GSMArena Team, 13 October 2025

vivo X300 & X300 Pro hands-on review

vivo X300 Pro camera hardware and samples

The vivo X300 Pro brings subtle improvements to the already solid camera system of its predecessor. At the same time vivo has taken care not to disrupt the X200 Ultra as the all-out camera flagship of the brand - the Ultra lays exclusive claim to the 35mm and 14mm 1/1.28-inch cameras, as well as the brighter f/2.3 lens on the 85mm telephoto.

On the surface, the X300 Pro sounds nearly identical to the X200 Pro. But dig a little deeper, and you'll see subtle changes to some of the sensors. The main camera is a 50MP LYT-828, a newer chip that has been jointly developed with Sony. It has vivo's VCS 3.0 tech for better color rendition.

The main camera's stabilization angle has been upgraded to ±1.5°, and it now achieves a gimbal-grade level of stability. In comparison, the vivo x300 lacks this feature.

The staple 3.7x telephoto has what sounds like the same 85mm f/2.67 Zeiss T*-coated, APO-certified lens. The lens elements have been made out of flouride glass (as opposed to the usual plastic, we presume). Vivo says that the ISOCELL HPB sensor used here is the fruit of a two-year collaboration with Samsung on the ISOCELL HP9. Size-wise, it's the same 1/1.4-inch imager, so the improvements are not clear - maybe they've made it easier for vivo to apply its own processing. And there are tons of systems used for that processing - starting from vivo's in-house VS1 chip, through vivo's VS chip to the Dimensity 9500's own Imaging NPU.

All this hardware works together to deliver improved auto focus motion tracking performance. Vivo says tracking stability is up by over 200%, and that the camera has millisecond-level tracking and shutter response. It all essentially means you'll get a more stable and reliable zoom camera than before, which should allow you to capture fast-paced action at a performance or a sports event.

Wide (main): 50MP Sony Lytia LYT-828 (1/1.28", 1.22µm-2.44µm), f/1.57, 22.7mm, PDAF, OIS; 4K@120/8K30
Telephoto 3.7x: 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HPB (1/1.4", 0.56µm-2.24µm), f/2.67, 85mm, multi-directional PDAF (14cm - ∞), OIS; 4K@120fps
Ultrawide: 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1 (S5KJN1, 1/2.76", 0.64µm-1.28µm), f/2.0, 15.4mm, PDAF; 4K@60fps
Front camera: 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1 (S5KJN1, 1/2.76", 0.64µm-1.28µm), f/2.0, 24mm, AF; 4K@60fps

The selfie camera is a big upgrade over the old unit. It's now a 50MP sensor with autofocus. It's seemingly the same sensor used in the vivo X200 Ultra, which is no small thing - that's an excellent camera.

Vivo has leveraged the dual chip setup to improve video capabilities as well. The X300 Pro supports Cinematic Bokeh Video at up to 4k at 60 frames per second (first in the world, they say, but we haven't been keeping track of this mode specifically). Also, both the wide and telephoto cameras have support for dual-channel electronic image stabilization at 4K up to 120fps. And for true pros, there's now 10-bit Log video support at 4K at 120fps at all focal lengths.

The camera can also record Dolby Vision video at up to 4K60. And another new feature is the 'dual-field video recording', which combines the video feed from both the front and back cameras. You can also take real still photos while recording video instead of just capturing a frame from the video itself.

Just like the X200 Ultra, the X300 Pro can be had with an optional Photography Kit. It includes a dedicated case with a battery grip and a 2.35x telephoto extender lens, which takes the 85mm all the way to 200mm, optically. The case on which the extender is mounted appears to be improved from previous generations, and the extender itself works across all cameras and most camera modes. We have a separate hands-on article where you can see photo samples taken with the extender.

vivo X300 Pro Photography Kit with telephoto extender

We took the vivo X300 Pro along the streets of Shanghai to test its capabilities. We've compiled quite an extensive gallery for you folks at home. You can find samples from the main camera, including 2x, the zoom, including 10x and 20x, the ultrawide, as well as dedicated macro and selfie samples. You can also find a multi-video playlist at the end of the page.

We'll save our verdict on the vivo X300 Pro's cameras for our full review, but things are definitely looking promising.

vivo X300 Pro main camera