Vivo X200 Ultra lens is real: 200MP external lens with insane 8.7x zoom

The Vivo X200 Ultra lens is no longer just a tease. It’s officially confirmed, and it’s kind of wild. Vivo’s upcoming flagship will get a 200MP external lens, co-engineered with ZEISS, as part of its new Photography Kit. If you’re serious about mobile photography, this setup is going to change the game.

This isn’t just any add-on lens. We’re talking about an F2.3 external lens that brings a massive 8.7x optical zoom. It uses 13 high-transmittance glass elements arranged in a fancy Kepler structure, split into three groups.

The Vivo X200 Ultra lens will extend the phone’s telephoto by 2.35x, giving you a clean 200mm optical equivalent. Push it further, and you get a usable 800mm secondary point at 35x zoom, and a wild 1,600mm at 70x—equivalent to the native 30x zoom effect, but optical. Honestly, that’s more reach than most beginner DSLR setups with the basic kit lens.

Of course, you’ll need to pick up the separate Photography Kit to use this lens. Vivo’s also throwing in a dedicated video button inside the kit, which should make shooting feel a bit more natural. For folks chasing serious zoom power without lugging around a full camera rig, this might be worth the splurge.

Vivo is set to officially launch the X200 Ultra on April 21 in China, alongside a few other devices. Chances are, this beast of a phone (and its monster lens) might stay exclusive to China, at least for now.