How does a cellphone with a loopy exterior lens examine to the S23 Extremely’s zoom digicam?

The vivo X200 Extremely is a superb digicam cellphone in its personal proper (should you’re prepared to import it), in no small half as a consequence of its spectacular 200MP 3.7x periscope digicam. Nonetheless, the corporate switches issues up by providing an non-compulsory exterior lens for even higher zoom.

The X200 Extremely’s 2.35x telephoto converter lens successfully turns the cellphone’s 200MP periscope digicam into an ~8.6x shooter. I assumed it will be a good suggestion to match this lens to the Galaxy S23 Extremely, which was the final of Samsung’s flagships with a devoted 10x digicam (10MP). I wasn’t anticipating the S23 Extremely to carry up very properly, however right here’s the way it went.

Is it any shock that I feel the vivo X200 Extremely and its exterior lens handily beat the two-year-old Galaxy S23 Extremely’s 10x digicam within the comparisons above? Completely not, I’m evaluating a 2023 flagship to a brand-new flagship cellphone with a cumbersome lens. Samsung’s 10x and 30x photos are washed out and lack element in comparison with the vivo footage.

You’ll be able to see this disparity most clearly within the second set of photos, as I could make out the “1919” on the mini-lighthouse within the vivo image. I additionally fairly like the ocean within the second vivo image, which seems like a portray within the Samsung picture. Samsung’s 10x image additionally comprises loads of noise at the hours of darkness components of the scene. vivo’s photos are a bit of overly contrasted for my tastes, although, so it’s not a whole win right here.

You’ll be able to take a better have a look at the distinction in definition by way of the comparability under. I can truly see the cable automotive contained in the station with the vivo versus a blob with the Galaxy. In saying so, the X200 Extremely’s heavy-handed picture processing at lengthy vary is obvious. The cellphone’s AI-driven processing appears to battle with advanced surroundings, leading to these over-sharpened, virtually striated textures on the mountain. I want to see the corporate take a step again with this aggressive picture processing in additional conditions.

What about individuals, although? Nicely, the excellent news is that the X200 Extremely’s lens presents a shallow depth-of-field impact with no need to modify to the portrait mode. This provides the scene a great stage of depth owing to the blurred background, whereas the S23 Extremely’s rendition seems flatter by comparability. That is additionally obvious when zooming in to 30x and 800mm.

The X200 Extremely footage additionally present considerably extra element, permitting me to crop in a bit of additional and nonetheless find yourself with a good picture. In contrast, the S23 Extremely’s photos merely lack the identical stage of readability and are considerably noisier. It’s not a clear sweep for the vivo handset and lens. Neither cellphone actually captured correct pores and skin tones right here, however the Galaxy S23 Extremely acquired nearer to the precise scene at 10x. I additionally observed mesh-like artifacts within the 800mm vivo picture across the left ear. It’s a really minor concern and never one thing you’ll see except you’re actually pixel-peeping, however it’s price declaring anyway.

After I in contrast the lens-free X200 Professional to the Galaxy S23 Extremely earlier this yr, I assumed that the vivo was actually capable of stretch its benefit over the Samsung in low mild. So what occurs once you add an exterior lens into the combo?

The primary set of photos highlights certainly one of vivo’s conventional strengths, particularly its skill to tame mild sources in low mild. In the meantime, the signage within the S23 Extremely’s picture is blown out. Vivo’s snap additionally offers us a a lot clearer have a look at the constructing’s paintings. Neither cellphone manages to remain noise-free on this difficult scene, however you don’t need to zoom in to see it on the Samsung picture.

The second set of images reveals a higher disparity, as noise dominates the Samsung image whereas vivo’s aggressive noise discount pays off on this state of affairs. I also can make out varied bits of textual content within the X200 Extremely’s picture, which is a testomony to the element on supply right here. You’ll be able to view full-resolution photos from every cellphone by way of our Google Drive folder.

It’s actually no shock that the vivo X200 Extremely and its cumbersome telephoto converter lens got here out on high on this comparability. In truth, I’d be extra involved if this have been a better battle. The mixture of that 200MP 3.7x digicam and the exterior lens ends in considerably higher picture high quality, significantly at lengthy vary and in low mild. It wasn’t a flawless victory for vivo, although, owing to the occasional picture processing concern.

If something, this shootout makes me unhappy that we haven’t seen a digicam cellphone for the reason that Galaxy S23 Extremely with a correct 10x zoom shooter. I don’t assume a contemporary 10x digicam would truly beat the X200 Extremely and its large lens, however up to date {hardware} and extra smart picture processing will surely assist it get a lot nearer. So my fingers are crossed for extra 10x cameras in 2026.