Vivo X300 Ultra tested: A camera with Android that can also make calls
27.4.2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
Vivo isn’t just touting the quality of the X300 Ultra’s cameras; it has also included a 400mm clip-on lens with my review unit. I’m using this to try my hand at sports photography, amongst other things.
On many smartphones, the image quality of the ultra-wide-angle and/or telephoto cameras is inferior to that of the main camera – especially when lighting conditions aren’t ideal. This isn’t the case with the Vivo X300 Ultra, so taking photos with it is a real pleasure, even without any fancy accessories.
Three cameras as constant companions
Before doing any sport, however, I’m simply out and about in the city and the countryside with my smartphone. There, the three cameras on the back prove their suitability for everyday use and holidays. In this context, I cannot fail to mention the camera bump. At 16.8 millimetres, it is almost twice as thick as the nine-millimetre-thin smartphone.
Vivo has also fitted a fourth camera on the back. You cannot control this directly. The 5-megapixel sensor in the «Colour-Sensing Camera» is designed to provide colour information to improve the colour reproduction of the other cameras. Camera partner Zeiss complements the colour style selection with «Zeiss Natural Color».
In addition to automatic shooting, Vivo also offers extra modes for street photography, landscape and night photography on the X300 Ultra. In both modes, I can switch from automatic to Pro mode via a button to set the exposure settings manually. In street photography mode, I notice mainly a darkening and stronger vignetting.
The landscape and night mode differs slightly from the automatic night mode. In this example, taken with the telephoto camera, the sky is slightly darker, the moon is less overexposed and the leaves appear sharper.
The main camera
The X300 Ultra’s main camera has an unusually long focal length of 35 mm. On other smartphones, lenses in the 24 to 26 mm range are usually standard for this camera. The nine to eleven millimetres make a noticeable difference to the frame in this range. This takes some getting used to and means I find myself reaching for the ultra-wide-angle camera more often than usual.
Here’s another example: I took the photos for the Huawei Watch GT Runner 2 review in Pro mode with the X300 Ultra and developed the RAW files in Lightroom. And I have to say, I prefer the colour options in the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s RAW images.
In terms of quality, the main camera is faultless. The level of detail is extremely high, resulting in a sharp image. I’m also very satisfied with the colours overall – even if yellow is a little too dominant in the following example.
Strong contrasts and backlighting are no problem. However, shaded areas remain slightly darker.
When it gets dark, you don’t have to accept any loss of quality with the Vivo X300 Ultra. You just need a reasonably steady hand for the longer exposure times. The software takes care of the rest and delivers optimal results.
The ultra-wide-angle camera
If the focal length of the main camera is too long, I switch to the ultra-wide-angle camera. Its 14 mm focal length is within the usual range for this type of camera, and the 50-megapixel resolution is more than sufficient, even if the number is lower than that of the other two cameras. The sensor area is also comparatively large. This is by no means the case with all ultra-wide-angle cameras.
As a result, the camera delivers wonderful ultra-wide-angle shots that look impressive in terms of colour even in backlighting and show no blurring. In this shot, the ultra-wide-angle correction in the camera settings is active, which counteracts distorted and blurred corners.
The ultra-wide-angle camera impresses me even in the dark. With many smartphones, a drop in quality can be observed at night, but not with the X300 Ultra. However, the nearby house leans significantly more into the frame than the more distant elements in the daylight example.
The telephoto camera
When I want to get closer to a subject, the telephoto camera is my friend. Compared to the main camera, its focal length of 85 mm is only a 2.4x increase. The frame is different nonetheless, and the loss of quality is minimal.
The ships and bridge are even more in focus, whilst the plants in the foreground are blurred. The level of detail is high, though the colour reproduction suffers slightly from the strong backlight – but then again, it wasn’t the best time of day for good light.
In the dark, the level of detail suffers slightly, but for a telephoto camera, this is perfectly acceptable at night.
400-millimetre lens on a smartphone
With the «400 mm Equivalent Vivo Zeiss Telephoto Extender Gen 2 Ultra» – yes, the official name really is that unwieldy – Vivo offers an attachable lens for the X300 Ultra that extends the telephoto camera’s focal length to 400 mm. I would have preferred to see it fitted to the main camera’s larger sensor, but here its magnification factor of 4.7 would only provide a focal length of 170 mm. To achieve 400 mm, the lens would have to be significantly larger and heavier than the current 248 grammes and 11.6 centimetres in length.
I like being able to get much closer to subjects with the clip-on lens. The image quality is more than adequate for social media, but cannot compete with larger cameras and lenses. Cropping isn’t a problem in terms of resolution.
It is precisely with dynamic subjects, which are even moving towards me, that the typical problems of a fixed focal length become apparent: too close is too close and I can’t get a photo. Switching quickly to other cameras doesn’t help, as the lens is in the shot. I can only remove it, which takes a moment.
In terms of handling, the clip-on lens makes me feel closer to using an SLR camera again. It still takes better pictures than my smartphone, but it’s bigger, heavier and I have to change lenses. I only put up with that for special occasions, and I find myself behaving similarly with the X300 Ultra: I always have my smartphone with me, but I only pack the clip-on lens when I make a conscious decision to do so.
Digital zoom and videos
The clip-on lens offers digital magnification up to a focal length of 3200 mm, and the result is better than what other smartphones achieve with 100x zoom.
If you want to record videos with the Vivo X300 Ultra: The three rear cameras can record both multi-focal 4K 10-bit Log videos and Dolby Vision videos, each at 120 fps. The camera app offers a choice of various ‘ «’ and ‘Cinematic Colour Styles’», as well as various classic film formats. However, I only tried my hand at short video clips in standard mode.
The quality is sufficient for social media, and the long focal length brings me close to the action. However, the fixed focal length sometimes results in a too-narrow frame and makes it difficult to follow movements.
Plenty of power, a bright display and a good battery
Here’s a quick rundown of the X300 Ultra’s other features:
With the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Vivo has fitted the most powerful chipset currently available from Qualcomm. It has more than enough power for image processing and other tasks. Compared to other smartphones with the same processor as the Galaxy S26 Ultra or the Xiaomi 17 Ultra the benchmark results are, on average, so identical that I’ll spare myself the trouble of posting a graph with four or five bars of equal length.
The X300 Ultra’s battery is large at 6600 mAh, but not huge. Using the PCMark Work 3.0 battery test, I measured a runtime of 22 hours and 30 minutes at half display brightness. That’s an excellent result, which so far only the Oppo Find X9 Pro, the OnePlus 15 and the Realme GT 8 Pro. The Xiaomi 17 is on a par.
When charging, the smartphone accepts up to 100 watts via Vivo’s FlashCharge technology. Wirelessly, it accepts up to 40 watts with Wireless FlashCharge. With third-party power adapters, the power output may be lower. «-bypass charging» system is designed to prevent overheating when the X300 Ultra is in use whilst charging. Conversely, when the weather turns cold, the smartphone is said to remain usable at ambient temperatures as low as –20 degrees Celsius.
The 6.82-inch AMOLED display, with a resolution of 3168 × 1440 pixels, is not only an excellent viewfinder for the cameras but is also ideal for image review and editing. The vivid colours look natural and the brightness allows for use in direct sunlight. The maximum refresh rate of 144 Hertz is particularly relevant if you want to record and watch videos at 120 fps.
«Armor Glass» protects the display from damage. Its hardness is rated at 4 on the Mohs scale. This is equivalent to fluorite and can be scratched with a pocket knife. This puts it in the same league as the Pixel 10a or the Realme GT 8 Pro. However, the Gorilla Glass 7i – widely used in the mid-range segment – was tested on the Nothing Phone 4a Pro-41981" title="Nothing Phone (4a) Pro tested: the extra cost is worth it">Nothing Phone (4a) Pro – a 6 on the Mohs scale. This corresponds to feldspar and requires a steel file to cause damage. The entire smartphone is water- and dust-resistant to IP68/69 standards.
With OriginOS 6, Vivo has installed its own user interface on top of Android 16 on the X300 Ultra. So far, it doesn’t have any AI functions of its own worth mentioning beyond image editing. Notable gimmicks include the universal remote control, AirDrop-like file sharing with iPhones, and easy connection with the iPad. The manufacturer plans to provide the smartphone with feature updates for five years. Security updates are to be provided for seven years. The pre-installed apps from Vivo and third-party providers, which I have no intention of using, remain a nuisance.
In Europe, Vivo offers the X300 Ultra in just one configuration: 16 gigabytes of RAM and one terabyte of storage. This results in a high retail price of around 2,000 euros or francs.
In a nutshell
Excellent camera smartphone with a high price tag
For me, the Vivo X300 Ultra is one of the smartphones with the best overall camera package. None of the three lenses on the back are of such poor quality that I have to limit myself when using them. Even in the dark, they all deliver good image quality. Vivo expands the photography options via software and accessories. The comparatively large focal length of the main camera of 35 mm proves to be unusual.
The rest of the X300 Ultra's features correspond to those of a top smartphone and leave nothing to be desired. However, if you want to use a lot of AI, you will have to install it yourself and you will hardly find it in the system. In the end, the high price and not always good availability are the biggest disadvantages of the smartphone.
Pro
- Three high-quality cameras on the back
- Long battery life
- Few pre-installed AI tools
Contra
- Only one storage variant in Europe = high price
- Unusual 35 mm focal length for main camera
- Annoying apps from third-party providers
Header image: Jan Johannsen
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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