2025 was a good year for vivo as it continued to innovate and upgrade on its solid lineup of devices. But the maker also faced challenges, like delivering its many great phones to markets outside of China and India. A great showing overall, but not without some losses.
Winner and loser: vivo X200 Ultra
Just like last year’s X100 Ultra, the vivo X200 Ultra is one of the best phones on the market, yet it didn’t manage to spread its immeasurable talents beyond China.
The X200 Ultra kept what made its predecessor excellent, but made it better in every way – the latest chip, a bigger battery with faster charging, a brighter lens over its 200MP zoom camera, and the needed camera innovation to make sure this was one of the best cameraphones on the market (if not the best).
The addition of a 35mm main camera over the mass-market 24mm, and giving the X200 Ultra the largest imaging sensor in an ultrawide, ensured that mobile photographers had their hearts set on this phone. And, it was an excellent performer in practice!
But the fact that most people globally couldn’t get their hands on the X200 Ultra will ultimately mar its potential.
Loser: vivo X Fold5
We had high hopes for the vivo X Fold5, as it’s the successor to the superb X Fold3 series, of which we’re very fond here at GSMArena. And the X Fold5 looked great on paper. It’s somewhat of an engineering marvel – it’s light and slim, yet has large displays, and a huge 6,000mAh battery. The camera system looked good on paper as well.
However, the X Fold5 arrived with an older chipset in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the same SoC as its predecessor. And we found that the cameras underdelivered in practice, something we didn’t expect of any vivo (let alone a Zeiss-branded one). Add the limited global availability, and the vivo X Fold5 fell short of its potential.
vivo X Fold5 5G
Winner: vivo X200 FE
The vivo X200 FE is a globally-available compact flagship with excellent cameras, a massive 6,500mAh battery that delivers solid endurance, and top-notch performance. There’s nothing to complain about!
vivo X200 FE 5G
Winner: vivo V60
The vivo V60 is a great addition to vivo’s popular and stylish upper midrange V series. On the surface, the V60 didn’t change much from its direct predecessor, the V40. But what little changes vivo made are still worthwhile – a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 over the Gen 3, and a 15% bigger battery at 6,500mAh. You also get a triple camera system with a proper 73mm telephoto camera (only the V40 Pro had a zoom, and it’s a 50mm).
What remained mostly unchanged didn’t need to be upgraded – the amazing 50MP selfie camera, the standout (and protected, IP68/IP69) design, and the excellent display.
Loser: iQOO 15
The iQOO 15, similar to the X Fold5, sounded like a stellar upgrade over its predecessor, but proved inconsistent in our testing. Version 15 brings the usual upgrades – the newer flagship Snapdragon chip, a bigger battery, and a better zoom camera. But you’re getting slower 100W charging (vs 120W), underwhelming zoom camera performance, and worse sustained performance, compared to the iQOO 13. It’s not a good look for a gaming flagship.
The iQOO 15 is also among the vivo phones that can only be bought in China or India, limiting its reach drastically.
vivo iQOO 15 5G
Winners: vivo X300 and X300 Pro
The vivo X300 built an identity for itself that its predecessor lacked. The X200 was just a watered-down version of the X200 Pro, whereas the X300 is its own man, so to speak. It’s a compact phone with a superlative triple camera, a potent chipset, and a big, overachieving battery.
The vivo X300 Pro did just enough to improve on what was already an excellent phone in the X200 Pro. You get a much-needed selfie camera upgrade, a bump in battery capacity, a new chipset, and the same, flagship-level camera system.
We’re deducting points from both X300 and X300 Pro for the reduced battery capacity in the EU; however, it’s not enough to push these two into the losers category.
