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Vivo X100 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max Camera Comparison Test

Welcome to Asian Photography! Today, we’re excited to compare two eagerly awaited flagship smartphones: The Vivo X100 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The Vivo X100 Pro is priced at ₹89,999, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at ₹1,59,900. These are the top models from each brand, showcasing their unique approaches to design and technology. Vivo focuses on high megapixel counts to enhance image quality, whereas Apple prioritizes its software and technology optimization for superior performance.

In this review, we’ll determine which phone’s camera excels across various categories.

The difference in philosophy between the two brands is apparent not just in their cameras, but also in their overall design. Apple opts for a titanium build with a flatter, wider shape, offering a better grip for photography. In contrast, Vivo aims for a sleeker look with a taller, slimmer profile and curved edges.

Moreover, Vivo collaborates with Zeiss, a renowned optics firm, for its camera development, ensuring top-notch quality. Apple, however, develops its cameras in-house, focusing on seamless integration with its hardware for optimal results.

Camera Setup

Vivo X100 Pro

Primary: 50MP 1/0.98″ sensor, f/1.75-aperture lens, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
Ultra-wide: 50MP, 1/2.76″ sensor, 15mm equivalent f/2.0-aperture lens, AF
Tele: 50MP 1/2″ sensor, 100mm equivalent f/2.5-aperture lens, AF, OIS
Video: 8K, 4K at 60/30fps, 1080p at 60/30fps

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Primary: 48MP sensor, 2.44µm quad pixels, 24mm equivalent f/1.78-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF, OIS
Ultra-wide: 12MP sensor, 13mm equivalent f/2.2-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF
Tele: 12MP sensor, 1.12µm pixels, 120 mm equivalent f/2.8-aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF
Video: 4K at 60/24fps, 1080p at 60/25fps

Daylight Main Camera

When it comes to the main camera, the Vivo X100 Pro boasts a 50-megapixel sensor, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes equipped with a 48-megapixel camera. Here are two key points to note:

Firstly, both smartphones use Sony sensors for their main cameras. The Vivo is equipped with the Sony IMX 989 sensor, a large 1-inch sensor, whereas Apple has opted for the IMX 803 sensor, the same one found in the 14 Pro Max.

Secondly, despite its higher megapixel count, the Vivo X100 Pro processes its images to output at 12.5 MP from its main camera. On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro Max uses a technology called stacked pixel binning to deliver a 24-MP image output. This comparison is fascinating because it pits a 12.5 MP image from a larger sensor against a 24-MP image from a smaller one.

Both phones produce high-quality images that are sharp, detailed, and visually appealing. To the unaided eye, the differences between them are minimal. However, the Vivo tends to slightly enhance shadows and highlights, leading to a minor over-sharpening effect in its pictures. Upon closer inspection, images from the iPhone appear clearer due to this. Additionally, in certain situations, the Vivo may show a slight reddish tint in its images, as observed in a specific photo of a plant.

Daylight Ultra-Wide Camera

In the ultra-wide camera category, the Vivo X100 Pro features a 50-MP sensor with a 15 mm lens, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro Max uses a 12-MP sensor with a 13 mm lens. Interestingly, their output resolutions are quite similar, with the Vivo producing images at 12.5 MP and the iPhone at 12 MP.

In this comparison, the Vivo X100 Pro stands out for its ultra-wide shots. Its images are more vibrant and sharper than those from the iPhone. The Vivo’s pictures are well-exposed and generally look more appealing than the iPhone’s, which tend to be slightly underexposed and less sharp. Both phones occasionally exhibit a reddish or yellowish tint in their images.

However, when it comes to handling distortion, the iPhone 15 Pro Max performs better. Images of buildings and huts, for example, show less distortion and appear less slanted in the iPhone’s photos compared to those from the Vivo.

Daylight Telephoto Camera

In the telephoto lens category, the differences between the Vivo X100 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max are quite notable. The Vivo uses a 50-MP sensor for its telephoto camera, offering 4.3x optical zoom, which can extend up to 100x digital zoom. It also features floating lens technology, enabling users to take close-up macro shots. Meanwhile, the iPhone has upgraded its telephoto lens in this model, providing a 5x optical zoom with a maximum digital zoom of 25x.

Despite both phones producing images that are well-saturated, sharp, and detailed, the Vivo stands out due to its 50-MP camera and superior resolution, delivering remarkably impressive results that the iPhone struggles to match. However, it’s not a clear-cut victory across all scenarios. At 2x zoom, the Vivo tends to underexpose its images, whereas the iPhone offers more natural-looking results. But as you zoom in further, the Vivo’s images become significantly sharper. This difference in performance becomes increasingly evident at higher zoom levels. At 5x zoom, although the Vivo still tends to underexpose, the sharpness and detail it captures are much superior to the iPhone’s output. By the time you reach 10x zoom, the Vivo’s ability to retain detail and sharpness makes you overlook its exposure issues.

Therefore, it seems likely that users who prioritize detail and sharpness in their zoomed images might prefer the Vivo’s telephoto capabilities over the iPhone’s, despite some of the exposure challenges at lower zoom levels.

Lowlight Main Camera

In low-light conditions, the performance of the main cameras on both the Vivo X100 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max shows varied results. While both cameras produce images that are vibrant and well-saturated, there are instances where the photos may exhibit a reddish or yellowish tint. The handling of shadows and highlights by both devices is commendable, but there are noticeable differences in their approach to image processing. The Vivo tends to over-sharpen its images, whereas the iPhone opts to make them slightly brighter.

Interestingly, in low-light scenarios, the Vivo often delivers a more natural representation of the actual scene compared to the iPhone. This is particularly evident when zooming into the images, where the Vivo’s photos display superior sharpness. This suggests that users who value a more true-to-life depiction of low-light scenes, with an emphasis on detail upon close inspection, might find the Vivo’s main camera to be more aligned with their preferences.

Lowlight Ultra-Wide Camera

In the ultra-wide category, both the Vivo X100 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max exhibit similar performance characteristics to their low-light main camera results. Images from both devices again show a slight reddish and yellowish tinge. Upon zooming in, the Vivo’s ultra-wide images maintain superior sharpness compared to those from the iPhone, consistent with the trend observed in their main cameras.

However, a notable difference in the ultra-wide performance is the level of distortion. The Vivo’s images show more distortion compared to those from the iPhone. This aspect may affect the overall visual appeal of the images, especially in scenarios where straight lines and architectural features are prominent. Users who prioritize image sharpness might still lean towards the Vivo for its detail retention, but those who are sensitive to distortion in their ultra-wide shots might prefer the iPhone’s performance in this aspect.

Lowlight Telephoto Camera

The tendency of the Vivo X100 Pro to over-sharpen its images, which might be seen as a drawback in some photography scenarios, actually becomes an advantage when it comes to its telephoto capabilities. This characteristic enhances the telephoto images, making them sharper and more detailed, particularly noticeable in daylight conditions.

The result is impressively clear telephoto shots that stand out, especially for users who frequently utilize the telephoto lens for zoomed-in photography. This aspect of the Vivo’s performance underscores how its approach to image processing can significantly benefit certain types of photography, showcasing the device’s strength in capturing distant subjects with remarkable clarity and detail.

Macro Mode

The Vivo X100 Pro’s advantage in telephoto sharpness extends impressively into its macro photography capabilities. Thanks to its floating telephoto lens, the Vivo offers a significant benefit: the ability to get extremely close to subjects. Coupled with its super macro mode, the images produced are strikingly well-saturated, sharp, and full of detail.

While the iPhone also supports close-up photography and can capture good quality pictures, it tends to lose focus as you move closer to a subject. This limitation highlights the Vivo’s superiority in macro photography. The Vivo’s ability to maintain focus and detail at very close distances makes it a more suitable choice for users who prioritize macro photography, offering them a level of performance and versatility in close-up shots that is challenging for the iPhone to match.

Portrait Mode

In the realm of portrait photography, the Vivo X100 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max offer different features and results. The Vivo provides users with five focal length options for shooting portraits, whereas the iPhone offers three, giving Vivo users a bit more versatility in how they can frame their subjects.

Image quality from both devices is commendable, but they handle portraits differently. The Vivo tends to brighten the exposure and applies a smoothing effect to skin tones, which might appeal to users looking for a more polished look straight out of the camera. In contrast, the iPhone aims to capture the scene as accurately as possible, reflecting the actual lighting conditions and textures without additional smoothing. This approach may appeal to users who prefer a more natural look.

Upon zooming into the portraits, the Vivo’s images appear sharper than those from the iPhone. Both phones perform well in terms of edge detection, accurately distinguishing between the subject and the background. However, the Vivo slightly outperforms the iPhone in this aspect, with its subjects appearing sharper against the background, enhancing the depth effect typical of portrait shots.

This comparison marks a significant observation. Having used iPhones for many years and comparing them against various competitors, it’s been rare to see another phone outperform the iPhone in portrait photography—a domain where the iPhone has traditionally excelled. Yet, in this instance, it appears the Vivo X100 Pro has not only matched but surpassed the iPhone 15 Pro Max in delivering superior portrait photos. This outcome highlights the Vivo’s exceptional capabilities in this photography genre, positioning it as a strong contender for users who prioritize portrait photography.

Front Camera

The iPhone clearly beats the Vivo when it comes to the front camera. Although the iPhone’s front camera is just 12-MP compared to Vivo’s 32-MP, the iPhone still takes better pictures. The Vivo’s pictures often look too sharp and too bright, making them look unnatural. It even smooths out skin tones even when you turn that feature off. On the other hand, the iPhone captures more natural-looking images, especially in portrait mode. However, Vivo’s photos might look more detailed because of the heavy editing, but the results don’t look as real, especially when it comes to eyes and faces.

Video quality is another area where the iPhone stands out. The Vivo can only record videos in 1080p, while the iPhone can go up to 4K, offering much clearer and better-quality videos. This was also a point I mentioned in my review of the Vivo X100 Pro, highlighting that the front camera definitely needs improvement.

Video

The Vivo phone can record videos in 8K resolution, which is higher than the iPhone’s 4K at 60 frames per second. However, the iPhone excels in other areas like auto-tracking, HDR, and stabilization, making its video quality appear superior. Although the Vivo’s video quality is impressive on its own, it doesn’t quite match up to the iPhone when directly compared. Additionally, the iPhone offers the option to shoot in ProRes format, a feature not available on the Vivo, providing a significant advantage for users interested in higher-quality video production.

Conclusion

When I began this review, I was almost certain that the Vivo would outshine the iPhone in camera performance. However, I’ve been taken aback by how well the iPhone identifies scenes. Surprisingly, despite having lower megapixels in its non-primary cameras compared to Vivo, the iPhone showcases Apple’s strength in harmonizing software with hardware.

Breaking it down: the iPhone takes the lead with its main camera and also excels in selfies and video quality. On the other hand, Vivo wins in the wide and telephoto lens categories, and its macro and portrait shots are outstanding. What gives the iPhone an edge is its user-friendly interface, which many find appealing.

Yet, when considering the cameras alone, the Vivo X100 Pro emerges as the superior choice.

Vivo X100 Pro Camera Review

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The Vivo X100 Pro is the latest flagship from the company and is priced at ₹89,999. This phone was launched in China a recently and made it to India in January this month. Since the time of its rumours, there was a lot of hype about this as being one of the best cameras in a smartphone. The cameras are co-engineered along with Zeiss and it is also the only camera phone to get a certification from Zeiss as well.

So, we set out to find out if the cameras are worth all the hype? And put it through all the test to see what it delivers.

The phone that I reviewed was the maxed-out variant with a 16 GB RAM and 256 storages.The phone was also updated with the Fun Touch OS 14 and also is updated to the latest version.

Camera Set Up

At the back, the phone features a three-camera set up, all of which have a 50-MP sensors with a 32-MP camera in the front. What’s interesting is that the X100 Pro comes with a dedicated V3 chip and is also powered by the Mediatek Dimesity 9300 processor, which is the latest flagship from the company.

When I look at the cameras at the back, it immediately reminds of the OnePlus Open, which also features a big circular camera module. The shape of the camera set up in the Vivo is inspired by the Solar Eclipse and when you look closely than it actually resembles that design as well. But honestly I am not a fan of such big bumps.

But, you have to give it to Vivo, from the packaging to its build, the phone looks and feels premium. I also loved the small touches that they have given not just in the camera but in general. For instance, the Void warranty sticker in the box. When you peal the sticker, it says void underneath. Or the small letters on top that say Professional Photography. I like the placement of the flash as well.

But while these things are good, because of the texture of the phone, using this without the cover might be difficult. Its slippery and it isn’t the best camera grip on a phone owing to the slimmer and taller form factor.

Daylight Main Camera

The X100 Pro features a 50-mp main camera and inside this houses a 1-inch Sony IMX 989 sensor. And that is also one of the reasons why it needs such a big housing. At 1X the camera much like other phones these days gives you shortcuts to use different focal ranges to shoot from. But the important info is that it shoots a 12.5 MP stacked image from the main camera. You also have the option to choose from three styles and I’ve chosen the Zeiss Natural look for the images shot.

In terms of the images the pics shot on the main camera are pretty good. What I liked the most is that it was able to deliver images and the tonal range very accurately and similar to what your eye is seeing. In terms of sharpness and detail, yes there is a slight over sharpening in some cases, but not something that will bother you. The saturation and colour reproduction of the main camera is also pretty and I was slightly surprised by this. Androids usually have a tendency to over saturate pics and that’s also one of the reasons why I really like the iPhones, coz they reproduce the image the way it is. But in this case the pics are pretty good.

Daylight Ultra-Wide

In the ultra-wide camera, the X100 Pro gives you the option to shoot at 15mm and uses the 50 MP sensor.

Overall in this case also the images were pretty good. The phone delivers good results that are pleasing to the eye and in terms of sharpness like most wide-angle lenses, the images weren’t very sharp. I also felt that the wide-angle lens was displaying a lot of perspective distortion. In most cases the building would come slanted, subjects slightly broader and this is important coz it changes the perspective of the image.

Daylight Telephoto

The telephoto lens of this camera is really special and for me the most impressive as well. It features a 50 MP sensor again and provides 4.3x Optical zoom which can go up all the way to 100x. But what’s important is that it also has a floating lens like the Xiaomi 13 Pro, which means it acts as a good macro lens as well.

The images from the phone are really good and thoroughly impressive in the telephoto category. If you remember, recently I had mentioned that the OnePlus Open has a very good telephoto lens, probably one of the best in the business. But this is even better. The images are sharp, well saturated and also extremely detailed up to 4.3x and up to 10x as well actually.

But beyond 25-30x I just feel that most of these lenses can’t be used anyways. However, the camera does deliver ok images even at the highest focal range.

Lowlight Main Camera

In terms of lowlight with Main camera the images are surely sharp and AI surely does its bit here. You can see that it is over sharpening the images visibly. But to the naked eye they seem pretty good. In terms of accuracy and reproduction, I feel the performance was a mixed one.

In some cases, it would actually reproduce the image exactly how it is and in some it would have a slightly reddish or bluish tinge.

Lowlight Ultra-Wide Camera

In the ultra-wide I shot the same frame as the main camera and you can see the difference in the performance. The picture isn’t that saturated and in this case. It looks more natural and not over sharpened, which I liked a lot.

Again the sharpness is lacking but it was pretty dark. In fact, across the board in the wide pictures I found the images being delivered very accurately.

Lowlight Telephoto

Much like its daylight performance, the images with the telephoto in lowlight are pretty impressive. The colour accuracy is good across the range and also the sharpness that the phone is able to deliver is just great.

Portraits

When it comes to portraits the phone gives you host of focal ranges to shoot fromand also options to shoot with like skin smoothening etc.

But when it comes to performance, the images are pretty good. They are sharp, detailed and look pleasing to the eye. Yes, there is a slightly over saturation when it comes to colours sometimes, but overall the images are good across most conditions. The edge detection is also very good with the phone recognising strands of hair as well and blurring the background.

You also have the portrait package that makes you choose different styles of bokeh. The bokeh performance is decent I would say use the natural setting. So whether in daylight or in lowlight the images in portraits are pretty good in this case.

Macro

With the ability of the phone to get close using the floating lens, the macro images are just great and also very easy to shoot. The output is really good and once you activate the super macro mode then you can get blurred backgrounds as well. For users that like macro, they will really enjoy it as you can see from the images. Yes, the images are slightly over saturated, but I am not complaining. They just look good.

Front Camera

The phone features a front camera with a 32-megapixel sensor and honestly I think all the front cameras across the board need to improve their performance. The images from the front camera are ok. In lowlight you can see visible noise in a backlit scenario and in terms of portraits as well I thought the performance was ok.

The biggest challenge is that in video this shoot up to 1080p, which I think should now be upgraded to 4k. So overall I think the front camera can deliver a much better performance, but yes to do regular things it is pretty decent.

Video

In terms of video the phone can shoot 8k up to 30 fps from back camera and 4k up to 60 fps and the overall performance in video is decent. The output is good and the phone is able to focus fast as well. The stabilisation is also decent and you have the option to shoot cinematic video etc. as well. And also one thing that I liked is that you can switch between the lenses while shooting.

Other Interesting things

User Interface

The camera UI is very android like and I think if the phone had an overall better UI then it would just be so much more appealing to me. The thing is that we have now been spoilt with the Pixels, iPhones, OnePlus’s that UI is actually one of the reasons why users also don’t change their phones.

Display

The display of the phone is amazing. It features a 6.78 LTPO AMOLED Display with 120 Hz refresh rate. In fact, even the peak brightness is 3000 nits, which is very impressive and you won’t have any challenge using it in daylight conditions.

Conclusion

So how do I find the X100 Pro – I actually want to talk about a couple of things here. First let just talk about the cameras. The performance of the camera is very good. Overall across all cameras the phone is able to deliver sharp well detailed results and it is consistent. And the telephoto in this is really impressive. It really looks like Zeiss and Vivo have worked hard on these cameras.

But and here is a the big but.

While everything about this phone screams premium, its build quality, display, cameras, performance, it truly justifies the price billing of 90k as well. But since the time I have started using this phone there is one thing that is really eating my head. Would a user really spend nearly 90k on a Vivo phone? Because has Vivo been successful in positioning their brand as that premium a product? Because purely from a phones perspective there is nothing that it is doing wrong. It’s fast, it’s light, it’s slim, delivers an awesome performance, and there really isn’t much to complain about.

Text and Images: Bhavya Desai