The sequel to one of the year’s best camera phones is here, and I tried it out

TL;DR Vivo has launched the X300 and X300 Pro smartphones in China. The X300 Pro is a follow-up to the X200 Pro, which we called one of the best camera phones of the year. Vivo has confirmed that the phones will be available globally, along with the external lens accessory. We thought the vivo X200 Pro was one of the best camera phones of the year. That’s largely due to fantastic long-range zoom and plenty of video options. Now, the company has announced the vivo X300 series, including the X300 Pro. The series consists of the standard X300 and the X300 Pro, and both devices have a MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset, IP69 ratings, and OriginOS 6 atop Android 16. The two phones also sport a minimum display brightness of just one nit. Both devices also opt for an iPhone-style design with more rounded corners and a flat metal frame, much like the OPPO Find X8 series last year. X300 Pro: Best camera phone contender? Hadlee Simons / Android Authority The X300 Pro picks up where the X200 Pro and X200 Ultra left off, and it has some impressive core specs. In addition to the flagship-tier processor, you can expect a 6.78-inch 1,260 x 2,800 OLED screen (LTPO), a 6,510mAh battery, 90W wired charging, and 40W wireless charging. We noticed that our review unit had a 5,540mAh battery, despite the company’s fact sheet for the global variant listing a 6,510mAh battery. Vivo clarified to Android Authority that this discrepancy was due to regional requirements, “including regulatory standards and local user needs.” In other words, the smaller battery would be due to shipping/transport regulations. For what it’s worth, the vivo X200 Pro shipped with a 6,000mAh battery in every market except Austria and Hungary, where it received a 5,200mAh battery instead. It’s unclear which global X300 Pro variants will ship with the smaller battery, though. In any event, this is the first phone with a Dimensity 9500 chipset. Benchmarking does show that stability can be a problem. This isn’t necessarily a MediaTek problem, as previous vivo handsets have struggled with GPU stress tests compared to similarly equipped rivals. Nevertheless, this is something to keep in mind if you’re a gamer or simply want a device that stays cool under sustained load. As for the all-important camera system, the device offers hardware that’s an evolution over last year’s Pro. The company is using a 50MP Sony LYT-828 main camera (1/1.28-inch), although this has a 24mm-equivalent focal length rather than the 35mm (~1.5x) main camera seen on the X200 Ultra. Meanwhile, the phone packs a 50MP JN1 ultrawide lens, although this is notably smaller than the main shooter. Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below. Vivo was first to use a 200MP periscope camera, and it continues this trend today as the X300 Pro offers a 200MP 85mm periscope shooter. This time, it’s using an Isocell HPB sensor (1/1.4-inch) that’s apparently been co-engineered with Samsung. A company executive previously claimed this camera has CIPA 5.5 stabilization versus the X200 line’s CIPA 4.5 rating, along with improved focusing. Otherwise, it still packs an f/2.67 aperture. I’ve only spent a couple of days with the phone so far, but all three rear cameras tentatively took good snaps in general. However, we’ll need to spend much more time with the device and pixel-peeping to reach a definitive verdict. I found that tele macro shots were hit-or-miss so far, though, but it’s still capable of great results, as seen in the gallery below. Vivo also previously claimed that the phone is capable of 4K/60fps cinematic video capture, but the phone notes that the viewfinder runs at 30fps in this mode before the clip gets “processed” by the albums app. This strongly suggests that there might be some frame interpolation happening. 1x 85mm 170mm 85mm macro Ultrawide 85mm Other notable software additions include 4K/120fps Dolby Vision video capture via all three rear cameras, support for 200MP output in more modes (e.g. portrait), and new video styles. Missed the X200 Ultra’s telephoto extender? Well, the good news is that vivo has released a photography kit which includes this same external lens, a case, an adapter ring, a camera grip, and shoulder strap. This lens turns the X300 Pro’s 85mm telephoto camera into a 200mm shooter. And the company now offers a telephoto extender icon in each major camera mode, as opposed to the somewhat barebones discreet mode seen on the Ultra. This means you can use the external lens in more situations, including portrait and 200MP modes. You can even shoot LOG videos with this extender. Thankfully, the X300 Pro telephoto extender won’t be a China-only affair. Vivo confirmed to us that the lens will be available in global markets, but didn’t reveal more details. Vivo X300: A Mini in all but name Hadlee Simons / Android Authority Don’t care for the X300 Pro? Or maybe you want something smaller and cheaper? That’s where the vivo X300 comes in. The company previously claimed this was effectively a sequel to the X200 Pro Mini, and that’s down to the smaller form factor, featuring the same 6.31-inch screen size as the Pro Mini (LTPO, 1,216 x 2,640). I didn’t feel like I was holding a classic small phone when I briefly used the device, but it’s notably smaller when compared to the X300 Pro. In fact, the phone feels like the Xiaomi 15, which features a similarly sized screen, flat edges, and rounded corners. The X300 also has a significantly smaller camera bump, hosting a 200MP main camera (Isocell HPB), a 50MP JN1 ultrawide lens, and a 50MP 3x periscope camera (LYT-602). Other notable specs include a 6,040mAh battery, 90W wired charging, and 40W wireless charging. Yes, that also means the smaller X300 has a larger battery than the bigger X300 Pro. Thankfully, vivo has also brought a couple of upgrades that were missing from the Pro Mini, such as USB 3.2 speeds and an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. vivo X300 series pricing and availability Hadlee Simons / Android Authority Vivo has only launched the X300 phones in China at the moment, but the company has confirmed that a global launch is on the cards. In fact, our review units ran global software, suggesting that a wider release isn’t far away at all. The manufacturer told Android Authority that both the X300 and X300 Pro will be available in markets like India, Southeast Asia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and the UAE. However, the X300 Pro will also come to markets like Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Kenya, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Chinese pricing wasn’t forthcoming as of writing, but we’ll update the article with these details as soon as we get them. Disclosure: Hadlee Simons is a guest of vivo at the vivo X300 series launch in Shanghai, China. The company has no influence over editorial matters. Follow