Vivo X200 Ultra: Dedicated shutter button vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max's camera control

Vivo has finally realised that a professional-grade camera – something its X series phones aspire to offer – should include a hardware shutter button. The Vivo X200 Ultra is set to be the first Vivo phone to come with a dedicated shutter button, a feature that has already been available for years on Xperia flagships, such as the Xperia 1 VI (available here on Amazon).

Apple setting an example once again

As is often the case, Apple has prompted some Android OEMs to rethink their phone designs. Since the iPhone 16, “camera control” has become a standard feature, with the iPhone 16E perhaps being a notable exception. Whilst Apple intentionally avoids using the term “button” to describe the capacitive surface on the side of current-gen iPhones, Vivo seems to have no such qualms, as demonstrated by a recent Weibo post from Vivo manager Han Bo Xiao.

Button vs. camera control

Shared by Han Bo Xiao on 28 March, the photo below provides the very first detailed view of the shutter button, boldly placed next to the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The button has a blue indentation in the middle and doesn’t appear to be as grippy as the textured two-stage shutter release on the Xperia 1 VI, but it looks more "button-like" than the iPhone’s camera control. Those who frequently shoot in landscape will appreciate the button's placement closer to the bottom edge compared to the iPhone 16 series. However, this design could prove less convenient in portrait mode.

Dedicated shutter button

Although Vivo has confirmed the button is a dedicated shutter trigger, it remains to be seen whether the button will offer other functions, such as zoom and focus control. Vivo has already released a few night portrait shots to demonstrate what the Vivo X200 Ultra is capable of, even comparing its performance with that of a DSLR. The phone is officially set for an April launch in China, though no exact date has been given.