OnePlus 13s vs Vivo X200 FE: which compact flagship should you buy?

• By Sanket Vijayasarathy
Published On: 1 Aug, 2025

Compact flagships are finally having a moment. After years of being a niche dominated by the likes of Apple and Samsung, we’re now seeing serious competition in the sub-Rs 60,000 bracket. The OnePlus 13s (review) and Vivo X200 FE (review) are two of the best examples. Both are priced similarly, both are packed with flagship specs, and both are aimed at users who want a premium experience without the bulk. But while they might seem like equals on paper, they offer distinctly different personalities once you start using them.

Design: Subtle vs standout

The OnePlus 13s feels like it’s been designed for people who don’t want to draw attention. It’s compact, understated, and incredibly comfortable in hand. It is just 185 grams in weight and 8.15mm thick, with a clean matte finish and squared-off edges that sit snugly in your palm. There’s a nice symmetry to it, and the new Plus Key (think iPhone Action Button but Android-ified) adds a genuinely useful layer of personalisation.

The Vivo X200 FE, on the other hand, wants to stand out a bit more. The Amber Yellow variant, with its pastel rear and contrasting black frame, is easily one of the more striking phones in this price range. It’s also compact and light, but feels a little more slippery in the hand. Where Vivo scores extra points is durability: IP68 and IP69 ratings give you proper water and dust resistance, something OnePlus skips.

Display: Both are great, but one’s clearly brighter

On paper, the displays are near-identical: both are 6.3-inch LTPO AMOLEDs with FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rates. But Vivo pulls ahead when it comes to brightness. Its panel peaks at 5000 nits, which makes it easier to use outdoors. It’s also 10-bit, HDR10+ certified, and offers great contrast and colours for Netflix or gaming.

That’s not to say the OnePlus display is lacking. It’s sharp, colour-accurate, and absolutely fine under Delhi’s 43-degree sun. But it doesn’t quite hit Vivo’s brightness numbers, and if you’re big on media consumption, that difference might matter.

Performance: Snapdragon muscle vs Dimensity balance

This is where the gap really opens up. The OnePlus 13s is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Qualcomm’s latest 3nm flagship chip, and it feels like it. Everything from app switching to heavy gaming runs butter smooth, and it’s paired with 512GB UFS 4.0 storage and 12GB LPDDR5X RAM. Thermals are well-managed, and even during long gaming sessions, the phone doesn’t heat up uncomfortably. If you’re a power user or someone who wants future-proofed performance, this is the better choice.

Vivo’s Dimensity 9300+ is no slouch either. Day-to-day use is perfectly fluid, and games like Call of Duty: Mobile run at 60fps without drama. It has a higher 16GB RAM compared to the OnePlus 13s. However, UFS 3.1 and a USB 2.0 port seem out of place at this price, and the phone tends to heat slightly more under sustained load. The gap won’t bother casual users, but enthusiasts will notice.

Here’s a quick look at how the two phones perform in benchmarks to get an idea of what you can expect:

Software: Custom vs clean, AI everywhere

Both phones run Android 15 out of the box, but their takes on software are quite different.

The OnePlus 13s continues to deliver one of the cleanest Android experiences with OxygenOS 15. The interface is smooth, minimal, and familiar to long-time OnePlus users. It also adds a deep layer of AI integration through features like AI Plus Mind, which organises and surfaces relevant information from across the phone, such as summarising screenshots, adding events directly from your screen, and offering context-aware suggestions. There’s also AI VoiceScribe for summarising calls and content from apps like YouTube and Instagram, and AI Call Assistant, which supports real-time call translation in India. Add to that a suite of AI editing tools like Eraser, Unblur, and Reflection Remover, and you’ve got a genuinely useful set of smart tools that work well out of the box.

The Vivo X200 FE, on the other hand, offers FuntouchOS 15, which feels more familiar to existing Vivo users. The interface is clean and surprisingly light on bloatware, with thoughtful touches like disabling search suggestions in Global Search. However, the design can feel a bit dated, and quirks like the widget section appearing in the app drawer can break the flow. That said, Vivo has also gone all-in on AI. The phone features Circle to Search, Gemini integration, DocMaster for document editing, and tools like AI Transcript Assist and live call translation. These are genuinely helpful additions that add value, even if the skin itself could use a visual refresh.

Overall, OnePlus feels a bit more polished and fluid, while Vivo offers more utility-focused AI features. It comes down to whether you prefer a refined user experience or a feature-rich toolbox.

Cameras: Vivo goes all-in

Vivo’s X-series has long had a reputation for strong cameras, and the X200 FE keeps that legacy alive. The triple rear setup includes a 50MP primary, a 50MP 3x periscope, and an 8MP ultrawide. The main and zoom sensors shine. Portraits are excellent with multiple focal lengths, and even 10x digital zoom shots are usable. Night mode is impressive too, although colours lean a bit saturated.

Vivo X200 FE low-light

OnePlus 13s low-light

By comparison, the OnePlus 13s is more restrained. You get a solid 50MP primary and a 2x telephoto, but no ultrawide. Image quality is good, especially in daylight, and colour science is more natural than Vivo’s punchier look. However, the fixed portrait zoom and lack of versatility leave you wanting more, especially since Vivo offers so many creative options.

Vivo X200 FE

OnePlus 13s

Selfies and videos are a win for Vivo, too. The 50MP front camera has a wide field of view and delivers strong detail. OnePlus isn’t far behind, but tends to miss dynamic range in high-contrast scenes.

Vivo X200 FE

OnePlus 13s

Battery: Big cells, different stories

It’s rare to see compact phones with big batteries, but both these devices manage to impress. OnePlus packs a 5,850mAh cell and Vivo goes even bigger with 6,500mAh, thanks to a silicon-anode design. Both last a full day comfortably, and then some. But their approaches differ.

OnePlus is more efficient. Its lithium-ion battery, combined with software optimisation, means lower drain and minimal heating. Vivo’s larger battery lasts longer in light use, but during intense sessions (especially gaming), it drops faster and heats more.

Charging is fast on both – 80W on OnePlus, 90W on Vivo – but neither supports wireless charging, which feels like a missed opportunity on otherwise flagship-grade hardware.

Final word: Which compact flagship is right for you?

It boils down to what you value more.

Pick the OnePlus 13s if you care about speed, clean software, and long-term stability. It’s the better performer and more efficient device, featuring a sleeker, less fussy design.

Go for the Vivo X200 FE if your priority is cameras, display quality, and all-day battery with a bit more flair. It’s the more creative phone, and one that doesn’t cut corners in imaging just because of its size.

In many ways, the OnePlus 13s feels like a power tool: fast, focused, and refined. The Vivo X200 FE is more like a Swiss Army knife: versatile, expressive, and packed with extras. Either way, it’s a great time to be in the market for a compact flagship.