Product test
Huawei Watch GT Runner 2 tested: Ready for the marathon
by Jan Johannsen
Vivo X300 Ultra tested: A camera with Android that can also make calls
27.4.2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
Vivo not only praises the quality of the X300 Ultra's cameras, but also included a 400-millimetre clip-on lens with my test device. I use it to try my hand at sports photography, among other things.
On many smartphones, the image quality of the ultra-wide-angle and/or telephoto camera is inferior to that of the main camera - especially when the lighting conditions are not ideal. This is not the case with the Vivo X300 Ultra, so taking photos with it is a lot of fun even without gimmick accessories.
Three cameras as constant companions
Before I start doing sport, however, I only use my smartphone when I'm out and about in the city and countryside. That's where the three cameras on the back prove their suitability for everyday use and holidays. In this context, I can't fail to mention the camera hump. At 16.8 millimetres, it is almost twice as thick as the nine-millimetre-thin smartphone.
Vivo also has a fourth camera on the back. You cannot control it directly. The 5-megapixel sensor of the «Color-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 or landscape and night with the X300 Ultra. In both modes, I can switch from automatic to Pro mode via a button in order to set the exposure settings manually. In street photography mode, I mainly see a darkening and stronger vignetting.
The landscape and night mode differs subtly 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 main camera of the X300 Ultra has an unusually long focal length of 35 mm. Lenses in the range of 24 to 26 mm are otherwise common for this camera on other smartphones. The nine to eleven millimetres make a noticeable difference in the image section in this range. This is unusual at first and makes me reach for the ultra-wide-angle camera more often than usual.
One more example: I took the photos for the test of the Huawei Watch GT Runner 2 in Pro mode with the X300 Ultra and developed the RAW files in Lightroom. And I have to say, I like the colour options in the RAW images from the Xiaomi 17 Ultra better.
Qualitatively, the main camera cannot be criticised. The level of detail is extremely high and ensures a sharp image. In terms of colour, I am also very satisfied overall - even if yellow dominates a little too much in the following example.
Strong contrasts and backlighting are no problem. However, shaded areas remain somewhat darker.
When it gets dark, the Vivo X300 Ultra doesn't have to accept any loss of quality. All you need is a reasonably steady hand for the longer exposure times. The software takes care of the rest and delivers optimum 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 is within the usual range for this type of camera and the resolution of 50 megapixels is more than sufficient, even if it 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 are convincing in terms of colour even in backlighting and have no blurring. In this shot, the ultra-wide-angle correction is active in the camera settings, which works against distorted and blurred corners.
The ultra-wide-angle camera also impresses me in the dark. With many smartphones, a drop in quality can be observed at night, but not with the X300 Ultra. However, the house in the neighbourhood tilts into the picture much more than the more distant elements in the daylight example.
The telephoto camera
If 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 an extension by a factor of 2.4, but the image section is still different and the loss of quality is minimal.
Ships and the bridge are even more in focus, the plants in the foreground are blurred. The level of detail is high, the colour rendition suffers somewhat from the strong backlight - but it wasn't the best time of day for beautiful light either.
In the dark, the level of detail suffers somewhat, but for a telephoto camera, this is perfect at night.
400-millimetre lens on the smartphone
With the «400 mm Equivalent Vivo Zeiss Telephoto Extender Gen 2 Ultra» - yes, the official name really is that unwieldy - Vivo offers a clip-on lens for the X300 Ultra that extends the focal length of the telephoto camera to 400 mm. I would have preferred to attach it to the larger sensor of the main camera, but its magnification factor of 4.7 would only provide a focal length of 170 mm. For 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 can't keep up with large cameras and lenses. Cropping is not a problem in terms of resolution.
The typical problems of a fixed focal length become apparent, especially with dynamic subjects that are still moving towards me: too close is too close and I can't get a photo. Switching quickly to other cameras doesn't help, the lens is also in the picture. I can only remove it, which takes a moment.
In terms of handling, I feel like I'm getting closer to the SLR camera again with the clip-on lens. It still takes better pictures than my smartphone, but it's bigger, heavier and I have to change lenses. I only do this for special occasions and find myself behaving in a similar way with the X300 Ultra: I always have the smartphone with me, I only pack the clip-on lens on purpose.
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 with advertise 100x zoom.
If you want to record videos with the Vivo X300 Ultra: The three rear cameras can record multi-focal 4K 10-bit log videos as well as Dolby Vision videos at 120 fps each. Various «Cinematic Colour Styles» and various classic cinema film formats are available in the camera app. However, I only tried my hand at short video snippets 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 makes the image too tight and makes it difficult to follow movements.
Plenty of power, bright display and good battery
The rest of the X300 Ultra's features follow in quick succession:
With the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Vivo has installed 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 such as theGalaxy S26 Ultra or the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, the benchmark results are so identical on average that I'll save myself the trouble of posting a graph with four or five bars of equal length.
The battery of the X300 Ultra is large at 6600 mAh, but not huge. Using the PCMark Work 3.0 battery test, I determined a runtime of 22 hours and 30 minutes at half display brightness. This is an excellent value, which only the Oppo Find X9 Pro, the OnePlus 15 and the Realme GT 8 Pro outperform. The Xiaomi 17 is on a par.
When charging, the smartphone draws up to 100 watts via Vivo's FlashCharge technology. Wirelessly, it is up to 40 watts with Wireless FlashCharge. The power output may be lower with third-party power supply units. A «Bypass Charging» system is designed to prevent overheating when the X300 Ultra is in use during charging. However, if it gets cold, the smartphone should be usable at ambient temperatures of up to -20 degrees Celsius.
The 6.82-inch AMOLED display with 3168 × 1440 pixels is not only an excellent viewfinder for the cameras, but is also ideal for image control and editing. The intense colours look natural and the brightness allows use in direct sunlight. The maximum frame 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 specified as a 4 on the Mohs scale. This corresponds to fluorite and can be scored with a pocket knife. This puts it in the company of the Pixel 10a or the Realme GT 8 Pro. However, the Gorilla Glass 7i, which is widely used up to the mid-range segment - for example in the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro - achieves a 6 on the Mohs scale. This corresponds to feldspar and requires a steel file for damage. The entire smartphone is waterproof and dustproof to IP68/69.
Vivo has installed its own user interface, OriginOS 6, on the X300 Ultra via Android 16. It does not yet have any AI functions of its own worth mentioning outside of image processing. Gimmicks include the universal remote control, AirDrop-like file sharing with iPhones and easy connection to the iPad. The manufacturer intends to provide the smartphone with function updates for five years. Security updates will be available for seven years. The pre-installed apps from Vivo and third-party providers, which I don't want to use at all, remain annoying.
In Europe, Vivo is only offering the X300 Ultra in a memory version with 16 gigabytes of RAM and one terabyte of storage space. This makes for a high retail price, which is around 2000 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.
Smartphone
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
These articles might also interest you
22 comments
later