to play COD Mobile on this device. It undeniably runs very smoothly with the highest graphics settings. Just after 15 minutes of playing, the device has already started to get warm. Even so it still didn't heat up to a serious level. This allows me to keep playing two different games in the same hour.
TELEPHONY AND GPS
This device has no problem with Maxis SIM card for 5G connection because it is always fast and stable. VoWiFi and VoLTE support is also pretty good. The WiFi connection is fast and does not experience any connection problems. GPS is also fast in locking the location with Google Maps and Waze successfully giving directions.
CAMERA
We have a theory that the camera quality of the vivo X series alternates between good and bad every generation. Started X60 good, X70 bad, X80 good, X90 bad and now X100 is good again. Although still using the same sensor as the X90 Pro, which is 50MP 1″ Sony IMX989, the help of the Vivo V3 chip and Dimensity brings vivo's best photography quality.
Overall, the vivo X100 Pro has the potential to be the champion of the best photography device. A beautiful night mode with almost no noise, sharp and beautiful colors for each mode, Zeiss color profiles that are pleasing to the eye and various Zeiss bokeh profiles as if Xiaomi and Leica are given. The main shortcoming that I don't like is the inconsistent portrait mode, sometimes it's neat and sometimes it's not. Then it's 2024, why the transition between sensors when changing wide angle mode to ultra wide angle to zoom there is a color change and the focus becomes runaway.
Auto mode, night time – 0.6x vs 2x – Dusk, almost 8PM
Auto mode, night time 4.3x vs 100x – almost Spaze Zoom Samsung
Auto mode, ultra wide angle – bright and good focus
Auto mode, 1-inch sensor – natural bokeh without portrait mode.
Color results and preservation of details are very interesting.
Portrait mode is beautiful, but messy.
Focus starts to run a little in low light.
A variety of Zeiss portrait filters that make photo results more creative.
A close-up shot in the dark.
Human auto mode, try the multi-focus feature.
Mass selfies.
VIDEOS
This device also improves video recording capabilities. The sample below is an example of a stable 4K 30FPS recording, the colors are clear, the focus is good and the details are preserved at an almost perfect level. The OIS clearly helps here as this fast, fast slide looks slow in video. Not only that, the 720p slow motion recording also looks amazing and I think it's one of the best I've tested myself.
AUDIO
The vivo X100 Pro supports stereo speakers, but there is no collaboration with Dolby or other audio company brands. Even so, vivo has its own system called Audio Super Resolution which allows any audio to be played at a higher resolution. Not only that, the built-in Hi-Fi feature allows several video and audio applications to play audio in this format. Listening two or three times is nice, but once you get used to it it will sound a little strange due to the overly digital or software-made audio quality.
BATTERY
Battery life is not so good. I regularly get 4-5 hours of SOT for light use and around 3-4 hours of SOT for heavy use. The device has a 5400mAh capacity battery with 100W fast charging support that can charge the device from 0% to 100% in around half an hour. It's just, the battery that runs out like a leaking water bottle, I'm not sure if it's a problem with Dimensity 9300 or Funtouch OS 14 that vivo can fix with an update.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
Here's what's in the box with every purchase of this device;
1x vivo X100 Pro
1x FlashCharge 120W Charger
1x USB-C to USB-C Cable
1x Silicone protective frame
1x SIM Pin
1x Set of manuals and safety books
CONCLUSION
With a price of RM4,599 for the 16/512 GB variant, the vivo X100 Pro is truly the first photography flagship device in Malaysia. We still don't know when the Oppo Find X7 will be launched or the Xiaomi 14, so the X100 Pro is a worthy candidate to be a smartphone. Premium design and build, improved software, great camera capabilities, fast charging and IP68 protection – the vivo X100 Pro is an excellent and near-perfect photography flagship device.
PRO
Pretty nice screen.
Great camera capabilities with good zoom.
More mature software.
Amazing performance.
Fast enough charging.
CONS
Not so neat portrait mode.
Battery that doesn't last long.
Curved design and smooth finish.
Confusing camera app.