Vivo unveiled the X100 Ultra in China earlier this week. It is the top-of-the-line flagship in the entire X100 series. Alongside hardware, the brand has integrated flagship-grade cameras in the smartphone.

The Vivo X100 Ultra goes up against other flagship smartphones but most notably it pits against the Xiaomi 14 Ultra (review) in the country. 

The Vivo X100 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra have some similarities and differences in many aspects. Hence, in this post, we will be comparing the two devices to find out which one comes out on the top. 

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1. Display and Design

Both Vivo X100 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra have a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED display with a QHD+ resolution, a 120Hz LTPO refresh rate, and 3,000 nits peak brightness. The screen supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

The X100 Ultra is equipped with an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner offering fast and secure unlocking whereas the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has an optical scanner. 

In terms of design, Vivo X100 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra sport a huge protruding circular camera module on the rear. Both also support an optional accessory that converts them into a camera with various camera controls and more.

The Vivo X100 Ultra is IP68 as well as IP69 certified with the latter indicating that the phone can withstand high-pressure and high-temperature water jets. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is only IP68-certified. 

2. Camera

The main difference between the Vivo X100 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra is in the photography department. The former has Zeiss-branded triple rear cameras whereas the latter has four lenses in collaboration with Leica.

Both phones have a 50MP Sony LYT-900 1-inch primary sensor and a 50MP ultra-wide-angle unit. However, the latter offers a 14mm focal length with 116-degree FoV on the X100 Ultra and on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, it is a 12mm focal length with 122-degree FoV. Additionally, the main camera on the Vivo flagship has gimbal OIS. 

The Vivo 100 Ultra is equipped with a 200MP Samsung HP9 periscope telephoto lens. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has 50MP telephoto and 50MP periscope sensors with 75mm and up to 240mm focal lengths respectively. Both smartphones have a floating design for periscope cameras that enables clicking macro shots. Up front, Vivo X100 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra feature 50MP and 32MP selfie snappers, respectively. 

Additionally, the Vivo X100 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra come with a master portrait mode that lets users capture pictures with five different focal lengths. In terms of videography, both phones support 4K videos at 120 fps and Dolby Vision recording is scaled back to 4K at 60 fps. The entire camera setup on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is also capable of recording up to 8K at 30 fps. 

3. Hardware

Both Vivo X100 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. The smartphones pack up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. There is a heat dissipation system on both devices.

The Vivo X100 Ultra is backed by a 5,500mAh battery with support for 80W wired and 30W wireless charging. Its competitor – the Xiaomi 14 Ultra runs on a slightly lesser 5,300mAh cell but with faster 90W wired, 80W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. 

4. Pricing and Availability

Vivo X100 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra carry the same starting price of CNY 6,499 (~$900) for the base 12GB + 256GB variant.

The former gets a slight price hike from there for the 16GB + 512GB and 16GB + 1TB configurations which cost CNY 7,299 (~$1,011) and CNY 7,999 (~$1,108) respectively. Meanwhile, the same RAM and storage options of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra are priced at CNY 6,999 (~$969) and CNY 7,999 (~$1,108).

However, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is available globally in select markets, albeit in a limited fashion. Whereas the Vivo X100 Ultra is exclusive to China. 

5. Verdict

Vivo X100 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra are quite similar on some levels. However, the former has a bigger periscope camera compared to the latter. The device also has a superior dust and water-resistant rating, a gimbal main camera, a V3 imaging chip, and an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner.

But unfortunately, the Vivo X100 Ultra will not be sold officially outside mainland China. So you will have to either import it or purchase it from a reseller. In both cases, it would be impossible for you to claim warranty or get official first-party service.

However, if you don’t care about the after-sales experience, the Vivo X100 Ultra is a better product, at least on paper.

 

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