vivo X200 Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: A Deep Dive into Flagship Performance
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For users prioritizing raw processing power and faster charging, the vivo X200 Ultra emerges as the winner. Its Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and 90W charging offer a tangible advantage. However, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra remains a compelling choice for its mature software ecosystem and consistently excellent camera performance.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | vivo X200 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 48, 66 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 18, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 89 SA/NSA | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA, LTE (up to 7CA), 5G |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2025, April 21 | 2023, February 01 |
| Status | Available. Released 2025, April 29 | Available. Released 2023, February 17 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 163.1 x 76.8 x 8.7 mm (6.42 x 3.02 x 0.34 in) | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 229 g or 232 g (8.08 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) Stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Armor glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3168 pixels (~510 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.82 inches, 113.0 cm2 (~90.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM, Dolby Vision, HDR Vivid, 4500 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x4.32 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M) | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm) | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 830 | Adreno 740 |
| OS | Android 15, OriginOS 5 | Android 13, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| - | UFS 4.0 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, Zeiss optics, Zeiss T* lens coating, LED flash, panorama, HDR, 3D LUT import | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | - | 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3", 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
| Single | - | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Triple | 50 MP, f/1.7, 35mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, gimbal OIS 200 MP, f/2.3, 85mm (periscope telephoto), 1/1.4", 0.56µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS, 3.7x optical zoom, macro 3.4:1 (optional add-on zoom lens: f/2.3, 200mm, 2.35x optical zoom, Zeiss optics) 50 MP, f/2.0, 14mm, 116˚ (ultrawide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS | - |
| Video | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, gyro-EIS, Dolby Vision HDR, 10-bit Log, HDR10+ | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR, HDR10+ |
| Single | 50 MP, f/2.5, 24mm (wide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm, AF | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | - | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.4, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LHDC 5 | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), GLONASS | GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG, DisplayPort | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-band | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 90W wired, PD, PPS, QC, UFCS 40W wireless Reverse wired Reverse wireless | 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Si/C Li-Ion 6000 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Black, Silver, Red | Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition |
| Models | V2454A, V2454DA | SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS |
| Price | About 780 EUR | € 549.90 / $ 454.99 / £ 433.00 |
| SAR | - | 1.12 W/kg (head) 0.92 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.96 W/kg (head) 1.40 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 126h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9) GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1) GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
vivo X200 Ultra
- Significantly faster charging (90W wired, 40W wireless)
- Potentially superior CPU performance with Snapdragon 8 Elite
- Brighter display for better outdoor visibility
- Software ecosystem less mature than Samsung’s
- Camera performance currently unproven
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Polished and feature-rich software experience
- Established camera system with excellent image quality
- Proven reliability and long-term software support
- Slower charging speeds (45W wired, 15W wireless)
- Less powerful chipset compared to Snapdragon 8 Elite
Display Comparison
The vivo X200 Ultra boasts a brighter display, reaching a measured 1816 nits compared to the S23 Ultra’s 1274 nits. This translates to superior visibility in direct sunlight. While both displays feature infinite contrast ratios (nominal), the X200 Ultra’s higher peak brightness provides a more vibrant and impactful viewing experience. Both are likely to utilize LTPO technology for adaptive refresh rates, though specific refresh rate ranges aren't provided. The S23 Ultra’s established display calibration and color accuracy are likely excellent, but the X200 Ultra’s brightness advantage is a significant differentiator.
Camera Comparison
Both devices are equipped for exceptional photo and video capture, but details are limited. The S23 Ultra is renowned for its versatile camera system, likely featuring a large main sensor and sophisticated image processing algorithms. The X200 Ultra’s camera specifications are currently unknown, but vivo’s history suggests a focus on computational photography and potentially a high-resolution main sensor. Without specific sensor sizes, apertures, or OIS details, it’s difficult to definitively declare a winner. However, the S23 Ultra’s established reputation and software optimization give it a slight edge based on current market knowledge.
Performance
The core difference lies in the chipsets. The vivo X200 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) utilizes a unique Oryon V2 Phoenix core configuration (2x4.32 GHz + 6x3.53 GHz) designed for peak performance. This contrasts with the S23 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm) which employs a more traditional octa-core setup (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3, etc.). The 3nm process of the Snapdragon 8 Elite should offer improved power efficiency and thermal headroom, potentially leading to sustained performance during extended gaming sessions. While the S23 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is no slouch, the X200 Ultra is positioned to deliver a noticeable performance uplift, particularly in CPU-intensive tasks. Both devices likely utilize LPDDR5x RAM, but the X200 Ultra’s chipset advantage is the key factor.
Battery Life
Battery life is remarkably close, with the vivo X200 Ultra achieving 13:36h of active use compared to the S23 Ultra’s 13:24h. The S23 Ultra’s older endurance rating of 126h suggests similar real-world longevity. However, the X200 Ultra’s charging capabilities are significantly superior, offering 90W wired charging (with PD, PPS, QC, UFCS) and 40W wireless charging. The S23 Ultra is limited to 45W wired and 15W wireless. This means the X200 Ultra can replenish its battery much faster, a crucial advantage for power users. The X200 Ultra also offers reverse wired and wireless charging, a feature the S23 Ultra provides, but at a lower 4.5W for wireless reverse charging.
Buying Guide
Buy the vivo X200 Ultra if you demand the absolute fastest Android performance available, frequently engage in demanding mobile gaming, and value incredibly rapid charging speeds. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra if you prioritize a polished software experience, a versatile camera system with established image processing, and a device with a proven track record of reliability and long-term support.