Written by Dou Wenxue

Edited by Ziye

In mid-October, the consumer market was buzzing with the Double 11 shopping spree on e-commerce platforms on one side and promotional waves in the electronics industry on the other.

On October 19, vivo officially launched its new flagship phones, the vivo X200 and vivo X200 Pro. Both phones underwent significant upgrades based on the previous year's flagship vivo X100 series.

vivo invested heavily in the X200 series, maximizing almost all of its performance capabilities. According to the official introduction, the X200 has undergone a comprehensive upgrade of numerous "Blue Technologies." Not only has it focused on improving battery life, but it has also maintained the consistently high standards of the vivo X series in terms of camera quality and performance. Additionally, it has optimized and upgraded the curved screen.

Given the positive response and sales figures of the vivo X100 series last year, the launch of the vivo X200 series sparked enthusiastic purchases from many loyal vivo users. vivo also prepared thoroughly for the launch, collaborating with numerous review bloggers to assist with evaluations and promotions.

However, despite the careful planning, shortly after the new phones were released, an increasing number of consumers discovered that the vivo X200 Pro exhibited a noticeable striped glare in certain angles during photography. Many users reported that this striped glare was not limited to specific angles but could easily be triggered and was highly visible in captured images.

As public opinion continued to escalate, vivo's delayed response and lack of an apology frustrated some consumers, leading to calls for refunds and returns.

On October 23, a blogger named MovieStorm, who had previously reviewed the vivo X200 series, issued an apology video acknowledging that they had failed to detect the glare issue with the vivo X200 Pro during their initial review. This video virtually confirmed the problem with the phone.

Subsequently, on October 24, Huang Tao, Vice President of vivo Products, issued a lengthy post on his Weibo account acknowledging that the vivo X200 Pro was indeed more prone to triggering glare than other products, and that the glare was more noticeable.

Huang Tao, Vice President of vivo Products, image source: vivo official video account

Vivo aggressively launched its new products, only to stumble in its area of expertise. This was unexpected, and the after-sales service appeared lacking in sincerity.

Huang Tao's apology did not mention any after-sales service specifically for the vivo X200 Pro, leaving customers who purchased the phone from offline flagship stores facing difficulties with returns.

Over the years, vivo has continuously invested in camera technology and gained recognition from many users for its imaging capabilities.

vivo has also capitalized on every opportunity in the smartphone industry, conducting research and development in both systems and AI. On the one hand, this is to boost sales, and on the other, to further advance towards high-end products.

However, the "glare issue" with the vivo X200 Pro has become a hurdle for vivo's aspirations to rise to the top. How it handles this situation will impact the brand reputation it has built over years of dedication to imaging technology.

1. Who is returning the "glare" phones?

After the "glare issue" with the vivo X200 Pro, it is likely that the most dedicated fans of vivo who were hurt the most.

On October 19, the day the vivo X200 Pro went on sale, Li Yu promptly placed an order for the phone on an e-commerce platform. He received the phone on the evening of the 21st, but news of the glare issue reached him even faster.

'On the morning of the 21st, I saw reports about the glare issue. After receiving the phone in the evening, I tested it at home and outside, and the glare was indeed present.'

On October 23, Li Yu brought the new phone to the office and compared its performance with his previous vivo x70 pro+. He found that the glare issue was severe during the day, even more so than on his old phone.

The vivo x70 pro+, launched in 2021, was vivo's flagship camera phone and Li Yu's first vivo device. He expressed satisfaction with its smooth system and camera functionality, even after years of use.

From the trust he placed in vivo when ordering the new phone to his disappointment after repeatedly confirming the glare issue, Li Yu ultimately chose to return the phone and shared his frustration on social media, only to encounter backlash.

'Some say it's a minor issue that can be solved by covering the lens with a hand while taking photos, but they overlook the fact that this doesn't work for videos. Nighttime might not be as affected, but daytime use is significantly hindered, and the glare appears in normal viewing angles, not just in extreme conditions,' Li Yu told Lianxian Insight.

Another consumer, Qiao Yan, provided Lianxian Insight with a video shot on his vivo X200 Pro, clearly showing a noticeable and widening glare as the sunlight moved to the side of the phone.

Screenshot of the glare from the video provided by a vivo X200 Pro user to Lianxian Insight

Based on feedback from multiple consumers, the glare issue with the vivo X200 Pro significantly impacts the photography experience.

Why does this happen?

In fact, glare is a common issue across smartphone camera brands. This was explained in the apology video by the review blogger MovieStorm and in the apology statement by Huang Tao, Vice President of vivo Products.

According to MovieStorm's apology video, their team tested various phone models from multiple brands and found that when specific techniques were used to recreate the glare scenario, most phone brands exhibited striped glare.

Huang Tao's apology statement also noted that glare occurs due to the curved lens elements, where light reflects between the two surfaces of the lens. When shooting in bright light, different angles of light can cause varying degrees of glare. Glare has long been a technical challenge in optical photography.

Screenshot of the apology statement issued by Huang Tao, Vice President of vivo Products, source: vivo Huang Tao's Weibo account

Both parties acknowledged that the vivo X200 Pro is indeed more prone to triggering glare and that the glare is more noticeable compared to other products.

According to Huang Tao, the more pronounced glare perception in the vivo X200 Pro is related to its large aperture design, which allows for more light but also makes it easier to trigger off-screen glare.

On the other hand, Huang Tao believes that the glare issue is also related to the coating technology strategy adopted by the vivo X200 Pro, which is more adept at addressing "ghosting" issues. However, this strategy compromises in the blue spectrum, resulting in blue off-screen glare that stands out more prominently compared to the gray glare of other products.

The issue is indeed present and more pronounced than in other brands' products, or even in vivo's own older models. This has become the primary reason for the "stumble" of the vivo X200 Pro and prompted many consumers to choose returns.

For example, both Li Yu and Qiao Yan are long-time vivo users who could directly compare their old phones with the new one. Finding little improvement and an additional flaw in the new model prompted Qiao Yan to return the vivo X200 Pro without hesitation.

Apart from the glare issue, Li Yu also revealed that while the glare was less noticeable at night, the vivo X200 Pro exhibited "ghosting" issues, which was also mentioned by another consumer, Wang Xin.

Wang Xin, another long-time vivo user who has owned at least five vivo phones from the X5 to the X200 Pro, decided to purchase the new model during its initial release based on her years of trust in vivo. However, she was greatly disappointed.

On the second day after receiving the new phone, Wang Xin noticed the "ghosting" issue and tested the camera whenever possible, finding it present both indoors and outdoors under normal lighting conditions. She attempted to contact customer service, but was told that staff had already tested the phone and that wiping the lens would resolve the issue.

It is worth noting that Huang Tao stated in his apology that the vivo X200 Pro is adept at addressing "ghosting" issues.

Additionally, vivo's after-sales attitude has caused dissatisfaction among consumers who purchased phones from offline flagship stores. While online purchases enjoy a "7-day no-questions-asked return" policy, offline store customers face difficulties with returns.

Wang Xin told Lianxian Insight, 'The store refused to accept returns. When I took the phone for after-sales inspection, they said there was no issue and refused to accept returns. The only option for an exchange was for the same model and memory size.'

Another consumer, Mou Xiaoguang, who purchased the vivo X200 Pro offline, expressed that he has seen little possibility of returning the phone. Customer service representatives have been passing the buck, stating that they will continue to escalate the issue but repeatedly insisting that it is not a quality problem.

'I believe that the official solutions, such as using a phone case or stickers, cannot resolve this issue. Now, I can only try to understand and accept it,' Mou Xiaoguang said with frustration.

2. Can vivo maintain its "strong imaging capabilities" label?

'Beyond imaging' is the slogan for the vivo X200 series, and 'strong imaging capabilities' is a brand label that vivo has established over the past decade.

In 2014, vivo released the world's first smartphone equipped with both an F1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization, the vivo X shot.

In 2017, vivo launched the vivo X20 series, which focused on imaging and featured an independent DSP image processing chip. The X20's slogan, 'Clear even in backlight,' was highly popular at the time.

In 2019, the X30 series was officially released, introducing full-focal-length mobile photography for the first time, in addition to 5G as its primary feature.

From 2020 to 2023, vivo released the X50 series through the X100 series. The X50 adopted micro-gimbal stabilization technology, the X60 series began its collaboration with Zeiss, and the X70 series featured self-developed imaging chips. Each subsequent model brought new upgrades in imaging technology.

Screenshot of the vivo X200 series launch event, source: vivo official video account

Over the years, vivo has continuously invested in and developed various mobile imaging technologies. Blueprint Imaging, for example, integrates vivo's self-developed sensor technology, algorithms, and imaging chips.

Simultaneously, vivo has established a four-year collaboration with Zeiss, jointly launching multiple innovations such as the vivo ZEISS Co-engineered Imaging System, Zeiss optical lenses, Zeiss T* coatings, Zeiss APO chromatic aberration control standards, and Zeiss natural color rendering.

For instance, the vivo X90 series' Sky Night View System, equipped with a one-inch T* coated Zeiss primary camera, enables users to capture stunning starry skies simply by holding up the phone.

vivo's outstanding imaging technology has given the brand a high degree of recognition among smartphone manufacturers and garnered a loyal following of "Blue Factory" fans.

According to Lianxian Insight, Li Yu, Qiao Yan, Wang Xin, and Mou Xiaoguang are all long-time vivo users who placed orders for the new phones within the first two days of their release. They share a passion for photography, demanding high standards for various camera parameters and details, and are highly satisfied with their previous vivo models.

For example, both Qiao Yan and Wang Xin have purchased the X90 pro+ and X100 pro consecutively. Qiao Yan even shared many photos taken with the X100 pro, stating, 'I've taken countless beautiful photos with these two phones. I can give you as many as you want.'

Photo taken with the vivo X100 pro, provided by a vivo X100 pro user to Lianxian Insight

Some consumers, like Mou Xiaoguang, purchased the X200 pro specifically for photography. His first vivo phone was the X100, and he decided to order the X200 pro to use as a compact camera for photography. He chose the X200 pro for its optimized telephoto photography capabilities and believed its curved screen was an improvement over the X100.

The current issues have indeed caught them off guard. However, when asked if they would consider purchasing vivo phones in the future, all interviewed consumers expressed that if no other phones with stronger imaging capabilities emerge, they would likely still choose vivo.

Nonetheless, the glare issue has significantly tarnished their impression of vivo. Li Yu stated that he was already angered by the delayed apology from vivo's executives, and the backlash he received after sharing his experience further soured his view of the brand.

'I believe this is a betrayal of the first batch of users,' Li Yu said.

3. vivo is working hard but under pressure

The disparity in expectations among loyal fans may stem from vivo's subpar service experience this time around.

In recent years, vivo has placed great importance on user feedback in the development of its new phones.

For instance, it has addressed issues like the green edges on the screen edges of the vivo X100 Ultra, which received numerous complaints from previous models. Responding to users' desire for "instantly good" photos, the vivo X100s further enhanced the photography experience through self-developed Blueprint Imaging technology.

vivo has also consistently invested in research and development, devoting significant effort to refining its products, keeping up with trends, and engaging in fierce competition with its peers in terms of materials, battery life, and imaging capabilities.

At the end of each year, major manufacturers rush to launch their annual flagship products. In terms of specifications, vivo's new models are not significantly different from those of other brands released during the same period.

Taking the Xiaomi 14 and vivo X100 as examples, both phones are equipped with flagship processors: the Xiaomi 14 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8Gen3, while the vivo X100 features a MediaTek Dimensity 9300. The Xiaomi 14 sports a 50-megapixel Optical Hunter 900 sensor, while the vivo X100 boasts a 50-megapixel Sony IMX920 sensor. The Xiaomi 14 has a 4610mAh battery supporting 90W wired fast charging and 50W wireless charging, while the vivo X100 offers a 5000mAh battery with 120W wired fast charging capabilities.

Amid the global popularity of foldable phones, vivo joined the fray and launched its first foldable phone, the vivo X Fold, in 2022.

In March of last year, vivo released the vivo X Fold2 and X Flip, followed by two more foldable models, the X Fold3 and vivo X Fold3 Pro, this March.

vivo X Fold3 series, image source: vivo official video account

In addition, brand competition among smartphone manufacturers has escalated from hardware stacking to battles over chips and operating systems.

For example, Huawei introduced HarmonyOS, Xiaomi launched Xiaomi Pengpai OS, and Honor debuted MagicOS.

vivo also officially released its self-developed operating system Blue River, also known as BlueOS, at the developers' conference in November last year.

According to the introduction, the system boasts three key features: intelligence, smoothness, and security. It supports multimodal interaction and can achieve various forms of interaction through machine learning and natural language processing technology. It can run on CPUs ranging from 200MHz to 4GHz and memory ranging from 32MB to 24GB, making it compatible with various configurations. It is also the first operating system in the industry whose system framework is written in Rust programming language.

Apart from its investment in operating systems, vivo has not missed out on the AI landscape either.

On October 10 this year, vivo held a developers' conference where it officially announced its new AI strategy, BlueHeart Intelligence. It also made four key announcements regarding AI capabilities, including upgrading the language large model, releasing the BlueHeart Edge Large Model 3B, the BlueHeart Voice Large Model, and the BlueHeart Image Large Model and BlueHeart Multimodal Large Model in terms of technology.

Screenshot of vivo X200 series launch event, sourced from vivo's official video channel

Years of effort have been dedicated to gaining a larger market share and advancing towards the goal of becoming a premium brand.

Judging from the current situation, vivo has indeed achieved phased results in market expansion, but it is still one step away from the premium market.

According to the China smartphone market reports for the second quarter of 2024 released by Canalys, Counterpoint, and IDC, vivo ranked first in the domestic market in terms of both sales volume and shipment volume.

However, the majority of vivo's market share growth did not come from its premium models. Canalys analysis shows that vivo's shipment growth was partly attributed to the launch of new mid-range products and channel expansion. Therefore, from a premiumization perspective, vivo faces considerable pressure.

In terms of products, vivo's previously launched premium models have already garnered market attention, such as the X100 Ultra, which retails for up to 7,999 yuan, and the well-received vivo X100 series.

The launch of the vivo X200 series is not merely about boosting sales but also a crucial step towards premiumization. However, at a time when major brands are about to release new models and amidst the Singles' Day shopping season, vivo stumbled in its area of expertise.

The fiercely competitive market allows no mistakes for any player. vivo must quickly resolve this major issue and maintain its user base.

(Note: Li Yu, Qiao Yan, Wang Xin, and Mou Xiaoguang are pseudonyms used in this article. The featured image is sourced from vivo's official video channel.)