Dvij Kotadia | 11 Apr 2025 03:47 PM
Vivo is gearing up to launch its X200 Ultra smartphone in China on April 21st, and the focus is clearly on photography. The company has been teasing a Photography Kit accessory, and now, we've got details on an optional external lens that's set to take the phone's zoom capabilities to the next level.
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Vivo product manager Han Boxiao confirmed in a Weibo post that the X200 Ultra will indeed support this external lens, which has been co-engineered with Zeiss. Vivo is even touting it as the "fourth lens" of the smartphone, emphasizing its importance alongside the phone's already impressive Zeiss-backed triple rear camera setup, which includes a telephoto shooter.
So, what does this external lens bring to the table? According to Boxiao, it offers up to 200mm (8.7x optical) zoom with an f/2.3 aperture. The lens uses 13 high-transmittance glass lenses arranged in three optical groups in a Kepler structure (think telescope-style layout) for a more compact design. Vivo claims this lens improves the X200 Ultra's inbuilt zoom capabilities by 2.35x optically.
Vivo is also making some bold claims about the zoom quality. They say the X200 Ultra, with the external lens, can capture clear and detailed images even at 35x and 70x digital zoom levels. In fact, they go as far as to suggest that 70x images with the external lens are as clear as 30x images without it. It's worth noting that previous teasers revealed the phone will also sport an 85mm APO telephoto lens, a 14mm ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 35mm "humanistic documentary lens."
To complement the lens, the Vivo X200 Ultra Photography Kit comes with a bracket design, a dedicated video button, a 2,300mAh battery, and USB Type-C connectivity support. The handset itself will also feature a dedicated camera button and will be equipped with the Vivo V3+ and VS1 imaging chipsets for enhanced image processing.
Beyond the camera, the Vivo X200 Ultra is set to feature a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, a 2K display with eye protection, armor glass protection, and an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. It will also support both wireless and bypass charging. Vivo is clearly positioning the X200 Ultra as a camera-centric powerhouse, and we are eager to see how it performs in real-world use.