When you’re on a winning streak, don’t stop. That’s what you have with the Vivo X300 Ultra, a great camera phone that builds on the earlier X300 Pro by adding even more useful features for shutterbugs.
The new phone adds not one but two external telephoto extender lenses. With these, the camera can reach up to 400mm for optical zoom, pushing it far ahead of other smartphones.
On first glance, however, you won’t find the Vivo X300 Ultra that much different from other phones. The design is simple, for starters.
The phone has a plain glass back and a squared aluminium frame, which are nice but don’t shout its imaging capabilities out loud. The only clue is the large circular camera module, which features a ring that looks similar to a camera lens.
The 6.82-inch QHD AMOLED display is sharp and bright. It can reach up to 4500 nits, which helps you read and watch videos better in strong sunlight. Colours are accurate and not overly boosted, making it suitable for checking photos and videos.
The camera system is the main focus. The primary camera uses a 35mm-equivalent focal length with a 200-megapixel 1/1.12-inch sensor.
There is also a 14mm ultrawide camera with a 50-megapixel 1/1.28- inch sensor, and an 85mm telephoto camera with a 200-megapixel 1/1.4 inch sensor.
Zeiss T coating is used to reduce flare and ghosting. A multispectral sensor helps improve colour accuracy and details.
The system becomes more flexible with the optional telephoto extender lenses. When used with the 85mm telephoto camera, the focal length can reach an impressive 230mm or 400mm.
Some AI processing is involved, but images remain natural with balanced sharpness and colour. Digital zoom can still extend the range further, though with lowered image quality, so hold your horses when zooming all the way.
Colours are neutral and slightly cool. This is less vivid than some other brands, but the results give more room for editing. This suits users who prefer to adjust images later using tools such as Adobe Lightroom or those who just like natural colours. Just remember to save your images in DNG RAW or in HEIC format.
The 35mm main camera is a practical choice and is popular among photographers. It works well for street and portrait photography.
A 24mm option is available, but it uses the ultrawide camera, so image quality is slightly lowered. In daily use, the difference is small except for the eagle-eyed.
Video has improved as well. The phone supports 4K at 120 frames per second in Log profile. It also supports ACES, which helps match colours with professional cameras during editing.
Plus, the phone comes with a Pro Video user interface that will be handy for imaging professionals. There are a waveform graph and audio recording levels on top of Look-Up Table or LUTs that work like your typical digital image filter that translates flat colour profile into vibrant, properly saturated colours.
The optional camera grip makes a difference in handling. It adds physical controls for zoom, exposure, and video recording. The direct USB connection reduces delay when taking photos. With the grip, the phone feels closer to a compact camera, though it also becomes less portable.
Performance is what is expected from a flagship device. The Vivo X300 Ultra runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor with 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. The 6,600mAh battery supports long use beyond the usual day, and charging is fast with 100W wired and 40W wireless support.
How much does all this cost? At S$3,299 for the full kit, the Vivo X300 Ultra isn’t cheap. The cost is close to an entry-level full-frame camera such as the Nikon Z5 II with a kit lens. If budget is a concern, get the phone without the add-ons, at S$2,499.
The choice comes down to convenience versus image quality. To be sure, the X300 Ultra does not replace a dedicated camera, but it closes the gap or even goes beyond most compact cameras in terms of image quality.
If you’ve been looking for a phone that gives you the imaging performance of many a compact camera, without the usual heft, the new Vivo phone is definitely worth checking out.
