A Compact Flagship That Breaks the Mold: vivo X200 Pro Mini Review

A Compact Flagship That Breaks the Mold: vivo X200 Pro Mini ReviewWhen it comes to small-screen phones nowadays, what comes to your mind? If you're an iOS user, you might think of the iPhone mini and iPhone SE series that have been discontinued for years; if you're an Android user overseas, then the Samsung Galaxy S series and Pixel A series might be the first names that come to mind. As for Android users in China, the Xiaomi 12/13/14 might be the most fitting product for this niche

A Compact Flagship That Breaks the Mold: vivo X200 Pro Mini Review

When it comes to small-screen phones nowadays, what comes to your mind? If you're an iOS user, you might think of the iPhone mini and iPhone SE series that have been discontinued for years; if you're an Android user overseas, then the Samsung Galaxy S series and Pixel A series might be the first names that come to mind. As for Android users in China, the Xiaomi 12/13/14 might be the most fitting product for this niche. After all, for domestic manufacturers, it's more cost-effective to promote their regular screen-sized models as "the most beautiful straight-screen" rather than launching a separate product line, even though it might make the enthusiasts on Coolpad and Tieba roll their eyes. But this marketing strategy works offline.

It's undeniable that the evolution of screens in smartphones has been a visible change. One of the most notable changes is the increasing screen size. Consumers' demand for better visual experiences has resulted in a prevalence of large-screen phones, while small-screen phones are becoming rarer, though they haven't completely disappeared, they are certainly not mainstream.

For this reason, when I heard that Vivo was going to release a compact flagship, the rational part of my brain told me it wasn't real. Recently, Vivo officially launched the new generation of vivo X200 series flagship phones at the Beijing Water Cube. As the first small-screen product in vivo's X series, the vivo X200 Pro Mini was unveiled as the finale of the launch event, attracting the attention of countless consumers. The question is, what surprises does the newly released X200 Pro Mini bring us? Well, follow me and you'll find out.

The Feel, Truly Compact

Let's talk about the first impression of holding the X200 Pro Mini: It's familiar. Yes, its body width, height, and thickness are all designed to cater to the limits of one-handed operation, but the overall grip feel is surprisingly familiar. Whether it's like an iPhone or a Xiaomi, it's a sense of "familiarity."

In fact, if you look at Vivo's official hardware specifications, you'll find that the dimensions of the X200 Pro Mini are basically the same as the standard and Pro versions of the Apple iPhone, and with the high-brightness straight-edge design, it makes me, a long-time small-screen user, question: It's too familiar.

In my opinion, maintaining a body width under 72mm is the least a "small-screen" phone should be able to achieve. Even for me, someone with a larger-than-average palm, only within this width can I comfortably operate most of the screen with one hand, and extended use won't lead to finger fatigue or tendinitis. Of course, this doesn't apply to the little finger supporting the bottom of the phone.

Interestingly, a certain Apple fan in the company who has been using the iPhone Pro series for years, had even higher approval of this design than I did. According to him, switching between the X200 Pro Mini and iPhone is seamless, as if using two products with highly similar grips. If Vivo could incorporate the MagSafe magnetic case, the similarity might be even greater. For Apple fans, this is perhaps the most sincere praise they could give to an Android phone.

However, the similarity stops there. Perhaps because I rarely use the iPhone, after careful hands-on experience, I can still clearly perceive the difference between the iPhone and the X200 Pro Mini. This difference is evident from the front of the phone.

The X200 Pro Mini features a 6.31-inch small straight screen with a centered punch-hole design. The bezels are ultra-narrow and symmetrical on all four sides, with the bottom bezel slightly wider than the other three sides. The R-corner design of the screen and the body frame are essentially consistent, resulting in a very harmonious front view.

The screen specifications are also excellent, with a resolution of 26401216, commonly known as 1.5K level, a 120Hz refresh rate, 300Hz touch sampling rate in game mode, support for 2160Hz all-brightness high-frequency PWM dimming, and a peak brightness of 4500nits. It's a true flagship screen without a doubt.

The frosted metal frame on the sides of the phone, with its straight-edge design, incorporates a certain degree of curvature at the edges, ensuring that users don't feel the sharpness of the frame when holding it. This also allows for a smooth transition between the glass panels on the front and back of the phone, eliminating the jarring feel present in some previous Android small-screen flagships.

Flipping to the back, the X200 Pro Mini comes in four color options: Simple Black, Pure White, Micro Pink, and Titanium Blue. The phone I have in my hands has a classic white element on the back. The pure white glossy glass interspersed with a faint metallic reflection creates an interesting visual effect. It's also resistant to fingerprints, which is a plus.

To accommodate the large sensor, the X200 Pro Mini's rear camera module continues the iconic family design. The overall imaging module thickness is slightly higher, and even though the outer ring of the module is decorated with a thread pattern, it mainly serves as a visual buffer, encroaching on the index finger placement space to some extent.

It's worth mentioning that the top frame of the X200 Pro Mini doesn't have any openings, all the buttons are located on the right of the upper frame, and the bottom is equipped with a separate speaker opening. The overall metal frame design is very simple and restrained. In general, the overall look and feel is quite good. The Android camp really needs more small-screen flagship phones.

Configuration, Truly Pro

Some readers might wonder - this small-screen phone is simply called "mini", and Vivo even specifically put a "Pro Mini" suffix, isn't that awkward? Well, there's a reason for this. The X200 Pro Mini is called "Pro Mini" because, while it's a typical small-screen phone, its configuration is not compromised, reaching Pro level, effectively addressing common pain points in this type of device.

First and foremost, it's the core configuration.

The X200 Pro Mini is the first device to be equipped with the Dimensity 9400 chip. It continues to adopt the full-core chip design of its predecessor, composed of 1 3.63GHz Cortex-X925 ultra-large core + 3 2.8GHz Cortex-X4 ultra-large cores + 4 2.1GHz Cortex-A7 series large cores. The integrated Mali-G925-Immortalis MC12 GPU achieves low power consumption and high energy efficiency.

The X200 Pro Mini we have in hand is the top-of-the-line version, featuring 16GB LPDDR5X 8533Mbps memory. Combined with UFS4.0 flash memory and the Dimensity 9400 chip, it forms the strongest small-screen performance iron triangle at this point in time. In performance mode, the AnTuTu benchmark score broke through 2.8 million, representing a near 27% performance improvement compared to the previous generation vivo X100 series equipped with the Dimensity 9300.

This performance level allows for smooth operation of even the largest 3A games currently available in the market.

• Looking at the imaging configuration, the X200 Pro Mini adopts a 50MP main camera + 50MP ultra-wide angle + 50MP telephoto configuration. The main camera features the BlueMap Sony LYT-818, jointly defined with Sony, and also features a Zeiss T coating. The sensor size is 1/1.28 inches. The telephoto lens is the Sony IMX882 3x periscope telephoto with a sensor size of 1/1.95 inches and supports macro mode.

As shown in the actual photos, whether it's a bright sunny day or a bustling night, whether photographing distant landscapes or capturing fine details of objects, the X200 Pro Mini exhibits excellent resolution, extremely fast focusing, and clear image quality. Thanks to the AI algorithm, this periscope telephoto lens also performs well when shooting urban architecture, accurately presenting the details of skyscrapers.

Like its series counterparts, the X200 Pro Mini adopts the new generation of BlueOcean ultra-thin battery technology, cramming a 5700mAh ultra-large capacity battery into the compact and thin body, making it the phone with the largest battery capacity among all small-screen flagship devices in the world. Additionally, it supports 90W wired/30W wireless fast charging.

If there are any shortcomings, it's the slightly downgraded USB transfer speed and the lower placement of the in-display fingerprint sensor.

Conclusion

Finally, following the usual format, let's summarize our experience with the vivo X200 Pro Mini using the Lei Technology review template:

Pros:

1. Compact and refined body design;