Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
The best smartphone cameras have come a long way. Barring differences in the approach toward things like color science, it’s safe to say that there’s a level of homogeneity across flagships from any brand — both in terms of raw output and feature set. However, once in a while, a smartphone still manages to introduce a new trick or two that makes me sit back and wonder why it took so long to implement it.
I’ve been a fan of what vivo is doing with smartphone imaging for a while now. When the Vivo X100 Pro launched, I hailed its built-in camera filters as the most fun I’ve had with photography in years. The X Fold 3 Pro was the first foldable that made me feel I wasn’t giving up on top-tier cameras for the privilege of a larger display. And now, after using the vivo X200 Pro for a while, I can easily claim that it is one of, if not the best, smartphone camera I’ve used so far.
However, it isn’t just the raw photographic output that has me convinced. This year, vivo has introduced two software features that I believe are a massive step forward in enabling users to capture better images. I hope Google and Apple are paying close attention.
I didn’t know I needed a dedicated landscape mode until I tried it out
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
If I had to define my style of photography, I’d probably classify myself as a generalist. Between street photography, landscapes, and even a bit of astrophotography when I manage to find clear skies far away from my home port of New Delhi, any tool that makes getting the shot easier is a benefit to me.
Little did I realize the importance of vivo’s new software features until I found myself reaching for them time and again during a recent trip to the Caucasus.
The majority of my trip was spent up in the mountains or amidst nature — a perfect opportunity to test out the vivo X200’s landscape mode. On the face of it, the new mode doesn’t offer a whole lot that’s new. Instead, it consolidates a number of essential functions into a single pane. Moreover, all these functions are designed to assist landscape photography and lack the UX overload of the regular Pro mode — perfect for quick access.
Landscape mode on the vivo X200 Pro consolidates a lot of essential options for landscape photography under a single screen.
Among these features, a few stand out, like vivo’s film simulations that have been enabled to great effect. This is an entirely different set of color ambiances from those under the main camera settings. These settings are much more subtle, and the soft setting that reduces overall sharpness was a personal favorite. You’ll also find dedicated settings to shoot scenarios like concerts, waterfalls, star trails, and more.
Another standout feature is perspective correction. While this isn’t new to vivo phones, it has always been buried under a couple of menu items, making it all too easy to forget. Now that it’s placed under landscape mode, I’ve found myself using it more often to get straight lines when shooting architecture.
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
Landscape mode also combines standard Night Mode features, like long exposures for astrophotography, into a single spot. But it takes things a step further by building a star chart right into the camera app itself — no need to install additional apps! You’ll also find toggles for vivo’s take on AI-enhanced moon photos, and an astro portrait mode, something I wasn’t able to test out. Combined with the vivo X200 Pro’s excellent camera hardware, I was, however, able to capture stunning shots of the night sky.
Street Photography mode is a game changer for everyday photography
The other mode I’ve come to love is Street Photography, which adds a Fuji-style rangefinder-like overlay to the camera app. Technically, it works similarly to landscape mode and combines a wholly different set of camera features under a single menu. Unlike landscape mode, Street Photography mode opts for a more visual approach to presenting these options. I’m not a huge fan of skeuomorphic designs, but the ease of access is definitely appreciated.
The technical implementation is only part of the picture. As a hobbyist photographer, I’m used to certain conveniences like shortcut buttons, prime lenses, and aperture controls. Street Photography mode brings a very similar experience to my phone.
Street Photography mode is more than a skin for Pro mode; it replicates the feel of shooting with a traditional camera on a smartphone.
Now, I could write an entire article focused on all the nitty-gritty details of this camera mode, but let’s focus on some specific features instead. Many recent smartphones let you view or set the camera to specific focal lengths while zooming in. Usually, this means scrolling through the zoom range to reach your preferred focal length. Street Photography mode on the vivo X200 Pro makes this easy by letting you swap between 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 135mm options with precision — similar to swapping prime lenses on a traditional camera. As someone who loves shooting 35mm, both on my camera and smartphone, this setting helps me maintain a consistent look while shooting on the go.
With fixed lenses in place, there’s no real way to adjust the depth of field on smartphones. Indeed, portrait mode on smartphones is essentially a software play, and you can usually adjust this later while editing. Street Photography mode, however, takes this a step further with its virtual aperture adjustment, which lets you cycle through aperture options and preview how the depth-of-field effect will look. To be clear, this isn’t the first implementation of a virtual aperture adjustment, but the ease and convenience of access are what sell it for me. You’ll also find similar controls for shutter speed, exposure, and white balance adjustment.
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
There’s more to love here. For example, the one-touch hyperfocal focusing and spot metering are extremely nifty additions for run-and-gun shooting, where you don’t want the camera to be focus hunting. If you want to recreate the film photography experience, you can tap a button to switch to a display showing all the selected parameters alongside a thumbnail-sized viewfinder, similar to an actual camera viewfinder. You’ll also find two custom profiles, aptly called C1 and C2, which can be configured with your preferred settings.
On the face of it, Street Photography mode is really just a skin for Pro Mode on the vivo X200 Pro. However, the implementation does a lot to bring the rangefinder or mirrorless ethos to a smartphone. It’s arguably better for amateurs looking to level up their game than the typical Pro mode on most smartphones.
Why Google and Apple would benefit from these features
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
While Google and Apple are leaders in computational photography, vivo’s innovations, such as film-like filters and new ways to use the camera, highlight an underexplored space — empowering users with creative, accessible tools that emulate the joy of traditional photography.
Features like integrated landscape photography tools, virtual aperture adjustments, and focal-length switching aren’t just gimmicks; they’re meaningful additions that make smartphone photography more versatile and engaging. Borrowing these ideas from vivo wouldn’t just elevate the photography experience; it could elevate the standard for smartphone cameras.
In an industry constantly chasing the next big leap, sometimes the best ideas are about refining the tools we already have. Here’s hoping Google and Apple are taking notes.
