vivo X300 Pro Review: The mobile photography buff’s smartphone, now even better

Heaps of new features and an enhanced photography kit makes this a sought-after device.

It’s been a hot minute since vivo’s X300 series is gathering some much needed buzz with the X300 Ultra and X300 FE. But we’re not talking about those two phones, because apparently, the vivo X300 Pro is more than enough for most users out there.

An updated, yet subtle look, improved hardware, a much needed spec bump, and the fact that OriginOS is here to stay for the top-end vivo models is a joy to explore. What’s the real question you may ask? If you're upgrading from the vivo X200 Pro, is it worth buying? And if you’re a beginner, will it satisfy your needs? Is the Photography Kit even worth it? Before we get into the details, let’s take a sort of a refresher course with its specs.

vivo X300 Pro Specifications

Disclosure

Special thanks to vivo for providing us a vivo X300 Pro review unit and we have the 16GB + 512GB variant.

Packaging

If you’re buying the standard vivo X300 Pro package, you’ll receive the usual stuff: a discreet flat box with a case, 80W charger, a USB C to USB C cable, sim ejector pin, and some information.

However, if you want to include the Photography Kit to the entire presentation, you’ll have additional things like a rigid case, thick lanyard, a set of camera rings to attach to the back, main camera attachment (for the telephoto), camera grip (with USB-C passthrough and own battery) some more paperworks, and the piece de resistance— the telephoto lens with its dedicated cap. Quite a hefty addition to an already luxurious and powerful device.

Design

The subtle changes like the rear flash extension is changed from right to left and the obvious matte frosted glass back transformation. There’s no drastic changes from the X200 Pro design-wise, but maybe that’s for the better since if you have a winning design, there’s no point in changing it just to feel new and different. Even the Zeiss logo is still front and center.

The “ring thing” though is gone from the X300 Pro in order to accommodate the Photography Kit. The color choices are also more subtle like baby blue, the subtle gold, regular white, and the classic black (Phantom Black, Mist Blue, Dune Brown, and Cloud White). All are good choices but we wish we had some variations like vegan leather or the bright colors of past models.

The buttons are all in the same layout as the X200 Pro except for a new shortcut button that can map as a camera quick toggle. You can pop in two SIMs in here and support eSIM as well, though we haven’t tested it.

Continuing the trend of the flat top designs of today— gone are the subtle curvatures of the x200 Pro, it’s all flatland here for the newer X300 Pro. Its under-display ultrasonic fingerprint is fast and reliable, while its IP68/IP69 certification makes sure it can survive a swim on a river or a bucket of water up to 1.5 meters.

Lastly, as expected, the weight is significant, as with these kinds of feature-packed devices, but everyone’s flagship nowadays are in the same league weight-wise, so this is a non-issue, but you’ll already know that.

Display

Its 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED with 120Hz is not small, but in a world filled with 6.8 and 6.9-inchers, this is a welcome downsizing, for the better. Its 1260p resolution is bright and sharp enough to enjoy any content to the fullest and with L1 Widevine support, running Netflix and other streaming apps is a breeze. The bezels are even and thin as well.

For the PWM sensitive eyes out there, the X300 Pro’s 2160 PWM and DC dimming is more than enough that it won’t cause you headache even in dim settings. Outdoor usage is a no-brainer as well with its 4,000 nits peak max brightness, not seeing well in the bright sunlight is a thing of the past.

The blacks are inky and the low brightness are low, which can be helpful in conserving battery and night reading or doomscrolling. Aside from its high refresh rate, you can switch from smart to auto refresh rate switch, standard, or low, which reduces its display speed to 60Hz.

Battery

Now, pulling off past 5,000mAh capacity is possible thanks to Silicon-Carbon technology which the x300 Pro utilizes with its 6,510mAh juice. If you’re living in Europe, however, you’ll only get an anemic 5,440mAh capacity which is less than ideal but hey, EU regulations.

Upon regular usage, we lasted a full day using the phone with around 17-24% of battery left, while gaming with intensive AAA games gave us almost nine hours of gaming before reaching for this phone’s 80W charger, which filled the phone from 0-100% in just 41 minutes. Make sure to enable fast charging in both modes to ensure maximum charging speed.

If you prefer the wireless lifestyle, it’ll take you 1 hour and 5 minutes to fully charge it from empty to max. If you’re that person who wants to prolong its battery life. There's some features here that limits your battery to whatever capacity you want to from 70% to 90%. Lastly, bypass charging is also here so you can game for hours on end without ruining your battery health as it draws power directly from the outlet instead to your battery.

Audio

Bold sound, large soundstage, and acceptable bass is to be expected upon testing the X300 Pro’s speakers. Simplicity-wise, its flagship grade quality. However, as with most phones today, there’s no room here for a wired headphone or earphone. You have to get a dongle in order to enjoy it. (Another) however, it’s picky in what dongle it wants to make it work. We found dongles with CX1993 chips work the best.

Software experience

Finally, Funtouch exits the building and OriginOS is here to stay for the rest of the world. OriginOS 6 is snappy and modern, unlike Funtouch that looked like it was stuck on Android Marshmallow 6.0.

For starters, you’ll get five years worth of updates. Yes, it’s two years behind what Samsung, Apple, and Motorola’s flagship has to offer, but most people upgrade their devices every 2-3 years or so.

The general UI is cleaner, more pronounced, and filled with fun additions such as new fonts, icons, better clock designs, photos, and controls. There’s also an Origin Island thing that lets you assign functions to the X300 Pro’s punch-hole.

There’s also a function now that is similar to AirDrop where you can instantly share stuff from another vivo phone to another at lightning fast speeds. We hope it can be integrated to non-vivo phones, but we can dream, right?

Performance and gaming

MediaTek’s top dog processor for 2025, the ultra-powerful Dimensity 9500, is here to grace the x300 Pro’s performance aspect.

Its 3 nanometer fabrication works wonders on this device, as it barely heats during usage indoors and outdoors; as well as during intensive usage like gaming. The only time it heats is during shooting tons of photos and videos, it heats around the camera part, which signals that it uses it as a heat sink as well. The heat is manageable though and never unbearable during the course of our usage and tests.

Our 16+512GB unit got around 3 million points on AnTuTu which means one thing, it can handle all things you’ll throw at it and with spare left with multiple windows, if you’re that kind of user.

We played some AAA games from both China and the Philippines, notably Wuthering Waves, Genshin Impact, and some Chinese-exclusive games to test its capabilities. It stayed locked in at 60fps, except after the 30 minute mark when it experiences occasional drops, but it stayed consistent and on the top of its game. Footage of gameplays are attached below.

For the offline gaming part, we played Subnautica, Alien: Isolation, and Red Dead Redemption. The results are the same— and with that, it’s safe to say that the vivo X300 Pro is not only a camera-centric device, but can take a big swing as well when it comes to good ol’ gaming.

Camera and video

When we said subtle differences, we meant it. There’s not much to say about the improvements from the X200 Pro to the X300 Pro, yet what is the difference? Its camera software is more robust and clearer than ever in both point-and-shoot and manual photography and videography.

The new Sony Lytia LYT-828 is a good spec bump over the 818 from last year and it shows: crispy zooms, richer and more expressive portraits, and the flexibility of using it that even non-enthusiasts will appreciate.

The 50MP main shooter puts just enough drama, contrast, and shadows to uplift darker spots— all while blending the brighter sections more naturally. The added camera grip (if you bought the Photography Kit) will make shooting even better as the grip contours to our hands, letting us shoot even more photos and footage for longer. Remember, this isn’t a light smartphone and the camera grip distributes the weight so it doesn’t leave your hands with a cramp during prolonged usage.

Portrait mode is a different story altogether: it delights with its natural filters, puts some tasteful bokeh, and transitions lighting and shadows to the subject with much gusto and flair— all while not requiring you to do more like we say, a traditional DSLR camera. Of course, there’s an argument that it won’t fully replace those mirrorless standards, but for the vivo X300 Pro, you’ll believe it might be someday.

The ultrawide camera lets you fit more subjects in the frame as evident with our establishment shots here below. The quality is on par with its main camera. Both the main, portrait, and ultrawide lets you shoot animals and moving objects with ease with its fast shutter.

Autofocus and PDAF also work wonderfully here, cementing its reputation as a capable and versatile shooter for both casuals and professionals.

Now, the star of the show, the telephoto. On its own, it can stand on its own right. Its 3.7x optical zoom is more than enough to capture far flung sceneries before it transitions to digital crop, which is also good, but loses some quality and continues as you max it out. But with the telephoto attachment from the Photography Kit, our shot of the Philippine Arena from far away is the stuff of dreams. Detailed and with ZEISS’s signature color science, it’s no secret why this device lets you enjoy a concert even if you’re sitting in the upper box of the arena.

Of course, the obligatory moon shots show the x300 Pro’s camera prowess. If you want to make sure your photos look good, it shows you a moving preview or similar shot that you capture and compares it.

The selfie shooter gives great detail to the face, making it realistic while not oversharpening or blowing up the lighting. Of course, there’s beauty filters here if you want a cleaner look. Its macro capabilities are also great, capturing zoomed in objects with clarity and detail.

Night mode on all cameras delivers most of the time, except in really dim spots around the area which leaves the x300 Pro in some minor struggles. Still, you’re the judge with these photos below.

Video on the hand is also mostly alright especially on night mode, with its OIS handling all the work to make sure it's stable even when running or in a busy area. The selfie, however, resorts to EIS, which is alright, but understandable nonetheless.

8K video at 30fps is slightly shaky on the main cam and ultrawide, while 4K 60fps is good mostly on low light. There’s also a 120fps slow motion mode if you want to be creative with your footage.

If you want easier zooming capabilities, the Photography Kit’s zoom rings will help you zoom naturally like a mirrorless one, just spin the dial and zoom up close and away to your heart’s content. If you fear that you may drop the phone accidentally, the thick lanyard that can be attached to the rugged case is your saving grace. Aside from that, use the included color-matched matte silicon case for everyday use.

The Photography Kit’s camera grip will also charge your device as you use it and pops up a new menu with some of the professional controls. Upon testing, we find it to be much more complicated, implying that these are for those serious hobbyists or photographers by trade only, unless you train yourself to use it.

The Verdict: Tekku Meter - 8/10

There’s a lot to love and few to be improved on the vivo X300 Pro, but one thing’s for sure, the brand manages to elevate this smartphone to the upper echelons of mobile photography and continues to hone it with precision and focus, that we can’t help but love this device. Here are some points of improvements and greatness:

Why we gave it an 8?

The Good.

• Flagship grade flat build
• Great display
• Top of the line MediaTek processor
• Big battery (rest of world)
• Fast charging
• Top of the line photo quality

The Bad.

• Photography Kit still needs some fleshing out with its features
• Matte colorways are good, but we’re longing for some bright color choices
• Low light videos need some improvements
• Phone becomes heavy with the Photography Kit

The vivo X300 Pro truly shines and delivers on what it promises. If you’re eyeing to get one, it’s a matter of taste aesthetic-wise, but in terms of pure performance, only few can get close to what it offers.

The vivo X300 Pro is priced starting at PHP 64,399 for the base 12GB + 256GB variant (Shopee). The X300 Pro + Photography Kit is priced at PHP 97,999 (Shopee).