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“How is the digicam doing this?” was the query I requested myself essentially the most within the final six days. I used the X300 Extremely as my day by day driver for slightly below per week now, and whereas I often take longer to check telephones, that wasn’t essential with this system. The second I began taking images and movies with it, I spotted Vivo as soon as once more created a monster of a digicam cellphone.
Vivo proved during the last two years that it is aware of how you can ship the most effective camera-focused flagship; the X100 Extremely raised the bar on this class, and final 12 months’s X200 Extremely was the most effective digicam cellphone I examined on the time. If something, the one cause I did not use it for longer was as a result of the Chinese language mannequin had points with notifications, so I switched out to the superb X300 Professional as a substitute.
The X300 Extremely’s cameras are in a league of their very own
Cameras are the clear spotlight right here, so let’s dive straight in. Whereas manufacturers do not often change issues an excessive amount of between generations, the X300 Extremely has a brand new 200MP Sony Lytia LYT-901 essential digicam that is excellent, and it is joined by one other new 200MP customized Samsung ISOCELL HPB tele lens, and the identical 50MP Sony Lytia LYT-818 wide-angle lens as final 12 months. Now, whereas the primary digicam has smaller pixels and has an f/1.9 lens (versus f/1.7 final 12 months), the a lot greater 1/1.12-inch sensor permits it to soak up extra mild than its predecessor, and the result’s a digicam that is on one other stage totally.
Vivo’s collaboration with Zeiss exhibits its value as soon as once more, and the standard of the lenses and the picture tuning is without doubt one of the greatest on Android — if not the most effective general. I desire Vivo’s digicam tuning, and that is why I just like the X300 Professional higher than the Discover X9 Professional, and with the X300 Extremely, Vivo tweaked its digicam algorithms to ship even better element and vibrancy.
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The X300 Extremely takes unbelievable photographs in daylight conditions, with glorious dynamic vary and white steadiness. Pictures aren’t overly saturated, however you continue to get wealthy colours and good element. The X300 Extremely does simply as properly in low-light conditions, and it even has an edge over the X300 Professional on this regard, which I beforehand thought of to be the most effective low-light shooter.
Like final 12 months, the primary digicam’s focal size is 35mm as a substitute of 24mm that is utilized by most different manufacturers. On that notice, video recording is the clear star of the present on the X300 Extremely, with Vivo overhauling nearly the whole lot. On this context, the 35mm focal size feels good.
You now get 4K120 Dolby Imaginative and prescient video recording from all of the rear cameras, and even the 50MP entrance digicam can shoot 4K60 video in Dolby Imaginative and prescient. There’s 10-bit Log video, and a Professional mode that permits you to add your individual LUTs to present you a preview of what the video will seem like in real-time. The Professional mode allows you to tweak nearly each different parameter, and actually, if you happen to intend to take loads of movies out of your cellphone, the X300 Extremely is the one to get — there is no doubting that.
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The 200MP tele lens is arguably the most effective you may get on this class, and it delivers usable photographs at 10x. The 85mm lens goes as much as 3.7x optical zoom, and it excels in low-light conditions. I received detailed images in situations with little to no lighting in any respect, and even going as much as 10x, the element retrieval was higher than the S26 Extremely, Pixel 10 Professional XL, and every other cellphone I examined.
Portrait photographs are simply pretty much as good on the X300 Extremely, and I like the brand new macro mode. It allows you to go extremely near a topic, and I received a couple of attention-grabbing photographs this fashion. Whereas the wide-angle lens is unchanged, it continues to ship the identical caliber of images as the opposite cameras, and that is nice to see.
On the entire, the Vivo X300 Extremely has the most effective cameras of any cellphone of 2026, and what I like essentially the most is that every one cameras produce constant colours. That is significantly noticeable when capturing video, and that is what provides the X300 Extremely a particular edge over different flagships.
Vivo outdid itself with the X300 Extremely teleconverter lenses
The opposite big differentiator is the equipment; Vivo has two telephoto converter lenses this 12 months, with a brand new G2 200mm lens that’s smaller than the lens accent from final 12 months, and a brand-new 400mm lens that is simply ridiculous.
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I received each lenses and the requisite equipment to connect them to the system, and whereas I am going to delve right into a bit extra element in a standalone submit, what it’s good to know is that each lenses give the X300 Extremely a sizeable benefit. The most effective half is that the tele lens attachment that debuted with the X200 Extremely matches simply as properly on the X300 Extremely, so in case you have that, you need to use it with this 12 months’s cellphone.
The X300 Extremely has a trendy design — and nice battery life
Whereas the X300 Extremely is all about cameras, Vivo did not miss any particulars with the remainder of the cellphone. The design is fairly nice in its personal proper, and the large 6,600mAh battery ensures you need to use this cellphone all day even if you happen to take tons of of images and hours-long video. Regardless of how a lot I pushed the cellphone, I used to be in a position to get to the tip of the day without having battery saver. And with 100W quick charging tech, it takes simply over 42 minutes to completely cost the battery, and it goes as much as 50W with USB PD chargers as properly.
The X300 Extremely has a two-tone design on the again with an etched sample of a mountain beneath the digicam module, and it seems cool. The underside third of the cellphone has a plain texture with Vivo’s brand on the facet, with Vivo mimicking the texture of conventional cameras; that stated, I might’ve most well-liked a leather-based end. Whereas it is a big slab of a cellphone, the beveled edges alongside the mid-frame make holding the cellphone rather more comfy, and it does not dig into your hand just like the Galaxy S26 Extremely and even the Pixel 10 Professional XL.
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The mid-frame additionally has a matte texture, and in a refreshing change of tempo, you haven’t any extra buttons — there’s simply the ability button and quantity buttons on the correct facet of the cellphone. The general construct high quality is superb (as you’d think about), and I did not see any points on this space. Like most different Chinese language telephones, the X300 Extremely will get IP68 and IP69 mud and water resistance.
Vivo one way or the other went with an excellent greater digicam module this time, however as it’s centered, it does not trigger any wobble when utilizing the system on a desk. The rounded module has a metallic ring encircling it, and the design contrasts properly with the matte texture on the rear. If something, the scale of the module works to its benefit, as I discovered it to be the perfect place to relaxation my index finger whereas holding the cellphone.
The 6.82-inch AMOLED panel is unchanged from final 12 months, and the one distinction I seen is that it will get just a little brighter when used subsequent to the X200 Extremely, and it handles HDR content material just a little higher. The 144Hz refresh fee is sweet, and it makes a slight distinction towards the 120Hz refresh that is been customary for some time now. Outdoors of that, the panel has nice shade vibrancy and distinction ranges. There are significant eye consolation options, you get excessive PWM dimming throughout your complete brightness vary, and first rate customizability in relation to tweaking the colour steadiness.
You get all the ability you want — after which some
Though Vivo makes use of MediaTek with its different X300 telephones, you get the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 on the X300 Extremely, and it’s a powerhouse like no different. It handles demanding video games with ease, and whereas different telephones I examined bumped into overheating points, that wasn’t a case on this system — it may very well be all the way down to the Chinese language model of the software program. I am going to take a look at the {hardware} towards the worldwide mannequin as soon as I get my fingers on it and see if there’s any noticeable distinction.
In any other case, I did not see any points in any respect with the {hardware}, and my unit has 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage. Will probably be attention-grabbing to see what storage variants Vivo launches globally, however we should always get at the very least the 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB fashions.
Elsewhere, there aren’t any issues with connectivity. The Chinese language mannequin has all of the requisite mobile bands to make use of globally, and I had no points getting 5G in India. The cellphone has the standard high-res codecs as properly, together with AptX Adaptive, and I did not have points utilizing Roon. Now, the X300 Extremely will get satellite tv for pc connectivity, however as I am utilizing the Chinese language mannequin — which is proscribed to China Cellular — I wasn’t in a position to take a look at it. Will probably be attention-grabbing to see if Vivo retains the function within the world mannequin.
The software program is best than I imagined
I am going to briefly speak in regards to the software program, because it’s related if you happen to’re curious about getting the Chinese language mannequin. The cellphone runs OriginOS 6 primarily based on Android 16, and actually, it is nice to make use of. I examined dozens of Android telephones with Chinese language skins prior to now, and it is refreshing to see simply how simple it’s to maneuver knowledge from an Android cellphone over to the X300 Extremely — it is quicker than Google’s built-in knowledge switch system. Aside from that, it is a breeze to put in the Play Retailer and get all of your apps put in on the system, and it took me much less time to set the whole lot up the way in which I would like on the X300 Extremely than most different telephones.
The one drawback with utilizing the Chinese language model of OriginOS is that there are lingering notification points. It is simple sufficient to handle by disabling reminiscence administration, however you may have to do with each particular person app. With near per week of use, I get Gmail and Slack messages with none points, however that wasn’t the case after I arrange the cellphone. Aside from that, OriginOS has loads of positives, and I just like the design and all of the customizability that Vivo has added during the last 15 months.
The X300 Extremely is the digicam cellphone to beat in 2026
If I am being sincere, the X300 Extremely did not have to do a lot to dominate its rivals. The X200 Extremely holds up extremely properly in 2026, and with upgraded cameras and improved tuning, the X300 Extremely stands out much more, which is an achievement in and of itself. The brand new cameras are groundbreaking, and video recording particularly is on one other stage altogether.
I do not know what the worldwide X300 Extremely will value, however traditionally, Chinese language variants have been rather more reasonably priced — by a number of hundred {dollars} — and that is sure to be the case this time as properly. Which means you will have the potential to avoid wasting fairly a bit of money by getting the Chinese language variant, and actually, if I had to purchase the X300 Extremely, that is what I might do. Nonetheless, with the cellphone launching globally, it is smart to attend and see how a lot the X300 Extremely retails for outdoor China earlier than taking the plunge.
Look, I am privileged in that I get to make use of all flagships, so there is no scarcity of gadgets I can use each day. Between the Galaxy S26 Extremely, Pixel 10 Professional XL, Discover X9 Professional, Vivo X300 Professional, and the Xiaomi 17 Extremely, and there is no doubt that the X300 Extremely has the most effective all-round package deal. The cameras alone give the cellphone a definite lead, however if you mix the remainder of the {hardware} and the battery, you are taking a look at the most effective cellphone of 2026. OPPO has to do one thing actually progressive with the Discover X9 Extremely to have the ability to problem Vivo this 12 months.
