Vivo X100 Review - Is it the Pinnacle of Non-Pro Phones in 2024?

In our detailed smartphone review, the Vivo X100 Pro received high marks and deserved them. Now, let's look at the Vivo X100, its more cheap sibling. The Vivo X100, at roughly Rs 26,000 less than the Pro variant but with identical specs, demands deeper inspection. In this brief review of the Vivo X100, we explain why this smartphone is worth a second look, particularly if you're looking for a camera-centric Android flagship for Rs 70,000.

The Vivo X100 stands out for its affordable price. Despite the significant price difference from the Pro model, it maintains a comparable set of characteristics, making it an intriguing alternative for people with a strong interest in photography. The X100's camera capabilities make it a worthwhile purchase, illustrating that a pleasant shooting experience does not have to be prohibitively expensive.

The Vivo X100 demonstrates the company's ability to deliver on its promises. This smartphone genuinely lives up to its promises, with amazing photos, a smooth performance, and an excellent battery life, all supported by an incredible fast-charging option. Adding to the attraction is a display that provides an exceptional viewing experience. While the phone is a little slippery, the appealing design compensates, delivering a comfortable in-hand experience.

Vivo X100 Pro and X100 Price

Available	Models	Price
Flipkart	vivo X100 Pro (Asteroid Black, 512 GB) (16 GB RAM)	Buy Now
Flipkart	vivo X100 (Stargaze Blue, 256 GB) (12 GB RAM)	Buy Now
Flipkart	vivo X100 (Asteroid Black, 256 GB) (12 GB RAM)	Buy Now

Design and Display

The Vivo X100's design stands out mostly through minor touches that set it distinct from its sister, the X100 Pro. The most visible difference is that the X100 Pro now has a sunset orange color variation, which was not available on the X100. Aside from that, the design difference is in the crescent metal ring that surrounds the camera module on both devices. This crescent is attractively positioned at the bottom of the X100 Pro, but it graces the right side of the Vivo X100 as well. My review item was the Startrail Blue model, although an Aestroid Black option, similar to the X100 Pro, is also available. Personally, I like the classy Aestroid Black, but if vivid colors are more your style, the Startrail Blue may be ideal for you.

The rear of the Vivo X100 has a glass surface with a matte texture and shiny arcs, which contribute to a visually appealing design while also repelling fingerprints and smudges. The device's notable identifiers include Zeiss branding on the camera module and the Vivo symbol carved at the bottom. While these markers blend well with the design, they may be seen as bit overdone.

In terms of design, the Vivo X100 strikes a mix between beauty and practicality. Users may personalize their smartphone by selecting from the elegant Aestroid Black or the bright Startrail Blue. The glass back provides a luxury touch while also providing a pleasant and stable grip.

Despite the handset's elegant design with curved edges, there is one caveat: individuals with moist palms may find it slippery. Fortunately, this issue may be easily resolved with the clear cover that Vivo wisely includes with the smartphone. The button positions on the right spine are well-thought-out, ensuring accessibility without needing finger gymnastics. The fingerprint scanner, which is placed beneath the screen, should have been better positioned for optimal thumb contact while holding the smartphone. Nonetheless, the scanner shines at smoothly unlocking the smartphone.

The Vivo X100 features a large 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that enhances the visual experience with excellent characteristics. With a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, this LTPO panel dynamically adjusts the refresh rate based on on-screen content, extending battery life. Whether indoors or out, the display provides an exceptional viewing experience. Colors are vivid, blacks are deep, and the dynamic range is exceptional. The immersive viewing experience is enhanced with dual speaker output and gracefully curved edges, which increase total visual and audio engagement.

Camera

Turning our focus to the phone's main feature—the cameras—the Vivo X100 has a triple rear camera arrangement. This consists of a 50MP main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide lens, and a 64MP 3x periscope telephoto lens. Unlike the Pro model, the ordinary X100 lacks a floating telephoto lens, which adds to better stabilization. However, its absence implies that the device fails to take crisp photographs at zoom ranges greater than 10x.

The evident color change when switching to the telephoto lens has an influence on image quality, but the degree of detail remains acceptable, especially in well-lit situations with 3x and 5x magnification. However, the dynamic range may have been improved. The finer features surrounding dark places can seem lackluster, showing a slight flaw in certain lighting circumstances.

While the Vivo X100's camera system lacks the extended zoom capabilities of its Pro cousin, it nevertheless captures enough details within its restrictions. The lack of a floating telephoto lens, without influencing stability, is a disadvantage for those users who do not require considerable zoom capabilities.

The 50MP ultrawide lens excels in capturing stunning photographs in a variety of lighting conditions. There is some apparent warping around the frame's corners, but overall the result is positive. The photographs show rich colors and well-exposed details, particularly in the middle of the frame. This lens offers night mode, which significantly reduces noise in low-light images.

Now, focus your attention to the 50MP main camera, which certainly steals the show. This camera excels at producing incredibly clean and clear photographs regardless of the lighting conditions—whether in low light or in brilliant brightness. The dynamic range makes a lasting impact, and the colors, while slightly oversaturated, add to a visually pleasing result.

The phone demonstrates its ability to capture stunning portraits with a variety of focus lengths, including 24mm (1x), 35mm (1.5x), 50mm (2.2x), 85mm (3.7x), and 100mm (4.3x). These focal lengths perform well with both human and animal scenes, resulting in a nice distinction between foreground and backdrop. Despite these advantages, there is space for small improvements in edge detection.

The Vivo X100 also has many ZEISS Style Bokeh styles, including as Distagon, B-Speed, Biotar, Planar, and Sonnar. These styles allow users to experiment with various bokeh effects, bringing a creative layer to their shooting experience.

The X100's Super Macro mode deserves special recognition for its usefulness. The phone's telephoto lens shoots excellent close-up shots, expanding its photographic potential.

Moving on to the front camera, the Vivo X100 has a 32MP sensor positioned within the punch-hole arrangement for selfies and video chats. The front camera output looks to be acceptable, but with some flesh smoothing effects.

Performance and Software

When it comes to performance, the Vivo X100 is powered by MediaTek's most powerful processor to date—the Dimensity 9300—which works tirelessly behind the hood. The smartphone, which has a unique V2 processor meant to improve picture processing, has up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. These specs are consistent with flagship-level capabilities, assuring smooth performance whether you're multitasking or gaming.

Throughout our time with the device, we had no app crashes or screen freezes, even with many apps running in the background. The Vivo X100 performed wonderfully in BGMI, even with the maximum graphics and frame rate settings. While there was a minor increase in heat activity during lengthy gaming, it did not result in substantial throttling of the device.

It's worth mentioning that during the CPU Throttle test, the Vivo X100 experiences a minor performance drop. However, the phone outperformed the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered iQOO 12 in both AnTuTu and Geekbench tests.

The Vivo X100 comes pre-installed with FunTouchOS 14, which is placed on top of Android 14. While the user experience differs drastically from stock Android, it does provide an extensive number of customization choices to personalize it to your needs. The device's customized touch is enhanced by features like as a Material You-inspired theme, several clock designs on the lock screen, and a range of new always-on display widgets. Notably, the few third-party programs that are pre-installed on the device are readily deleted after setup, giving customers the freedom to tailor their software environment to their desire.

The customization possibilities provided by FunTouchOS 14 on the Vivo X100 allow users to incorporate their own style into the user interface. Despite the deviation from stock Android, the inclusion of features like as Material You and the option to customize numerous visual components assures a distinct and user-friendly experience. Furthermore, the option to delete pre-installed third-party apps gives users more control over their device's software, letting them to tailor it to their tastes.

The Vivo X100's battery arrangement changes somewhat from that of its Pro brother, with a 5,000mAh battery vs the Pro model's 5,400mAh. Interestingly, the X100 does not offer wireless charging. Any concerns about these variances are quickly alleviated by the presence of a phenomenal 120W fast charging solution, which outperforms the Pro's already amazing 100W capacity. The charger included in the box charges the smartphone from 0 to 100 percent in an amazing 25 minutes.

Despite the reduced battery capacity, the Vivo X100 has an impressive battery life. Throughout a day of varied activity, such as streaming, gaming, and navigation, the smartphone kept roughly 30-35 percent of its battery capacity by the end. This endurance indicates that the phone can easily meet communication demands without requiring a midday charge. In terms of screen time, I had almost seven hours, underscoring the device's lifespan.

The PC Mark battery test confirms the Vivo X100's impressive battery performance, earning a respectable score of 17 hours. This test demonstrates the device's capacity to withstand a variety of usage circumstances, establishing it as a dependable companion for consumers with rigorous daily routines.

Conclusion

Is the Vivo X100 the finest non-Pro phone this year? Well, that's a subjective decision based on your perspective. If you're looking for an all-around Android smartphone with solid performance, the Vivo X100 makes a compelling case—at least for the time being. The smartphone outperforms its predecessor, the iQOO 12, especially in the photography sector. The overall performance of the Vivo smartphone is comparable, if not higher. Furthermore, its compelling design, brilliant display, and impressive battery life set it apart from many of its competitors.

However, not everything is going smoothly. The software, which comes with some bloatware, and the slightly decent selfie camera may give you pause. Nonetheless, if you can overlook these issues, the Vivo X100 provides excellent value for money. The base 12GB RAM model begins at Rs 63,999, while the 16GB RAM variant costs Rs 69,999.