GoKawiilHadlee Simons / Android Authority
Vivo made a splash in the smartphone photography space last year with the vivo X200 Ultra, as it offered an optional telephoto extender. This external lens, attached to the 200MP periscope camera, enabled native 200mm or ~8.7x zoom. The company has since brought this same lens to the globally available X300 Pro.
Now, vivo has launched the X300 Ultra, and it maintains an optional 8.7x lens. However, the manufacturer has also launched an even larger telephoto extender that enables a crazy 400mm or ~17x zoom.
With this setup, I can capture legit (i.e., not generative) photos that I wouldn’t have been able to on a Pixel phone. The whole package is truly ridiculous, for more than one reason.
Would you buy an external camera lens for your phone? 71 votes Yes, absolutely 44 % It depends on the price/size/image quality 42 % No, I wouldn't 14 %
Vivo X300 Ultra external lens: What’s different this time?
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
I need to get one thing out of the way. If you thought the original 200mm external lens was enormous, then you’ll have a heart attack when you see the 400mm version. This thing is absolutely gigantic, and vivo has crossed a line in my book. The size of this lens is particularly noteworthy compared to the second-generation 200mm extender (see the third lens in the image above), which is a little smaller and significantly lighter than the original lens.
Things only get worse when you attach the 400mm lens to the phone via the requisite case and adapter ring. We’ve still got a bayonet mount this time, but the new lens is significantly heavier than the 200mm lenses. This makes the phone extremely top-heavy when the lens is connected.
The vivo X300 Ultra's 400mm external lens pushes boundaries in both good and bad ways.
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