The struggle of polarities: Izvestia compared Apple's flagship with the new Vivo brand

Izvestia tested two new products this week: the Apple iPhone Air smartphone, one of the lightest and thinnest devices in the world, and the Vivo X200 FE, called one of the powerful solutions for those who use a smartphone a lot and don't want to remember about charging. For Apple, the flagship Air has become a completely new product, and Vivo has relied on the availability and broad functionality of the Android operating system. Which smartphone copes better with routine tasks and is suitable for active residents of the metropolis — read in our material.

Design and dimensions

The comparison of the iPhone Air and X200 FE is interesting because these devices demonstrate different approaches to smartphone development: the former focuses on premium experience, while the latter focuses on technical versatility and energy efficiency. Both smartphones went on sale in Russia almost simultaneously: the X200 FE on September 18, and the iPhone Air on September 19.

Vivo X200 FE

Photo: vk.com/vivo Russia

According to the results of the first week of pre—orders in Russia, the iPhone 17 Pro Max turned out to be the most popular in the new Apple line - it accounted for 49% of orders, followed by the iPhone 17 Pro (32%), the basic iPhone 17 (14%) and iPhone Air (5%), the MTS press service reported.

The iPhone Air features a minimalistic and high-tech design. Its thickness is only 5.64 mm, and its weight is 165 g. The case is made of titanium, and the front and back panels are protected by Ceramic Shield 2 glass. The device is certified according to the IP68 protection standard and can withstand immersion in water to a depth of 6 m. The smartphone is focused on maximum portability and visual lightness.

The X200 FE, in turn, has a more massive body: its thickness is close to 8 mm, and its weight is about 186 g. The device is also protected according to IP68 and IP69 standards, as well as certified according to the military standard of resistance to falls. The case is made of glass and metal, which ensures durability and tactile reliability. The increased dimensions are explained by a high-capacity battery and a more complex camera system.

Screen

Both devices are equipped with displays with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz and high pixel density (about 460 ppi).

The iPhone Air uses a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel with a resolution of 2736×1260 pixels. The display supports HDR, True Tone, ProMotion and Always-On Display technologies. The maximum typical brightness of the screen is 1000 nits, in HDR mode — up to 1600 nits, and in the sun — up to 3000 nits.

iPhone Air

Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Despite the smaller diagonal (6.31 inches), the X200 FE display has a higher peak brightness of up to 5,000 nits. The screen resolution is 1216×2640 pixels, which provides a density comparable to the iPhone Air. The POLED technology used guarantees high contrast and image clarity. The increased brightness makes the Vivo screen ideal for outdoor use in bright light, but the iPhone still has the advantage in terms of adaptive functions and color calibration.

Efficiency

The iPhone Air is equipped with the Apple A19 Pro chipset, which includes six processor cores (two high-performance and four energy-efficient), a five-core graphics processor and a 16-core neural engine. Thanks to the tight integration of hardware and software, iPhone performance remains high even during long-term operation, especially in tasks related to graphics and video processing.

The X200 FE uses a MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ chip made using a 4nm process technology. The processor architecture includes one high-performance core with a frequency of up to 3.4 GHz, three high-performance cores with a frequency of 2.85 GHz and four energy-efficient cores. In synthetic tests, performance is at the level of top Android flagships, and in some game scenarios it may even surpass the iPhone.

Memory capacity

The iPhone Air comes in three configurations: 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB of internal storage. There is no support for memory cards. The amount of RAM has not been officially announced, but, according to a number of sources, it is about 8 GB.

Vivo X200 FE

Photo: vk.com/vivo Russia

In turn, the X200 FE is available in versions with 12 or 16 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage. The use of LPDDR5X memory and UFS 3.1 drives ensures high data transfer speeds, which allows you to comfortably work with resource-intensive applications in multitasking mode.

Cameras

The iPhone Air camera system includes a 48-megapixel main camera with optical stabilization and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with double optical zoom. The smartphone supports shooting in 4K with an extended dynamic range, as well as the "movie effect" function and night mode. Apple traditionally focuses on accurate color reproduction and stable results that do not require additional processing.

The X200 FE camera is more versatile. It includes a Sony IMX921 50-megapixel optical stabilization main sensor, a periscope telephoto lens with triple optical zoom, and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle module. The front camera has a resolution of 50 megapixels. This configuration provides a wide range of focal lengths and great flexibility when shooting. In the daytime, Vivo shows high detail, and in zoom shooting it surpasses the iPhone thanks to the periscope lens.

Battery and charging

The iPhone Air is equipped with a 3,149 mAh battery, which is considered a modest indicator by modern standards. However, due to the high energy efficiency of the chipset and optimization of the iOS operating system, the device provides up to 27 hours of video playback. The smartphone supports fast charging via the USB-C port (up to 50% in 30 minutes), as well as wireless charging using MagSafe (15W) and Qi2 (20W).

Vivo X200 FE

Photo: vk.com/vivo Russia

The X200 FE has a battery with almost twice the capacity — about 6500 mAh. The model supports 90W fast wired charging, which allows you to charge your smartphone up to 50% in less than 20 minutes. However, there is no wireless charging. In conditions of active use, Vivo demonstrates significantly better autonomy, especially in tasks requiring high display brightness and intensive processor operation.

Communications and program functions

Both smartphones support the latest wireless standards, including Wi-Fi 7 and 5G. The iPhone Air is equipped with sixth-generation Bluetooth, NFC with Express mode, and eSIM technology that allows you to store and switch between multiple profiles. Among the unique features are integration with MagSafe and Face ID support.

The X200 FE also offers a wide range of communication modules: eSIM (in some markets), NFC, Bluetooth 5.x and a full set of 5G bands. However, it lacks wireless charging and proprietary ecosystem features. The device runs on Android 15 with the Funtouch OS shell, while the iPhone uses iOS with long-term software support.

As a result

The iPhone Air is a compact, lightweight and optimized smartphone with a high level of hardware and software integration. Its strengths are the quality of execution, display, camera, software ecosystem, as well as resistance to external influences. It is suitable for users who value predictability, stability, and long-term software support.

iPhone Air

Photo: TASS/Zuma

The X200 FE is a device focused on performance and autonomy. It offers a more capacious battery, a flexible camera system, a high-brightness display and a powerful processor. This smartphone will be preferable in conditions of intensive use, especially if the priority is zoom shooting, offline operation and high computing power in an Android environment. According to Vivo's Sales Director Svetlana Korsakova, the X200 FE is lightweight, reliable, and ready to unleash its owner's creative potential.

At the same time, the final choice of two such dissimilar flagships depends on the user's preferences: if aesthetics and minimalism are important to the user, then the iPhone Air is ahead of the entire planet. However, if the buyer is still interested in the technical versatility and convenient Android ecosystem, then the victory will be on the side of the other "polarity" — X200 FE.